South County Regional Library

The 32,600 square-foot South County Regional Library opened August 23, 1996, and was presented as a model of recycling and conservation. The building was originally a data processing center, and many of the fixtures were reused or recycled. A partnership with Florida Power and Light resulted in an innovative air conditioning system, still in use today, which freezes ice during off hours to cool the building in peak hours.  The construction cost was $2.5 million, and the aggregate budget was $6 million.  South County Regional Library quickly became an Estero landmark. 

The Friends of South County Regional Library, Inc. was formed in March of 2004, with a vision to advance the role of the South County Regional Library as an institution vital to the life of the community. Since its inception in 2004, the Friends of South County Regional Library has grown to 238 members and has  raised over $115,000 for the library. Along with sponsoring numerous adult, teen and youth programs yearly, the Friends of South County Regional Library purchased a state-of-the-art sound system and projector, new tables and chairs for the meeting room, colorful murals in the youth services and teen areas along with other needed furniture and equipment.

Today, South County Regional Library has 29,415 registered users and total circulation for Fiscal Year 2009 – 2010, covering October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010 was 618,041.  The collection contains 175,909 items, including regular and large type books, magazines and newspapers, videos, DVDs, and Blu-Rays, books on CD, Playaways, and music CDs.

Forty public internet stations are available for patrons to surf the Internet, access the library’s databases and Microsoft Office products.  Wireless technology has enabled patrons to use and print from laptops in our library.  Digital books including e-books and audio-books, along with music and videos, are available to download and enjoy.

Community groups take advantage of the library’s large meeting room, which seats 99, and two study rooms are available as a meeting place for tutors or for quiet study.  South County Regional Library has gained a reputation for offering the community a variety of excellent entertaining and educational programs.    Baby Rhyme Times, Family story times, puppet shows, summer reading activities, Teen Cafes, and game and craft sessions are offered for youth of all ages.  Here are some impressive statistics on recent program attendance:

• 1,293 people attended a 41 programs on flower arranging,  historical dramatizations,  gardening, sandsculpting, Florida history, Ikebana, WWII history, and foreign film viewings.

• 310 people attended a concert series held monthly from December 2010 through March 2011 and enjoyed performances by Vintage Brass, the FGCU Wind Quintet, the Jazz Trio, and the Townsmen Big Band Sound.

• 461 people attended 22 computer classes held in the library’s meeting room and computer training lab on Word for Windows PC, PC Defense, Excel, PowerPoint, Digital Photography, and EBook Basics.

• 9 book discussions held monthly from September through May attracted 219 people and provided a lively forum for exchange of ideas.

• 40 English Café programs, informal conversational practice sessions for English-as-a-second language students, were attended by people from 9 countries including Colombia, Peru, Lithuania, Mexico, China, Germany, and Brazil.

• During this past tax season, 508 e-returns and 22 paper returns were filed by AARP Tax Service working in the library’s meeting room and training lab.

Several of the Lee County Library System’s system-wide library services operate out of South County Regional Library:  the Bookmobile, the Books-by-Mail program, and Senior Outreach.  During Fiscal year 2009-2010, the Bookmobile circulated 42,714 items, and Books-by-Mail and Senior Outreach circulated 22,261 items to persons unable to visit the library, and those living  in senior residential facilities.