Sarasota County Library System

The Sarasota Town Improvement Society established its first library in 1907.Jasper, C. & McCook, K. (1998). The Florida Library History Project. University of South Florida, Tampa. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED422005.pdf on 2022-02-19. pp. 354. Over the years the system increased in size, and today there are ten library branches associated with Sarasota County Public Library System.

Every library provides patrons with adult, teen, and children's materials, along with computers for public use and Wi-Fi access. Sarasota County residents have access to Book-By-Mail, a convenient and free service to send library materials through the U.S. Postal Service to people who are unable to access the library collection due to temporary or long-term physical or visual disability,Ivol, R. (2022, August 13). What is Books by Mail? AskUs. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://scgovlibrary.libanswers.com/faq/245872. and Pinellas Talking Book Library. Through the latter, "residents of all ages who are unable to read standard print material due to visual, physical, or learning disabilities are provided recorded, Braille, and large-print books and magazines as well as a collection of descriptive videos and Playaways."{{Cite web |url=https://www.scgov.net/government/libraries/services-and-policies |title=Services and Policies |website=Sarasota County Government |access-date=November 25, 2018}}

Sarasota County library patrons also have access to interlibrary loans (ILL), which allows patrons to borrow books from other library systems in Florida when the Sarasota County libraries do not own the material. They participate in the Florida Library Information Network (FLIN) to borrow materials from other participating Florida libraries through the SHAREit service. Sarasota County residents with a library card in good standing can request interlibrary loans. Individuals who purchase a visitor card (aka "non-resident card") will also have access to ILL if their cards are in good standing. Library accounts must have fines below $10 and need to be renewed every two years either in person at any branch location or over the phone {{Cite web |title=How can I renew my library card? - Ask Us! |url=https://scgovlibrary.libanswers.com/faq/245823 |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=scgovlibrary.libanswers.com}}

The Sarasota County Library System has a range of materials chosen based on the Collection Development Policy.{{cite web |title=Collection Development Policy |publisher=Sarasota County Government |url=https://www.scgov.net/home/showpublisheddocument/49981/637520208598630000 |date=2021 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112214050/https://www.scgov.net/home/showpublisheddocument/49981/637520208598630000 |archive-date=January 12, 2022}} These materials are selected by librarians using professional review sources. The system also takes recommendations from patrons.{{Cite web |title=How can I make a purchase request to the library? - Ask Us! |url=https://scgovlibrary.libanswers.com/faq/323253 |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=scgovlibrary.libanswers.com}}

In addition to digital resources, Sarasota County Libraries also has Pop-Up Library Services that make scheduled stops (also available by request), to "public parks, childcare facilities, condominium complexes, retirement communities, senior centers, recreational facilities and more."{{cite web |last1=Sarasota County Libraries |title=Pop Up Library Services |url=https://www.scgov.net/government/libraries/services-and-policies/pop-up-library/ |website=Sarasota County Libraries |publisher=Sarasota County Government |access-date=27 October 2023}} Services include tech assistance, borrowing materials, returning materials, and other inquiries.

The mission statement of the Sarasota County Libraries is "to offer equal access to information, foster lifelong learning and inspire community engagement."{{cite web |last1=Sarasota County Libraries |title=Sarasota County Library System |url=https://www.scgov.net/government/departments/libraries |website=Sarasota County Library |publisher=Sarasota County Libraries |access-date=27 October 2023}}

In 2012, Sarasota was named "Florida Library of the Year" by the Florida Library Association.{{cite web |title=Securing the Future of Our Libraries |url=https://venicefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Securing-the-Future-of-Our-Libraries_2018-.pdf |publisher=Library Foundation of Sarasota County |access-date=12 January 2022}}

