Riverview's New State-Of-The-Art Library Debuts Soon

BLOOMINGDALE — RIVERVIEW, FL — Riverview's 35,000-square-foot new and modern library is four times the size of its original building that opened in 1979, a Hillsborough County news release said.

The Riverview Public Library, scheduled to open the day after Easter, has a screened-in reading porch, an outdoor garden, a recording studio, a vending cafe and a bookstore. Free internet and Wi-Fi access will also be offered to library visitors.

According to county officials, Friends of the Riverview Public Library worked for many years to replace the former building that was built about two miles away on Riverview Drive.

"This is a culmination of a lot of people's hopes," Gretchen Del Savio, president of the Friends of the Riverview Public Library, said. "The library is more than just a place to go and read. It's a place to be with people and learn things. We want this new library to be a center for everybody."

Sustainable elements such as solar panels and patio furniture created from recycled plastic bottles is blended throughout the building. The new branch, 9951 Balm Riverview Road, will allow 25-percent capacity inside when it opens.