Gulf Beaches Public Library

What Gulf Beaches Public Library does

Gulf Beaches Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library serving the Madeira Beach community in Pinellas County, Florida. It operates from a single branch at 200 Municipal Drive, staffed by 7 employees, and is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC), which enables shared digital resources and coordinated services across member libraries. The library provides free access to physical and digital media, community programming, and cultural enrichment to local residents holding a valid library card.

The library's core technology stack is built on third-party digital distribution platforms rather than proprietary systems. Catalog and patron account management run on the Sirsi library management system, while digital lending is delivered through three integrated platforms: OverDrive/Libby (eBooks, eMagazines, audiobooks), Hoopla (movies, TV, music, audiobooks, comics — capped at 8 items per patron per month), and Kanopy (streaming of 30,000 films and television programs on Roku, Firestick, Android, and Apple). A Museum Pass Program, coordinated through PPLC, offers free family admission to partner museums in the Tampa Bay area.

The library's business model is non-commercial. All services are provided at no charge to cardholders, with operations funded through municipal/county government allocations rather than user fees, subscriptions, or commercial revenue. GTM motion is community-oriented: an events calendar on the website, an email newsletter, and active Facebook and Instagram channels drive awareness. Customer segments are community-defined (Children and Families; Adults and Seniors), and marketing is essentially top-of-funnel engagement rather than pipeline-driven. There is no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the source data.

Name

Gulf Beaches Public Library

Legal name

Gulf Beaches Public Library

Website

https://gulfbeacheslibrary.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gulf Beaches Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library in Madeira Beach, Florida, serving local residents with free access to physical and digital media (Kanopy, Hoopla, Libby), community programs, and partner museum admission via the Pinellas cooperative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Digital lending platform
• Community programming
• Library eResources
• Museum pass program

Headquarters

HQ city

Madeira Beach, Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gulf Beaches Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library serving the Madeira Beach community in Pinellas County, Florida. It provides free in-person and digital access to physical collections, eBooks, audiobooks, eMagazines, streaming video (Kanopy), multi-format digital media (Hoopla), and digital lending (OverDrive/Libby). The library also delivers free museum passes through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and runs community programs including children's storytimes, book clubs, Mahjong, Investment Club, meditation, and writing groups.

Product overview

Gulf Beaches Public Library offers a digital-first collection of eResources accessible with a library card. The primary offerings include Kanopy (film streaming), Hoopla (multi-format digital media), and Libby/OverDrive (ebooks and audiobooks), complemented by free museum passes through community partnerships. These digital services form the core technology-enabled product portfolio, with traditional in-person events and services supporting the physical library experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kanopy A free streaming service that provides library cardholders with access to 30,000 films, television programs, and kids' programming. Streamable on Roku, Firestick, Android, and Apple devices at no cost to the user.
• Hoopla A digital streaming and lending platform that offers movies, TV shows, music, eBooks, audiobooks, and comics. Library cardholders can check out up to 8 items per month at no cost.
• Libby (OverDrive) Digital Lending A digital lending service for borrowing eBooks, eMagazines, and audiobooks, accessible via the free Libby app or web browser through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative.
• Museum Pass Program Free family admission passes to local museums in the Tampa Bay area, available to library cardholders through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative partnership.
• eResources Collection An aggregated online collection of streaming services, downloadables, research tools, and genealogy resources offered to students, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs with a library card.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partnership providing shared digital resources including OverDrive/Libby, museum pass program coordination, and collaborative library services across Pinellas County public libraries.
• Area Museums (Museum Pass Program)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering FREE family admission to local museums through the PPLC cooperative. Includes access to various cultural institutions in the Tampa Bay area.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Seminole County Public Library System: Florida public library system operating in the greater Orlando region. Comparable community programming and digital lending model, but serves a different metropolitan geography.
• New Port Richey Public Library: Single-branch public library in Pasco County with comparable scale to Gulf Beaches. Similar small-team municipal library model offering digital resources and community programming.
• Manatee County Public Library System: Adjacent Florida Gulf Coast county library system offering similar small-branch public library services. Comparable geographic context and digital lending model, though not part of the PPLC cooperative.
• Pasco County Public Library Cooperative: Neighboring Florida public library cooperative serving Pasco County. Offers comparable digital lending and community programming, but in a different geographic territory north of Pinellas.

Direct peers

• Clearwater Public Library System: Another PPLC member serving Clearwater residents with the same cooperative digital platforms (OverDrive/Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla) and museum pass program. Directly comparable public library peer in the same county.
• Palm Harbor Library: PPLC member library in unincorporated Pinellas County offering comparable digital lending, streaming services, and community programming to a similar-sized population base.
• Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC): Gulf Beaches is an active member of PPLC, which coordinates shared digital resources (OverDrive/Libby), museum pass programs, and cooperative library services across Pinellas County. As the consortium Gulf Beaches belongs to, it is the most directly comparable operating entity.
• Largo Public Library: PPLC member library serving the City of Largo in Pinellas County. Provides the same cooperative digital resources, museum pass program, and similar small-to-mid branch programming model as Gulf Beaches.
• St. Petersburg Public Library System: Fellow Pinellas County public library system and PPLC member offering similar digital lending (OverDrive/Libby), streaming, and museum pass programs. Operates multiple branches and serves as a comparable county-level peer.

Broad incumbents

• Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library: Large neighboring Florida public library system serving the adjacent Tampa Bay metro. Offers overlapping digital lending, streaming, and in-person programming, but at significantly larger scale than Gulf Beaches.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gulfbeachespubliclibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/gulfbeaches.library
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gulf-beaches-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gulf Beaches Public Library