C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library

The C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, formerly known as the College Hill Branch Library, is located in Tampa, Florida. The 8,500 sq. foot facility is located at 2607 E. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. It is part of the Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL), as well as a member of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (HCPLC).

C. Blyth Andrews Jr. Public Library
Former namesCollege Hill Public Library
General information
LocationTampa, Florida
Address2607 E. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. Tampa, Florida 33610
Coordinates27.981177°N 82.430387°W / 27.981177; -82.430387
Opened1994
Website
http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/locations/cba/

The library offers books, audiobooks, music CDs, magazines, and DVDs, and internet access is available through computers and WiFi. There is a large community room and a small meeting room available for public usage. The full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud desktop apps is also available for members to use by booking ahead and on a walk-in basis.[1]

History

The library first opened to the public as the College Hill Public Library on June 16, 1989, in an 800 square foot double-wide trailer. The current building opened in 1994 and, in 2010, was renamed after C. Blythe Andrews Jr., a publisher of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, a newspaper serving the African American community.[2]

Future plans

At 8,500 square feet, the previous library building was considered too small for the number of customers the library was intaking.

The C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library Closed on April 15, 2017, so that work could start on the construction of a new, larger library to better assist the needs of the community. Demolition of the old building has been completed and as of October 2017, Hillsborough County is awaiting a contract award for construction.[3] The new C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library is scheduled to open Winter 2018. The new library will feature larger meeting spaces, recording studio, computer lab, separate children's area, an African American Media Archive, and a Friends of the Library Bookstore.[4]

Friends of the library

The C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library receives support from the Ada T. Payne Friends of the Urban Libraries. Their fundraising efforts support not only this branch, but also the Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library and the West Tampa Branch Library. The Ada. T Payne friends have bookstores in all three of these libraries.

Library art

The library features two lithographs in the main reading room area: No Place Like Home, 1990 by artist Louis Delsarte and With Honors, 1989 by artist Synthia St. James. There are twenty-one Burgert Brothers' black-and-white photograph reproductions that are included in the library's art collection.

References
  1. "Adobe Creative Cloud | HCPLC". www.hcplc.org. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  2. Varian, Bill (12 January 2010). "C. Blythe Andrews, newspaperman and influential businessman, dies at 79". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. http://hcflgov.net/en/government/county-projects/building-community-projects/c-blythe-andrews-jr-library-expansion-replacement
  4. http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/locations/cba/
  1. C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library hillsboroughcounty.org Retrieved 2016-04-12 – Official website
  2. C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library: Locations: Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative www.hcplc.org Retrieved 2016-04-12
  3. C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library Expansion/Replacement www.hillsboroughcounty.org Retrieved 2016-04-12
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