Miami-Dade Public Library System

Street view of Lemon City Branch Library circa 1955 - 412 NE 61st Street location

Interior view of Lemon City Branch Library circa 1961 - 412 NE 61st Street location

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 by the Lemon City Library and Improvement Association. Miss Ada Merritt had already started a library in the public school in Lemon City in 1893, but the modest Lemon City Library, which was originally located in the front room of Mrs. Cornelia Keyes' Cottage, was opened to serve all of the 350 Lemon City residents.[2][3][4] In 1902 the Lemon City Library moved into its own building made of wood planks located at 412 NE 61st Street.[5][6]

The Cocoanut Grove (original spelling) library opened on June 15, 1895 by the ladies of the Pine Needles Club.[7] Mrs. Andrew Carnegie helped with the beginning of the library with the contribution of bundles of books.[8] In 1900 the Cocoanut Grove Library Association was incorporated and in 1901 Miami-Dade County's first library building was built in Cocoanut Grove.[9][10]

The Coconut Grove Library was established in 1895 through the efforts of the "Pine Needles Club." One of the founders of the Pine Needles Club was a local teacher named Mary Barr Munroe. In the early days, the library was small but continued to grow throughout the 1890s. One day, Louise Whitfield Carnegie, wife of industrialist, Andrew Carnegie was touring the southern waters and stopped at Coconut Grove, where she had the opportunity to attend one of the Pine Needles Club's weekly meetings. Mrs. Carnegie was impressed with the group's efforts and offered to help the fledgling library with a sizeable donation of books.[11]

By 1897, the library had grown so much that it had to be moved to a nearby storeroom. In the early 1900s, an official library was planned to be constructed on land donated by the commodore of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, Ralph Munroe, whose only request was that the grave of his late wife remain on the property. In addition to the land, the new library structure was donated by writer and conservationist Kirk Munroe, husband of Pine Needles Club president Mary B. Munroe. Due to a lack of infrastructure and roadways in early South Florida, books were often transported to Miami via sailboat.

In 1901, the newly constructed building opened its doors to the public and remained in service until 1957, when it became part of the Miami Public Library. In the early 1960s, the city of Miami offered to build a new facility for the Coconut Grove Library. On November 16, 1963, a two-story library officially opened its doors to the public and remains a staple of the South Florida community to this day. The building is a designated Florida Heritage Site.

Exterior view of Miami Women's Club

The City of Miami's library was founded by the Ladies' Afternoon Club, later the Miami Women's Club. Its purpose was "reading and the discussion of literature." By 1905, the Club was trying to provide a public reading room for its collection of books. The Club had no permanent home and for a number of years the reading room moved from place to place, as often as six times in a single year. By 1913 the Miami Women's Club had its own building located at the corner of today's Southeast Second Avenue and Flagler Street (then Avenue B and Twelfth Street) on property donated by Henry Morrison Flagler. His gift of land for the construction of a clubhouse contained a proviso that a public reading room be maintained in the building. Reliable financial support for the library was a continuing problem and in 1915 the Miami City Commission was convinced to support the library and $50 each month was allocated to its support. This downtown location was later sold and the Miami Women's Club erected its current building at 1737 North Bayshore Drive. The Flagler Memorial Library was established in this new building. By 1925 the communities of Coconut Grove and Lemon City had been annexed into the City of Miami.

The first public library serving the Black community was the Dunbar Branch at 2059 N. W. 6 Court, established March 14, 1938, by the Friendship Garden Club, assisted by the Miami Women's Club.

View of Miami Public Library Traveling Branch

The first bookmobile was proudly pictured in the Miami Herald of January 5, 1928.[12] The very first book mobiles began serving outlaying and less urban areas of the city and county. By the peak of the program in 1979, about 20 bookmobiles traveled to various communities every day, in that year they reported about 293,000 items circulating because of those mobile libraries. The program did end due to budget cuts and funding issues as the system opened up more brick-and-mortar branches. But in 2001, they reinstituted two bookmobiles to serve public parks, community centers ad shopping malls to again help make information a little more accessible to everyone.[13]

The Mobile Libraries make scheduled stops* each week at public parks, childcare facilities, condominium complexes, retirement communities, senior centers, and recreational facilities. Stops at each of the scheduled locations are usually one hour.

