Our Story
Oh what a Journey it has been...
In November of 1988 the Parkland City Commission gave permission to a group of volunteers to establish the Parkland Library by utilizing what had once been a concession stand in Quigley Park. The volunteers were successful in creating a small book shelved room in the concession stand to create the first Parkland Library. The infamous 'Children's Story Hour' was created and held in the "Library" and was open to the public only twice a week and staffed by volunteers.
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In July of 1990, the City Commission passed a resolution to formally establish a Public City Library that "will benefit all the citizens of the City of Parkland". The Commission went on to state that, "the library shall initially be housed in facilities provided at Quigley Park and may be moved to such places deemed appropriate by the City Commission".
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Early in 1992, the library moved to a dilapidated double-wide trailer, on the grounds just north of the "Old City Hall" (now the fire station) and that same year the Parkland Friends of the Library formed and established itself as a non-profit corporation.
The goal of the Friends then, and now is "To promote and support the services of the library and to build a strong relationship between the library and the community".
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In 1992 the Friends, many residents and local organizations, including the Parkland Women's Club volunteered to get the doublewide trailer ready as the 'Parkland Library'. Through donations of books, window treatments, a circulation desk, carpeting, surplus shelving, and furniture from Broward County Schools, the trailer officially celebrated its grand opening on November 15, 1992.
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In 1999, the Parkland Friends of the Library approached the City Commission to build a new library for the City and with the support of the Commission funding was approved.
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The Friends raised donations and volunteered countless hours, from 1999 through the opening of the new Parkland Library. The official ground breaking for the present site of the Parkland Library occurred on April 12, 2002. The dedication and grand opening of the 10,000 square foot Parkland Library, at its present location within the City Hall Complex, took place on June 3, 2003.
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On July 11, 2018 members of the Parkland Friends of the Library, Friend's Co-Founder, Carolyn Marks, and the Library Director, Joe Green attended the City Commission meeting presenting the importance of a Library expansion to keep pace with the growth of our quickly growing community. The Library building that opened in 2003 was designed for a population of 11,000 Parkland residents. Parkland's population grew to over 30,000 people in 2018 with estimates of 40,000 within just a few years. The library expansion was approved unanimously by the City Commissioners and the ground breaking of the new Children's Wing was on November 27, 2018. With the leadership and support of the Library Director, Mr. Joe Green, the expansion is going smoothly and completion is expected in early 2020.
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