Newly Renovated Island Library Now Reopen

MANATEE COUNTY – The Island Library’s 8-month renovation project has come to a close and the newly renovated library is now reopen. There was a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony at the library on Wednesday. The facility will reopen for regular business today (Oct. 18) at 9 a.m.

The $238,703 renovation project included reconfigured book shelves, new ceiling tiles, a new Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system, new lighting, new carpeting, renovated restrooms, fresh paint indoors and outdoors, new Florida-friendly landscaping, irrigation repairs. The final cost includes a $50,000 contribution from the Friends of the Island Library went to pay for a new checkout counter and book drop area.

“The grand reopening of the Island Library is just in time for the 30 year anniversary of the building,” said Neighborhood Serrvices Director Cheri Coryea, whose department oversees Manatee’s six local branches. “My favorite new feature is the lighting, a request of the original patrons. It’s made a magnificent difference.”

The library was originally built in 1982 and is now visited by more than 100,000 patrons each year. The renovation project is being completed on time and on budget.

“We’ve made some vital improvements … and restored an Island gem,” said Ava Ehde, Library Services Manager. “The amazingly generous Friends of the Island Library enabled the design of a new public desk and a meeting room renovation, and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) grant allowed us to put in wheelchair-height drinking fountains and desk access. It’s been a true collaborative effort for a deserving community."

For general information about the Manatee County Public Library System, visit us on the web at www.mymanatee.org/library.