Residents of Miami‑Dade County who live within the library's taxing district can take advantage of this service. Residents must have a current library card to check out materials. Books may be borrowed for 30 days and videos may be borrowed for 15 days.[14]

Materials may be returned to the Mobile Library or to any branch in the system. Materials borrowed from branches may also be returned to the Mobile Library.

Street view of Dorsey Memorial Library

When Annie M. Coleman (1894-1981), and her husband, Reverend James E. Coleman, moved to Miami in 1922 from Quitman, Georgia, "Colored Town" (known as Overtown today) had no paved streets, no parks, and no library. Mrs. Coleman's vision and initiative made her a pioneer in obtaining these much-needed facilities.[15]

Mrs. Coleman, a graduate of Paine College, had been in Miami only one year when she organized the Women's Club, which later became the Murrell Branch of the YWCA. She also founded the local chapter of the National Council of Negro Women and served for 25 years as president of Miami's Friendship Garden and Civic Club. She worked with other women activists, such as Mary Sorensen Moore, and Mary Jane Wood Reeder, to increase opportunities for black people in the then-segregated society.[16] She was also in the forefront of the movement to allow blacks to serve as policemen in Miami. She pushed for the paving of neighborhood streets and raised funds for Christian Hospital.[16]

It was in this climate that the first library for African-Americans was created. In 1936, the Women's Society of Christian Services, an organization within the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church joined with other civic-minded women in the Black community to found the Friendship Garden and Civic Club. Led by its president, Annie Coleman, the club's first project was to create a library for the residents of Overtown. Mrs. Coleman offered the use of a grocery store building next to her home. That building, at 2059 NW 6th Court, was converted into a library mainly through the combined efforts of the Overtown African-American community. That first library opened in 1936 and was called the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library.[17] It provided books, a Black History week celebration, and other educational material for children.

In 1938, the facility became the Dunbar Branch Library, as it was now officially a part of the City of Miami's library system. The needs of the community would soon make that library obsolete, setting the stage for the construction of the Dorsey Memorial Library.[17]

While the Dunbar Branch was being used, the Friendship Garden Club and the Washington Heights Library Association raised funds to build a new library. The City of Miami appropriated the remainder of the money to build on land donated by Black philanthropist Dana A. Dorsey. The one-story concrete block and stucco building were named the Dorsey Memorial Library and opened on August 13, 1941, under the supervision of the Miami Public Library's Head Librarian. This was the first public library building owned by the City of Miami. The City of Miami thus had several community libraries receiving various amounts of financial support from public funds.

Exterior view of Miami Memorial Library

Street view of Coconut Grove Branch Library

In 1942 these libraries were brought together in a single public library system, governed by a Board of Trustees and administered by a Head Librarian, with administrative headquarters in a new downtown library. A new central library building had been proposed for Bayfront Park in downtown Miami as early as 1938, but the proposal was not realized till over a decade later. Miamians began using their new library in Bayfront Park on July 2, 1951, even before its formal dedication on July 27 of that year.

The following years brought some new neighborhood libraries and the closing and consolidation of others. In April 1957 the subscription library in Coconut Grove became part of the system, while eight new branches were constructed in the next eight years. In December 1965 the City of Miami and Metropolitan Dade County agreed that the City of Miami would provide public library service to unincorporated Dade County and to those municipalities that did not provide their library service. At this time, two existing municipal libraries, Coral Gables and South Miami, agreed with Metropolitan Dade County and were included in the new public library system. A year later the Miami Springs Library was added to the system. Four bookmobiles provided library service to the unincorporated area.

In 1961, the Dorsey Library was abandoned for the new Dixie Park Branch Library. In keeping with the policy of naming branch libraries after their geographic location, in 1983 the County Commission changed the name at that time to the Culmer/Overtown Branch Library.

On November 1, 1971, the City of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County which created a new Department of Libraries with a Director reporting directly to the County Manager.

