Miami-Dade Public Library System

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miami-Dade Public Library System
MDPLS Wing Logo.jpg
CountryUnited States
TypePublic
Established1966
LocationMiami-Dade County, Florida
Coordinates25°46′29″N 80°11′47″W / 25.7746°N 80.1963°W / 25.7746; -80.1963Coordinates: 25°46′29″N 80°11′47″W / 25.7746°N 80.1963°W / 25.7746; -80.1963
Branches50 + 2 bookmobiles + 1 technobus
Collection
Size3,916,631
Access and use
Access requirements1,084,841
Circulation6,762,294
Population served2,496,435
Other information
DirectorRay Baker
Websitewww.mdpls.org
Map
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.

Governance[]

Miami-Dade Public Library System is a county department within Miami-Dade county government that reports to the mayor of Miami-Dade County. The Board of County Commissioners is the governing body over the library system.

The Library Advisory Board serves in an advisory capacity to the Board of County Commissioners on public library issues, providing reports, recommendations, and guidance to the government of Miami-Dade County.

Service Area[]

The service area of the Miami-Dade Public Library System is defined by the Miami-Dade Library Taxing District. The Miami-Dade Library Taxing District includes the majority of the geographical boundaries of Miami-Dade County, including most of its 35 municipalities and all of unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Exceptions include the cities of Hialeah, North Miami, North Miami Beach, and Miami Shores, all of which provide library service to their residents. Additionally, the cities of Bal Harbour and Surfside are not part of the Miami-Dade Library Taxing District.[1]

History[]

Early years[]

Public school library and Lemon City Library[]

Street view of Lemon City Branch Library circa 1955 - 412 NE 61st Street location
Interior view of Lemon City Branch Library circa 1961 - 412 NE 61st Street location

The Miami-Dade Public Library System began on April 7, 1894 with the opening of a reading room in Lemon City by the Lemon City Library and Improvement Association. One library was opened in the Lemon City public school, while in 1902, the Lemon City Library was opened in a wood building at 412 NE 61st Street and served all Lemon City residents.[2][3][4][5]

Cocoanut Grove Library[]

On June 15, 1895, the Pine Needles Club opened the Cocoanut Grove Library.[6] Louise Whitfield Carnegie donated books to help the library after she visited Coconut Grove and attended a Pine Needles Club meeting.[7][8]

In 1897, the library occupied a storeroom. In the 1900s, Ralph Munroe, the commodore of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, donated land for the construction of a new library. The library structure was donated by writer and conservationist Kirk Munroe.

In 1900, the Cocoanut Grove Library Association was incorporated, and in 1901, Miami-Dade County's first library building was built in Cocoanut Grove and remained in service until 1957, when it became part of the Miami Public Library.[9][10]

On November 16, 1963, a two-story library opened and is a designated Florida Heritage Site.

Exterior view of Miami Women's Club

Miami library/Flagler Memorial Library[]

Miami's library was founded by the Miami Women's Club for the purpose of reading and discussing literature. In 1913, the Miami Women's Club occupied a building on property donated by Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler donated the land for a clubhouse with the provision that it contain a public reading room. In 1915, the Miami City Commission began allocating $50 per month to support the club. This downtown location was sold and the Miami Women's Club built a building at 1737 North Bayshore Drive. The Flagler Memorial Library was established in the new building. By 1925, the communities of Coconut Grove and Lemon City had been annexed into the city of Miami.

Dunbar branch library[]

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 Women's Club.

Bookmobiles[]

View of Miami Public Library Traveling Branch

On January 5, 1928, Miami's first bookmobile was pictured in the Miami Herald.[11] The first bookmobiles served rural areas of the city and county. In 1979, about 20 bookmobiles were in service with about 293,000 items in circulation. In 2001, two bookmobiles served Miami‑Dade County citizens in public parks, community centers and shopping malls.[12]

The Dunbar Library[]

Street view of Dorsey Memorial Library

In 1936, the Women's Society of Christian Services, an organization within the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, joined with women in the Black community to form the Friendship Garden and Civic Club. The club's president, Annie Coleman, donated a building for a new library for the residents of Overtown. The library opened in 1936 at 2059 NW 6th Court and was called the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library.[13] The library hosted a Black history week celebration.

