The University Area of Tampa, Florida, is an economically challenged and largely transient community with limited transportation options. For many years it was served only by a bookmobile, and its Title 1 elementary school did not have a functional media center. To meet the community’s learning needs, the challenge became designing a library building where the school media center portion would be inaccessible to the public during school hours and a seamless part of the public library during non-school hours.

A separate entrance with a gated, covered walkway securely connects the 4,200-square-foot media center portion of the new library to the elementary school. A storefront system with three doors covered in opaque window film serves to physically and visually separate the interior spaces, but can be opened after school hours to allow public access throughout. The continuous design of the carpet and matching finishes on shelving, furniture and windows blend the media center into the public library as a cohesive space.

Sixty thousand people have visited the Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library since it opened in January 2018, including 7,500 attendees at 375 programs. It successfully functions as a dual-purpose library, working in close partnership with the nearby elementary school and other community organizations to offer core services and cutting-edge technology to its residents. The library was recently featured in Library Journal’s Year in Architecture 2018 in the category of Community and Culture.