Downtown Tampa Library

Thank heavens for public libraries. When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, used book stores were some of my favorite haunts. Now that I’m a starving student, I depend on public libraries for literary sustenance. There is a lot that has been done wrong in the Tampa Bay Area, but we seem to have a top-notch public library system. Almost any book I want, if it is not in the library’s collection, can be obtained through interlibrary loans. Without ever having to leave Tampa, I’ve read books from libraries all over the country, including the Library of Congress. Who needs e-books?

These are a few photos of the John F. Germany Public Library located in downtown Tampa. This is the main branch of the Hillsborough County Public Library System. The main building was opened in 1968, and the annex, pictured below, opened in 1976. The glass walkway connects the library with a parking garage. In 1999, the library was given its current name, after John F. Germany, a Tampa judge who presided over the Friends of the Library group that raised funds for the original building. Click here for the library’s site describing the Germany branch, with links to the building’s history and background on John F. Germany.