In 1938, the facility was made part of Miami's library system and renamed the Dunbar Branch Library.[13]

The Friendship Garden Club and the Washington Heights Library Association raised funds to build a new library. The Dorsey Memorial Library opened on August 13, 1941 on land donated by Black philanthropist Dana A. Dorsey.

Unification[]

Exterior view of Miami Memorial Library
Street view of Coconut Grove Branch Library

In 1942, all Miami libraries were merged into a single public library system governed by a Board of Trustees and administered by a head librarian. A library in Bayfront Park opened July 27, 1942.

A subscription library in Coconut Grove became part of the system in April 1957. Eight branches were constructed in the next eight years. In December 1965, the city of Miami began providing public library service to unincorporated Dade County and municipalities that did not have a library service. Coral Gables, South Miami and the Miami Springs library were included in the system. Four bookmobiles provided library service to the unincorporated area.

In 1961, the Dorsey Library was abandoned for the Dixie Park Branch Library, which was renamed the Culmer/Overtown Branch Library in 1983.

On November 1, 1971, the city of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County, which created a new department of libraries.

Homestead's public library joined the county system on January 1, 1975. The Hispanic Branch, Rama Hispanica, opened August 2, 1976 in Little Havana. In 2010, the Hispanic Branch library was relocated to the Villa Aurora Apartments.[14]

On November 7, 1972, a referendum called the "Decade of Progress" bonds authorized $553 million for public improvement projects in Miami-Dade county. About $34.7 million of the money was authorized for land acquisition and the construction, renovation, equipment and furnishings of public libraries. The bond issue provided 14 new libraries.

On October 1, 1986, the Miami Beach 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 Metrorail rapid transit system in the Civic Center Station.

2000-2021[]

Street view of Arcola Lakes Branch Library

The Doral Branch Library, the Country Walk Branch Library and the Hialeah Gardens library were opened between 2000-2002. Bookmobile service returned to suburban neighborhoods on April 25, 2002. In 2003, branches opened in Naranja, Tamiami and Lakes of the Meadow. In 2004, libraries opened in Concord and Palm Springs North. In 2005, a regional library opened on Miami Beach, and branches in Sunny Isles Beach and California Club opened.[15] The South Shore and Fairlawn library branches relocated in 2005 and the West Flagler Library was renovated. The Opa-Locka, Sunset and Golden Glades branches opened in 2007, and branches at International Mall, Kendale Lakes and Virrick Park in Coconut Grove opened in 2008. Pinecrest opened in October 2008 and the Arcola Lakes Branch Library opened in 2011.

In 2012, the library system experienced a 30 percent cut in its budget, forcing the elimination of 153 part-time positions and a 25 percent reduction in full-time staff.[16]

The Miami-Dade Public Library System is a subregional library of the Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library which serves Monroe County as well.[17][18] 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 former Director, Raymond Santiago (retired 2014), accepted the award on October 8 at a White House ceremony. YouMedia and MDPLS partnered in 2014 in order to create a YouMedia space in Miami Lakes Library and it is now a program in the North Dade Regional Branch.[19] MDPLS also has two YouMake spaces in the West Kendall Regional Library and the Miami Beach Regional library where patrons can work on 3D Design, 3D Printing, Graphic Design, Sewing, Video Production, Photography, Jewelry Making, Music Production, Painting, Robotics/LEGO, and Arts & Crafts. The MDPLS Coworking Center at the West Kendall Regional Library provides enterprising customers with a place to conduct business, telecommute and grow as entrepreneurs.[20]