While some municipalities elected to continue providing public library service through their own municipal operations, the City of Homestead's public library joined the County system on January 1, 1975. The Hispanic Branch (Rama Hispanica), serving a primarily Spanish-speaking clientele, opened August 2, 1976 in Little Havana. In the summer of 2010 the Hispanic Branch Library was relocated to the bottom floor of the Villa Aurora Apartment complex at 1398 SW 1 ST.[18]

External video
Summer of '85: a new place to get your book on: Miami-Dade's new Main Public Library opened with a splash on July 19, 1985

On November 7, 1972, a referendum, also known as the "Decade of Progress" bonds, authorized approximately $553 million for public improvement projects in Miami-Dade County. Of that amount, approximately $34.7 million was authorized for public libraries, including construction, renovation, land acquisition, furnishings, and equipment. Between 1976 and 1990, this bond issue provided the funds to open 14 new libraries (South Dade Regional, West Dade Regional, North Dade Regional, West Kendall Regional, Northeast, Model City, Kendall, South Miami, Homestead, Miami Lakes, Coral Reef, Key Biscayne, North Central and the new Main Library) and renovate other locations.

On October 1, 1986, the Miami Beach Public Library and its two branches became part of the Miami-Dade Public Library System. On January 15, 1992, the world's first library on an elevated transit system opened at the busy Metrorail rapid transit system at the Civic Center Station.

External video
Hurricane Andrew: damage to Miami-Dade Public Library branches

Exterior view of South Dade Regional Library, the morning after Hurricane Andrew

Librarians working to salvage books at Coral Reef Branch Library

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew a powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck southern Dade County. Governor Lawton Chiles declared a state of emergency and activated about one-third of the Florida National Guard.[19]

Hurricane Andrew left a devastating toll on the Miami-Dade Public Library System. Andrew's devastating winds caused $20.4 million in damages at that time to the 31 branches of Miami-Dade Public Library System. Andrew inflicted significant damage on the library system, causing major structural damage and destroying all branches south of Kendall Drive. The worst hit was South Dade Regional, which lost a large section of the roof and most of its windows, causing extensive damage to the collection. Structural damage included missing walls and fallen ceiling tiles. West Kendall Regional, the newest regional library in the system, and the busiest at that time, suffered water damage to the collection, furniture and equipment as a result of roof damage. The Homestead and Coral Reef Branches sustained substantial damage as well. Windows and doors were blown out of the facilities, causing water damage.[20]

In the days following Andrew's devastation, library staff removed books, furniture and other materials from the damaged libraries, greatly reducing the amount of library materials lost by Andrew. Preservation and insurance personnel advised library staff on which materials could be saved and which items could be most cost-effectively replaced. More than 137,000 materials were sent to freeze-dry facilities in Central Florida. Additionally, thousands of salvaged books not needing special preservation was relocated to a 35,000 square foot warehouse. More than 60 percent of all damaged furniture, shelves and desks underwent restoration. The South Dade and West Kendall Regional Libraries, as well as Coral Reef and Homestead Branches major parts of the collections were lost. [21] Andrew's path left $20.4 million in damages; the most staggering loss ever suffered by a library system due to natural disaster. Insurance claims for all materials were settled and $6.5 million in materials, comprising 300,000 books, videos, compact discs and audio cassettes, were ordered for the reconstructed libraries. [22] Nearly every library and employee was directly affected by Andrew, many of them lost their homes.

Initially, the slow response of FEMA and the George H. W. Bush administration prompted Dade County Emergency Management Director Kate Hale to famously exclaim at a nationally televised news conference, Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one? They keep saying we're going to get supplies. For God's sake, where are they?" Three days after Hurricane Andrew struck Miami. Almost immediately, President George H.W. Bush promised, "Help is on the way," FEMA and the federal government at large were accused of not responding fast enough to house, feed and sustain the approximately 250,000 people left homeless in the affected areas. The Library System played a pivotal role in relief efforts. The Florida National Guard used Homestead Branch as a command center due to Homestead Air Force Base, most of the 2,000 buildings on the base became "severely damaged or unusable" Homestead Branch became a focal point for Dade County residents seeking medical services, food, and water provided by Florida National Guard and FEMA. On 27 September 1992, the 10th Mountain Division assumed responsibility for Hurricane Andrew disaster relief as Task Force Mountain. Division soldiers set up relief camps, distributed food, clothing, medical necessities and building supplies, as well as helping to rebuild homes and clear debris. Units from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York were stationed at South Dade Regional Library which also served as a command center. The last of the 6,000 division soldiers deployed to Florida returned home in October 1992.

