Service Improvement of the Month for 2006
December 2006
With the groundbreaking ceremony for the Miramar Branch Library and Education Center scheduled for November 30, Broward County Library takes another step toward increasing library services for the community.
As the most recent addition to the Broward County Library's family, the new Miramar Branch, located at 2050 Civic Center Place in Miramar, Florida, is scheduled to officially open in spring 2008.
The new, three-story, state-of-the-art facility will feature:
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Collection Size - 100,000 items
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Multipurpose Room - 100 people capacity
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Tutoring Rooms
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Quiet Study Room
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Conference Room
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Computers: 100, including 25 stations in a separate area for undisturbed instruction, Wireless Hotspot
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Storytelling/Program Room
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A Drive-Up Book Return
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Friends of the Library Space
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Public Art by Robert Calvo
Back in the 1930s, when the U.S. was in the grips of the Great Depression and Broward County, Florida was a little county with only seven incorporated towns, a Miami-based writer named Frances H. Miner was assigned by the Works Progress Administration to write a detailed account of this up-and-coming county's history. Alas for Ms. Miner, her work (unlike other WPA writers such as Zora Neale Hurston) remained unpublished and unsung until now, 70 years later.
Although unpublished, her 5,000-word History of Broward County survived, and now Broward County Libraries Division has the honor of printing Miner's treatise, the first volume in what is expected to be an annual publication highlighting the County's history and the experiences and achievements of its early residents.
The original document of The History of Broward County is currently stored in the Bienes Center for the Literary Arts, the Dianne and Michael Bienes Special Collections and Rare Book Library, located on the sixth floor of the Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The creation of this center was prompted by a gift from Jean Fitzgerald (a former Broward County Library Advisory Board member and a founder of the Broward Public Library Foundation) of his personal collection of Works Progress Administration Federal Writer's Project publications.
The almost-600 items donated by Fitzgerald joined BCL's already existing collection of WPA literature. History of Broward County belonged to the existing collection and originally belonged to the Fort Lauderdale Public Library on Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, one of the oldest of BCL's 37 library locations.
History of Broward County is a delightful look at the early days of Broward - you'll learn that the big seven towns of the time were Fort Lauderdale, Dania, Pompano, Deerfield, Oakland Park, Hollywood and Hallandale (all of which by the 30's had electric service). Find out how Pompano got its name, who Fort Lauderdale was named after, and what happened during the real estate collapse of 1925-26. The History of Broward County is a glimpse at a time past, as well as a bridge to the future.
Click here to download a copy of this publication.
October 2006
Broward County Library premiered their debut interactive version of its Annual Report. The new version comes alive with animated highlights that showcase the library's year-round accomplishments. Easy, interactive features let the library come alive - all with a click of a mouse.
This year's annual report also offers a visual feast for readers with more photos and illustrations of the people, programs and places that make Broward County Library what it is today. An updated, simple-to-use format combined with state-of-the-art graphics lets customers track the library's impact on the community through this visual record of the events and happenings in 2006.
To view this interactive annual report click here - when you visit this page, the stars in the cover page of the annual report will twinkle. Click on the "view report" button to read Broward County Library's 2006 Annual Report.
A new Hispanic Cultural and Educational Center is under design and will occupy 15,000 square feet of the Main Library's third floor. This new center will feature a welcome area, study and meeting rooms, a computer center, Spanish language storytelling room and large exhibit and reception areas. Space will exist for 20,000 books and it will also contain very large collections of Spanish language music and films. Computers, Internet connections, column and wall art and 21 plasma screens will tell the story of the 21 countries the Center will highlight.
Click here to view a partial rendering of the new center and click here to view the floor plan.
August 2006
Broward County Library's website, www.broward.org/library has been enhanced with more information and new features in the last year.
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An Online How to Guide has been added to the homepage to aid customers who want to use our online services.
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Downloadable features including certificates, bookmarks and origami have been added to offer children fun things to do while strengthening the importance of the library and reading.
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More information has been added to the website for the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale. Floor plans, exhibits, photos and a complete story have been included so customers can enjoy a real-life experience of this beautiful facility.
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The E-Newsletter has been redesigned with a new format including easier navigation, more features and additional photos.
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More buttons have been added to the homepage to highlight the exciting programs and services Broward County Library offers.
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New branch pages are being created that include online fact sheets, slideshows, maps and nearby locations.
July 2006
As of June 18th and within existing staff resources, the Tamarac Branch Library, 8701 W. Commercial Blvd., began providing Sunday hours of service. The library is open every Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Tamarac Branch Library joins these other libraries with Sunday service:
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Main Library (Ft. Lauderdale) (12:00 to 5:30 pm)
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African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (Ft. Lauderdale) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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Hollywood Branch Library (Hollywood) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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North Regional Library (Coconut Creek) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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Northwest Regional Library (Coral Springs) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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Nova Southeastern University Library (Ft. Lauderdale) (11:00 am to 11:30 pm)
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South Regional Library (Pembroke Pines) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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Southwest Regional Library (Pembroke Pines) (1 to 5:00 pm)
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Stirling Road Branch Library (Hollywood) (12:00 to 5:00 pm)
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West Regional Library (Plantation) (1 to 5:00 pm)
June 2006
Broward County Library will open the new Hollywood Branch Library on June 8 at 10:00 a.m. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the new 30,000 square foot library will be open to the public.
The new library currently has 56 computers and a wireless hotspot. It will also be open seven days a week and hold 100,000 items at full capacity.
May 2006
Moving over 30,000 books and other library materials to and from all 37 Broward County libraries daily Monday through Friday, Saturday van delivery service has now been implemented. This will help move materials faster, library to library, and from customer to customer.
April 2006
The new 20,000 square foot North Lauderdale Saraniero Branch Library will open soon. Elected and appointed officials from Broward County, the City of North Lauderdale, the Library Advisory Board, the Friends of the Library and others will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony with the library officially opening afterwards.
The new library features a multipurpose room for 125 people, a conference room for 20 people, a group study room for students and a tutoring room. Customers have use of 33 public computers with internet access and the library will offer free wireless internet access as a "hot spot." The North Lauderdale Saraniero Branch Library has shelf space for 70,000 library items.
Click here to view a rendering of the new library.
March 2006
The newly expanded and renovated Carver Ranches Branch Library, consisting of 10,000 square feet, opened to the public on Thursday, March 30. Elected and appointed officials from Broward County, the City of West Park and other organizations participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m.
The new library features a multi-purpose room for 75 people, a tutoring room, a conference room with room for 12 people, 23 public computers and shelf space for 40,000 library items.
February 2006
The new Weston Branch Library, consisting of a 30,000 square foot library plus 20,000 square feet of offices and classrooms for Broward Community College, opened on Thursday, February 16. Elected and appointed officials from Broward County, Broward County Libraries, the City of Weston, Broward Community College and others participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
The new library features a meeting room for 100, tutoring, quiet study, conference, children's programming rooms, a computer lab and shelf space for 100,000 library items.
January 2006
Over the last several months, faster customer notification of the library's addition of new books, DVD's and videocassettes has occurred on the Home Page, www.broward.org/library. To see Best Sellers, click here. To see new DVD's and videocassettes, click here. These lists are updated frequently, so to see new additions to the library, check the site often.
