More Information About . . .
the Progress Village Electronic Library
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Future of the Region Community Service Award
Honorable Mention Electronic Libraries - Hillsborough County
The electronic library concept was recognized by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council during their annual Future of the Region Awards (FOR) Program. The progam provides recognition for outstanding achievements and contributions that benefit the regional community.
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Economically disadvantaged, the community has limited vehicular access, and public transportation is not readily available. The community of Progress Village has no easily accessible library services. Access to the 78th Street Community Library in Clair-Mel or the Brandon Regional Library in Brandon is difficult, at best.
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The Progress Village Electronic Library was designed to provide library access to a community without a nearby county library. As the second of five pilot projects using space in a County recreation center to enable local residents the ability to access the county library system and its services, the Progress Village Electronic Library has become incredibly popular and widely used. The Network Services Department of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System in conjunction with library administration, library training staff, Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation & Conservation and the Keysville Recreation Center staff oversee the operation of this unique partnership.
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The establishment of this electronic library, with grant money provided through a FloriNet Basic Connectivity Grant, provides the community with access to many resources commonly found in a branch library within Hillsborough County. Residents can access THOR, the library catalog which allows the customer to search for material anywhere in the County, place holds and have books delivered to their homes. They can view their personal library record and much more.
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This electronic library contains ten PCs, a laser printer and a small collection of reference books. It is connected to the library via a 384Kbps frame-relay connection which makes the electronic library "live" all the time as opposed to a modem, dial-up connection. Of the ten PCs, four are dedicated to the eLibrary project. All PCs are equipped with a full compliment of office productivity tools (Office XP).
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Six of the ten PCs referenced above are devoted to open computing access. As a receipient of a Gates Learning Foundation Grant, these PCs are equipped with not only Internet access, but a full compliment of office productivity. Additional titles are included for children to interact and learn the computer.
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Additionally, customers are able to access a wide variety of the library system's web subscription products including, but not limited to, resources such as FirstSearch, bigchalk library & EBSCOHost (full-text magazine/newspaper articles).
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The facility to house the equipment was completed via a joint effort between the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department and the library system. Moreover, operation of the electronic library is a joint effort between the two groups. The library's Network Services Department provides the set-up and initial training of the recreation center staff. An additional grant throught the State of Florida has enabled the library system to initiate regularly scheduled training and servicing of this eLibrary. Since the conclusion of the original training grant, on-going "special" programs and training have been provided through the cooperative efforts of library training staff and the recreation center staff.
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A variety of information and resources are available to customers of the electonic library. These services include interactive comments form, access to the Calendar of Events and pathfinders explaining additional library services. Library card applications can be completed and submitted electronically. Once the application is processed, the library card is mailed to the customer's home address, in the community of Progress Village, so they can take advantage of other unique eLibrary services including a books-by-mail program.
Hours change depending on the time of year and in accordance with each recreation center's community needs. Typically, during the summer months recreation centers operate between 8am and 6pm as well as during school intermissions such as the winter holidays and spring break. Please call ahead whenever planning to visit the electronic library to confirm hours of operation and accessibility.
If you have further questions, please feel free to comment on the Progress Village Electronic Library.
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