Miami-Dade Public Library System implemented new services to meet the vital needs of South Dade residents left without their libraries. Of special concern were the thousands of children and teenagers whose neighborhoods were devastated by the hurricane. With this in mind, the 29-foot long Artmobile was converted into the South Dade Story Express, a roving mobile unit which toured South Dade entertaining youth of all ages with tales during the summer months. Previously the artmobile carried art exhibitions across South Florida before the implementation of South Dade Story Express. The Story Express visited parks, neighborhood centers, and community-based organizations, as wed as the four libraries destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, and met with overwhelming success. More than 2,300 children and parents visited the Story Express and checked out 4,316 books.[23]

Miami-Dade Public Library System worked in cooperation with Metro-Dade Transit Agency, the Library System implemented free, round-trip Metrobus service to and from Coral Reef and Homestead Branches as well as South Dade and West Kendall Regional Libraries to West Dade Regional Library. This service provided effective transportation to library patrons who would otherwise found it difficult to commute to an open library.In addition, evening operating hours were expanded at the South Miami and Kendall Branches to accommodate patrons from those areas affected by Hurricane Andrew.[24]

Street view of Arcola Lakes Branch Library

The new century has seen new library growth. The Doral Branch Library was dedicated September 28, 2000. The Country Walk Branch Library was dedicated August 28, 2001, followed by the Hialeah Gardens Branch on February 13, 2002. After an absence of a decade, bookmobile service returned to outlying suburban neighborhoods on April 25, 2002. The year 2003, saw new branches open in Naranja on May 1, Tamiami on May 29, and Lakes of the Meadow in September. In 2004, new library openings occurred at Concord and Palm Springs North. In 2005, the Library System opened a new Regional Library on Miami Beach, [25] and new branches in Sunny Isles Beach and California Club. Also in 2005, the Library System moved its South Shore and Fairlawn Branches to new facilities and renovated the West Flagler Library. The Opa-Locka, Sunset and Golden Glades Branches opened in 2007. International Mall in Doral, Kendale Lakes and Virrick Park in Coconut Grove opened in 2008. Pinecrest opened in October 2008. The Arcola Lakes Branch Library opened in 2011.

Miami-Dade's Public Library's operating budget for FY12, which began October 1, was cut 30 percent, from $74.8 million to $52.2 million. The library eliminated all 153 part-time workers and cut the number of full-time staff from 621 to 466, a 25 percent reduction.[26]

The Museum Pass program started in 2011.[27] How the Museum Pass works: Pass is good for up to a family of four. The pass is good for one visit. Pass is not renewable or available for reserve. Pass is valid for seven days from the time of check out and will remain on the customer's record for the duration of the seven-day checkout. Passes are available on a first‑come, first‑served basis; check availability. Pass will not be replaced if lost or stolen. Only one pass may be checked out at a time. The museums who have a partnership with Miami Dade Libraries are Coral Gables Museum, Curtiss Mansion, Deering Estate at Cutler, Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum - FIU, Fruit & Spice Park, HistoryMiami, Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, Miami Children's Museum, Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and The Wolfsonian FIU.[28]

The Miami-Dade Public Library System is a subregional library of the Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library which serves Monroe County as well.[29][30] In 2008, the Miami-Dade Public Library System was one of five U.S. library systems to win the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The former Director, Raymond Santiago (retired 2014), accepted the award on October 8 at a White House ceremony. YouMedia and MDPLS partnered in 2014 in order to create a YouMedia space in Miami Lakes Library and it is now a program in the North Dade Regional Branch.[31] MDPLS also has two YouMake spaces in the West Kendall Regional Library and the Miami Beach Regional library where patrons can work on 3D Design, 3D Printing, Graphic Design, Sewing, Video Production, Photography, Jewelry Making, Music Production, Painting, Robotics/LEGO, and Arts & Crafts. The MDPLS Coworking Center at the West Kendall Regional Library provides enterprising customers with a place to conduct business, telecommute and grow as entrepreneurs.[32]

