A Brief History of Libraries in Miami-Dade County
From one small reading room to one of the nation's largest library systems
More than just books...
Humble Beginnings
The Miami-Dade Public Library System traces its origin to the late nineteenth century.
The first library was a reading room established in Lemon City on April 7, 1894.
This small library, located in the front room of a cottage, was opened to serve all of the 350 residents of Lemon City.
The Lemon City Library moved into its own building made of wood planks located at 412 NE 61st Street in 1902.
Another Library Opens
The Cocoanut Grove Library (originally spelled with an additional "a") opened to the public on June 15, 1895 by a Women's Club in Cocoanut Grove.
Volunteers came together to help with establishing the library by providing bundles of donated books for the collection.
In 1900, the Cocoanut Grove Library Association was incorporated and, in 1901, Dade County's first library building was built in Cocoanut Grove.
Unification
In 1942, the Lemon City and Cocoanut Grove Libraries, along with the Annie M. Coleman and the Dunbar Libraries, were brought together in a single public library system, the Miami Public Library (MPL).
The MPL opened several new branches over the next few decades, including West Flagler and Miami Memorial Library.
The County also operated its own library system independent of the City of Miami, including the Coral Gables, South Miami and Miami Springs Libraries.
Finally, in November of 1971, the City of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County, which created a new county department - the Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS).
The Decade of Progress
Almost immediately, the new library system experienced an unprecedented boost in its growth. In 1972, a $553 million initiative known as the Decade of Progress Bond Program was issued to MDPLS, which made possible many important local projects.
Between 1976 and 1990, this bond issue provided the funds to open 14 new libraries and renovate other locations.
Through the Decade of Progress Bond Program, regional libraries were constructed in all four corners of the county...
... In South Dade
... In North Dade
... In West Dade
... and in West Kendall
A New Main Library
The crowning jewel of this Decade of Progress was the construction of a new Main Library.
In 1982, the Main Library opened in Downtown Miami at the newly constructed Cultural Plaza along with the History Miami Museum and Art Museum.
MDPLS Today
Since 2001, many new locations have been constructed. These branches include Golden Glades, International Mall, Kendale Lakes, Naranja, Pinecrest and Virrick Park.
After nearly 100 years of serving the Miami-Dade community, the Miami-Dade Public Library has 49 branches spread out all across the county. Most locations are centrally located and easy to commute to.
In addition to the branch locations, MDPLS also has two bookmobiles and a Technobus, which is a computer lab on wheels that makes multiple community outreach stops per week.
References
Miami-Dade Public Library System. (2018). About us. Retrieved from https://mdpls.org/about-us
Miami-Dade Public Library System. (2021). Digital Collections. Retrieved from https://mdpls.org/digitalcollections
Wikipedia contributors. (2021). Miami-Dade Public Library System. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miami-Dade_Public_Library_System&oldid=1020391830