File:Elsie Quirk Library, March 9 2017.jpg

The Elsie Quirk Library was established on June 15, 1962. The {{convert|1400|ft2}} library was established by Elsie Quirk after she visited a small community library while on vacation in North Carolina in 1961. When Quirk returned from vacation, she donated land at 101 Cocoanut Avenue in Englewood, along with $10,000. In 1961 the Friends of the Library was established headed by Leah Lasbury, Josephine Cortes and President Lois Potter. This library is the oldest in the library system of Sarasota county. Elsie Quirk's first librarian was Harriet Ives, a graduate of the University of Syracuse, with a master's degree in Library Science, with a salary of $1 an hour. The library currently houses a selection on genealogy.{{Cite web|url=https://englewoodreview.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=218&ArticleID=1238|title=Remodeled Elsie Quirk Library to Hold Open House Oct. 23 - Englewood Review Newspaper}}

The Friends of the Library was established in 1961, headed by Leah Lasbury, Josephine Cortez and President Lois Potter.{{Cite web|url=https://englewoodreview.com/main.asp?SectionID=30&SubSectionID=182&ArticleID=466|title=Who was Elsie Quirk?|last=Sharyn|first=Lonsdale|date=September 9, 2009|website=The Englewood Review|access-date=November 25, 2018}} The Lemon Bay Women's Club donated 3600 books to the Elsie Quirk Library. It was staffed by many volunteers, including Quirk herself.

This library became a major part of the Englewood Community. In 2001 it was upgraded, and has become the Elsie Quirk Public Library.

The Jacaranda Library was established on January 25, 1994, in Venice. In 1995, it changed its name to the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, dedicated to the former archivist in the U.S. State Department who helped raise funds to create the library.{{cite web |title=History of the Friends of the Jacaranda Library |url=http://friendsofjacarandalibrary.org/about-us/history-of-the-friends-of-the-jacaranda-library/ |website=Friends of the Jacaranda Library |access-date=25 November 2018}}

In 2004, the library received an addition to the building that doubled its size. The architect who designed the addition aimed to incorporate the natural world with the building by emphasizing the buildings natural surroundings (the campus features a pond filled with lilies and is adjacent to a walking trail). The interior walls also feature many murals and paintings that reflect the Florida environment.{{Cite web |url=http://friendsofjacarandalibrary.org/2012/10/31/jacaranda-library-blends-in-with-its-natural-setting/ |title=Jacaranda Library Blends in With its Natural Setting |last=Evans |first=Larry |website=Friends of the Jacaranda Library |access-date=November 25, 2018}}

File:Fruitville Public Library.jpg

The Fruitville Public Library was established in 2001 and serves Sarasota County and Lakewood Ranch residents. In 2003, a reading garden was opened to the public, along with a bookstore. The bookstore is run by the Friends of the Fruitville Public Library.{{Cite web|url=https://friendsofthefruitvillelibrary.org/about-us/|title=About Us}}

File:Gulf Gate Public Library northeast side elevation.jpg

The Gulf Gate Library opened in 1977, originally located in a storefront on Gateway Avenue.{{Cite web |url=http://www.friendsofgulfgatelibrary.com/our-history.html |title=History of the friends of Gulf Gate Library |website=Friends of the Gulf Gate Library |access-date=November 25, 2018}} On December 5, 1983, the library opened its doors.{{cite web |title=Gulf Gate Library Call to Artists |url=https://sarasotaarts.org/gulfgate/#:~:text=On%20Dec.,Key%2DGate%20Library%20Association). |website=Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County |date = April 25, 2019|access-date=13 January 2022}}

After much wear and tear over the years, the Friends of the Gulf Gate Library raised funds to build a new library. The library shut down in 2013 and temporarily relocated for two years to the Sarasota Square Mall.{{cite web |title=Gulf Gate Library to open temporary site in mall |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20130219/gulf-gate-library-to-open-temporary-site-in-mall |website=Herald-Tribune |access-date=25 November 2018}}