In October 2013, Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, formed a 17-member task force to address an upcoming $21 million budget shortfall.[33] The task force was charged with analyzing how many hours the libraries should operate, what programs they should offer, as well as how they could better promote their services to the community.[33] Funding was also an area of concern.[33] Task force members included representatives from some of those cities as well as from library advisory and funding boards, labor unions that represent library employees, groups that serve children and the elderly, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Knight Foundation and the Miami Foundation.[33] In July 2014, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a budget plan which restructured Miami-Dade County tax schedules and resulted in a 19% increase to the library tax while increasing the overall tax rate by 0.75%.[34] The tax restructuring resulted in a $22 million increase in the county library budget. In anticipation of the increased funding, County Mayor Gimenez's administration announced extended library hours and other new or expanded library services including increased funding for children's materials.[35] During the 2014 general election, Miami-Dade County voters approved a ballot question amending the County Charter allowing Miami-Dade public libraries, subject to certain restrictions, to be located in existing public park facilities potentially allowing some libraries to vacate commercial facilities.[36] Voters approved this ballot question with 65% of the votes.[37] In the summer of 2015, Gia Arbogast was named the new director of Miami-Dade Public Library System.[38] The Northeast Branch Library in Aventura reopened on August 17, 2015.[39] The Northeast Dade - Aventura Branch is the county's first "green" public library. The California Club Branch re-opened at a new location in January 2016.[40] The Town of Bay Harbor Islands opened MDPLS' 50th branch location in December 2016. In February 2017, Ray Baker was appointed as Interim Library Director, and shortly thereafter, in July 2017, was appointed to Library Director. Thus far during his tenure, MDPLS has debuted the Technobus mobile computer classroom, established the Homework Help & Tutoring Program at 23 library locations, expanded library hours and days of service throughout Miami-Dade County, and, as well as the adoption of the News Literacy Project.[41] Starting in October 2018, the Miami Dade Public Library System became a "fine-free" library system, ending the longstanding practice of charging daily overdue fines on library materials.[42] MDPLS is also now undergoing a major capital improvement program, with a replacement library in Hialeah Gardens under construction and expected to be completed in the Fall of 2020, and several renovation and improvement projects to modernize older library facilities currently in progress.

In 2020, the new Hialeah Gardens branch is set to open and premiere with a cafe, outdoor seating area, and a media center. The approximately 13,500 square foot library was announced in August 2018 and will be the newest location added to the system after the premiere of the Doral branch in June 2019.[43] In November 2018, MDPLS announced grant funding by the State of Florida, Division of Library Information Services through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The grant was for a total of $310,531. The award was to be used as follows: $210,217 for a new YOUmedia Miami digital media center at the Lemon City branch, and $100,314 for a Digitization Project.[44] The Digitization Project was placed for the preservation and archiving of important historical sources and collections of South Florida such as scrapbooks, magazines, and photographs. MDPLS has over 15,000 available items for patrons through its digital collection.[44] In December 2018, MDPLS was given a grant of 125,000 dollars by the Children’s Trust.[45] It was geared toward giving money back to the Homework Help program that began earlier that year and also any STEAM-related programs. The Technobus would be enhanced with the grant money for its STEAM services provided to the community. The Homework Help program to date had already seen over 800 students.[45] James Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust was very pleased to be working with MDPLS and said: “Nearly 80 percent of all available jobs in the next 10 years will require technology skills, so increasing youth access to STEAM and digital services are critical.” [45] They are also the 2018 recipients of the FLA Award for Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations in 2018.[46]

Miami-Dade County Public Library System has also been the recipient of NACO (National Association of Counties) awards in the past year, which honor county divisions for innovative and creative programs produced. MDPLS won seven NACO awards in May 2019 in the library category. The awards were for the following programs: MDPLS Homework Help & Tutoring Program, which was launched in August 2018. The program assists students K-12 with free homework help in math, science, reading and any other subject needed. Public and Academic Libraries: An Impactful Partnership, which paired MDPLS with Miami Dade College (MDC) in helping each other create a better county through programming, resources, and services. English Conversation Circles are used to bring together patrons into a relaxed atmosphere to discuss interests and special topics in English for those learning the language. STEAM Tuesdays, a Summer Reading Program targeted for kids between the ages of six through twelve was a weekly program that promoted different topics such as math, art, and engineering. Kids were introduced to these topics through crafts, presentations and hands-on activities. STEAMFest is held every year and it is a mini-festival about STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics). At the festival, patrons can use 3D printers, drones and explore different STEAM activities that are provided by the library and partners that include colleges and universities. Hackathons at the Library! is another program that showcases STEAM activities. Young adults are taught skills and given opportunities to work in teams to learn about robotics, engineering, and other topics. Behind the Walls was awarded for reaching out to prisons, correctional facilities and jails to inform that community of their informational needs. [47]

