Fort Myers, Florida, located on the Gulf of Mexico, offers visitors all the attractions one would expect to find in such a location — swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, dazzling sunsets, and excellent seafood. It also offers an attraction the average tourist would not expect to find — a beautiful modern multi-story public library.

I had the chance to visit the Fort Myers Beach Public Library earlier this month when my wife and I joined our friends, the Ottobres, for a five-day stay at a cottage across the street from this hidden treasure.  Upon entering the library, we were greeted by a gentleman whose main job was to assure we were wearing masks, but who also gave us a warm welcome. Behind him was a beautiful mural featuring pelicans flying above a seascape swarming with fish, turtles, rays, and other aquatic creatures. Indeed, a wide variety of artwork could be found throughout the library. There were woodcarvings, sculptures, models, paintings, and sea shell displays. As a naval history enthusiast, I took great interest in a model of a three-masted wooden fighting ship complete with sails and intricate rigging. But the artwork that impressed me the most was a sand sculpture of a spike-backed dragon resting his head on a pile of books a few feet away from a castle-like tower.

Like most modern libraries, this one at Fort Myers Beach aimed to meet the different needs of its patrons. There was a public computer area where people could access the Internet at small but comfortable carrels. There were meeting rooms where community groups could conduct business. There were “quiet rooms” with computers for people who wanted a distraction-free environment to do serious research. There were sections of large-print books for people whose eyesight might not be as good as it once was. And there was a children’s section, which deserves special mention.

The first thing you see as you approach the children’s section is a giant seahorse with a beaming smile. Beyond him are neatly arranged rows of shelves with books and videos for kids. Farther on, is an open area, anchored by an artificial tree, where children listen to stories read aloud by an adult. If they would prefer to read their own books, there are tables and chairs for that purpose. Children who don’t feel like reading or listening to a story might be allowed to create an artwork to hang on the walls around the open space. And what about toddlers too young to sit still for a story? There is a special room for them complete with a miniature rocking horse and a “caterpillar tunnel.”

Not surprisingly, the rest of the Fort Myers Beach Public Library was as neat and orderly as the children’s section. The books were organized into traditional categories — I spent some time in the biography section — but on the third floor was something most libraries don’t have: a store for selling used books. Kim Frease, a member of The Friends of the Fort Myers Beach Library, explained the store takes books, magazines, audios, and DVDs donated by others and sells them at bargain prices. The money raised in this fashion is then used to supplement the library’s budget, enabling it to improve the services it already provides.

Another staff member at the circulation desk gave us some interesting insights to the library’s development. Evidently, the Fort Myers Beach community was sharply divided over whether to build it in the first place. Opponents felt it would be out of place in a city best known for beaches and other outdoor attractions, while supporters thought the library would become a cultural centerpiece. According to the staff member, things got pretty nasty but in the end the library proponents won and their faith in the facility’s cultural significance has been validated. As if to re-affirm that validation, an older couple, newly arrived to the area, came to the circulation desk to apply for library cards.

I’m not sure I’ll make it back to the Fort Myers Beach Public Library, but I’ll have a presence there just the same after I donate a copy of my YA novel, Fast-Pitch Love, to the library’s bookstore. My guess is this library, like most others, needs all the friends it can get.