Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-15 Edition

Features
First Public Meeting Held To Discuss Plans For Rebuilding C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Library
Saunders Library To Host Programs For Local Community
Renovated Saunders Public Library
FRED HEARNS President, Robert W. Saun- ders Library Foundation
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. , when RWS will recognize local members of the Bethune- Cookman University Alumni Association for their service to humanity.
The public is invited to both of these activities. For more information, e-mail fhearns@netzero.net.
Membership in the RWS Li- brary Foundation is open to anyone who wants to trumpet the continuing contributions of Black Americans to the fields of education, commu- nity building, science and technology, religion, legal af- fairs, cultural arts, govern- ment service, medicine and other endeavors.
The Robert W. Saunders Li- brary Foundation, Inc. (RWS) will host a free reception for the community Friday, Sep- tember 11, 2015. The event will take place at the Saunders Public Library, 1505 N. Ne- braska Avenue, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Fred Hearns, Robert W. Saunders Public Library Foundation President, said events at the new public li- brary will, “Welcome to this beautiful new facility, people who want to help us celebrate Black History 365 days a year.”
The Reception is the first program RWS will host in its 350-seat Ada T. Payne Room. The foundation will present its vision and mission to guests, celebrate Black history with an
entertaining video, invite in- terested persons to become RWS members and end with a guided tour of the new build- ing.
The library includes the large Walter L. Smith Reading Room, the innovative Joe Stines Children's Library, the African American Research Library and the innovative Cultural Arts Corridor -- with incredible Historic Central Av- enue displays.
The library opens Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m. It closes at 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and at 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The RWS Annual Meeting will be held at the library October 5, 5:30 p.m. And the inaugural Black History Experience will be held Monday October 12,
C.Blythe Andrews Library will be rebuilt to a 24,000 square foot building.
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Attendees at a recent public meeting to discuss the future of the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library got to hear about more than just the amenities the new replace- ment building will feature.
They also got the chance to share with Hillsborough County Public Library director Andrew Breidenbaugh and his staff the issues that are af- fecting the community sur- rounding the branch and how a new building could help ad- dress those matters.
Poverty, lack of safety, and unemployment were just some of the topics discussed at the meeting held at the library. About 50 people came out to hear Mr. Breidenbaugh’s ideas for the new building, which would reopen in late 2017.
At 8,500 square feet, the current building is considered too small for the number of patrons who visit. Built in 1994, the library was renamed in 2010 after late Florida Sen- tinel Bulletin, CEO, C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., who died the same year.
County Commissioners have approved $6.8 million in capi- tal improvement funds to build a new library on the same site. The new building will have a design similar to the new Seminole Heights branch, a two-story library with 24,000 square feet of space that opened last year, Breidenbaugh said.
Part of the process is gather- ing input from community members via public meeting to get feedback on the kinds of improvements they would like to see.
While the library alone can- not solve the issues of poverty or unemployment, it can be a resource center where resi- dents can get the help they need to tackle those issues, Breidenbaugh said.
For example, the library can team up with other organiza- tions to offer resume writing classes and job skills training to help people improve their ability to get a job, he said.
“That’s what a library can do in a community,” Breiden- baugh said. “That’s the power
Andrew Breidenbaugh ...Hillsborough County Public Library Director
of the library. We can look at the whole community and pull in lots of partners.”
Other amenities suggested by attendees included more computers, soundproofed rooms, a computer room just for children, larger rooms for elections, and expanded evening hours.
Additionally, the new build- ing would house a digital col- lection of the Florida Sentinel newspapers and photos, Mr. Breidenbaugh said.
Mary James, president of the Ada T. Payne Friends of the Urban Libraries, said there are a variety of services that she would like to see offered at the library. Proceeds from the Friends’ fundraising efforts di- rectly benefit the Andrews, the Robert W. Saunders, Sr., and the West Tampa branches.
“I’d like to see more literacy events with the family, where parents can better assist stu- dents with school,” she said.
Ms. James and other at- tendees also implored the li- brary staff to find ways to get more residents involved in the planning process of the new building and keep them in- volved once the new building opens.
Breidenbaugh agreed, saying that the library admin- istration’s next steps were “to go out and visit schools and talk to parents, asking them how we can help them, what they need this facility to be.”
The C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Library has been one of the li- brary system’s ‘most used’ fa- cilities, with foot traffic of about 10,000 people per month during the summer.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B