Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Broward County Library


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. King of ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ 01:44, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Broward County Library

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I often tolerate articles about non-notable subjects, as long as paid editors don't come along and add puffery. When the paid puffery arrives, it's time to delete the non-notable article in question. We have too many other articles to maintain. Plus, we don't really need an article about this library system, anyway: they have a good website.

I did a bit of Google searching; I'm not convinced that the subject is notable. If you disagree, please show us your two or three best sources only.

Draftification would be inadequate here. Please delete per WP:ORG and WP:NOTFORPROMOTION. If deletion is impossible, let's merge our article into Broward County, Florida, which has significantly more watchers. Thank you for reading this! —Unforgettableid (talk) 18:58, 29 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Museums and libraries-related deletion discussions. —Unforgettableid (talk) 18:58, 29 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Florida-related deletion discussions. —Unforgettableid (talk) 18:58, 29 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Keep Paid editing is certainly a reason to delete some of the article's content, but I still think the subject itself is notable by passing WP:ORG and WP:GNG. These sources (1, 2, and 3 ) are, I think, sufficient for establishing notability. I would also add that while COI editing is problematic, it is less problematic when done by an institution like a library compared to a corporation. Zoozaz1 (talk) 21:55, 29 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Comment. You only found local news articles. 1 includes a paragraph or two about the library's electronic resources, but the rest of the article is about a minor controversy over the library's spending habits. 2 and 3 mostly focus on current events: how the library's practices and services have changed during the pandemic. Routine local news coverage is nothing special. I was hoping for significant coverage: please see WP:ORGDEPTH. As WP:TWOPRONGS states: "If we lack sufficient secondary source coverage to build an encyclopedia article about a subject, we usually should not have an article on that subject". Regards, —Unforgettableid (talk) 00:35, 30 June 2020 (UTC)
 * It is true that I found only local news articles, however that does not mean they don't contribute to notability. WP:ORGDEPTH states that singificant coverage is "coverage provides an organization with a level of attention that extends well beyond brief mentions and routine announcements." The first source I found has 1/3-1/2 of the story detailing electronic offerings, the rest relating to those offerings through a controversy. The other two stories do focus on current events, but that focus does not mean they don't contribute to notability, with each of the stories giving significant attention to the system and then detailing its current changes. WP:TWOPRONGS, while useful in general, is an essay, which would not carry as much weight compared to policies or guidelines regarding notability (and one could argue that the sources provided are enough to write a basic article on the subject.) Zoozaz1 (talk) 01:04, 1 July 2020 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.  <li> The article is also available at https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0000134/00001.</li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li> The report was presented to Broward County Library.</li> <li> The article is referenced as a source in https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0000134/00001. I do not have access to the article.</li> </ol>

