ARTICLE
The City of Lakeland’s eLibrary South located at Lake Miriam Square (4740 South Florida Avenue) will close Saturday, September 2, 2023. “We thank Publix Supermarkets for supporting the eLibrary concept at Lake Miriam for the past 16 years but as our lease expired, staff started exploring different locations and concepts,” said Bob Donahay, Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts. “Many years ago, I was approached by a football player who spent some time in the NFL. This person asked me what we were doing at our recreation centers for kids that don’t play sports. Recreation facilities typically focus on athletics but there is a large segment of the population that we can also reach by including library services.” Conveniently located inside the Kelly Recreation Complex at 404 Imperial Boulevard, the Kelly Branch Library will be Lakeland’s newest small public library branch. At this location, library users can browse and borrow from collections of popular library materials for children and adults, get a library card, pick up requested items in self-serve book lockers, and return materials borrowed from any Lakeland public library. Business services available at the Kelly Branch Library include public WIFI access, technology assistance, printing, faxing, and scanning services. Chromebooks can also be checked out for use within the facility. Donahay said, “We are really excited to explore this new concept and I owe it to staff for thinking outside the box. I know Clearwater Beach has something similar but as far as I know, we will be one of the first, if not the first public facility in the state of Florida with recreation, swimming, and library services on one campus.” IMPORTANT DATES The eLibrary South Lakeland will close at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 2, 2023. After September 2, 2023, eLibrary customers can return materials at the book return inside Kelly Recreation Complex or use either the Main Library or the Larry R. Jackson Branch Library. After September 2, 2023, eLibrary users can choose to pick up any reserves/holds at the automated book lockers inside the Kelly Recreation Complex. The Kelly Branch Library is scheduled to open Monday, September 18, 2023. The Kelly Branch Library will be open Monday through Friday and will be closed on weekends. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday. Please visit www.lakelandgov.net/departments/library/locations-hours
The City of Lakeland’s eLibrary South located at Lake Miriam Square (4740 South Florida Avenue) will close Saturday, September 2, 2023.
“We thank Publix Supermarkets for supporting the eLibrary concept at Lake Miriam for the past 16 years but as our lease expired, staff started exploring different locations and concepts,” said Bob Donahay, Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts. “Many years ago, I was approached by a football player who spent some time in the NFL. This person asked me what we were doing at our recreation centers for kids that don’t play sports. Recreation facilities typically focus on athletics but there is a large segment of the population that we can also reach by including library services.”
Conveniently located inside the Kelly Recreation Complex at 404 Imperial Boulevard, the Kelly Branch Library will be Lakeland’s newest small public library branch. At this location, library users can browse and borrow from collections of popular library materials for children and adults, get a library card, pick up requested items in self-serve book lockers, and return materials borrowed from any Lakeland public library. Business services available at the Kelly Branch Library include public WIFI access, technology assistance, printing, faxing, and scanning services. Chromebooks can also be checked out for use within the facility.
Donahay said, “We are really excited to explore this new concept and I owe it to staff for thinking outside the box. I know Clearwater Beach has something similar but as far as I know, we will be one of the first, if not the first public facility in the state of Florida with recreation, swimming, and library services on one campus.”
IMPORTANT DATES
The Kelly Branch Library will be open Monday through Friday and will be closed on weekends. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday. Please visit www.lakelandgov.net/departments/library/locations-hours