The new library re-opened to the public on January 24, 2015, at its original location. Upon its re-opening, the library received Reader's Digest{{'}}s "Most Impressive" award for the state of Florida in their "The Most Impressive Library in Every State" article.{{cite web |last1=Almanza |first1=Aubrey |title=The Most Impressive Library in Every State |url=https://www.rd.com/culture/beautiful-libraries/ |website=Reader's Digest |access-date=25 November 2018}} In 2016, the library was nominated as "the most beautiful library in Florida" by Tech Insider.{{cite web |last1=Weller |first1=Chris |title=The most beautiful library in every US state |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/most-beautiful-library-in-all-50-states-2016-7 |website=Insider |publisher=Business Insider |access-date=13 January 2022}}

In 1975, funds were raised to purchase a two-bedroom house was purchased on Tamiami Trail, which was enlarged to serve as a library. It was a free library, staffed only by volunteers, and operating with 5,000 donated books.{{Cite web|url=http://www.folofnorthport.com/about.html|title=About Us|website=Friends of the Library of North Port Area|access-date=November 25, 2018}} In 1992, the library outgrew the house and a new library building was built. The library now has a used book store.

The Shannon Staub Library opened on October 17, 2017. The 23,321-square-foot facility serves as both a public library and the library for the technical college.{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170828/sneak-peek-inside-north-ports-new-public-library|title=A Sneak Peek Inside North Port's New Public Library|last=Kimel|first=Earle|date=August 28, 2017|website=herald-Tribune|access-date=November 25, 2018}} The namesake of the library, Shannon Staub, stays very active within the Sarasota County Public Library System as a retiree.{{cite web |url=https://www.friendsofsspl.org/ |title=Homepage |website=Friends of Shannon Staub Public Library |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706031902/https://www.friendsofsspl.org/ |archive-date=July 6, 2022}} Staub was a 14-year Sarasota County commissioner who represented North Port, Englewood, and Venice. She was a significant proponent for public libraries, becoming a founding chair of the Library Foundation of Sarasota County in 2012.Who are the namesakes for some of the Sarasota County libraries? (2021, September 14). AskUs. Retrieved October 26, 2022 from https://scgovlibrary.libanswers.com/faq/245681.

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The North Sarasota Library once offered a program that allows patrons to check out a person, just like checking out a library book. Through this program, local community members sit and talk with patrons for 20 minutes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/new-kind-of-story-told-at-north-sarasota-library|title=New Kind of Story at North Sarasota Library|last=Kuizon|first=Kimberly|date=March 8, 2018|website=Fox13News|access-date=November 25, 2018}} In 2019 the North Sarasota Library was renamed as the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library in honor of a county employee who had worked for the library system for over four decades. Betty Johnson was an advocate for youth literacy and in 1979 had, along with the help of a not-for-profit library organization (the Friends of the Library), secured a grant of $10,000 to start a mobile library that eventually grew to become the North Sarasota Library in 2003.{{Cite web|url=https://scgovlibrary.libanswers.com/faq/245681|title = Who are the namesakes for some of the Sarasota County libraries? - Ask Us!}}

This small library is located inside the main building at Historic Spanish Point in Osprey, which also used to be the Osprey School.{{Cite web|url=https://fun4srqkids.com/Fun-Around-Town/Libraries/Osprey-Library-at-Historic-Spanish-Point/View-details|title=Osprey Library at Historic Spanish Point|website=fun4srqkids|access-date=November 26, 2018}} With an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida prehistory, this National Register of Historic Places living history museum is referred to as one of the largest intact actively preserved archaeological sites of the prehistoric period on the Gulf Coast of Florida.{{Cite web|url=https://www.historicspanishpoint.org/about-us/history/|title=Historic Spanish Point's History|website=Historic Spanish Point|access-date=November 26, 2018}}

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The Selby Library was established in 1907, as the first library built in Sarasota County. It remains the county's largest. Started in 1907 using a small donation from the Sarasota Town Improvement Society, it began as a single room housing books mostly donated by John Hamilton Gillespie, Sarasota's first mayor.{{cite web |last=Peoples |first=Brock |title=Selby Public Library Celebrates 20 years! |website=Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County |url=https://sarasotaarts.org/selby-public-library-celebrates-20-years/ |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030020912/https://sarasotaarts.org/selby-public-library-celebrates-20-years/ |archive-date=October 30, 2020}} It was located in the Stone Block Building on the southwest corner of Main Street and Pineapple Avenue.

