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General Information
Martin County Library System, founded in 1957, consists of seven branch locations including a law library located in the county courthouse, our online library, and strategic outreach services to childcare centers, and other local organizations. The Martin County Library mission is to connect with people and create learning opportunities that improve communities. The library staff serves the residents’ in-person, over the phone, and through social networking tools such as Facebook. The results of the 2012-2013 Public Services State Ratings 2012-2013 has named Martin County Library #1 in Library visits; #2 in Audio Materials per population; #3 in Total Program Attendance (both Adult and Children’s) within the category of medium-size Florida libraries.



History
In 1913 when Stuart had a population of only 400, a group of women met to organize a woman’s club. The mission of the new Woman’s Club of Stuart was to promote and maintain a free public library, help promote and establish a park system and work for the establishment of a public hospital. From 1914 to 1957 The Woman’s Club of Stuart supported and maintained the only library opened to the community in Martin County. The members of the Woman’s Club had fundraisers to purchase books for the library, which was located in the Christian Endeavor Hall. The small white frame building on Albany Avenue was destroyed in 1933 by a hurricane and was reconstructed on the same property with funds from the federal aid from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 1955 the Martin County Library Association was established by the Stuart Woman’s Club to launch a campaign to build a public library that would be operated and supported by county government for all citizens of Martin County. In 1956 four lots were deeded to the Martin County Library Association and in 1957 Governor Leroy Collins appointed the first members of the Library Board of Trustees of Martin County. They included Chairman Dr. W, Ira Williams, Secretary, Mrs. John W. Stokes, Treasurer Mr. Frank Wacha, Mrs. F. S. Williamson, Jr, and Mr. Richard Hupfel. The Martin County Public Library was formally dedicated on November 24, 1957. In June 1976 a new addition was added to the existing Stuart Library.

The hub of the Martin County Library System, The Blake Library, was opened in 1999. It is the administrative library and Stuart Branch. The Blake Library is named in recognition of Helen and S. Prestley Blake. Prestley Blake and his brother Curtis began the Friendly Ice Cream Company and were inspired by the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie. The Library Foundation of Martin County, Inc. and the Friends of the Martin County Library System have offices on site. The Martin County Genealogy Society reference collection as well as the Anna M. and Joel L. Pearl Cancer Resource are also housed at the Blake Library.

The first branch of the MCLS was the Hobe Sound Library. In the early 1980’s library services were provided by a portable trailer, which was parked for two weeks each month in Hobe Sound. Recognizing that the library needs of Hobe Sound were not being met, the community joined forces to raise money for a library. Hobe Sound Branch Library opened up in a remodeled medical building January 29th, 1984. . Groundbreaking for the new 10,000 square foot library began in 1998. The beautiful new library, renamed Hobe Sound Public Library, opened in September 1999. The sculpture Pearl Diver by V. Shaffer was donated jointly by the Friends of the Hobe Sound Library and the Historical Society of Martin County to commemorate the opening. Overlooking the main entrance is the public art piece Shell Game by Charlotte Lees, featuring turtle shells carved in wood. Since 1997 Martin County has benefitted from Art in Public Places, which provides ongoing funding for new works of art. Today, the Hobe Sound Public Library features a streamlined service desk and two Express Check-out systems, all designed to accommodate library guests. The Hobe Sound Public Library is engaged with the community through a variety of adult programs, children story hours and young adult activities. The library is a meeting place as well as a resource for patrons and is an important part of the Hobe Sound community.

Encouraged by the success of the Hobe Sound Community, Jensen Beach held its first Friends meeting in October 1986. Cathie Hoke Teal and others held the meeting at the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Jensen Beach Friends gathered petitions to convince the Board of County Commissioners of the need. The Commissioners agreed to support the library if the Friends raised $100,000 and Commissioner Frank Wacha Sr. was influential in getting the County Commission to lease the former post office and the Friends dedicated the first branch of the Jensen Beach Library on June 22, 1989. Former Library Director Donna Tunsoy was the opening manager. The Hoke Family gave a substantial donation and was honored for their continued philanthropy in 2002 when the Hoke Library opened on Jensen Beach Boulevard. In 2011 Cathie Hoke Teal and Barbara Hoke Hendry found a perfect way to honor their mothers passion for books and Jensen Beach. They commissioned a mural in her honor in the community room at the Hoke Library. Artist Jayne Maxwell Swartzwelder did a great deal of research while working on the mural that depicts scenes of old Jensen Beach, including the wooden Jensen Beach bridge, the train station, a Viking mascot honoring founder John Jensen, the Renegade Creek Indians, Jensen Beach Community Church and several businesses. The Hoke Library displays The Poet sculpture by Dam de Nogales. The Hoke Library has comfortable seating, some overlooking the scenic butterfly garden, and an environmentally-friendly Rain Garden.

Beginning in 1989, residents realized that they needed a library to serve rural Indiantown. A community fund-raising campaign was successful so that in 1990 the groundbreaking began for the Indiantown Library. The location on the corner of Warfield Boulevard and Adams Avenue was chosen and the 5,000 square foot building opened its doors in 1991. A unique aspect of the Indiantown Library is the decorative columns that grace the library. CSX Railroad demolished the 1920’s era Indiantown train station and a local resident rescued the ornate columns for use in the library. It was realized that the library needed to expand, and the size was doubled in 2003 to the current 10,000 square foot facility. Mrs. Elisabeth Lahti, a dedicated library supporter, was honored for her generosity in 2006 when the public library in Indiantown was renamed the Elisabeth Lahti Library. The Elisabeth Lahti Library today is an active center for the Indiantown community. The large Elisabeth Lahti Community Room holds the varied programs that meet the needs of the diverse community. The Teen Zone area for young adults is crowded every day after school when the students come to the library to do homework, play games and socialize around the computers. Public art in the form of stained glass windows by Chris Dutch beautify the children's room.

