Eveann Adams is closing the book on her tenure at Bradenton Beach’s Tingley Memorial Library after more than two decades as clerk.
Adams, the library’s sole staff member for the past 22 years, announced her retirement this month, marking the end of an era for the city-operated institution.
Adams, during a June 3 interview with The Islander, said, “It was just time.”
June 21 will be her last day.
Throughout her time at Tingley, Adams became the face of the library for patrons — full-time and seasonal residents — who frequented the reading room. Her responsibilities included overseeing volunteers, ordering titles and maintaining the collection.
“We order books on a monthly basis. Books are ordered by the clerk at the library and we send the request to the board,” she said.
She also kept the shelves fresh by conducting an annual inventory. “We don’t keep books past 10 years,” Adams said. “We don’t want them to come in and see the same old thing.”
Despite limited space and budget, Adams curated a collection of around 3,000 books, DVDs and audiobooks.
“We spend about $300 a month on new books, give or take,” she said. “We try to keep up with the bestsellers list and patron requests.”
Volunteers helped carry the load, especially during the winter season. “We have about seven volunteers right now,” Adams said. “Yeah, we lost some after the storm, but we are accepting volunteer applications.”
Adams also helped guide the library through difficult periods, including an extended closure following hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“We were closed for about eight months,” she said.
City building official Bill Palmer assessed damage after the storms, citing an unstable rear staircase, a deteriorating wheelchair ramp and issues with the HVAC platform. Some damages weren’t covered by insurance and ongoing air conditioning problems now threaten the building’s contents.
The library, established with a $600,000 bequest from Beulah Tingley, now faces rising repair and maintenance costs.
Bradenton Beach treasurer Shane Thompson told city commissioners May 21 that annual operations typically cost $50,000–$60,000, but recent repairs, including a roof replacement, pushed the number above $100,000 and remaining structural repairs are estimated at $274,000.
The city manages the remaining $165,400 of Tingley’s original bequest, enough to operate the library for three-five years, excluding major repairs. An additional $100,000 is administered by the library board.
Adams sees the library’s value as clear and enduring: “When Beulah Tingley left all her money to build this place, she called it a ‘reading room’ and that’s kind of what it is. And of course, it morphed into a library. People who love libraries, that’s really kind of all they want and that’s what they are coming for. It’s a place where you can just sit, read, use the internet, use a printer.”
Traffic at the library rises and falls with the seasons — from more than 300 patrons in January to under 150 in the summer months.
“The people that come here are very, very loyal,” Adams said.
Adams didn’t share what’s next for her in retirement, but Tingley’s next chapter begins with appreciation for the woman who kept it turning page after page.
