Palm Harbor Library Holds Grand Reopening CeremonyPALM HARBOR – When Palm Harbor Library opened its doors in 1978 on the first floor of a small house with a donated collection of 500 books, hardly anyone could have envisioned the library’s role in the community 30 years later. The library settled into its present-day 26,000 sq. ft. facility in 1988. It now boasts a collection of over 100,000 items and visits by nearly 25,000 library members each month. In 2008, through a matching $500,000 State Library construction grant, a $247,000 HUD grant, $500,000 in local matching funds, and $100,000 from the Friends of the Library, the library was able to completely renovate all areas of the building and its immediate surrounding areas. Improvements include:
A Grand Reopening Ceremony was held on Saturday, January 10, and hundreds of people attended. At that time a new public art piece commissioned for the library was unveiled. Titled “Beyond the Blue,” the artwork, created by Michael Cain from New Orleans, depicts the artist’s vision of the library as a place of knowledge and community story telling. The main elements of the installation include four totem-pole-like structures, each conveying its own meaning. The artwork can be enjoyed both day and night, as it is illuminated by colorful strips of energy-saving LED lights.
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