Land o' Lakes Branch Library
![]() | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Pasco County Library Cooperative. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2018. |
Land O' Lakes Branch Library | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Land O' Lakes, Florida |
Address | 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes, FL 34639 |
Country | United States |
Opened | December 12, 1991 |
Renovated | April 22, 2007 |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 18,000 sq. ft. |
The Land O' Lakes Branch Library is a public library that primarily serves the Land O' Lakes, Florida area, and is one of eight libraries that are part of Pasco County's overall library system, the Pasco County Library Cooperative. It is currently located at 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes, Florida 34639.[1]
History
The Land O' Lakes Branch Library began as a small section of a county building located on U.S. Highway 41, but was later moved to a larger location as a result of its increasing growth. In 1980, it became an official part of the Countywide Library System, and was moved into a Land O' Lakes Plaza Storefront in 1988. A new Land O' Lakes Branch Library was built at the current location with bond money and opened to the public on December 12, 1991. The library underwent an expansion project in 2005, and when completed it was reopened to the public on April 22, 2007.[2] During the rebuilding period a temporary library referred to by the Pasco County Library System as the closet library opened in the Land O Lakes Recreation Complex next to the library, run by the country's Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources department. This library was staffed by two librarians at a time due to its small size. It was hosted in a spare room of the Land O Lakes Recreation Complex's basketball court building.
Design
The Land O' Lakes Branch Library property covers a total area of 18,000 square feet. Following its renovation, the library held several study rooms, a separate children's area, a teen room, and a computer lab. in 2015, the computer lab was moved next to the collections and replaced by a makerspace, the Foundry, which was opened to the public on December 17, 2015.[3] The equipment and purpose of The Foundry was decided by a combination of the library staff and a committee of patrons of all ages who intended to use it.
The Foundry
The Foundry is the first dedicated makerspace within the Pasco County Library Cooperative. The Foundry provides two 3-D printers, Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) equipment, an Oculus Rift virtual reality system, a stock of hand and power tools, and crafting equipment and supplies, like yarn and thread. The room serves as the primary meeting place for the Land O' Lakes High School robotics team, the Edgar Allan Ohms, which is also directly sponsored by the library.[4] Use of The Foundry requires acceptance and consent of the Pasco County Liability Waiver and Permission Form and the Maker Safety Playbook before use of space is permitted, but is otherwise open to application by all library patrons.[5]
References
- ^ "Locations and Hours | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
- ^ "Where it all began... | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
- ^ "Land O' Lakes library opens makerspace". The Laker/Lutz News. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
- ^ "Library creates county's first 'makerspace'". TBO.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
- ^ "Land O'Lakes Foundry | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.