Mirror Lake Branch Library in St. Petersburg, Florida on Jan. 8, 2015 Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Two days after Hurricane Milton swept through the area, fatigued locals found peace, commiseration and air conditioning inside the Largo Public Library.

People brought tangles of charging cords to give their electronics more juice while enjoying warm meals brought in from whatever fast food joint they could find open. In the wake of the worst storm Tampa Bay has seen in a century, survival mode also fostered empathy—a virtue this world desperately needs more of.

Parents brought kids to enjoy the reading nooks and gaming tables. Every available seat was filled, but library patrons hunted for open electrical outlets for those looking for a place to plug in. Library staff even pried open the closed outlets in the middle of the floor for others to use.

Outside, the world was filled with downed power lines, toppled trees and poor cell service. But inside the library, we found moments of calm and connection—to each other and the rest of the battered Tampa Bay area.

It’s hard to put into words just how important local libraries are to a community—during hurricane season and not. Libraries are among the few places on Earth where you don’t have to spend money to enjoy their products and services. They’re one of the last great equalizers—class and economic status don’t exist inside a library.

They’re one of the last great equalizers—class and economic status don’t exist inside a library.

Still, libraries are deeply political even as they remain nonpartisan. The act of reading, the existence of books and libraries, and the ability to access them are rooted in progressive ideals about the right to access information. Accessing libraries and their ideally robust and diverse collection of materials is fundamental to a healthy community and democracy.

At a time when book bans are on the rise and millions of people voted into the White House a political party that has championed the removal of texts that don’t align with their fear-and-ignorance-based beliefs, supporting local libraries is more important than ever. Book access and literacy are also major issues in America, especially in Florida where we rank at the top for book banning but continue to have some of the lowest SAT scores in the country.

One of the best things you can do to support your community and literacy is to sign up for a library card. Even if you don’t use it, you add to the tally of registered users, which helps the library system maintain its budget.

As nonprofits, libraries don’t have revenue numbers to show their value. Instead, they point to the number of new and active users as proof of interest and use. The number of library cards, people who use them, items that get checked out, and new library card signups are crucial to maintaining and even expanding library budgets.
Libraries aren’t just for books. Many libraries around Tampa Bay offer rentals of video games, movies, power tools, photo and video equipment and board games as well as free passes to more than a dozen museums in the area. Both Hillsborough and Pinellas library systems offer ukulele classes and kits. Plus, libraries are communities’ go-to places for free adult and child education programs, services for people with disabilities and genealogy and historical research resources.

You can even access free ebooks, audiobooks and magazines without ever leaving your house by connecting your library card to Libby, Hoopla and OverDrive.
All of this for zero dollars, and it directly supports an institution that is the lifeblood of a culturally vibrant community.

Libraries by the numbers

Local libraries
Library visitors
  • Pinellas: 2.4 million (2023)
  • Hillsborough: 2.28 million
Library cardholders
  • Pinellas: 443,427
  • Hillsborough: Estimated 600,000; 44% of households
Get a library card
Get more library cards
Some library systems in Florida and other states offer non-resident cards—some for free, but most for a fee. Having multiple library cards allows you to connect them to services like the Libby app to get access to more ebooks and audiobooks. It’s also a flex. I personally have four library cards, including one from a recent trip to Huntsville, Alabama. Here are some libraries around Florida where you can get a non-resident card:
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This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2024.

Freelance contributor Chelsea Zukowski is a Tampa Bay native who started her journalism career in 2014 at the Tampa Bay Times, working her way up from editorial assistant to entertainment reporter and...