Editing Key West (section)

====Key West Library====
The first public library was officially established in 1853, which was housed in the then-Masonic Temple on Simonston Street, near where the federal courthouse is today. At the time, the first library president was James Lock, with the librarian being William Delaney. At the time, the library collected held 1,200 volumes for residents to access.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

In 1919, a hurricane destroyed the library. Key West residents moved the library to various locations across the island. The county took over and finally found a permanent location. The library's new location was found in 1959. It was built on Fleming Street, where it is still found today.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

====="Spoonbill"=====
In 1961, the Monroe County Library System sponsored a bookmobile, "Spoonbill", to service the entire Keys.<ref name="LitRolls">{{Cite web|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/115932306|title = Literature Rolls into Florida Keys| id={{ProQuest|115932306}} }}</ref> By 1962, "Spoonbill" was making stops in ten different Keys, over {{convert|100|mi|spell=in}}, from Key Largo in the North to Key West in the South.<ref name="LitRolls"/> Mrs. Barbara Banning was the driver-librarian, driving over {{convert|25000|mi}} in the first year and a half, circulating more than 28,000 titles.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Mondays, the "Spoonbill" would be loaded with books in Key West and Banning and her assistant, or volunteer, would drive up to Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada, stopping for an hour in each location; Wednesdays the "Spoonbill" made stops in Marathon, Big Pine, Little Torch, and Summerland.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Thursdays, the "Spoonbill" would only travel {{convert|20|mi|spell=in}} from home base, making stops in Bay Point, Big Coppitt, and Gulf Rest. At Bay Point there was a popular children's story hour, servicing roughly three hundred school-age children and led by former kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ernest Hense.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

=====Collection=====
The [[Key West Library]] has a collection of 70,000 items, including a letter from singer-songwriter [[Jimmy Buffett]]. Dated from October 22, 1984, the letter expresses gratitude for the library in giving inspiration for the songs he would eventually write, and for the [[air conditioning]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Hara|first=Timothy|title=Key West Library All Set to Turn 60|work=Key West Citizen}}</ref> As of 2022, the Key West Library is a part of the [[Monroe County Public Library (Florida Keys)|Monroe County Public Library System]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys |url=https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403052204/https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>