Miami-Dade Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

 and Miami-Dade County in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Early years

The Miami-Dade Public Library System traces its origin to the late nineteenth century. The first library was founded in Cocoanut Grove (original spelling) on June 15, 1895 by the ladies of the Pine Needles Club. In 1900 the Cocoanut Grove Library Association was incorporated and in 1901 Miami-Dade County's first library building was built in Cocoanut Grove. Meanwhile Miss Ada Merritt started a library in the public school in Lemon City in 1893. A public library was started in 1902 when ladies organized the Lemon City Library Association with dues of ten cents that met in one lady's home. In 1905 they built a library building at 412 NE 61st Street.

The City of Miami’s library was founded by the Ladies’ Afternoon Club, later the Woman’s Club of Miami. Its purpose was “reading and the discussion of literature.” By 1905, the Club was trying to provide a public reading room for its collection of books. The Club had no permanent home and for a number of years the reading room moved from place to place, as often as six times in a single year. By 1913 the Miami Women’s Club had its own building located at the corner of today’s Southeast Second Avenue and Flagler Street (then Avenue B and Twelfth Street) on property donated by Henry Morrison Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler was an American tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. He was a key figure in the development of the eastern coast of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and was founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway...

. His gift of land for the construction of a clubhouse contained a proviso that a public reading room be maintained in the building. Reliable financial support for the library was a continuing problem and in 1915 the Miami City Commission was convinced to support the library and $50 each month was allocated to its support. This downtown location was later sold and the Miami Woman’s Club erected its current building at 1737 North Bayshore Drive. The Flagler Memorial Library was established in this new building. By 1925 the communities of Coconut Grove and Lemon City had been annexed into the City of Miami. The first bookmobile
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...

 was proudly pictured in the Miami Herald of January 5, 1928.

The first public library serving the Black community was the Dunbar Branch at 2059 N. W. 6 Court, established March 14, 1938 by the Friendship Garden Club assisted by the Miami Woman’s Club. While the Dunbar Branch was being used, the Friendship Garden Club and the Washington Heights Library Association raised funds to build a new library. The City of Miami appropriated the remainder of the money to build on land donated by Black philanthropist Dana A. Dorsey
Dana A. Dorsey
Dana Albert "D. A." Dorsey was a businessman, banker, and philanthropist who became one of the first African American millionaires in Florida and the American South.- Childhood, education :...

. The one-story concrete block and stucco building was named the Dorsey Memorial Library and opened on August 13, 1941, under the supervision of the Miami Public Library’s Head Librarian. This was the first public library building owned by the City of Miami. The City of Miami thus had several community libraries receiving various amounts of financial support from public funds.

Unification

In 1942 these libraries were brought together in a single public library system, governed by a Board of Trustees and administered by a Head Librarian, with administrative headquarters in a new downtown library. A new main library building had been proposed for Bayfront Park in downtown Miami as early as 1938, but the proposal was not realized till over a decade later. Miamians began using their new library in Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park is a public, urban park in Downtown Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay.-History:The park began construction in 1924 under the design plans of Warren Henry Manning and officially opened in March 1925. Beginning in 1980, it underwent a major redesign by Japanese-American modernist artist...

 on July 2, 1951, even before its formal dedication on July 27 of that year.

The following years brought a number of new neighborhood libraries, and the closing and consolidation of others. In April 1957 the subscription library in Coconut Grove became part of the system, while eight new branches were constructed in the next eight years. In December 1965 the City of Miami and Metropolitan Dade County agreed that the City of Miami would provide public library service to unincorporated Dade County and to those municipalities that did not provide their own library service. At this time, two existing municipal libraries, Coral Gables and South Miami
South Miami, Florida
South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...

, entered into the agreement with Metropolitan Dade County and were included in the new public library system. A year later the Miami Springs
Miami Springs, Florida
Miami Springs is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city was founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss, "The Father of Naval Aviation", and James Bright, during the famous "land boom" of the 1920s and was originally named Country Club Estates...

