Key West Public Library Branch - Monroe County

In case you missed the news: we are closed 🙁while we get a new roof 👏.

We are still here for you! Come see us at our pop-up library location - the Harvey Government Center, at the corner of Truman Avenue and White Street. We'll be there Tuesday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can check out and return books and DVDs, pick up your requested items, and ask for our help getting you the library items and services you need.

We will also be at Bernstein Park on Stock Island (corner of Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue) for Adult Crafting Corner at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, Once Upon A Craft (for kids) at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, and Story Time at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25.

Still have questions, check out our web post with more information and FAQs at keyslibraries.org/post/key-west-roof. We hope to see your familiar faces in new places!

We're open till 8 p.m. today - Wednesday, September 16 - so if you're the after-work type, this is your chance to stop by and stock up on books and DVDs before we close for roof replacement!

We will be closed starting Monday, Sept. 21. But not to worry - you can still get books and DVDs at our pop-up library at the Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Ave., Key West. That will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, starting Tuesday, Sept. 22.

And of course we have lots of digital options for you including eBooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming video and music, and much more!

Get more information, including FAQs, at keyslibraries.org/post/key-west-roof.

The library will be closed for about four weeks, starting Monday, Sept. 21. That means you have until Saturday, Sept. 19, to come in and stock up on books and DVDs from our full collection. We’re at 700 Fleming Street. We’re open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday.

Don’t worry – we will be holding a pop-up library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at the Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Ave., Key West, while this building is closed to the public. We’ll have a selection of books and DVDs, and we’ll bring your requested items there. Find out more and read our FAQs at keyslibraries.org/post/key-west-roof.

The Key West Branch Library, including the Florida Keys History Center, will close to the public beginning Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, for a complete roof replacement. The closure is expected to last approximately four weeks.

During the closure, library staff will continue serving the community at the Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Avenue, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. They will have books and DVDs to check out and will bring hold requests to that location. Patrons can also return library items there.

Library staff will also provide programs at other offsite locations. Information about that, along with project updates, will be posted at keyslibraries.org and on the Key West Branch Library’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Patrons may pick up and borrow library materials from the Pickup Locker and Lending Machine at Bernstein Park on Stock Island, as well as at the pop-up library at the Harvey Government Center. The Monroe County Public Library also offers a large and growing digital collection of eBooks, audiobooks, streaming video, streaming music, and other online resources.

Library staff, including Florida Keys History Center staff, will remain available to answer questions online. General library questions may be submitted at keyslibraries.org/contact-us. The Florida Keys History Center can be reached directly at [email protected] or by calling 305-809-5260.

“Closing a public facility is never a decision we take lightly, especially one as important to the community as the Key West Library. At the same time, we have a responsibility to protect and preserve the public facilities and resources entrusted to Monroe County,” said Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley.

“The Key West Library is nearly 70 years old, was the first branch in the Monroe County Public Library system, and remains our busiest location,” Hurley said. “It is home not only to a heavily used circulating collection, but also to the irreplaceable photographs, documents, and historical materials preserved by the Florida Keys History Center. Taking the necessary steps now to protect this building and its collections helps ensure that this important community resource will continue serving Monroe County residents for generations to come.”

Originally opened in 1959, the Key West Library has been expanded several times, most recently in 1993. It was the first location in a countywide library system that now includes five branches in Key West, Big Pine Key, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo.

BIG NEWS IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD: The Key West Library building will be closed for roof replacement, starting on Monday, Sept. 21.

That means this is the week to stop by and stock up on books and DVDs!

We WILL be providing library services during this time at the Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Avenue. For more information about the closing, go to keyslibraries.org.

And stop by and see us this week! We've moved our Adult Ceramics Painting Class up a week, to Thursday at 10 a.m. and the rest of our weekly line-up is happening, too.

Happy Labor Day! Even with the holiday, we've got a lot planned for this week. Traffic and parking are as light as they get in these parts, so it's a great time to visit the library.

On Wednesday, our Adult Crafting Corner is meeting at 10 a.m. and will make wooden calendars. And our Library Book Club meets TWICE - at noon and 5 p.m. - to talk about "The Echo Wife" by Sarah Gailey.

As always, the Adult Mahjong Club is hitting the tiles at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, while Chess Club hits the boards at 1 p.m. Saturday and Fiber Fiends gathers at 2 p.m. Saturday.

For kids, we've got One Upon a Craft from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday - they'll be painting ceramics - and Story Time at 11 a.m. Friday features "Are You Big?" by Mo Willems.

You can find out more about everything happening here at the library - and save events to your own calendar, set up an email reminder, or share them with a friend - at bit.ly/kw-library-events.

A holiday weekend is the perfect time for a binge-watch.

TV Series in September On our Kanopy streaming app and on DVD, we have lots of great TV shows to choose from, from classics to new releases.

We're closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

We wish you a safe and happy holiday. Our regular hours resume on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

And don't forget - you can get eBooks, audiobooks, streaming video and music, and much more any time with your Monroe County Public Library card. Go to keyslibraries.org/24-7-resources to learn more - including step-by-step guides for many of our online apps and platforms.

Welcome to September!

The first Tuesday of the month means it's time for our monthly movie matinee at 3 p.m. We can't tell you the title on social media, but you can find it here: keyslibraries.org/post/matinee.

We've got lots of cool stuff happening for kids this week, including a special Grandparents Day Letter & Card Making session from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, and making mini wooden boats at STEM Saturday, from 1-3 p.m.

You can find out more about everything happening at bit.ly/kw-library-events. See you here!