Southwest Regional Library is located in the eastern portion of the 77-acre Academic Village, which…read morealso houses Pembroke Pines Charter School and Broward College Pines Center. Dedicated in 2000, it was the first library built with funds from the $139 million library bond issue approved by Broward County voters in 1999.
This 78,000-square-foot, two-story library is a joint-use facility of the Broward County Library System and Pembroke Pines. It's open to the public while also serving as the school library for charter high school students. Broward College students have access to a computer lab on the first floor.
The library's collection includes over 100,000 lending items for children and adults in multiple languages, including books and multimedia. Amenities include a teen activity room, children's storytime room, 300-seat auditorium, gift shop, classrooms, quiet study rooms, conference rooms, tutoring rooms, and a computer lab. Programs for all ages are offered regularly--details are available at the front desk or on the library's website. On my visit, there was a holiday model train exhibit. More recently they had a St. Patrick's Day photo op on the second floor and an Easter Peeps diorama contest.
Broward County truly excels at libraries, and Southwest Regional is no exception. The space is large, clean, modern, and welcoming. The lobby floor features a terrazzo design that gives the illusion of the Everglades, while the ceiling shows the sky from an alligator's underwater perspective--a really fun touch.
Whether you're studying, working remotely, or just browsing, there's plenty of room to spread out. Quiet areas are genuinely quiet, and community spaces feel relaxed and inviting. If you haven't visited a library in a while, Southwest Regional might surprise you with how much it can enrich your day.