Editing Manatee County, Florida (section)

=== History of libraries ===
[[File:Bradentown Library.jpg|thumb|alt=Original Bradentown Library |Original Bradenton Library]]
[[File:Palmetto Carnegie Library.jpg|thumb|alt=Palmetto's Carnegie Library |Palmetto's Carnegie Library, built in 1914]]
[[File:Bradenton Carnegie Library.jpg|thumb|alt=Bradenton's Carnegie Library |Bradenton's Carnegie Library, built in 1918]]
Manatee County's first public library was a privately owned rental library created by Julia Fuller at the Mrs. Bass Dry Goods store in 1898. The county's first independent library opened in Bradenton in 1907, followed a [[Carnegie Library]] in Palmetto in 1914 and another in Bradenton in 1918. For much of the twentieth century, both cities' libraries were free to city residents while county residents had to pay a non-resident fee. In 1964, the Bradenton and Palmetto library associations merged with the Manatee County government to create the Manatee County Public Library System. This was followed by the establishment of a bookmobile for rural areas in 1964 and a Talking Books program for the blind in 1966.<ref>Jasper, C. & McCook, K. (1998). The Florida Library History Project. University of South Florida, Tampa. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED422005.pdf on February 19, 2022. pp. 180-181.</ref>

As demands on the bookmobile grew and the library collection outstripped the existing buildings in Bradenton and Palmetto, the first branch of the Manatee County Public Library system was built in Bayshore in 1967, followed by a new branch on East Ninth Street in 1969 and an Island branch in 1971, the last of which was moved into a new building in 1983. A new building for the Palmetto Library was built in 1969, followed by the modern Central Public Library in downtown Bradenton in 1978.<ref>Jasper & McCook. p. 182</ref>

The 1990s saw a period of rapid growth in Manatee County and the library system grew accordingly, with the Braden River, Rocky Bluff, and South Manatee branches opening in 1991, 1994, and 1998, respectively. The Braden River branch moved to a new building in 1997. The Rocky Bluff location would be moved to a larger location, featuring a built in café, in 2011. The new location is still physically within Ellenton. The additions as well as investment into various technologies such as modern computers, a 3-D Printing Lab, as well as new loanable items, brings Manatee County Libraries to its modern services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Library History|url=https://www.mymanatee.org/departments/manatee_county_public_library_system/about_manatee_libraries/library_history_|access-date=November 29, 2021|website=www.mymanatee.org|language=en-US|archive-date=November 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129164548/https://www.mymanatee.org/departments/manatee_county_public_library_system/about_manatee_libraries/library_history_|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reciprocal borrowing began in 2000 between Manatee and Sarasota County Libraries, which would be followed by statewide reciprocal borrowing programs. Starting in 2017, the Manatee County library system began offering items including musical instruments, tools, telescopes, binoculars, cake pans, hotspots, and museum passes. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 Pandemic]], the library system began offering [[Hotspot (Wi-Fi)|WiFi hotspots]] to patrons in order to provide internet service remotely to work safely and at home. This began in Spring of 2020.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

On December 15, 2021, the county broke ground for a new East County library, which was to serve the community of Lakewood Ranch. The new library was scheduled to open mid-2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lockwood |first1=Scott |title=Construction of the new East County library in Lakewood Ranch officially breaks ground |url=https://www.yourobserver.com/article/construction-of-the-new-east-county-library-in-lakewood-ranch-officially-breaks-ground |access-date=June 14, 2022 |agency=Your Observer |date=December 17, 2021}}</ref> The new library, dubbed the Lakewood Ranch Library, had its grand opening on January 12, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lakewood Ranch Library Grand Opening January 12 |url=https://www.mymanatee.org/news___events/what_s_new/lakewood_ranch_library_grand_opening_january_12 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=www.mymanatee.org |language=en-US}}</ref>