Library History Roadshow: Bustling College Hill library hoards heaps of history

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bustling College Hill library hoards heaps of history

Tampa Tribune's report on the library's dedication, July 14, 1989

The Roadshow crew was pleased to have members of the Ada T. Payne Friends of the Urban Libraries, current and retired staff and regular patrons attend the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library's Library History Roadshow event this past Saturday, February 22nd.

Special items uncovered at the event included: a 1994 edition of the Friends of College Hill Library's cookbook, I Don't Measure that Stuff; a stack of newspaper articles about the library and its renaming; Friends of the Library and staff snapshots; and vintage files on the many programs the library has hosted over the years.

The library also hosted a panel discussion featuring our local Negro League Baseball Players, Clifford "Quack" Brown and Walter "Dirk" Gibbons, moderated by fan Neil Armstrong. In addition to talking about playing for the Negro League, the discussion also included the community's historic Belmont Heights Little League, which Cliff Brown had coached, a collection of vintage newspaper clippings about the team, and some of Walter Gibbon's personal baseball photos. Enjoy some pictures from the event!

All of these historical treasures are in the process of being added to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library's Digital Collections as part of the C. Blythe Andrews Library history collection. This ongoing project reflects the history of the library in East Tampa. Thanks to all who came out to participate and to the branch staff for their hospitality!

Letter of support for a library in College Hill from C. Blythe Andrews, 1988

It's never too late to get in contact with the library to schedule a time to record your library memories. Just call 813-273-3652 and ask for the Library History Archives and we'll be happy to make arrangements for you to help us document the history of our libraries.

Join us at our next roadshow stop: SouthShore Regional Library, March 8th, 10 a.m. -1 p.m.!

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