LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library


The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library is a system of public libraries in Leon County, Florida.

History

In 1954, the American Association of University Women established a Friends of the Library group for Leon County to generate public support for a library in Tallahassee, Florida. Prior to that, the only public library in Tallahassee was the David S. Walker Library, which served white patrons only.
The Leon County Public Library was established in May 1955 and the first Leon County free public library opened its doors on March 21, 1956, in 5,000 square feet of The Columns, one of the oldest remaining antebellum homes in the Leon County area, and located at Park and Adams. Close to 5,000 volumes were on its shelves.
The Library moved to the old Elks Club building at 127 North Monroe Street in 1962, more than doubling its space to 12,000 square feet as opposed to the original library's size of 5,000 square feet.
The Leon County Public Library became the Leon, Jefferson, and Wakulla County Public Library System after Jefferson County joined in 1970 and Wakulla County joined in 1971. The original name returned when Wakulla County left the library system in 1975 and Jefferson County left in 1980.
A small branch library called Page One opened in the Bond Community in September 1975 and the main library moved again to a 44,000 square foot space in the lower level of the Northwood Mall on North Monroe St. The idea to create a new building for the main library began in 1986. The proposed building would be 88,000 square feet and cost $8.5 million to build. The ground breaking was held on March 4, 1989 for the main library facility. The site was next door to the library's original home, The Columns, which had been moved in 1971. The new library building officially opened in January 1991.
Sandra Wilson, who was to oversee the development of the library's new home, was the library director from 1988 until 1991. Helen Moeller took over for her in 1992.
The Leon County Public Library was renamed the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library on September 17, 1993 in honor of LeRoy Collins, the 33rd Governor of Florida.
February 2016 marked the LeRoy Collins Main Library 25th anniversary. Since 1991, over 14 million patrons have visited the LeRoy Collins Main Library and checked out over 23 million materials, which includes not only books, but magazines, movies and more.

Mission

The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System enriches the community by inspiring a love of reading, providing a dynamic resource for intellectual, creative and recreational pursuits, and enabling residents to live a life of learning.

Vision

Inspiring a Love of Reading and a Life of Learning

Locations

The library system has seven locations in Tallahassee, Florida.
Materials: The LCLCPL system offers books, DVDs, audio books, CDs, telescopes, hotspots, and seasonal seeds. Aside from physical items, the library also offers RBdigital and Overdrive, applications where the patron can download electronic books, electronic audio books, and e-magazines. Through the Friends of the Library, LCLCPL also offers Kanopy, a video streaming service. All materials are free to check out with a library card.
Services: LCLCPL offers adult and youth services programming. Past events have included Music in the Stacks, Candyland, Booked for Lunch author events, Coffee and Cards, Science Night, Teen Movie Mob Night, Archaeology Story Time, and many seasonal events put on by the Friends of the Library such as the Title Wave Used Book Sale. Another service offered is Tech Help 1 on 1 in which a patron can book a library staff for a one-hour session to learn basic computer skills, help with their mobile devices, learn on the library's desktop PC and basic internet skills. Ask a Librarian is also available through LCLCPL.

Grants, awards, and recognition

In 2018, the library was awarded a grant by the Florida Humanities Council to offer activities that went along with The Great American Read. January 2017, the Eastside Branch Library was awarded Silver LEED. In 2014, two Information Professionals won awards for their participation in Florida's cooperative Ask a Librarian; the “SuperStar” award and the “Brief Exemplary Chat” award. In 2011 and 2019, the library received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Program. The library used the 2019 grant to fund a slate of public activities related to local author Jeff Vandermeer's book Borne, including book discussions, an outdoor reading by Vandermeer, and an installment in the Library Lecture Series, also presided over by Vandermeer, about Leon County's biodiversity as it related to the novel.

Library Lecture Series

The Library Lecture Series are events hosted by the Leon County Government in conjunction with the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library. This Series brings experts to talk about an array of engaging topics. The first series happened in April 2017, in which the Director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Dr. George Boebinger, spoke about the research being conducted at the Mag Lab in Tallahassee, FL. The Library Lecture Series has partnered with other entities in the community such as Florida State University and Florida A&M University. The events are hosted at the library branches and occasionally are hosted at places such as the Meek Eaton Black Archives or venues such as the Fifth and Thomas. Other lectures include professors from Florida A&M University and Florida State University, Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Ellen Taaffee Zwilich, Founder of the 8 80 Cities, Gil Penalosa, and the list continues to grow as the lecture series goes on.