Land O' Lakes Branch Library

Land O' Lakes Branch Library
General information
Location Land O' Lakes, Florida
Address 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes, FL 34639
Country United States
Opened December 12, 1991
Renovated April 22, 2007
Technical details
Floor area 18,000 sq. ft.
Website
http://www.pascolibraries.org/about-us/locations-and-hours/land-olakes-branch-library/

The Land O' Lakes Branch Library is a public library that primarily serves the Land O' Lakes, Florida area, and is one of eight libraries that are part of Pasco County's overall library system, the Pasco County Library Cooperative. It is currently located at 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes, Florida 34639.[1]

History

The Land O' Lakes Branch Library began as a small section of a county building located on U.S. Highway 41, but was later moved to a larger location as a result of its increasing growth. In 1980, it became an official part of the Countywide Library System, and was moved into a Land O' Lakes Plaza Storefront in 1988. A new Land O' Lakes Branch Library was built at the current location with bond money and opened to the public on December 12, 1991. The library underwent an expansion project in 2005, and when completed it was reopened to the public on April 22, 2007.[2]

Design

The Land O' Lakes Branch Library property covers a total area of 18,000 square feet. Following its renovation, the library held several study rooms, a separate children's area, a teen room, and a computer lab. in 2015, the computer lab was moved next to the collections and replaced by a makerspace, the Foundry, which was opened to the public on December 17, 2015.[3]

The Foundry

The Foundry is the first dedicated makerspace within the Pasco County Library Cooperative. The Foundry provides two 3-D printers, Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) equipment, an Oculus Rift virtual reality system, and an audio recording studio, as well as a stock of hand and power tools, crafting equipment and supplies, like yarn and thread. The room serves as the primary meeting place for the Land O' Lakes High School robotics team, the Edgar Allan Ohms, which is also directly sponsored by the library.[4] Use of The Foundry requires acceptance and consent of the Pasco County Liability Waiver and Permission Form and the Maker Safety Playbook before use of space is permitted, but is otherwise open to application by all library patrons.[5]

LAMEcon

The Library Anime and Manga Enthusiasts Convention (LAMEcon) is a free two-day anime and pop culture convention held by the Pasco County Library Cooperative. The philosophy of LAMEcon, as stated by various committee members, is to provide a convention experience for little cost to teens and young adults who could otherwise not afford it.[6] The first convention was held at the Hudson Regional Library in 2008 as a during-hours event. The convention was eventually moved to Land O' Lakes Branch Library, where the planning committee met to prepare the convention, and has been experiencing increased participation ever since.[7] LAMEcon is considered to be "the largest free con in the state of Florida",[8] and in 2015, the convention hit record attendance of 2,320 participants.[9] The convention began hosting celebrity guests in 2014, starting with Geek Comedian Aaron Pabon, and has since hosted notable celebrities in pop culture such as Robert Axelrod, Chuck Dixon, the FL 501st Legion Star Wars Group, and Nintendo of America.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Locations and Hours | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  2. ↑ "Where it all began... | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Land O’ Lakes library opens makerspace". The Laker/Lutz News. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  4. ↑ "Library creates county’s first ‘makerspace’". TBO.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Land O'Lakes Foundry | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  6. ↑ "Anime fans, cosplayers, LAMECon in Land O'Lakes is June 29–30". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Forget Comic-Con, Pasco welcomes LAMECon this weekend". The Laker/Lutz News. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  8. ↑ "This year's LAMECon is bigger, better and free". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  9. ↑ "Strategic Plan | Pasco Libraries". www.pascolibraries.org. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  10. ↑ "LAMECon 2015 - Convention Day!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
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