 Library was added to the system. Library service to the unincorporated area was provided by four bookmobiles.

On November 1, 1971 the City of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County which created a new Department of Libraries with a Director reporting directly to the County Manager.

While some municipalities elected to continue providing public library service through their own municipal operations, the City of Homestead
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....

’s public library joined the County system on January 1, 1975. The Hispanic Branch (Rama Hispanica), serving a primarily Spanish-speaking clientele, opened August 2, 1976 in Little Havana
Little Havana
Little Havana is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban immigrant residents, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The approximate boundaries are the Miami River , SW 16th Street , SR 9/West 27th Avenue and I-95...

.

Between 1976 and 1990, the “Decade of Progress” Bond Issue provided the funds to open 14 new libraries (South Dade Regional, West Dade Regional, North Dade Regional, West Kendall Regional, Northeast, Model City, Kendall, South Miami, Homestead, Miami Lakes, Coral Reef, Key Biscayne, North Central and the new Main Library) and renovate other locations. On October 1, 1986 the Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

 Public Library and its two branches became part of the Miami-Dade Public Library System. On January 15, 1992, the world’s first library on an elevated transit system opened at the busy Civic Center Metrorail station.

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...

 inflicted significant damage on the library system, destroying Homestead Branch, South Dade Regional, Coral Reef Branch, and West Kendall Regional libraries. Nearly every library and nearly every employee was directly affected. On October 24, 2005 Hurricane Wilma caused severe roof damage forcing the Northeast Branch Library to close its doors and temporarily relocate to the mezzanine level of the Aventura City Hall.

Today

The new century has seen fresh library growth. The Doral Branch Library was dedicated September 28, 2000. The Country Walk Branch Library was dedicated August 28, 2001, followed by the Hialeah Gardens Branch on February 13, 2002. After an absence of a decade, bookmobile service returned to outlying suburban neighborhoods on April 25, 2002. The year 2003, saw new branches open in Naranja on May 1 and in Tamiami on May 29 and Lakes of the Meadow in September. In 2004, new library openings occurred at Concord and Palm Springs North. In 2005, the Library System opened a new Regional Library on Miami Beach,
and new branches in Sunny Isles Beach and California Club. Also in 2005, the Library System moved its South Shore and Fairlawn Branches to new facilities and renovated the West Flagler Library
West Flagler Library
The West Flagler Branch Library has served the neighborhoods of Miami, since 1956. Along with its sister branch, Fairlawn, it has brought culture to the city. It is an active branch, with a large Spanish collection. It has been recently renovated....

. Opa Locka, Sunset and Golden Glades Branches opened in 2007. International Mall in Doral, Kendale Lakes and Virrick Park in Coconut Grove opened in 2008. Pinecrest opened in October 2008.

Today the Main Library in downtown Miami and its 48 regional and branch libraries serve a population of 1,939,775. Approximately 650,000 active cardholders borrow more than 5 million items annually, while reference librarians answer some 1 million questions each year, and 1 million internet sessions are provided free of charge. In 2008, the Miami-Dade Public Library System was one of five U.S. library systems to win the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The director, Raymond Santiago, accepted the award on October 8 at a White House ceremony.

Branches

  • Main Library (Downtown Miami
    Downtown Miami
    Downtown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States...

    , Miami)
  • Allapattah (Allapattah, Miami)
  • California Club (Ives Estates
    Ives Estates, Florida
    Ives Estates is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 17,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ives Estates is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Civic Center (Civic Center
    Civic Center (Miami)
    Civic Center is a neighborhood in the city of Miami, Florida USA. The Civic Center is bound roughly by Northwest 20th Street and 14th Avenue to the northwest, the Dolphin Expressway and the Miami River to the south and west, and the Midtown Interchange and I-95 to the east.The Civic Center has the...

    , Miami)
  • Coconut Grove (Coconut Grove, Miami)
  • Concord (Westwood Lakes
    Westwood Lakes, Florida
    Westwood Lakes is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,838 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Westwood Lakes is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Coral Gables (Coral Gables
    Coral Gables, Florida
    Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....

