Community Corner

Roadshow to Gather Harlem Library History

The event will be on Saturday, Feb. 23.

In an effort to preserve the history of local libraries, county officials announced a Library History Roadshow from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library, 1505 Nebraska Ave.

Here are details from a county release:

The Library History Roadshow will feature the Harlem Library at Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library, 1505 Nebraska Ave. in Tampa. Library patrons are encouraged to bring their Harlem Library memories, photographs and memorabilia to share.

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The Harlem Library was established in 1919 in the historic Harlem Academy at 512 Harrison St. In 1922, the Harlem Library moved to 1310 Marion St., sharing the building with the Tampa Urban League. By 1927, the Harlem Library had relocated to 1404 Central Ave., where it remained until it closed in 1969.

Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries will begin celebrating their 100th Anniversaries in 2014. To prepare, the libraries have partnered with the Tampa Bay History Center, the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, and other community partners to present the Library History Roadshow. The Library History Roadshow will make stops at library branches throughout Hillsborough County through 2013 to gather and document the communities’ library memories, photographs and memorabilia.

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On this journey, the Library History Roadshow will feature four libraries that closed many years ago and each of the libraries in Hillsborough County, including the main library; 24 branch libraries; the Bookmobile; the Spanish‐language Cybermobile; the Talking Book Library; and two city-operated libraries.

For more information about the Library History Roadshow, and to see photos and videos of library memories and treasures, visit http://thplhistoryroadshow.blogspot.com. Or, contact the

Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System at 813-273-3652 for details.


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