Brevard County Libraries System Board
The Brevard County Libraries Board is an advisory
board created by the Board of County Commissioners
under Chapter 70, Section 36 and Chapter 230, Section
52 of the Code of Ordinance of Brevard County, Florida
as set forth in Chapter 72-480, Special Acts of Florida,
1972.
The Board consists of one resident for each of the
County Commission districts. The members are appointed
for a one year period. The Library Services Director
serves as an ex officio member of the Board.
The Board meets the third Wednesday of each month
at 5:00 p.m. at a different member library according
to a schedule approved by the County Library Board.
The Board is authorized to assist and advise the
Board of County Commissioners on the establishment,
operation, and maintenance of the public library services
within the County. They may (1) establish their own
rules and procedures subject to the approval of the
Board of County Commissioners; (See attached By-laws)
(2) make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners
with the Library Services Director regarding the administration
of funds available to the Library System; and, (3)
make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners
regarding standards necessary for the continued establishment,
operations and maintenance of the Library System.
Board approval is necessary for all new positions
requested by the libraries and the budgeting of additional
funds which become available to the Library System.
Historical Background
As is true of many of the libraries in the United
States, most of the libraries in Brevard County were
originally initiated by a club or an interested group
of citizens banding together to organize and start
a library program in their area or city. The first
five public libraries in the county - Cocoa, Cocoa
Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, and North Brevard in
Titusville - were all started in this fashion.
In 1959, the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners
and the cities started to implement Florida Statute
150, which gave county funding support to the five
municipal libraries. In return the five libraries
agreed to serve all county residents. The formula
used for this support was a minimum of one-third from
the cities and a maximum of two-thirds from the County
to pay all operating expenses, and the city was required
to furnish the building to house the library collection.
This plan worked successfully for a number of years.
During the sixties Brevard’s population boomed
as a result of the Aerospace Program and demands for
library services began to come from many of the fast
growing areas of the county. Merritt Island and Satellite
Beach were added to the county’s libraries and
then Cape Canaveral followed by Meadowlane in 1970.
From 1960 to 1970, a period of ten years, the number
of libraries grew from five to nine.
Funding became a very real problem with monies being
spread thinner and thinner. Book prices doubled during
this time and new buildings provided by local governing
agencies require more operating expenses and longer
hours with more staffing.
The Brevard County Federated Library System was established
in 1971 to give the best possible service to all county
residents. At the same time as the System was organized,
Florida Statute 150 was rescinded and Brevard County
Ordinance 72-1 became the legal Authority for countywide
library operations in Brevard. Under the Federated
library system the public libraries succeeded in expanding
resources of each of the nine libraries to include
the rich information sources of all. A borrower’s
card from any member library is accepted at all other
libraries in the System, and the library materials
borrowed from any one member library may be returned
to any other member library. On November 7, 1972,
Brevard citizens voted for a tax referendum that established
a countywide Library Tax District that funds the total
operating costs of the Brevard public libraries up
to one mil.
With the establishment of the countywide Library
Tax District, the nine libraries of the system contracted
with the Board of County Commissioners for provision
of countywide library services. In 1972, a County
Library Board was established to "advise in the
establishment, operation, and maintenance of a free
public library service within the County." A
County Library Services Director directed the administrative
and professional services of the Brevard County Library
system.
The Stone Community Library in Melbourne was added
in October, 1980 as a cooperative effort between the
Brevard County School Board, the City of Melbourne
and Brevard County.
In September 1983 the Palm Bay Public Library joined
the system. The original library was funded by the
City of Palm Bay and was housed in a modular structure.
They moved to a newly built 8,500 square foot facility
which was totally funded by the Friends of the Palm
Bay Public Library and then donated to the City of
Palm Bay in June 1984.
In November 1987 the Bookmobile was discontinued
when the South Mainland Library...Micco was opened.
This was the first building constructed by the Board
of County Commissioners who had voted in August 1985
to assume total responsibility for the operation of
the Library System based on a study prepared by Mr.
Richard Waters. The building was a modular building
of 6,000 square feet and built on land donated to
the County by Mr. and Mrs. Ron Abbott.
Port St. John Public Library was built next and opened
in October, 1988. The 9,000 square foot facility was
built using the same basic floor plan approved by
the City of Cape Canaveral for the new Cape Canaveral
Library. The residents of the City of Cape Canaveral
passed a referendum to construct a library building
in November 1985. This referendum provided for a .5
mil funding source. The new Cape Canaveral Public
Library moved from a 4,800 square foot facility in
a strip shopping center to an approximately 9,000
square foot facility in February, 1989.
A $10.5 million bond issue was obtained in 1987 to
construct the new Melbourne Public Library and to
renovate the old Florida Today building in Cocoa for
the Central Brevard Library and Reference Center.
