James Weldon Johnson Community Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids James Weldon Johnson Community Library |
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| Location | 1059 18th Ave. South St. Petersburg, FL 33705 |
| Coordinates | 27°45′09″N 82°38′58″W / 27.75251°N 82.64946°W |
| Branch of | St. Petersburg Library System |
The James Weldon Johnson Community Library is a cool public library in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's part of the St. Petersburg Library System, which helps many people in southern Pinellas County, Florida find books and learn new things!
What You Can Do at the Library
The James Weldon Johnson Community Library is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. This means you can borrow books, music (CDs), movies (DVDs), audiobooks, and magazines. You can even ask for items from other libraries across Pinellas County! If you can't find something, the library can often get it for you from another library.
Need to get online? The library has free Wi-Fi and computers you can use. You can also print, copy, scan, or fax things for a small fee.
The library has two rooms you can reserve for meetings. These rooms are for groups that do good things for the community. This includes educational, cultural, or charitable activities.
Since 2016, the library has had a special "seed library." You can use your library card to check out different vegetable and plant seeds! It's a great way to start your own garden.
The library is also building a "makerspace." This will be a place where you can create and build things. Once it's ready, the library will offer free programs there. The library has many fun programs for kids, teens, and adults. These include story times, reading with therapy dogs, and even African American history classes.
You can find out about all the upcoming events on the St. Petersburg Library System's website.
History of the Library
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The James Weldon Johnson Community Library is named after James Weldon Johnson. He was born in Florida and was a famous author, teacher, and civil rights leader. He even led the NAACP, a group that works for equal rights.
His famous song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," is often called the "Negro National Anthem."
The story of the James Weldon Johnson Community Library is an important part of African American history in St. Petersburg.
In 1915, when the first library in St. Petersburg opened, it was supposed to be open to everyone. But the city did not allow Black residents to use it. Later, in 1944, Black people were only allowed in the basement of that library. Mrs. S.M. Carter, a pastor's wife, worked with others to ask the city for money to open a library for Black residents.
On April 1, 1947, the James Weldon Johnson Library opened. It was in a rented room inside the Masonic Lodge building. This first library served the community until 1979. It had to close because of a city project that moved many Black residents from the area.
In 1981, the library reopened in the new Enoch Davis Center. It was the only city library located inside another building. In 1990, there were worries that the library might close due to money problems. But community leaders formed a group called the "James Weldon Johnson Friends of the Library, Inc." They gathered signatures and saved the library!
In 2002, the Johnson Branch Library moved to its current location. This new building is next to the Enoch Davis Center. It cost $2.7 million and is 14,500 square feet. It holds about 40,000 books and other items. This new building was a dream come true for the community.
The "Friends of the Library" group still supports the library today. They even hosted a special Literacy Festival in 2019.
