Hundreds attended the April 21 grand opening of the Clearwater East Community Library at St. Petersburg College.
Years in the making, the joint-use facility at the SPC Clearwater Campus marks the college’s third such partnership with municipalities. Other library partners include the cities of St. Petersburg and Seminole.
“This is a facility where we convene the dialogues and strengthen the bonds that make this a world-class community and SPC an outstanding institution of higher education,” said SPC Clearwater Provost Stan Vittetoe.
“This is a monumental day for all of us,” said Clearwater Library Director Jennifer Obermaier. “Today we celebrate our partnership with St. Petersburg College. Through this facility, we can change lives: of children, families and students young and old. Today we celebrate knowledge, information, learning and imagination.”
The $15 million project was cooperatively funded by St. Petersburg College and the City of Clearwater.
SPC Board of Trustees Vice Chair Katherine Cole noted how the new library epitomizes the vision of the college and SPC President Tonjua Williams to create a “Community of Care.”
Other speakers included City Manager Bill Horne and SPC Senior Vice President for Instructional and Academic Programs Anne Cooper.
In his remarks, Clearwater Mayor George N. Cretekos noted that students of all ages will experience a college environment when they attend the library and reminded attendees to “read a book tonight.”
See more photos on the college’s Facebook page.
New library details
The 40,000-square-foot library includes 10,000-square-feet of dedicated public space, 15,000-square-feet of dedicated college space and 15,000-square-feet of shared space.
The library is located on the SPC’s Clearwater Campus at 2465 Drew St. in Clearwater. Canerdy, Belfsky + Arroyo Architects of St. Petersburg designed the building and Creative Contractors of Clearwater coordinated construction.
Highlights of the new building include:
- more than 90,000 electronic and print books and audio-visual materials covering a variety of disciplines and subjects
- more than 100 print journals and magazines of general and academic interest
- streaming videos, audiobooks, images, citation tools and music
- thousands of online research databases; group and individual meeting areas
- computers, scanners, printers, photocopiers and wifi
- a dedicated program room and a children’s section
- a drive-through for item return and pickup
The goal of the exercise was to build the tallest tower out of sticks and marshmallows in the shortest amount of time. The challenge highlighted the importance of creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration. The Saturday workshops will feature creative exercises like a biology murder mystery.
