Message from the Director
Celebrating Five Decades of Service to the Community
On November 1, the Miami-Dade Public Library System marked a milestone – 50 years of serving the community. It’s a significant anniversary we are commemorating with a yearlong celebration, and we have lots of golden moments to celebrate thanks to the continued support of you, our patrons, and our dedicated team of library staff.
Throughout the past half century, residents of Miami-Dade County have seen their library system grow into one of the largest public library systems in the United States. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we will continue to provide new, innovative and convenient services to the community that both save you money and promote lifelong learning and literacy, such as the Libraries @ Your Door Home Delivery Service, Tablet Lending Program, Homework Help & Tutoring Program, Adult Learning Academy and Drive-up Wi-Fi. We also encourage you to explore our collection of online content – eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, music and local and national publications like The Miami Herald, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, a wide variety of digital resources and more.
We invite you to join us during our yearlong 50th anniversary celebration for special programs, events and exhibits. You can find more information at www.mdpls.org/50years, plus follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest library news and share your library story using the hashtag #MDPLS50.
And don’t forget, all these great services are available with a library card. Don’t have one? Signing up is quick and easy. You can get an eCard or a physical card where you have your choice of designs, including our special 50th anniversary library card.
We look forward to serving you for many years to come.
Thank you for being a library user.
Sincerely,
 Ray Baker, Director
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Explore the History of Main Library
Every week during our 50th anniversary celebration, we're highlighting a different Miami-Dade Public Library System location, exploring its history and sharing some of its unique features.
To kick off our series of branch spotlights, we invite you to explore the history of Main Library in downtown Miami. Journey back in time to the days when Main Library (formerly known as Miami Memorial Library) was located in Bayfront Park. The current location, at 101 W. Flagler Street, was built in the 1980s during what became known as the "Decade of Progress."
Click here to continue reading.
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Employee Spotlight
Digitizing History: A Passion
for Preserving the Past
For Margarita Mirabal, being a part of the Library's Digital Collections team is an opportunity to connect the public with hidden treasures.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System has a number of special collections that contain thousands of priceless artifacts, including dime novels, original works of art from world renowned artists, rare maps, ephemera and more. The Digital Collections, which Margarita played a crucial role in establishing, makes them more accessible to the public.
Margarita began working with the Miami-Dade Public Library System in 2016 as a cataloging librarian, processing records from library vendors. With over four years of experience as a metadata librarian at Florida International University’s Digital Collections Center and prior work as a digital assets manager at the Bronx Zoo in New York, she was the perfect fit for a newly formed digitization unit. In 2018, the Library’s Digital Collections was launched with Margarita as team leader.
"One of the first projects we worked on was to digitize the works of Gleason Waite Romer, whose collection of photographs document the ever changing face of the Magic City [Miami]," said Margarita.
As a first-generation Cuban immigrant, she hopes to contribute to the community's public legacy.
"One of my future plans is to start a 'community memory' project to add to our existing Cuban Collection, representing a new generation of Cubans living in Miami," she said.
The Digital Collections is also home to a visual record of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, documenting the history of libraries in Miami from the earliest days of the Lemon City Reading Room to the present. In celebration of the Library's 50th anniversary, we've curated an online exhibition using the collection of historical photographs as inspiration. Visit www.mdpls.org/50years to see it for yourself.
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LIBRARY STORIES
Share Your Library Story
What does the library mean to you? What do you love most about the library? We want to hear your stories! As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, we invite you to share your favorite library memory or experience with us and tell us how the library has made an impact in your life.
We may even feature your story in an upcoming edition of our newsletter and on our website! You can also share your stories on social media using the hashtag #MDPLS50.
Click here to share your library story.
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Libraries Are Timeless
Since its founding in 1971, exhibitions have played a central role in the history of the Miami-Dade Public Library System. We're continuing the tradition of showcasing and exhibiting artwork and historic objects with a yearlong series of exhibits at the Library celebrating our 50th anniversary!
To kick off the anniversary celebration, we have two exhibitions currently on view at Main Library. Explore the early years of the library system through photographs, memorabilia and other items contained in our Special Collections and Archives through the Libraries Are Timeless exhibit or experience an artistic homage to the Library's past with the unique Social Instruments exhibit created by local artist Paloma Izquierdo.
Visit www.mdpls.org/50years for more information and to discover other great exhibits.
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Vinyl records canvas bag from the Miami Public Library, circa 1960, part of the "Libraries Are Timeless" exhibit at Main Library.
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Celebrate the last five decades of the Library with our recommended reads! These selections include library-themed stories for kids, popular teen books handpicked by our staff, and a collection of the most checked out adult titles from 1971 through the present.
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 Special 50th Anniversary Programs and Events
Join us in celebrating the Miami-Dade Public Library System's 50th anniversary with a series of special programs and events happening all year long! From amazing magic shows and birthday-themed storytimes to historical exhibitions, there's something to engage audiences of all ages.
Visit www.mdpls.org/50years to discover more great programs commemorating our 50th anniversary! You can also browse our online Calendar of Events to explore even more Library programs and events. Select a date and filter your search by event type, keyword, age range or library location to get started.
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Online Event: Marci Poppins Celebrates the Library's 50th Anniversary!
Wednesday, November 3, 4:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Register online
All ages.
Online Event: Libraries are Timeless – Celebrating 50 years
of the Library
Friday, November 5, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Register online
Ages 19 years and up.
Online Event: Blast from the Past Storytime with Ms. KoKo
Saturday, November 6, 2:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Register online
All ages.
Online Event: A Bookish Arts & Craft Time
Saturday, November 6, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Register online
Ages 6 - 12 years.
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