Manatee’s Lakewood Ranch Library set to open with cutting-edge features and amenities
The long wait for a library serving Manatee County’s fastest-growing area finally ends at 10 a.m. Friday when the Lakewood Ranch Library opens at 16410 Rangeland Parkway.
The 25,000-square-foot facility, near Premier Sports Campus, is designed as “an inviting oasis for learning and community engagement,” the county said in a news release.
What patrons will find — beyond over 38,000 titles they can check out — is a wide range of resources for all interests and age groups.
The library is designed as a center for knowledge and a place for entertainment and exploration. It is also a community meeting space, and it has room to grow with an entire unfinished second floor.
The library has technology and space where patrons can make a podcast, take part in crafting and art projects, use a 3D printer or scan and translate documents into other languages.
Patrons can also check out as many as four books at a time by simply setting them down on an electronic scanner. They can also go online to place a book on hold and then pick up the book at a drive-thru window — the first at any Manatee County library.
Lakewood Ranch Library opens Friday
Other features include a large children’s area with rows of books, lots of seating and an attached, covered and enclosed patio, suitable for Lego building or other play activities.
Teens have not been forgotten. They have a dedicated area, too, with bookshelves, a study area and a gaming corner.
Branch library manager Tiffany Mautino says her favorite area is the reading room, complete with nook and desk seating, equipped with power outlets for charging portable devices. The room looks out on a preserve and lake area.
The library also has a large Spanish-language section.
“I came here in March specifically to open this branch. It’s something that a lot of librarians never get the opportunity to do,” Mautino said.
New library meets community requests
Ray Turner, the District 5 county commissioner representing the Lakewood Ranch area, said the library is also a community center, “a place to bring the community together.”
George Kruse, who serves as an at-large county commissioner, said the best practices of the county’s other six libraries were incorporated into the Lakewood Ranch Library.
The county went vertical on the $17.6 million facility with an eye toward the future by adding a second floor, which is cheaper than building everything at ground level, he said.
Groundbreaking for the library was in December 2021. Helping to move construction of the library forward was the implementation of a library impact fee in 2016. That fee also helped fund the expansion of the Braden River Branch Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., and the Rocky Bluff branch, 6750 U.S. 301, Ellenton.
The library that patrons will see starting Friday seems to have checked all the boxes requested by residents in 2017 during a survey by Manatee County staff.
Resident requests in 2017 included a gathering place to help unify the community, a place where classes can be presented and where groups can meet. They also wanted dynamic spaces that can change as needs change.
Other requests were for a children’s play area, a walking path and public artwork.
The Lakewood Ranch Library is the first one built in Manatee County in the 21st Century.
Hours: 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Other Manatee County libraries
▪ Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. W., Bradenton (941) 748-5555
▪ Braden River Branch, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton (941) 727-6079
▪ Island Branch, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach (941) 778-6341
▪ Palmetto Branch, 923 Sixth St. W., Palmetto (941) 722-3333
▪ Rocky Bluff Branch, 6750 U.S. Highway 301 N., Ellenton (941) 723-4821
▪ South Manatee Branch, 6081 26th St. W., Bradenton (941) 755-3892