<ol> <li> The article notes: "WHEN THEY TALK about partnerships in Broward County, Florida, one of the partners mentioned is likely to be the Broward County Library (BCL). The BCL's other affiliations, nearly 500 of them, include businesses like banks, airlines, brokers, and travel firms. Some partners are organizations, and they range over all fields, from education and philanthropic supporters to commercial and trade associations. There are alliances with local, county, state, and federal government agencies and jurisdictions. Educational connections are a BCL staple, and there are significant projects involving school boards, universities, community colleges, and schools, plus organizations of teachers and/or educators. BCL also has partners among the county's religious groups. Finally, of course, there are relationships with other libraries and library organizations throughout Florida and the United States. ... When BCL opened in 1974 it included two city libraries (Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale), 100 employees, and a budget of $1.5 million. Today BCL's budget totals about $29 million, of which 95 percent still comes from the county property tax. The library is governed by the county and is part of the same division of county government-the Department of Community Services-that handles mass transportation, parks, and other such services. ... The 33 units of BCL include the big main library, three regional libraries, and 29 branches spread throughout the count Scheduled bookmobile service reaches some 30 neighborhoods that are not near permanent library facilities. The BCL mix features nearly every type of library found in the United States, along with an unusual variety of collections and services. Key unions, among the many that make BCL unique, enhance this variety of library type and service."</li> <li> The article is also available at https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0000134/00001. The article notes: "Broward County Library Broward County Library is a consolidated library system, chartered in 1974 by the Broward County Commission. It is a division of the Community Services Department, a unit of Broward County Government. The system started with only two municipal libraries: the Fort Lauderdale Library (consisting of three libraries, Fort Lauderdale, Riverland and Mizell and two bookmobiles) and the Hollywood Library. The fledgling system had a budget of $1.3 million dollars. A 1978 bond issue provided a basis for the existing library system and was preceded by a strong public relations effort. A library committee made recommendations to the county for the size of the bond issue and the number of facilities to be included. A special task force was organized to 'sell' the concept. As a result of that bond issue, 13 facilities were either built or expanded. The Imperial Point Library, which opened in April 1988, was the last facility to be completed from the funding of the 1978 bond issue. From 1978 to the present, over $60 million dollars has been spent for the construction of facilities, including the Main Library building. Four libraries were built with federal community block grants."</li> <li> The article notes: "Five projects are planned within the next five years to keep pace with the growing needs of the Broward County Library system. Four are for construction of new libraries and one is for the expansion of an existing library, said Kathleen Imhoff, Broward County Library assistant director. Here's what's planned:" The article discusses the "African-American Research Library on Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale", "Collier City Library in unincorporated Broward near Pompano Beach", "Emerald Hills Library on Stirling Road in central Hollywood", "Pembroke Pines Library about one mile east of Interstate 75", and "Wiles Road Library in Coral Springs". The article lists facts about the library: number of books is 1,985,088, number of computers is 342, number of full-time employees is 636, number of libraries and reading centers is 33, and annual budget is $27.2 million.</li> <li> The article notes: "Patrons stream in seven days a week. But unlike Broward County Public Schools, which can add portable classrooms to ease its crowded buildings, the Broward County Library system can't easily add on to existing libraries. ... Broward County Library is negotiating with requests from other cities for more library space. The county's five-year plan calls for a new community library at Emerald Hills in Hollywood. The $5.2 million, 20,000-square-foot project is slated for design in 1999. ... Residents of Weston successfully lobbied for Broward County Library to open the Weston Reading Center, which primarily serves children. At 1,200 square feet, it's the smallest in the systeem and one of the busiest. Now the city wants a bigger commitment from the county, for a full-size library."</li> <li> The article notes: "When the Broward County library system becomes reality in a few weeks, it will find itself a bevy of friends just waiting to spread the good news to residents. Concerned citizens are forming a Friends of the Broward County Library to act as a mobile information source for those residents who suddenly find themselves able to use library facilities without paying a dime."</li> <li> The article notes: "Created at the urging of library activists and the League of Women Voters, the Broward County library system was established in June 1974. When it began issuing cards, the library controlled 270,000 items for loan in four branches. Today, the library system has grown tenfold, operating from 40 locations — regional libraries, branch libraries and reading centers. The ninth largest lilbrary system in the country, it has some 3.5 million items to loan, including videos and electronic books. More than 1 million people hold library cards, and some 10 million folks visit county libraries every year."</li> <li> The report was presented to Broward County Library. The report notes: "The Broward County Libraries Division (Libraries Division or BCL) was established by the County in 1973 to replace localized city library systems with a comprehensive county-wide library system. In 1974, the County began BCL operations when it opened four branches with approximately 270,000 collection items. In 1978, the first of a number of city libraries—the Hollywood branch— joined BCL, with many other cities following in the 1980s. BCL’s main library opened in 1984, and the County added additional branches in subsequent years; by 1989 BCL consisted of 23 branches housing 1.5 million collection items. In the late 1990s, the County began planning for an expansion using a construction bond measure to fund a series of new branches throughout the County. The County’s main reason for this expansion was to update the libraries to take advantage of new technology and to meet the needs of an increased County population. In 1999, Broward County voters approved a $139.9 million construction bond—a significant point in BCL’s evolution. The resulting bond-funded construction greatly increased the size of the BCL branch network, establishing new branches in previously un-served or underserviced areas, and expanding capacity in existing branches. Using bond funds, BCL was able to build or renovate facilities, including 4 regional libraries, 5 community libraries, 12 neighborhood libraries, and to expand space in existing facilities."</li> </ol>

There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Broward County Library to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 05:12, 6 July 2020 (UTC)</li></ul>


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.