For a while, the Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library kept its fundraising stock in a laundry room. The donated books it sells to pay for programs and equipment were stacked in the home of the group's president, Regina Negrycz. Then the library's unfinished second floor got far enough along for the Friends to move into a storage and work room upstairs. "I can finally see my washer and dryer," Negrycz told Your Observer in late September.
That story said the second floor would open to the public in December. It opened on October 23. So the building on Rangeland Parkway now has more room than it has had since it opened, and the limit this season is the number of hours staff can keep it open. The rest of this post covers what that means for the regulars.
A Full Building on Rangeland Parkway
Manatee County opened the Lakewood Ranch Library at 16410 Rangeland Parkway in January 2024. The county's branch page now lists more than 40,000 square feet across both floors, plus a backyard and 1,200 square feet of rooftop event space. In its reopening announcement, the county said the first floor had reopened and the second floor was open. It listed study spaces, more seating, public computers and printing, a self-checkout machine, community resources and the adult collection. The adult books moved upstairs so the first floor could make room for a larger children's area.
Here's how the building's spaces work for a regular visitor:
| Space | What it offers | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Second floor | Adult collection, study rooms, seating, computers, printing, self-checkout | Walk in during library hours |
| Story Time Room | Weekly storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers | Drop in on the scheduled morning |
| The Workshop makerspace | 3D printers, ChompSaws and other equipment | Staffed open hours only; some equipment requires training |
| Podcast and recording studio | Recording space | Book an appointment online |
| Meeting rooms | Room A seats 56, Room B seats 28, combined auditorium seats 84, conference room seats 16 | Reserve through the library's room booking system |
| Rooftop | 1,200 square feet of event space | Event use |
The Friends' storage room on the second floor matters too. Volunteers now have a place to sort, clean and alphabetize donated books before they go to the Book Nook, the group's bookstore in the lobby, or onto eBay.
Why Hours Became the Limit
The new floor opened into a tighter schedule. Manatee County started a countywide hiring freeze in February. Starting August 1, libraries across the county opened an hour later Monday through Saturday. The county's own explanation, quoted by Your Observer, was that the library system was "operating with nearly 20% fewer library staff than needed."
Under the schedule in effect since August 1, the Lakewood Ranch branch is open:
- Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The bigger effect is on rooms that need a staff member present. Negrycz told Your Observer that the makerspace was open only two days a week because it has to be staffed.
The Friends had just bought equipment for that space. The group raised more than $15,000 in April's Giving Challenge. It spent about $10,000 on four ChompSaws, which are child-safe saws that cut cardboard, and three Quest Launchpads, touchscreen learning devices for ages 3 to 10. The remaining $5,000 was set aside for a cart of 10 laptops that patrons could borrow inside the building. The equipment is in the building, and how much use it gets depends on the staffing schedule.
Hours were also tied to the property tax referendum on the November 3 ballot, which needed 60% of the vote to pass. Before the vote, Commissioner George Kruse told Your Observer that libraries would not close if it passed but that hours could be cut by much more than an hour a day. He also said the one-hour change was the only plan in place. Check the county's branch page for current hours before you plan a visit around them.
Where the Staffed Hours Go Each Week
Since staff time is limited, the weekly program calendar shows the best times to visit. These are the regular programs on the Manatee Library events calendar for November and December:
- Baby Storytime: Mondays, 10:15 to 11 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. to noon, Story Time Room.
- Preschool Storytime: Tuesdays, 10:15 to 11 a.m., Story Time Room.
- Toddler Storytime: Wednesdays, 10:15 to 11 a.m., Story Time Room.
- Tween & Teen Yarn Arts: Every other Monday, 5 to 6 p.m., in The Workshop. Remaining dates are November 16 and December 7 and 21.
- Workshop Open Hours, ages 13 and up: Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m., on November 13 and 20 and December 4, 11 and 18. Staff or volunteers help guests use the equipment, and some machines require training first.
Those Friday afternoons are the main public window into the makerspace this season. The next one is Friday, November 13. The podcast studio works differently. It runs on reservations made online, not on a fixed schedule.
How the Friends Cover What the Budget Doesn't
Until this year, everything the Friends raised went back into the library for programs or equipment, Your Observer reported. Negrycz said the group was stepping up its fundraising this fall regardless of how the vote turned out. The group depends on volunteers, especially for Book Nook shifts. Its record holder, Janice Garza, worked 82 shifts in one year.
The Friends' holiday calendar is also the easiest way for residents to support the new floor:
- "Coastal Creations" silent auction, all of November. Bidding opened November 2 on Givebutter, and the items are on display in the library's display case. The Friends list more than 30 items and pitch the auction as a source of holiday gifts.
- "Shop for a Cause," Thursday, November 12, 6 to 8 p.m. Your Observer reported that Rooted and Free on Lakewood Ranch Main Street is hosting the evening for the Friends.
- The Friends' first book sale, December 11 through 13. It will be held in the library's conference room with all kinds of books for sale. The Observer noted a large donation of architecture books, some still sealed. December 11 is also a Workshop Open Hours Friday, so you can make one trip for both.
- Ice cream social at Jeni's Ice Creams at UTC, December 17, 4 to 7 p.m. The Observer listed this as one of the group's fundraisers held away from the library.
The Friends post event updates on their website, and it's a good idea to confirm times there before the December events.
For more on everyday life around Rangeland Parkway and the rest of the Ranch, see our Lakewood Ranch neighborhood guide.
Jane Ebury Sinclair follows changes like this one across Lakewood Ranch, from new public spaces to the calendars that decide when you can use them. If you're new to the Ranch, or helping family get settled, and want a local guide to the places worth knowing, Jane would be glad to help. Schedule a Free Consultation.