    )
  • Coral Reef (Palmetto Bay
    Palmetto Bay, Florida
    Palmetto Bay is a Miami suburban incorporated village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,469 at the 2000 census.Palmetto Bay includes two census-designated places defined in the 2000 census, Cutler and East Perrine.-History:...

    )
  • Country Walk (Country Walk
    Country Walk, Florida
    Country Walk is a census-designated place Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,997 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Country Walk is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Culmer/Overtown (Overtown
    Overtown
    Overtown is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States, just northwest of Downtown Miami. Originally called Colored Town during the Jim Crow era of the late 19th through the mid-20th century, the area was once the preeminent and is the historic center for commerce in the black American...

    , Miami)
  • Doral (Doral
    Doral, Florida
    Doral is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. A suburb of Miami, it lies north-west of Miami International Airport. It takes its name from the famous golf and spa resort located within its municipal boundaries. The Doral Golf Resort & Spa was originally built...

    )
  • Edison Center (Edison Courts area of Little Haiti
    Little Haiti
    Little Haiti or La Petite Haïti, and traditionally known as Lemon City, is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States known as a traditional center for Haitian immigrants, and Francophone culture in the city.-Lemon City, early farming days:...

    , Miami)
  • Fairlawn (Fairlawn area of West Miami
    West Miami, Florida
    West Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,863 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Miami is located at ....

    , but also serves Flagami
    Flagami
    Flagami is a neighborhood in the Miami, Florida, United States, roughly defined as south and east of the Tamiami Canal, north of the Tamiami Trail , and west of Red Road , bisected by Flagler Street....

    , Miami)
  • Golden Glades (Golden Glades
    Golden Glades, Florida
    Golden Glades is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 32,623 at the 2000 census.It is the location for a major highway interchange of the same name which connects the Florida Turnpike, Interstate 95, US 441, State Road 9, and the Palmetto...

    , Miami)
  • Hialeah Gardens (Hialeah Gardens
    Hialeah Gardens, Florida
    Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S...

    )
  • Hispanic (Little Havana
    Little Havana
    Little Havana is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban immigrant residents, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The approximate boundaries are the Miami River , SW 16th Street , SR 9/West 27th Avenue and I-95...

    , Miami)
  • Homestead (Homestead
    Homestead, Florida
    Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....

    )
  • International Mall (Doral
    Doral, Florida
    Doral is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. A suburb of Miami, it lies north-west of Miami International Airport. It takes its name from the famous golf and spa resort located within its municipal boundaries. The Doral Golf Resort & Spa was originally built...

    , next to International Mall
    Miami International Mall
    Miami International Mall is a shopping mall in Doral, Florida in western Metropolitan Miami, and so named because it is close to Miami International Airport. It has over 140 stores including anchors Macy's, Kohls, Dillard's, JC Penney and Sears...

     and near Dolphin Mall
    Dolphin Mall
    Dolphin Mall is a popular shopping mall just west of Doral proper in metropolitan Miami, Florida. There are over 240 retail outlets and name brand discounters as anchors.The Mall opened on March 1, 2001, the first of four Taubman Malls to open that year...

    )
  • Kendale Lakes (Kendale Lakes
    Kendale Lakes, Florida
    Kendale Lakes is a census-designated place Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 56,901 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kendale Lakes is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Kendall (Kendall
    Kendall, Florida
    Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....

    , Miami)
  • Key Biscayne (Key Biscayne
    Key Biscayne, Florida
    Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....

    )
  • Lakes of the Meadow (Kendall West
    Kendall West, Florida
    Kendall West is a census-designated place and an unincorporated Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County, Florida, west of the Florida Turnpike. The population was 38,034 at the 2000 census...

    , Miami)
  • Lemon City (Lemon City, Little Haiti, Miami)
  • Little River (Little River, Little Haiti, Miami)
  • Miami Beach Regional (South Beach
    South Beach
    South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.This area was the first...