In October 2013, Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, formed a 17-member task force to address an upcoming $21 million budget shortfall.[21] The task force was charged with analyzing how many hours the libraries should operate, what programs they should offer, as well as how they could better promote their services to the community.[21] Funding was also an area of concern.[21] Task force members included representatives from some of those cities as well as from library advisory and funding boards, labor unions that represent library employees, groups that serve children and the elderly, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Knight Foundation and the Miami Foundation.[21] In July 2014, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a budget plan which restructured Miami-Dade County tax schedules and resulted in a 19% increase to the library tax while increasing the overall tax rate by 0.75%.[22] The tax restructuring resulted in a $22 million increase in the county library budget. In anticipation of the increased funding, County Mayor Gimenez's administration announced extended library hours and other new or expanded library services including increased funding for children's materials.[23] During the 2014 general election, Miami-Dade County voters approved a ballot question amending the County Charter allowing Miami-Dade public libraries, subject to certain restrictions, to be located in existing public park facilities potentially allowing some libraries to vacate commercial facilities.[24] Voters approved this ballot question with 65% of the votes.[25] In the summer of 2015, Gia Arbogast was named the new director of Miami-Dade Public Library System.[26] The Northeast Branch Library in Aventura reopened on August 17, 2015.[27] The Northeast Dade - Aventura Branch is the county's first "green" public library. The California Club Branch re-opened at a new location in January 2016.[28] The Town of Bay Harbor Islands opened MDPLS' 50th branch location in December 2016. In February 2017, Ray Baker was appointed as Interim Library Director, and shortly thereafter, in July 2017, was appointed to Library Director. Thus far during his tenure, MDPLS has debuted the Technobus mobile computer classroom, established the Homework Help & Tutoring Program at 23 library locations, expanded library hours and days of service throughout Miami-Dade County, and, as well as the adoption of the News Literacy Project.[29] Starting in October 2018, the Miami Dade Public Library System became a "fine-free" library system, ending the longstanding practice of charging daily overdue fines on library materials.[30] MDPLS is also now undergoing a major capital improvement program, with a replacement library in Hialeah Gardens under construction and expected to be completed in the Fall of 2020, and several renovation and improvement projects to modernize older library facilities currently in progress.

In 2020, the new Hialeah Gardens branch is set to open and premiere with a cafe, outdoor seating area, and a media center. The approximately 13,500 square foot library was announced in August 2018 and will be the newest location added to the system after the premiere of the Doral branch in June 2019.[31] In November 2018, MDPLS announced grant funding by the State of Florida, Division of Library Information Services through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The grant was for a total of $310,531. The award was to be used as follows: $210,217 for a new YOUmedia Miami digital media center at the Lemon City branch, and $100,314 for a Digitization Project.[32] The Digitization Project was placed for the preservation and archiving of important historical sources and collections of South Florida such as scrapbooks, magazines, and photographs. MDPLS has over 15,000 available items for patrons through its digital collection.[32] In December 2018, MDPLS was given a grant of 125,000 dollars by the Children’s Trust.[33] It was geared toward giving money back to the Homework Help program that began earlier that year and also any STEAM-related programs. The Technobus would be enhanced with the grant money for its STEAM services provided to the community. The Homework Help program to date had already seen over 800 students.[33] James Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust was very pleased to be working with MDPLS and said: “Nearly 80 percent of all available jobs in the next 10 years will require technology skills, so increasing youth access to STEAM and digital services are critical.” [33] They are also the 2018 recipients of the FLA Award for Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations in 2018.[34]

Museum Pass Program[]

The Miami Dade Public Library System offers museum passes to their patrons. Patrons who want to visit one of the participating museums can visit any of the branches and check out the pass. The pass is valid at The Bass, Coral Gables Museum, The Curtiss Mansion, Deering Estate, Fruit & Spice Park, HistoryMiami Museum, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum & Phillip Frost Art Museum, FIU Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, The Wolfsonian FI, and Zoo Miami.[35]

Services[]

Miami Dade Public Library System offers homework help and tutoring service for their cardmembers. The services include certified teachers that provide assistance to students in grades K–12 with free homework help and tutoring in reading, math, and science at 23 library locations throughout the county. One‑hour tutoring sessions will be held at participating branches on Saturdays at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m with the exception of the Model City Branch Library, which will offer tutoring sessions on Wednesdays at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.[36][37]

Digital Collections[]

In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the Miami-Dade Public Library was awarded Library Services and Technology Act grants to begin digitizing its archival collection of documents and photographs of cultural and historic significance.[38] This digitization effort is ongoing and has resulted in a publicly accessible web portal MDPLS Digital Collections that is now being harvested by the Digital Public Library of America and OCLC.

