Miami-Dade Public Library System

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

History

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.^[1][2] 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.^[3]

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. 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 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. 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 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, entered into the agreement with Metropolitan Dade County and were included in the new public library system. A year later the Miami Springs 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’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.

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 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 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, ^[4] 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. 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.^[5] 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, Miami)
• Allapattah (Allapattah, Miami)
• California Club (Ives Estates, Miami)
• Civic Center (Civic Center, Miami)
• Coconut Grove (Coconut Grove, Miami)
• Concord (Westwood Lakes, Miami)
• Coral Gables (Coral Gables)
• Coral Reef (Palmetto Bay)
• Country Walk (Country Walk, Miami)
• Culmer/Overtown (Overtown, Miami)
• Doral (Doral)
• Edison Center (Edison Courts area of Little Haiti, Miami)
• Fairlawn (Fairlawn area of West Miami, but also serves Flagami, Miami)
• Golden Glades (Golden Glades, Miami)
• Hialeah Gardens (Hialeah Gardens)
• Hispanic (Little Havana, Miami)
• Homestead (Homestead)
• International Mall (Doral, next to International Mall and near Dolphin Mall)
• Kendale Lakes (Kendale Lakes, Miami)
• Kendall (Kendall, Miami)
• Key Biscayne (Key Biscayne)
• Lakes of the Meadow (Kendall West, Miami)
• Lemon City (Lemon City, Little Haiti, Miami)
• Little River (Little River, Little Haiti, Miami)
• Miami Beach Regional (South Beach, Miami Beach)
• Miami Lakes (Miami Lakes)
• Miami Springs (Miami Springs)
• Model City (Liberty City, Miami)
• Naranja (Naranja, Homestead)
• North Dade Regional (Carol City, Miami Gardens)
• North Central (West Little River, Miami)
• North Shore (North Beach, Miami Beach)
• Northeast (Aventura)
• Opa-locka (Opa-Locka)
• Palm Springs North (Palm Sprngs North, Miami)
• Palmetto Bay (Palmetto Bay)
• Pinecrest (Pinecrest, on the grounds of Pinecrest Gardens/the former Parrot Jungle)
• South Dade Regional (Cutler Ridge, Cutler Bay)
• Shenandoah (Little Havana, Miami)
• South Miami (South Miami)
• South Shore (South Beach, Miami Beach)
• Sunny Isles (Sunny Isles Beach)
• Sunset (Sunset, Miami)
• Tamiami (Tamiami, Miami)
• Virrick Park (Virrick Park, Coconut Grove, Miami)
• West Dade Regional (Westchester, Miami)
• West Flagler (Coral Gables)
• West Kendall Regional (The Hammocks, Miami) [Contrary to its name, it is not located in West Kendall]

Future Branches

• Arcola Lakes (Pinewood, Unincorporated area)

References

1. ^ Blackman, E. V. Miami and Dade County, Florida. Washington, DC: Victor Rainbolt, 1921. Page 75.
2. ^ Minutes of the Coconut Grove Housekeepers Club. P. 28. 1892. Preserved on microfilm at Miami-Dade Public Library main branch.
3. ^ Peters, Thelma. Lemon City. Miami: Banyan Books, 1980. Pages 206-211.
4. ^ Robert A. M. Stern (2005). "Miami Beach Regional Library". http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/florida/miami/librarystern/library.html. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 
5. ^ "History of The Miami-Dade Public Library System". Miami-Dade Public Library System Website. February 24, 2009. http://www.mdpls.org/info/history.asp. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 

External links

Miami portal

• Miami-Dade Public Library
• History of Miami-Dade Public Library
• Miami-Dade Public Library Branches
• Miami-Dade Public Library Online Catalog