    , Miami Beach
    Miami Beach, Florida
    Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

    )
  • Miami Lakes (Miami Lakes
    Miami Lakes, Florida
    Miami Lakes is a Miami suburban incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,676 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...

    )
  • Miami Springs (Miami Springs
    Miami Springs, Florida
    Miami Springs is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city was founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss, "The Father of Naval Aviation", and James Bright, during the famous "land boom" of the 1920s and was originally named Country Club Estates...

    )
  • Model City (Liberty City, Miami)
  • Naranja (Naranja
    Naranja, Florida
    Naranja is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Many orange groves were once located in this area, so the community name came from the Spanish word for orange, "naranja". Naranja was also a stop for the Florida East Coast Railroad that once ran through this area...

    , Homestead)
  • North Dade Regional (Carol City, Miami Gardens
    Miami Gardens, Florida
    Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

    )
  • North Central (West Little River
    West Little River, Florida
    West Little River is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 34,699 at the 2010 census.-Geography:West Little River is located at...

    , Miami)
  • North Shore (North Beach, Miami Beach)
  • Northeast (Aventura
    Aventura, Florida
    Aventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is...

    )
  • Opa-locka (Opa-Locka
    Opa-locka, Florida
    Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the mid decade census, the population was 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau....

    )
  • Palm Springs North (Palm Sprngs North
    Palm Springs North, Florida
    Palm Springs North is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,460 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Palm Springs North is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Palmetto Bay (Palmetto Bay
    Palmetto Bay, Florida
    Palmetto Bay is a Miami suburban incorporated village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,469 at the 2000 census.Palmetto Bay includes two census-designated places defined in the 2000 census, Cutler and East Perrine.-History:...

    )
  • Pinecrest (Pinecrest
    Pinecrest, Florida
    Pinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....

    , on the grounds of Pinecrest Gardens
    Pinecrest Gardens
    Pinecrest Gardens is a park in Pinecrest, Florida on the corner of Southwest 111th Street and Southwest 57th Avenue ....

    /the former Parrot Jungle)
  • South Dade Regional (Cutler Ridge, Cutler Bay
    Cutler Bay, Florida
    Cutler Bay, historically called Cutler Ridge, is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida from SW 184th Street east of US-1 to the coast, and north of Black Point Marina, at...

    )
  • Shenandoah (Little Havana, Miami)
  • South Miami (South Miami
    South Miami, Florida
    South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...

    )
  • South Shore (South Beach, Miami Beach)
  • Sunny Isles (Sunny Isles Beach
    Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
    Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west...

    )
  • Sunset (Sunset
    Sunset, Florida
    Sunset is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,389 at the 2010 census. The zip-codes serving Sunset are 33173, 33183, and 33193.-Geography:Sunset is located at ....

    , Miami)
  • Tamiami (Tamiami
    Tamiami, Florida
    Tamiami is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 55,271 at the 2010 census. Tamiami is a portmanteau of the words "Tampa" and "Miami". The Tamiami Trail, a roadway that connects the two cities, was the reason for this unique combination...

    , Miami)
  • Virrick Park (Virrick Park, Coconut Grove, Miami)
  • West Dade Regional (Westchester
    Westchester, Florida
    Westchester is a census-designated place in suburban Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,862 at the 2010 census....

    , Miami)
  • West Flagler (Coral Gables)
  • West Kendall Regional (The Hammocks
    The Hammocks, Florida
    The Hammocks is an unincorporated census-designated place Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 51,003 at the 2010 census.-Name:The name of the CDP originates from a planned community called The Hammocks...

    , Miami) [Contrary to its name, it is not located in West Kendall
    West Kendall, Florida
    West Kendall is a Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, within the census boundaries of the Miami suburban community of Kendall. The zip codes serving West Kendall include 33173, 33183, 33175, 33186, 33176, 33193, and 33196...

    ]

Future Branches

  • Arcola Lakes (Pinewood
    Pinewood, Florida
    Pinewood is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,520 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pinewood is located at ....

    , Unincorporated area)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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