Libraries thriving in the age of Internet

Five cities in Pinellas County plan to build new libraries at a total cost of about $40-million.

By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 2, 2000

On a recent evening, the computer terminals at the Seminole Community Library were occupied by people staring intensely at the screens; some researching on the Internet, others shipping off e-mail.

When the library opened in 1992, some residents questioned the need for such a facility. It would go unused, some said.

Eight years later, city officials said they have been "astounded" by the thousands of people who have passed through the library's glass doors. The library, which officials once thought would last decades, is running out of space to accommodate its many users.

"It's been a surprise for the city," said library director Michael Bryan.

Across Pinellas County, several cities are looking into building new libraries because current facilities either are too small or too old to handle the throngs who come to read books, surf the Internet, listen to books on compact discs or review material on DVDs.

This is a far cry from predictions made a few years ago that the Internet would write the obituary of libraries. In fact, library officials say, the Internet has helped stir interest in doing additional research at a library.

"All of a sudden, all of this information is out there and people want to access it," said Bert Weber, Oldsmar's library director.

Last week, Seminole council members and St. Petersburg Junior College agreed to a partnership in building a $6.8-million library on the school's Seminole campus. Two weeks ago, Clearwater commissioners approved plans to spend $20.2-million to build a main library downtown. Largo and Oldsmar are in the early stages of planning to replace their libraries. St. Petersburg has set aside $1.65-million for a new South Branch library. All five cities hope to have new libraries built within the next five years, spending a combined total of about $40-million.

Pinellas Park hopes to have the expansion of its library completed by February.

Bernadette Storck, administrator of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, thinks cities recognize that construction companies are being deluged with projects and they want to get their orders in as soon as possible.

"If you wait one year, you may have to wait another year before you get a bid on your contract," she said.

What's happening in Pinellas County is occurring across the country, with many libraries growing long in the tooth or too small to accommodate all of the reference materials.

"It is a real renaissance of libraries in this country," said Kay Runge, president of the Public Library Association, a 10,000-member nationwide organization of library directors and officials.

Between July 1998 and June 1999, 77 new libraries were built and another 118 renovated nationwide, according to Library Journal magazine.

For some who cannot afford a personal computer, DVD player or compact disc player, the library is the only place to access all that information for free.

"Everybody cannot afford a computer, so they come to the library and use it," said John Szabo, Clearwater's library director.

The technological explosion has had librarians working hard to keep up.

The Clearwater main branch downtown averages about 350,000 visitors a year and its computer terminals almost always are in use, said Szabo.

"We never seem to have enough computers," he said.

The Clearwater branch has held 200 classes this year on basic Internet instruction. Seminole library officials are working on creating its own computer-training classes.

In August 1998, there were 5,000 visitors to the Oldsmar library. This August, that figure was 8,000.

The Oldsmar library has 3,000 audio and video pieces in its collection, cramming the already crowded bookshelves. The building, constructed in 1919, already is in bad shape, with deteriorating north and east walls. City officials fear the weight of the 36,000 reference materials stored there may add further wear and tear to the city's only historical building.

"Our collection has stressed the building," Weber said.

Still, library staffers note that some folks just prefer to read materials in their hands instead of on a computer screen.

"I don't think the mental retention is the same on the Internet as it is in books," Pinellas Park resident David Eluik, 57, said as he did research on a recent evening at the Seminole library.

Several historians think libraries have existed for almost as long as records have been kept. A temple in the Babylonian town of Nippur, dating back 5,000 years, had several rooms filled with clay tablets that archaeologists think point to a well-stocked library.

Many of the larger American libraries were built in the early 20th century, thanks to the philanthropy of steelmaking giant Andrew Carnegie.

One such library is the main Clearwater branch at Osceola Avenue and Drew Street. Built in 1916, the library has been renovated three times, most recently in 1980. Still, at 49,435 square feet, Szabo calls the building "dysfunctional," struggling to hold 500,000 items inside its cream-colored walls.

Storck noted that a decade ago, cities were not as willing to spend such large sums of money on library projects. But that changed with the creation of the Penny for Pinellas, a 1-cent sales tax communities can draw upon for major projects.

Three-quarters of the $20.2-million for the new Clearwater library will come from Penny for Pinellas funds. Oldsmar will use Penny for Pinellas money to pay part of the cost of its new library, said Mayor Jeff Sandler. Largo plans to use $4-million in Penny for Pinellas funds for its library.

The library cooperative helps finance library construction and assist cities in seeking grants for projects.

An overlooked factor in the popularity of libraries is their availability as meeting places. Last week, sheriff's deputies held a meeting at the Seminole library. An aerobics group had a 9 a.m. appointment on Friday for a room inside the library.

"The library is a great gathering place," Storck said.

Libraries, libraries everywhere

CLEARWATER: The city plans to spend $20.5-million to build a 90,000-square-foot library at Osceola Avenue and Drew Street. The city hopes to start construction on the new library by early 2002 and have it completed by early 2003, officials said.

LARGO: The city wants to replace its 36,000-square-foot library with a 93,000-square-foot facility on either a site near its current location off Central Park Drive or at the former City Hall downtown. The city would like to start construction as early as 2002. Cost is estimated at $8- to $10-million.

OLDSMAR: The city is selecting an architect to design a new library. Neither the library's location nor the size have been determined. Cost is estimated at about $2.5-million.

SEMINOLE: A $6.8-million library is being proposed on St. Petersburg Junior College's Seminole campus. The library will be a joint effort between the college and the city of Seminole. Construction would begin in either late 2001 or early 2002. Officials hope the project will be done a year later.

ST. PETERSBURG: The city has set aside $1.65 million to build a new South Branch library.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright