Treva Moore loved a lot about Plant City’s library during her three decades at its helm. One of her biggest loves was the Florida Collection. Thanks to the efforts of the library’s current leadership, the collection will now bear her name.
City Commissioners voted recently to name the newly reassembled Florida Collection the Treva Moore Florida Collection.
“It was something Treva Moore really loved and cared about,” Susan Miles, the library’s Technology Services Librarian, said. “She always wanted to have a special collection and she really wanted to have Florida because we had many Florida books.”
To honor Moore, Miles and current Library director Tonda Morris have spent more than a year reassembling the Florida Collection. During Moore’s tenure at the library, the collection
contained more than 350 books about Florida and Plant City, including biographies, cookbooks and local history. When Anne Haywood took over from Moore in 1991, the collection was dismantled and redistributed into the library’s larger collection.
“We should really have something that focuses on our heritage and our history,” Morris said. “We’re real pleased with it. I think it was a good thing to do and we felt like it would be great to honor her for that.”
Morris said Moore had a tremendous impact on the library and preserving Plant City history. Moore was the library’s director from 1962 until 1991, when Haywood took over. In 1964, under Moore’s leadership, the library was acknowledged as the Book-of-the-Month Club’s most outstanding library for Florida. In the 1980s, Moore helped the library stay independent when legislators wanted to merge with other Hillsborough County libraries into one system. In 1971, Moore was named Plant City’s Woman of the Year.
Miles, 62, was hired by Moore in 1979 but had known Moore since grade school, she said. As a child, Miles said, she would go the library where Moore would read books to the children. As Miles got older, Moore would help her find books for school assignments. Miles said Moore taught her, and others in the library, important work ethics through the love she poured into it.
“She had certain standards and work ethics,” Miles said. “That helped the staff to learn the work ethics. I do things today that I keep thinking Miss Moore taught me to do this. She was a hard worker.”
Previously, a section of the library for quiet reading was dedicated to Moore. However, the title wasn’t official and when that section of the library was remodeled, the naming rights
went to the family who helped fund the project.
This time, the honor is an official title approved by the Library Board and the City Commission. Even through remodeling, the collection would stay together and keep its name. The collection, Morris said, will continue to grow as the library re-covers and obtains more books. Now that the name is official, the library is planning a naming ceremony featuring local authors for later in the summer.
“I think it’s a wonderful honor in memory of her,” Miles said. “She was a good example of what librarianship is about: meeting the needs of the people and helping people and doing it in a professional manner. Always putting your best foot forward and doing the best you can.”