Libraries are for Everyone!

A new library is coming to Lakewood Ranch! This will be more than just another branch library.

By Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library
| 3:45 p.m. April 5, 2023

East County
Neighbors

Do you have memories of visiting your community library as a child or taking your children to the library? For many of us smiles creep across our faces as we remember those treasured times with our family reading and searching for the stack of books to take home and savor.

A new library is coming to Lakewood Ranch! This will be more than just another branch library. It will be a community center, a place for children to develop lifelong learning habits, a gathering place where seniors and young parents can find people who share the same experiences, and a study place for students of all ages. Our library will provide research and guidance from a friendly librarian for job seekers. Our library will become the backbone of a prosperous community. Our library will be a central hub that brings all generations together to learn, connect and contribute to the growth of our community. Libraries are for everyone – and they make a difference.

Groundbreaking took place in December 2021 with opening planned for October 2023. The excitement continues to build as we move closer to opening day. The Friends have accepted the challenge of raising $410,000 to literally Fill the Shelves for opening day. Total costs for stocking the library with 46,000 items is $990,000, with Manatee County government contributing $580,000. Getting our library ready for opening day is a public/private endeavor.

You can help the Friends create new library memories for you and your family by visiting https://www.friendsoflakewoodranchlibrary.org/Donate.

Information about the Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library

The Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation committed to building and sustaining a community-based library for lifelong learning and enrichment in Lakewood Ranch serving the eastern portion of Manatee County. The group started as a grassroots assembly of interested community members in the spring of 2018 and has grown into a well respected organization that advocates for county-wide libraries and raises funds for the Lakewood Ranch facility. The Friends fill the gaps that county tax dollars don’t cover. Expanding beyond the standard, the Friends hope to be able to fund the six literacy areas that reflect exceptional libraries: basic literacy; cultural literacy; civic literacy; business and financial literacy; life skills literacy and educating the public for 21st century literacy.

We provide direct support to: