It's not like in the 1950s, Gene Coppola, director of the Palm Harbor Library, tells me. Libraries are much more than just a collection of books now. Many, like the Palm Harbor Library, are doing their best to become a cultural destination for their community. This means more programs and more art. Taking a look at the July 2018 program guide, a monthly publication of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, I notice an abundance of fun, free activities, all sponsored by our Pinellas County libraries. There are writer's groups, movie nights, cooking classes, art and technology workshops, game nights, chess and scrabble clubs, yoga, book clubs, sign language classes, free museum passes, and Medicare counseling for seniors. The Palm Harbor Library, Gene tells me, even rents vinyl records, a turntable, and musical instruments.
Here at CL, we've been getting more and more emails about art exhibitions in our local libraries. After interviewing J. Patrick Withington, whose artwork is currently on display at Safety Harbor Library, I got to thinking: Where else can our readers find art in their local library? I reached out to Pinellas County Libraries via Facebook to find out who has the art in Pinellas County. Within a few days, I had emails from library directors all over Pinellas County telling me about their art.
Click through the gallery to see some art in Pinellas County libraries.
What you should really do, though, is follow your city or town's library on social media — most libraries are now on Facebook, and we're giving you all the links right here, so you won't miss a thing.
Find your library on Facebook
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