Vasari Project[]

The Vasari Project is a library collection dedicated to documenting, collecting and preserving Miami‑Dade County's art history from 1945 to the present. Art critic, historian, and writer Helen L. Kohen and the Library’s former Art Services Manager Barbara N. Young conceived the Vasari Project in 2000. The collection is named for Giorgio Vasari (1511‑1574), the artist and historian whose book, Lives of the Artists, shaped the discipline of Western art history. Made possible by a partnership between the Library and the County's Department of Cultural Affairs, the archive's purpose is to preserve and build upon Miami's transformation into a major hemispheric art center.www.mdpls.org/art/vasari.asp

Donations[]

The Miami-Dade Public Library System accepts donations of books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and even vinyl records as long as they are clean, dry, and generally in good condition. Per policy, if they meet these basic requirements, they will be either added to the system/ respective branch's collection or will be sold in the Friends of the Library's Annual Book Sale. However, the Miami-Dade Public Library System does not accept most textbooks, outdated technology books, workbooks, and damaged books. To which, these resources should be recycled. The policy allows librarians and library staff to accept up to three full boxes at any respective branch and anything more than that will have to be taken to the Main Library in Downtown Miami. As well, the Miami-Dade Public Library System's policy allows them to accept donations of money through the Friends of the Library website to be used for the Library's educational and cultural programming.[39]

Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale[]

The Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale was incorporated in 1974 as a non-profit organization seeking to create support for the then-emerging county library system. The founders were six writers, grounded in the philosophy of community involvement, who wanted to focus their attention on the growing library system's future. Among them were Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Helen Muir, Douglas Fairbairn, Mae Knight Clark, Pamela Johnson and Nixon Smiley. Today, the Friends continue to play an important role dedicated to the enhancement of the Library's services and programs.

The Friends is a 100% volunteer organization with one paid employee. There is a Board of Trustees to oversee the Friends' operations, and the Friends continue to advocate on the Library's behalf at the local, state and federal levels. Friends funding supports activities ranging from A to Z: from Homework Help Centers to live cultural performances; from technology classes to art exhibitions; from job search workshops to materials for the sight-impaired. Funds to support programming and other initiatives are raised through membership, corporate and private donations, grants and an Annual Book Sale.[40]

COVID-19 Response[]

Beginning Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 26 Miami Dade public library locations began distributing reemployment assistance applications. Unemployment applications were available in English, Spanish, and Creole. Applications returned to branches were delivered by staff to designated Career Source Florida locations.[41]

As of Thursday, April 9, a total of 46,413 applications have been distributed and 7,918 applications returned to MDPLS book drops.[42]

Beginning July 23, 2020 MDPLS began providing free masks at all 50 of its locations. The mask distribution was aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that residents in need would have easy access to obtaining masks.[43]

References[]

