Seminole Heights Branch Library

I go to the Seminole Heights Branch Library regularly. It's a great little library with some very good staff. It's located at Osborne and Central right across from the Memorial Middle School and caty corner from Hillsborough High School.

The location does present some problems. On weekdays, after school, hordes of middle schoolers descend on the place. As a consequence the library has to hire a Sheriff's Deputy to keep the peace.

Also, often times it is difficult to get on a a computer there. The kids use the computers a lot, mostly for playing games. Whether this is after hours on a school day, on the weekend or on a summer day. They play games on the internet computers and sometimes on the Information Gateway computers. When the kids play games they often chat with each other, or they pound on the keyboard, so it gets noisy. The library security guard or the librarian has to go around and shush the kids and occassionally toss some out.

What to do? I'm glad the kids are in the library because maybe there is a chance they will read a book or a magazine while they are waiting to get on the computer. I'm also glad they are there instead of on the streets. However that still does not make it any less irritating.

Part of the problem is that the library is being forced to act as an after school program and a parks and recreation center program, yet does not get the funding to do so.

There is a lack of rec centers in Seminole Heights. I think there are only 2 of them, one near Bo's Ice Cream (Seminole Heights Gymnastics/Dance/Arts Center) and one at Giddens Park (Katheryn Malone Center). Giddens Park is small and was only this year opened up as a rec center and so does not have all of the amenities.

All of this means most kids do not have a rec center close to them. Why could not the schools and parks department get together and open up some computer labs for the kids to use after school and on Saturday? Maybe this could also help with the cultural divide that exists for computer usage.

Or perhaps maybe game playing should be limited to 15 minutes on busy periods.

According to the Library website, the Seminole Heights Branch is supposed to have wireless access so that could help a bit for those who have wireless access on their own laptops..


While I am talking about libraries, why is there nothing honoring the first director of the library Helen Virginia Stelle in Tampa? Google her and see what isn't said about her. This is a shame.