The Miami Dade Public Library System offers museum passes to their patrons. Patrons who want to visit one of the participating museums can visit any of the branches and check out the pass. The pass is valid at The Bass, Coral Gables Museum, The Curtiss Mansion, Deering Estate, Fruit & Spice Park, HistoryMiami Museum, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum & Phillip Frost Art Museum, FIU Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, The Wolfsonian FI, and Zoo Miami.[48]

How the Pass Works

Pass is good for up to a family of four.*

Pass is good for one visit.

Pass is not renewable or available for reserve.

Pass is valid for seven days from the time of check out and will remain on the customer's record for the duration of the seven-day checkout.

Passes are available on a first‑come, first‑served basis; you can check availability on the website.

Pass will not be replaced if lost or stolen.

Only one pass may be checked out at a time.

Limited number of passes per branch.

Restrictions may apply including blackout dates or separate admission to special event/exhibits.

•  Deering Estate family of four is two adults and two children ages 4‑14. (Only available during the Summer) [49]
•  Fruit & Spice Park family of four is two adults and two children ages 6‑11.
•  Zoo Miami family of four is two adults and two children ages 3‑12. (Only available during the Summer)

Miami Dade Public Library System offers homework help and tutoring service for their cardmembers. The services include certified teachers that provide assistance to students in grades K–12 with free homework help and tutoring in reading, math, and science at 23 library locations throughout the county. One‑hour tutoring sessions will be held at participating branches on Saturdays at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m with the exception of the Model City Branch Library, which will offer tutoring sessions on Wednesdays at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.[50][51]

The library system also offers passport services at two of their branches. The branches are North Dade Regional Library and South Dade Regional Public Library. Patrons who need passport services can call the North Dade or South Dade Regional Library to schedule an appointment with a passport application acceptance agent. A separate appointment needs to be made for each applicant. Appointment scheduling is available daily, excluding Sundays.[52]

Miami Dade Public Library System offers services for the homebound. Connections, part of North Dade Regional Library, loans library materials by mail to individuals of all ages who are unable to visit the library in person due to disabilities or conditions of aging. This service is free to all Miami-Dade county resides. In order to apply, please call Connections for an application or download it on the MDPLS website.[53]

As an advocate for literacy, the Miami-Dade Public Library System has Project L.E.A.D. (Literacy for Every Adult in Dade). This service is completely free for English-speaking adults who need help with reading and writing. It is completely confidential and tutors who are volunteers meet twice a week with the student. The goal is to help the low-literacy community reach their reading goals as well as improve their writing skills.[54]

A program that is provided by MDPLS is the Storytime Express, available to childcare centers, licensed preschools, kindergarten centers, and members of homeschool organizations. With the storytime express, educators are given an opportunity to have storytime kits set up for them. The kits include music, books, puppets, flannel board stories, finger play sheets, and educational toys. These kits are extremely helpful for educators that do not have the means or availability of all the things that come included. The kits are checked out for 28 days and educators have over 80 themes to choose from. To become a part of the Storytime Express, educators need to sign up by calling 305-375-4116, faxing 305-375-2984, emailing the Storytime express or printing out an application and sending it to the North Dade Regional Library.[55]

MDPLS also provides access to online and mobile applications that can be used by becoming a member of the library system. With its membership, patrons can access Lynda.com, Mango languages, Axis360, Hoopla.com, the Khan Academy, Mango Languages, OverDrive and many other resources that patrons would normally have to pay for.[56]

The Miami Dade Public Library’s Youmedia Miami is creative space that helps teens tell stories and engage with the world around them. The lab was founded in 2011 with the James S. and John L. Knight Foundation grant to help provide a space where teens can mix music, design video games, create films, read books, explore technology. The lab serves users ages 14 and older and can accessed Monday through Saturday at the North Dade Regional library and South Dade Regional library.[57] Digital Media Lab proudly offers a wide variety of professional digital media tools, such as the latest iMac desk-top computers, MacBook Pro laptops, digital HD video cameras, MIDI keyboards, gaming consoles, and other media production equipment.  In addition, students have access to an array of software packages, such as Adobe CS 5 Production Premium, Anime Studio, and Final Cut Pro.[58]

In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the Miami-Dade Public Library was awarded Library Services and Technology Act grants to begin digitizing its archival collection of documents and photographs of cultural and historic significance.[59] This digitization effort is ongoing and has resulted in a publicly accessible web portal MDPLS Digital Collections that is now being harvested by the Digital Public Library of America and OCLC.

