Sarasota County's first library opened here in 1907, and the Selby Public Library remains the largest in the county. This current building is the largest public library in the county and serves the downtown district of Sarasota. Its story begins with the Town Improvement Society, which opened a library room at Five Points with a fund of $65 — noted here as equivalent to $2,000 in 2024 — and with a contribution of books and 51 subscribers.
In 1913 the Woman's Club took charge and in 1915 the collection found a home in the east wing of the Women's Club. The Sarasota City Council then appropriated $150 per year so the library could occupy the old Main Street schoolhouse rent-free for five years. In 1940 the Woman's Club asked the city to assume full control and the library moved to Chidsey Library.
By the mid-1970s population growth made clear the need for more books and materials; the library progressed to the Boulevard of the Arts site on June 24, 1976, and Sarasota County Historical Resources took over its operation. You are in the downtown district the Selby Library has served since 1907, from that first room at Five Points to this Boulevard of the Arts building.