• Instagram Icon
  • Vimeo Icon
  • YouTube Icon
  • Snapchat Icon
  • Nextdoor Icon
  • Search Icon
main content

At the Lakeland Public Libraries

Our Story Begins With You...


Our Mission

Engaging Community. Exploring Knowledge. Enriching Lives.

Our Vision

The Lakeland Public Library will serve our community as inviting spaces for learning and personal enrichment.


  • Lakeland Public Library swan sign
    Lakeland Public Library

     100 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, FL 33801


    The Lakeland Public Library is a member of the Polk County Library Cooperative, an interlocal agreement between 13 municipalities with public libraries and the Board of County Commissioners, enabling all residents of the county, including those in the unincorporated area, to have library services.

    The Lakeland Public Library opened in January 1927 on the shores of Lake Morton. Prior to that time the Woman's Club, organized in 1912, maintained a library city residents could use.  On September 21, 1965, construction for a new building began and formal opening for the new library was on April 20, 1966.  Through the decades, this building has been renovated and expanded to better serve the citizens of Lakeland. 

     

    More...

  • Larry R. Jackson Branch Library sign with books
    Larry R. Jackson Branch Library

    1700 N. Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33805


    The Larry R. Jackson Branch Library opened in 1995, replacing a small reading room in the City owned Coleman-Bush building. This provided much needed library services for the residents of North Lakeland.

    Originally known as the Lakeland Branch Library, it was renamed the Larry R. Jackson Branch library in 1998 in honor of a local lawyer and civil rights activist who had worked tirelessly for years to bring a branch library to North Lakeland.

    More...

  • Interior view of eLibrary South Lakeland service desk and bookshelves
    eLibrary

    4740 S. Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33813


    To provide library resources to patrons in South Lakeland, the new eLibrary (Express) opened in July 2007. 

    Located in the Lake Miriam Shopping Plaza, this library was the joint project between the Lakeland Public Library and the Polk County Library Cooperative. 

    The eLibrary gives opportunity for patrons to borrow best sellers, DVDs, music CDs and use public access computers.  As technology continues to advance, the Lakeland Public Library and Branches continues to evolve and adapt to serve the needs of the citizens of Lakeland and Polk County.

    More...