The Vasari Project is a library collection dedicated to documenting, collecting and preserving Miami‑Dade County's art history from 1945 to the present. It is a living archive that grows through contributions from artists, art professionals, exhibition spaces, galleries, institutions and private donors. The Vasari Project is a resource for ongoing research, scholarship, publications, artists' projects, exhibitions and events. The archive collects documentation rather than original works of art, primarily of printed matter: correspondence, press clippings, photographs, posters, books, exhibition catalogs, artists' files, oral histories and other ephemeral materials. Art critic, historian, and writer Helen L. Kohen and the Library’s former Art Services Manager Barbara N. Young conceived the Vasari Project in 2000. The collection is named for Giorgio Vasari (1511‑1574), the artist and historian whose book, Lives of the Artists, shaped the discipline of Western art history. Made possible by a partnership between the Library and the County's Department of Cultural Affairs, the archive's purpose is to preserve and build upon Miami's transformation into a major hemispheric art center.www.mdpls.org/art/vasari.asp

The Miami-Dade Public Library System accepts donations of books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and even vinyl records as long as they are clean, dry, and generally in good condition. Per policy, if they meet these basic requirements, they will be either added to the system/ respective branch's collection or will be sold in the Friends of the Library's Annual Book Sale. However, the Miami-Dade Public Library System does not accept most textbooks, outdated technology books, workbooks, and damaged books. To which, these resources should be recycled. The policy allows librarians and library staff to accept up to three full boxes at any respective branch and anything more than that will have to be taken to the Main Library in Downtown Miami. As well, the Miami-Dade Public Library System's policy allows them to accept donations of money through the Friends of the Library website to be used for the Library's educational and cultural programming.[60]

The Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale was incorporated in 1974 as a non-profit organization seeking to create support for the then-emerging county library system. The founders were six writers, grounded in the philosophy of community involvement, who wanted to focus their attention on the growing library system's future. Among them were Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Helen Muir, Douglas Fairbairn, Mae Knight Clark, Pamela Johnson and Nixon Smiley. Today, the Friends continue to play an important role dedicated to the enhancement of the Library's services and programs.

The Friends is a 100% volunteer organization with one paid employee. There is a Board of Trustees to oversee the Friends' operations, and the Friends continue to advocate on the Library's behalf at the local, state and federal levels. Friends funding supports activities ranging from A to Z: from Homework Help Centers to live cultural performances; from technology classes to art exhibitions; from job search workshops to materials for the sight-impaired. Funds to support programming and other initiatives are raised through membership, corporate and private donations, grants and an Annual Book Sale.[61]

The Annual Book Sale is held at the Main Library branch in Downtown, Miami, every year, mid-December.[62]

Your donations are important. Donate to the Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library today.

Beginning Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 26 Miami Dade public library locations began distributing reemployment assistance applications. Unemployment applications were available in English, Spanish, and Creole. Applications returned to branches were delivered by staff to designated Career Source Florida locations.[63]

As of Thursday, April 9, a total of 46,413 applications have been distributed and 7,918 applications returned to MDPLS book drops.[64]

Beginning July 23, 2020 MDPLS began providing free masks at all 50 of its locations. The mask distribution was aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that residents in need would have easy access to obtaining masks.[65]

In 2020 the Miami Dade Public Library System was awarded the Florida Library Association (FLA) Award for Exemplary Instructional Programs or Services for its Homework Help and Tutoring Program. The Homework Help and Tutoring Program provides students in grades k-12 with free tutoring in reading, math, and science from certified teachers every Saturday. [66]

MDPLS won nine 2020 National Library Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards.  NACo Awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.[67]