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The Land and the Building Brockway Memorial Library first opened its doors in February 1949. The library owes its existence to the generosity of George A. Brockway, after whom it was named. Mr. Brockway, an industrialist who wintered in Miami Beach, contributed the funds to build the library. The land on which the library stands was donated by Bessemer Properties, which was under the direction of Roy H. Hawkins, General Manager. Miami Shores professionals were secured for different aspects of the project, including: Edwin T. Reeder, architect; C.F. Wheeler, builder; and Haygood Lassetter, interior designer. Upon the structure's completion, Roy McKenzie, Miami Shores' Mayor at the time, lauded the building as an outstanding example of "modern Florida architecture." Over the years, in order to accommodate the library's ever expanding collection, additions to the building were made. Recently, a new Multi-Media Center was completed and it opened to the public in September 2002. The library successfully raised over $370,000.00 for the new multi-media center, which included $125,000 in grants from the State Library of Florida and a matching grant from North Dade Medical Foundation. The balance was donated by library patrons and friends. The new multi-media room addition has added 2,500 square feet to the existing library facility and contains dedicated spaces for videos and audio books, for reference materials, for the Miami Shores Archives, and for the Computer Center. The Collection
Originally, the library was built to
house 20,000 volumes. The initial collection was composed of books
donated by residents and civic organizations. The library's first
annual report, dated June 1, 1949, shows that the collection consisted of
4,182 volumes. In 1953, upon Mr. Brockway's death, 1,100 volumes
were donated from his estate. Today, the
The People The library operates under the guidance of a Board of Trustees and as a component of Miami Shores Village. The original Board of Trustees included: Edna Brockway, C. Franklin Wheeler, Mrs. Edwin T. Reeder, Mrs. William H. Walker and Mrs. Haygood Lassetter. Brockway Memorial Library's first librarian was Helen O'Connell Borsch who served in that capacity until 1958. She was followed by Geraldine Grundy who remained librarian until 1975. In that year, Elizabeth Esper began her association with the library as Library Director. As from its inception, Brockway Memorial Library remains the Village's focal educational and cultural resource. Its mission and goal are: To acquire, organize and provide access and guidance to a wide variety of information and materials which help to fulfill the intellectual, educational and recreational needs of the people of Miami Shores.
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