PHOTOS: Gulf Gate Library's Mall Branch Opens

Now you really can read the book before you go see the movie.

The Gulf Gate Library's temporary location at the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall opened Wednesday morning to a flood of people eager to check it all out. Within minutes of opening, people checked out books and logged onto the computers to search for information.

"This is amazing. We homeschool, so we really depend on the library, and my concern was how they were going to pull that off, and this exceeded my expectations," said Teresa Davis of Sarasota, who helped check out books with her son Michael Davis. "This is really incredible." 

The library is for now a temporary space as the new Gulf Gate Library is being built at 7112 Curtiss Ave.

Davis would love to see a permanent sub-station or satellite library location in the mall, too.

County Commissioner Nora Patterson didn't exactly say no to the idea, but funding is necessary to make that happen. 

"The only I've heard today is why can't we have both? And you never know," she said. "Money is a really important factor, but Gulf Gate is now the busiest library in our system. It's so patronized, and the space has really been inadequate in the past."

But let's get to the opening of the new Gulf Gate Library in April 2014 before there is any committment of doing an additional mall branch, she added.

The temporary location is a 20,000-square-foot space beside JCPenny, and also is home to the Friends of the Gulf Gate Library Bookstore. It has everything that you need in a library from a meeting room, a children's area, computers, CDs, periodicals, WiFi and of course, books.

First opened in 1973 as a storefront location in Gulf Gate, the Gulf Gate Library moved to Curtiss Avenue in 1983. The new Gulf Gate Library is expected to be completed in April 2014.

A reception is also planned for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, to welcome people to the library and get a glimpse of the future building, said James Mitchell, branch manager.

Gulf Gate Library Coverage:

• Meeting Planned For New Gulf Gate Library
• Gulf Gate Library Architects Study Bookstores For Ideas
• Rendering For New Gulf Gate Library Approved
• Gulf Gate Library To Set Up Temporary Shop At Sarasota Square Mall