  1. ^ https://mdpls.org/about-us
  2. ^ Karantsalis, Theo (February 9, 2012). "Life Amid the Lemon Trees - One of Miami's Oldest Neighborhoods, Lemon City, Was Home to the County's First School Library, and Major Grocery Store". The Miami Herald.
  3. ^ Santiago, Fabiola (June 15, 1986). "Area's Oldest Library Writes a New Chapter in 92-Year History". The Miami Herald.
  4. ^ Smith, Stephen (June 12, 1986). "Lemon City Celebrates Its 'Oasis in the Desert'". The Miami Herald.
  5. ^ Peters, Thelma. Lemon City. Miami: Banyan Books, 1980. Pages 206-211.
  6. ^ "History of The Miami-Dade Public Library System". Miami-Dade Public Library System Website. February 24, 2009. Retrieved Oct 22, 2016.
  7. ^ Muir, Helen. Miami, U.S.A.. New York: Henry Holt, 1953. Page 38.
  8. ^ Blackman, E. V. (Ethan V. ) (1921). "Miami and Dade county, Florida; its settlement, progress and achievement". The Internet Archive. Washington, D.C., V. Rainbolt. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  9. ^ Blackman, E. V. Miami and Dade County, Florida. Washington, DC: Victor Rainbolt, 1921. Page 75.
  10. ^ Minutes of the Coconut Grove Housekeepers Club. P. 28. 1892. Preserved on microfilm at Miami-Dade Public Library main branch.
  11. ^ (1928, January 5). Miami Herald, p. 11.
  12. ^ "Bookmobiles". FlashbackMiami.com.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Dorsey Memorial Library: Designation Report" (PDF). historicpreservationmiami.com.
  14. ^ "Miami-Dade Public Library Hispanic Branch".
  15. ^ Robert A. M. Stern (2005). "Miami Beach Regional Library". Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  16. ^ Kelley, Michael (January 1, 2012). "Library Journal". The New Normal: Annual Library Budgets Survey 2012.
  17. ^ Miami-Dade Public Library System, Talking Books Library & Braille.
  18. ^ Braille and Talking Book Library Archived 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine, About the Library
  19. ^ "Press Release | YOUmedia On-the-Go at the Miami Lakes Branch". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  20. ^ "Miami-Dade Public Library System Miami Beach Regional Library". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mazzei, Patricia. "Task force begins to tackle how to fund, operate Miami-Dade libraries". Miami Herald Online. Miami Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  22. ^ Mazzei, Patricia. "Miami-Dade Commission Vote for Slight Property-Tax Rate Hike to Help Libraries". Miami Herald Online. Miami Herald. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  23. ^ Hanks, Douglas. "Funds to Buy Children's Books Would Triple Under New Miami-Dade Library Budget". Miami Herald Online. Miami Herald. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  24. ^ Hanks, Douglas. "Miami-Dade voters to decide courthouse tax, FIU growth, park rules". Miami Herald Online. Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Dade - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com.
  26. ^ "About Us Redirect". www.mdpls.org.
  27. ^ "Library". City of Aventura. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  28. ^ "MDPLS - 404 Page Not Found". www.mdpls.org. Cite uses generic title (help)
  29. ^ "Press Release | Miami-Dade County appoints Ray Baker Director of the Miami-Dade Public Library System". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  30. ^ "Miami-Dade Public Library System". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  31. ^ https://www.mdpls.org/news/press-releases/2018/new-hialeah-gardens-branch-groundbreaking.asp
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.mdpls.org/news/press-releases/2018/library-services-and-technology-act-grant.asp
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.mdpls.org/news/press-releases/2018/library-awarded-grant-funding-from-childrens-trust.asp
  34. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/releases/2020-06-05-libraries-reopening-june8.asp
  35. ^ "Museum Pass Program | Free Entry to Art, Culture, Entertainment and So Much More!". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  36. ^ "Press Release | Miami-Dade Public Library System launches Homework Help and Tutoring Program". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  37. ^ https://www.mdpls.org/tutor/tutoring.asp
  38. ^ "Fiscal Year 2017-18 Funded LSTA Projects" (PDF). LSTA. Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  39. ^ "Donate Used Books". www.friendsofmdpl.org.
  40. ^ "About Us – Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library". www.friendsofmdpl.org.
  41. ^ "Press Release | MDPLS to provide Reemployment Assistance Applications". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  42. ^ "Press Release | MDPLS distributes more than 46,000 printed Reemployment Assistance Applications to residents". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  43. ^ "Press Release | Miami-Dade County to provide free face masks to the public at all Miami-Dade Public Library System locations". www.mdpls.org. Retrieved 2020-09-12.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""