In 1989 the Friends of the Palm City Library met in the First Congregational Church in Palm City. The Friends continued to gather support and generated a high level of enthusiasm but with county budget cuts in 1992 the outlook did not look promising. However, in 1992 the Library Foundation was formed to accept capital donations for the construction project and the Friends of the Palm City Library continued to solicit money for enhancements. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 16, 1994 and the Peter and Julie Cummings Library opened to the public on June 5, 1995. In 1995, artist-in-residence Aida Fry and Hidden Oaks Middle School art students donated two fresco murals that hang in the Children’s Room. In 2008 the Peter and Julie Cummings Library doubled in size by adding a second floor dedicated to children, increasing the library to 21,504 square feet. Alice D. Donahue continued her generosity by commissioning a photograph of the wetlands that surround the library. In 2011 enhancements were added to the Children’s area to create the Children’s Library in the Treetops. The anonymous benefactor also donated funds for the Reading Sets You Free wetlands mural painted by Artist Brenda Leigh. The Peter and Julie Cummings Library features the Alice D. Donahue Community Room that houses a state-of-the-art sound system, projector and screen as well as an automated return system using RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) technology allows the staff to return items quickly and efficiently. Mrs. Elisabeth Lahti donated a baby grand piano to the library along with ongoing support for the Elisabeth Lahti concert series. The library is also home to the first Digital Literacy Lab of the Martin County System named the idea lab. The idea lab opened in July 2012, and is a dynamic space designed to inspire collaboration and creativity. The lab contains a variety of media creation tools and software designed to promote critical thinking, creativity and skill building for all ages and interests. . In 2014 a piece of steel from the World Trade Center was dedicated during a 911 memorial service.

Martin County Library System began operating the Law Library which was located in the Martin County Courthouse. The law library is staffed and maintained by a professional library legal assistant. In 1992 the county law library became an official branch of the Martin County Library. The collection is available to residents as well as legal professionals. Today, the Law Library features a comfortable environment to conduct legal research on a variety of topics that include estate planning, foreclosures, landlord/tenant issues and locating legal forms. Two public computers along with over 800 print resources are available for visitors.

It took nearly a decade to create the Robert Morgade Library. Beginning in 1992, interested citizens campaigned for a community library on Salerno Road. Recognizing that a location adjoining Indian River Community College and Martin Memorial Hospital South had the potential to serve both students and the community, a plan was developed to share resources for the new library. After considerable negotiations between Martin County and Indian River Community College, a joint agreement was reached. Martin County would build and operate the library on a five acres leased to the County by Indian River Community College. Groundbreaking for the 15,500 square foot library began in February, 2000. Andy and Frances Morgade pledged a gift in honor of their son Robert Morgade, who passed away in 1980. In recognition of the generous donation by Andy and Frances Morgade, the library was named the Robert Morgade Library and his portrait hangs in the lobby. The Robert Morgade Library also features Avian Muse, a mobile that reflects the graceful swoops of birds in flight. A mural depicting Florida's nature, painted by local artist Jayne Swartzwelder, decorates the wall in the Teen Zone. Today, the Robert Morgade Library includes The Anderson Room in memory of Jesse H. and Alberta Porter Anderson. The Andersons were pioneer residents of Port Salerno and New Monrovia area for 50 years. Also, the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Children's World invites children and families to explore the children's library. As envisioned, the Robert Morgade Library is an essential part of the community where families enjoy early literacy programs, adults pursue lifelong learning, e-government access is available on the computers, students conduct research, Teen Zone activities engage the young adults and an educated staff assists all ages. The Robert Morgade library is now home to an automated return system using RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) technology which allows the staff to return items quickly and efficiently. Plans are underway to add an Idea Lab to this location.



Collection and Services
The Martin County Library has over 300,000 items in many different formats which meets the needs of a wide range of age levels. The Blake Library has a genealogy room which houses a collection of 1300 items consisting of genealogy books and other resources. Two computers are available for public access to the Ancestry Library Edition database. The Anne M. & Joel L. Pearl Cancer resource center which offers educational resources for residents of all ages who are dealing with cancer, including multiple online resources and websites. Public Access computers are available in all branches of the Martin County library system for free access to the internet. All libraries offer free Wi-Fi service. The online catalog and library online resources are available for all patrons to access either in the library or remotely from home. Literacy and ESL (English as a second Language) programs are offered to help English and non-English speakers to learn to read, write, understand and speak English and to use those skills to meet individual needs.



Library Accomplishments
• Library Educational Afterschool Program (L.E.A.P.)

• Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award

• Best Buy Children's Foundation Community Grant

• Día Family Book Club

• H.W. Wilson Grant

• Food for Fines

Friends of the Martin County Library System
The Friends of the Martin County Library System consists of library supporters representing every branch of the library system. The function of the Friends is to serve as advocates in the community volunteering and fundraising to support programming and the unmet needs of our system. The Friends manage The Book Depot, sorting, pricing, shelving and selling books donated by residents of the community which helps support the library.

Library Foundation
The Library Foundation of Martin County, Inc. supports the library through donations it receives from individuals, foundations, and organizations. The foundation’s support has been instrumental in the buildings of the libraries in the community as well as in funding many outstanding library programs such as the annual BookMania program.