“We are Homestead’s Public Library. A main difference between us and traditional libraries is our approach. We are not a quiet library. We have a stage on our floor, and we had a Holiday event on December 21st that included the South Dade Senior High School Band, and they played holiday songs. We had holiday themed arts and crafts, and we gave away books as presents. Every Monday night of December, we have had movies and popcorn,” said Landa. “We have been offering coding and digital arts classes. We have a focus on technology. We have a virtual reality space. We have STEAM Kits that include books and gadgets related to a science or arts subject. We have events and workshops that are free and open to the public,” said Landa.
Over the past year, Landa has observed that people still love to check out traditional books.
“We had about 150,000 book check-outs this year,” said Landa.
The Cybrarium offers cutting edge technology. It is located in newly redeveloped Downtown Homestead, slowly working towards becoming an upbeat destination for entertainment and retail.
The Cybrarium features include a Children’s Theater, a pleasant place for children to attend story time, dress up in character for children’s plays and spend time with friends.
The Steampunk Lounge offers a themed area with custom installations and art pieces where teens and adults can check out a book and tech devices or use as a place to study.
The Virtual Reality Cube is a place where people can go on virtual journeys and explore virtual reality educational experiences.
The Makerspace is ideal for creative people; the collaborative workspace offers 3D printing, sewing, Cricut Maker, interactive workshops and other benefits. There is a multi-lingual collection of books, audiobooks and DVDs, including more than 34,000 physical items and a digital collection.
There is comfortable seating for 94 people.
There are 37 computers, laptops and Chromebooks for public use and free high-speed Wi-Fi.
There is a large program room that can accommodate 49 people and a medium program room than can seat 16 people. And there are quiet study rooms.
There is Book Mountain, an interactive sculpture rising from the ground to the second-floor ceiling solar system that speaks to the wonders of a book.
The Cybrarium is part of the Downtown Homestead Development project. It is the vision of the Homestead City Council, who voted to establish the Cybrarium as a municipal library in 2019. It opened on March 18, 2021 with distinct spaces and activities of interest for adults, teens and children.