In 1913, the Women's Club assumed operations. The library was moved to the club's headquarters, today the site of Florida Studio Theatre, where it remained from 1915 to 1931.Elder, A. (2003). Images of America: Sarasota. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. The Sarasota County School Board then donated a wing of a school building on Main Street when more space was needed to accommodate the library's growing collections. In 1940, the city assumed control of the library, and one year later moved it to the Chidsey Library on Tamiami Trail.Sarasota History Alive!. (n.d.). The Chidsey Library. Retrieved from http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/history/articles/the-chidsey-library/

In 1976, a new library was built on the bayfront and named the Selby Library in honor of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, whose donated funds made the new library possible. This permanent endowment was established by William Selby before his death in 1956.{{cite journal |last1=Jacobs |first1=Debra |title=Welcome |journal=Celebrating a Tapestry of Giving |date=2005 |page=4 |url=https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/479cbeea-67bc-4635-8ec3-633934fae249/downloads/Selby-Foundation%20600k%20to%20pool.pdf?ver=1614823000505 |access-date=19 February 2022}}

The library moved from its bay front location to its new downtown location at Five Points Park in 1998, keeping its Selby name.{{Cite web |url=http://www.downtownsarasota.com/selby-public-library.php |title=Selby Public Library In Downtown Sarasota |website=DowntownSarasota.com |access-date=November 26, 2018}}

Selby library also has a partnership with the Sarasota Music Archive which houses an extensive music collection, archive sheet music, and a small store.Sarasota Music Archive offers a journey through music history.https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2023/oct/19/sarasota-music-archive-offers-journey-through-music-history/

The original Venice Library was built in 1965. In 2012, mold was discovered in one of the library's meeting rooms in which the county underwent efforts to clean the building.{{cite web |last1=Kimel |first1=Earle |title=Planning commission gives OK to new library site plan |url=https://www.scgov.net/home/showdocument?id=3597}} However, the problem persisted, and in 2014 mold returned to the meeting room. As a result, county officials closed down the meeting room as mold continued to spread throughout the library.{{Cite web |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/venice-public-library-to-shut-down-because-of-mold/1052048933 |title=Venice Public Library to Shut Down Because of Mold |last=Rogers |first=John |date=January 12, 2016 |website=News Channel 8 |access-date=November 26, 2018}}

In spring 2017, the Venice Library was demolished and construction began in the fall for a new library. The William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library opened on December 15, 2018.{{Cite web |url=https://www.venicegov.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/2859/19?npage=2&seldept=4&toggle=all |title=New Venice Library Opening |website=City of Venice |access-date=November 26, 2018}} This new building is a {{convert|24000|ft2}} structure with {{convert|19000|ft2}} of usable space with the implementation of glass to allow for natural light.

The building is named after William H. Jervey Jr. who donated $1 million towards the project. He frequented the library often, and worked with Sweet Sparksman to construct the 19,428-square-foot building.{{cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Vicki |title=Library benefactor reflects on philanthropy, investing in Venice |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2018/12/14/venice-library-benefactor-william-jervey-reflects-on-philanthropy/6639894007/ |website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |publisher=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |access-date=27 October 2023}} He was initially critical of the closing of the original library. Jervey also donated $250,000 as an estate gift to the entire Sarasota Public Library System.{{cite web |last1=Murdock |first1=Zach |title=$1 million donation and new name for Venice Public Library |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20171010/1-million-donation-and-new-name-for-venice-public-library |website=Herald-Tribune |access-date=25 November 2018}} The library invested in computers, charging stations, as well as a Creation Station that also makes 3D printing possible.

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Category:Public libraries in Florida