On November 5, 2003, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted to rename the Ybor City Library as the Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library to honor Robert W. Saunders, Sr.

Ybor City is a small enclave within the city limits of Tampa. Cubans and former slaves settled the area in the late 1800s to work at Vincente Ybor's cigar factory. As the cigar industry grew, immigrant Italians, Sicilians, Jews and additional Spanish-speaking peoples developed a lively community centered on work in the factories and activities at the ethnic clubs.

The Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library opened in 1933. Its home was a storefront facility donated by the local Italian American Club. The collection was aimed primarily at the Spanish-speaking community and the library was open on a part time basis.

Construction of a new building at 1505 North Nebraska Avenue was planned as part of the 1968 Model Cities Maryland Avenue Urban Renewal project. The "Maryland Avenue" branch, as it was originally known, is located near downtown Tampa, directly between the Tampa Park and Central Park Housing projects. It sits on the west side of Booker T. Washington School. Although it was renamed the Ybor City Branch in 1969, the building is technically one block outside of the Ybor City boundaries.

Architect Russell Minardi designed the Library, which has 7,300 square feet and was built at a cost of $205,000. It features a lovely stone mural along the entrance wall entitled "Symbols of Mankind." Local artist Joe Testa Secca created the mural to reflect the diversity of the community and the knowledge found within the walls of the building. This magnificent piece of local artwork was restored and re-dedicated by the Friends of the Hillsborough County Library in 1995.

Since its opening in 1968, the branch has developed a neighborhood clientele. Services focus on the needs of area Head Start programs, day care providers, children and adults.

This location provides an open use lab with word processing software and classes on beginning computer use. Open lab hours and class schedules vary, please call the library to confirm available time.

If you have further questions, please feel free to comment on the Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library.