Largo Public Library

The city of Largo began as a grouping of loosely gathered communities of farmland around a large lake in the 1880s in the middle of what is today's Pinellas County. Due to railroad expansion and a growing community of residents, Largo became an incorporated town in 1905.[2]

In 1914, the Woman's Club of Largo began to create a small library for the community of 350 residents. This original Library Committee consisted of Mrs. D.F. Judkins, Mrs. W.F. Belcher, Mrs. J.T. Jackson, Mrs. W.M. Ulmer, and Mrs. Ann McMullen.[3] Efforts to begin the library started at the large Camphor Tree located at the center of downtown where residents left donations. Serving as a "Christmas Giving Tree", residents left books, magazines, wood and other furnishings to help establish the first library of Largo.[4] These donations were placed in the first library facility located in a downstairs room of the original, wood frame Town Hall building with a total of 560 books which officially opened to the community on April 7, 1916.[5] Marie Allen, was paid $2 weekly to serve as Largo's first librarian. Jennie Danforth Judkins, a strong Largo Library advocate, served as the library's second librarian. Such was her dedication to the library that a local legend developed that Mrs. Judkins read every book that was added to the library's collection before it was placed on the shelf.[6]

Due to the bustling population growth of the 1950s, Largo determined the need for a new library facility and town hall and began the project in 1960. December 15, 1961 the groundbreaking took place for the $36,000 new library and Ms. Helene Tilly served as the head librarian upon opening of the facility. By 1968, the current facility on West Bay Drive expanded and contained around 14,000 books. However, the city thereafter determined the need for a new, larger facility and in 1974 local businessman John Jenkins donated five acres of land for the new library. On May 15, 1977 the new $1 million library opened under the direction of Barbara Murphey with 30,000 books present. In 1989 the facility expanded in size and totaled 250,000 volumes, serving an average of 1,500 visitors daily.[7]

In the middle of the 1990s concerns arose on how to deal with the issue of an awkward parking lot entrance, but quickly morphed into the suggestion of a new library facility. After collecting funding from sales-tax through the "Penny for Pinellas" tax initiative,[8] the new facility opened on July 31, 2005. Also to help clearly define the overall goal of the institution within the community the official name of the facility was changed to Largo Public Library. The 90,300 square foot library opened under the direction of Casey McPhee and more than doubled the size of the previous facility. Within the first year of opening the library hired 72 staff, had 200 volunteers, welcomed more than 558,000 visitors, circulated 683,000 items, had 28,000 workshop attendees, and answered 85,000 reference questions.[9]

Largo Public Library has a long history of "firsts" in technology; it was the first library in Pinellas County to use barcode (1994)[10] and then Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to check in/out patron materials. When the current library opened in 2005, patrons were able use RFID technology at four self check out stations located on the first floor. This option is crucial to serving the huge influx of visitors that the library continues to assist each year. Starting in January 2008, library patrons had the added convenience of a full service Drive-Through window for returning materials, picking up hold requests and other library related transactions. The Drive-Through enables the library to serve a diverse group including the elderly, parents of young children and the mobility challenged.[11] In 2013 the library upgraded its RFID system to comply with current standards and also added an Automatic Materials Handler (AMH), which checks in and sorts materials.[12] These additions have enabled Largo Public Library staff to re-focus on customer service and programming for their community, despite budget cuts that reduced staffing levels during the recession.[13] This shift in focus was rewarded in 2018 when Largo Public Library was named The Florida Library Association Library of the Year.[14]