HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY Fla. – Hillsborough County closed libraries to the public in late March because of concerns over COVID-19 coronavirus. Staff have continued to offer a variety of services from the buildings, and some libraries were used as early voting sites, but public access to the collections, computers, and other areas has been restricted.
Selected spaces within nine libraries will reopen at 25 percent capacity, with safety protocols, beginning Thursday, Nov. 12. The buildings will be open to the public Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The decision to begin this phased reopening was made after consultation with health officials, emergency managers, library staff, and Hillsborough County officials.
These libraries will reopen:
- Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave. in Valrico
- C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library, 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Tampa
- Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave. in Tampa
- Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave. in Tampa
- Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library, 11211 Countryway Blvd. in Tampa
- North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Blvd. in Tampa
- New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. in Tampa
- SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way in Ruskin
- Town ‘N Country Regional Public Library, 7606 Paula Drive, Ste. 120 in Tampa
Library Services has taken numerous steps to help ensure the safety of visitors. These include:
- Visits will be limited to one hour.
- Children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent.
- Face coverings and social distancing are required. Temperature checks will be conducted at the door.
- Study rooms, meeting rooms, makerspace, and recording studios will not be available for use at this time.
- Library programs, including story times, will continue virtually.