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The James Weldon Johnson Community Library is a
website
or in person. Free Wi-Fi is available, as well as public computers. Printing, copying, scanning and fax service is available for a small charge. There are two meeting rooms available for library patrons to reserve. Patrons can apply for meeting room access on the librar
website
Meeting room use is limited to non-profit organizations engaging in library related activities or in educational, cultural, intellectual, charitable, and/or community related activities. As of March 2016, the library has a
website
James Weldon Johnson Community Library is named after James Weldon Johnson, native Floridian author, educator, civil rights activist, head of the NAACP.
His song " Lift Every Voice and Sing" is considered by many to be the "Negro National Anthem."
The history of James Weldon Johnson Community Library is part of African American history in St. Petersburg.
Andrew Carnegie intended for the library he funded in St. Petersburg to be racially integrated when it opened in 1915, but the city refused black residents access to the library. In 1944, the city began allowing blacks into only the basement of the Carnegie library. Mrs. S.M. Carter, wife of a pastor, formed an interracial committee and lobbied the city for funds to open a black library.
On April 1, 1947 the James Weldon Johnson Library opened in a leased space on 1035 Third Ave. S. The original location was a 1,025 square foot room on the ground floor of the Masonic Lodge. It served the community at the Third Avenue location until 1979, when it was closed because of the city’s urban redevelopment project, which displaced hundreds of black residents from the Gas Plant area.
In 1981, the James Weldon Branch reopened in the newly built Enoch Davis Center at 1111 18th Ave. S. Of the city’s five public libraries, the Johnson branch was the only one housed within the confines of another building. In 1990, there were rumors that the library was going to be closed due to funding cuts. Community leaders formed the James Weldon Johnson Friends of the Library, Inc. and circulated a successful petition to save the library. In the summer of 2002, the Johnson Branch Library moved into its current location at 1059 18th Ave. S, adjacent to the Enoch Davis Center. The $2.7 million, 14,500-square-foot building housing about 40,000 volumes was the materialization of the dream of the Enoch Davis Expansion Task Force. The current building was designed by Canerday, Belfsky + Arroyo Architects.Canerday, Belfsky + Arroyo Architects Inc. James Weldon Johnson Branch Library. http://www.canerdaybelfskyarroyo.com/projects/stpetejohnsonbra.html. Accessed 20 April 2014.
The Friends continue to support the library and hosted the 9th Annual James Weldon Johnson Community Library Literacy Festival in 2019.
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
located in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
. It is a branch of the St. Petersburg Library System The St. Petersburg Library System is a free public library system for residents of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, located in Pinellas County. The St. Petersburg Library System is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and consists of ...
, which services a large area in southern Pinellas County, Florida.
Services and programs
James Weldon Johnson Community Library is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and theSt. Petersburg Library System The St. Petersburg Library System is a free public library system for residents of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, located in Pinellas County. The St. Petersburg Library System is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and consists of ...
. Library patrons may borrow books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines and request items be put on hold from libraries throughout Pinellas County. In addition, Interlibrary loan requests are available to patrons on the library'website
or in person. Free Wi-Fi is available, as well as public computers. Printing, copying, scanning and fax service is available for a small charge. There are two meeting rooms available for library patrons to reserve. Patrons can apply for meeting room access on the librar
website
Meeting room use is limited to non-profit organizations engaging in library related activities or in educational, cultural, intellectual, charitable, and/or community related activities. As of March 2016, the library has a
seed library
A seed library is an institution that lends or shares seed. It is distinguished from a seedbank in that the main purpose is not to store or hold germplasm or seeds against possible destruction, but to disseminate them to the public which preserves ...
where patrons can use their library card to check out various vegetable and plant seeds.
The James Weldon Johnson Community Library is in the process of building a makerspace in the library. Upon completion, free makerspace programs will be offered to library patrons. Programs for adults, teens, and children are offered at the library. These programs include weekly story times, therapy dog reading sessions, a needlecraft club, and African American history classes.
Information on upcoming events is available through the St. Petersburg Library System'website
History
James Weldon Johnson Community Library is named after James Weldon Johnson, native Floridian author, educator, civil rights activist, head of the NAACP.
His song " Lift Every Voice and Sing" is considered by many to be the "Negro National Anthem."
The history of James Weldon Johnson Community Library is part of African American history in St. Petersburg.
Andrew Carnegie intended for the library he funded in St. Petersburg to be racially integrated when it opened in 1915, but the city refused black residents access to the library. In 1944, the city began allowing blacks into only the basement of the Carnegie library. Mrs. S.M. Carter, wife of a pastor, formed an interracial committee and lobbied the city for funds to open a black library.
On April 1, 1947 the James Weldon Johnson Library opened in a leased space on 1035 Third Ave. S. The original location was a 1,025 square foot room on the ground floor of the Masonic Lodge. It served the community at the Third Avenue location until 1979, when it was closed because of the city’s urban redevelopment project, which displaced hundreds of black residents from the Gas Plant area.
In 1981, the James Weldon Branch reopened in the newly built Enoch Davis Center at 1111 18th Ave. S. Of the city’s five public libraries, the Johnson branch was the only one housed within the confines of another building. In 1990, there were rumors that the library was going to be closed due to funding cuts. Community leaders formed the James Weldon Johnson Friends of the Library, Inc. and circulated a successful petition to save the library. In the summer of 2002, the Johnson Branch Library moved into its current location at 1059 18th Ave. S, adjacent to the Enoch Davis Center. The $2.7 million, 14,500-square-foot building housing about 40,000 volumes was the materialization of the dream of the Enoch Davis Expansion Task Force. The current building was designed by Canerday, Belfsky + Arroyo Architects.Canerday, Belfsky + Arroyo Architects Inc. James Weldon Johnson Branch Library. http://www.canerdaybelfskyarroyo.com/projects/stpetejohnsonbra.html. Accessed 20 April 2014.
The Friends continue to support the library and hosted the 9th Annual James Weldon Johnson Community Library Literacy Festival in 2019.
References
External links
* {{authority control Public libraries in Florida African-American history of Florida