Founded in 1927 as one of seven city libraries, the Seminole Heights Branch has grown into a heavily utilized neighborhood branch of the Hillsborough County Library System. In 1934, the operation of the branch was limited to two days a week due to economic conditions. These conditions remained until November, 1945, when the branch hours were expanded to 2.6pm and 7.9pm five days a week. The collection contained 6,547 books.

The demand for books in the area was great and by the 1960's the library was overcrowded. In 1962, the library had a book stock of 20,000 volumes and a circulation of 13,000 per month. However, the library was still located in the 1927 building and had the disadvantages of bad lighting and no space for growth.

The need for adequate lighting and the value of air-conditioning was realized in 1963 and these were added to the branch. There were no plans to expand the branch as of 1963. However, in 1964 it was realized that the branch would have to be torn down as the expansion of Interstate 75, now I-275, claimed right-of-way.

The library was temporarily moved to a store front at the corner of Nebraska Avenue and Buffalo Avenue, now Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd, and a new building, relocated from the Interstate expansion was built on the same property at the corner of Central and Osborne Avenue.

The current facility was dedicated on April 25, 1965 at a cost of $69,000 and built by Architect George M. Gutierrez of Tampa. The building was 6,000 sq. feet and held 30,000 volumes. Later shelf additions and book racks allowed the branch to hold a greater number of books and now, cassettes, videos CDs & DVDs.

The Seminole Heights Branch houses a number of "special" collections. These include the Idea Center, which contains resources aimed at writing papers on current topics; the Career Collection, which contains ARCO and similar test guides as well as resources for writing resumes, cover letters and finding employment; and the Historic Home Preservation Collection, which informs and educates people in the neighborhood about Historic homes, property, and preservation issues. The branch maintains a Young Adult, Spanish, and Large Print collection as well.

If you have further questions, please feel free to comment on the Seminole Heights Branch Library.