The New Melbourne Public Library is a 25,000 square
foot facility located on the site of the old Melbourne
Public Library in Wells Park. It was opened to the
public in July 1989 with the Grand Opening in September
1989.
The Administrative offices of the Library Services
Director are located in the River House at the east
of the Central Brevard Library and Reference Center
complex. Their offices moved from rental quarters
in September 1989.
The Central Brevard Library and Reference Center
is a 97,000 square foot facility that serves as the
public library for the Cocoa-Rockledge area as well
as the Reference Library for the System. It also houses
the Film Library, Library Connection (service to the
homebound patron), Central Processing Department,
Talking Books Library, the Records Management Center
for the County, the Library System Computer and the
Administrative Offices for the two Assistant Library
Services Directors for Library Operations and Library
Support Services. It was opened to the public in January
1990 with the Grand Opening in February 1990.
The Meadowlane Community Library was relocated to
the Metro-West Shopping Center at the corner of Wickham
Road and 192 in West Melbourne on March 2, 1991. The
rental facility is 7,900 square feet.
In 1991 a new 19,000 square foot facility was completed
for the Satellite Beach Public Library at the site
of the old Indian Harbor Beach Sewer Treatment Plant
property. The land was purchased by the County at
a cost of $75,000 and increased the size of the library
from 6,500 square feet to 19,000 square feet.
The F. T. DeGroodt Public Library was completed in
June 1992 and is a 22,300 square foot facility which
was built in the western area west of I-95 in Palm
Bay. The original Palm Bay Public Library was then
renovated and remained open to serve the residents
in the northeast area of Palm Bay. With the addition
of this second library in Palm Bay the total number
of libraries rose to fourteen (14) in the Brevard
County Library System.
On November 2, 1993 the Board of County Commissioners
approved eight construction projects which included
the expansion of the North Brevard Public Library,
the Cape Canaveral Public Library, the Merritt Island
Public Library and the South Mainland Library...Micco
and new facilities for the Cocoa Beach Public Library,
the Eau Gallie Public Library, the West Melbourne
(Meadowlane) Public Library and the Stone Community
Library. A total of $9,900,000 was allocated for all
of the construction projects.
When the County Commissioners approved the construction
of the eight projects, they also approved the hiring
of a Library Construction Coordinator. Mr. Frank Harris
was selected to oversee the projects and to apply
for grants and other sources of revenue for the projects.
In December 1994, an Accountant was added to the
Administrative Staff to prepare all budget and financial
reports based on the needs of the libraries and the
System as a whole. The Accountant assists in writing
financial procedures and monitors the financial condition
of the System.
Construction Grants were submitted to the Florida
State Library for five of the eight projects: North
Brevard Public Library, Merritt Island Public Library,
Cocoa Beach Public Library, Eau Gallie Public Library
and West Melbourne Public Library. Our requests for
North Brevard Public Library and the Merritt Island
Public Library were disqualified; however, the remaining
three construction grants were approved by the Governor
and Legislators in June 1996. Each library will receive
$400,000 to assist with their construction projects.
In addition to the previous Bookmobile, State and
Federal Grants have provided funds for: developing
programs for adults working with children to teach
techniques which will encourage children to read,
increasing the libraries’ activities for children,
developing a central film library of 16mm film, purchasing
large print book collections, films for older adults
and for programs at nursing and convalescent homes,
Adult Literacy, Talking Books for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, and Audio Books.
In anticipation of continued growth in the population
and greater use of existing library facilities, an
automated card catalog is now linking the libraries
together to provide the most efficient, economic utilization
of the resources of the Brevard County Library System
for Brevard County residents. Access to the Internet
has also been added to the libraries and to dial-in-patrons.
In 1996 the second floor of the Central Brevard Library
and Reference Center was renovated to house the Government
Document section of the Library. The area will provide
Federal, State, County and local documents for easier
access by the public.
In 1997 the number of libraries in the System rose
to from fourteen (14) to sixteen (16). The Board of
County Commissioners approved the addition of the
Mims/Scottsmoor Public Library. Modular units totaling
approximately 15,000 square feet are to be moved from
the North Brevard Service Complex to the Pinewood
Elementary School for a combination Public Library/Community
Center. The project is to be completed and the Library
opened during the summer of 1998.
The Suntree/Viera Public Library became the sixteenth
(16) Library when it was opened in November, 1997
in a 7,500 square foot rental unit. On May 1, 1998,
the Library was increased by 1,500 square feet for
a total of 9,000 square feet. The Library is located
in a strip shopping mall center in the Suntree/Viera
area and will remain there until a new Library is
constructed on 14.1 acres of land donated by Mrs.
Harriet Golding.
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