The Name 
The Selby Library is named in honor of William G. and Marie Selby. In 1955, they established the Selby Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to improve the quality of life in Sarasota County and its bordering counties. The foundation focuses its grant making on capital expenditures. Where possible, the foundation prefers to participate with individual and corporate donors in supporting projects. A grant of $550,000 from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation provided the largest single contribution to building the Selby Public Library. Other funds came from city, county, and federal governments and private donations.
The Design
The Artwork
Artist and architect Tim Prentice created the large kinetic sculpture 'Just Browsing' that hangs in the Selby Public Library. It was installed in the rotunda in 1998, as part of the Sarasota Arts in Public Places project. Prentice envisioned the Selby Library’s dome as a metaphor for the sky, and the moving banners as clouds. Alternatively, perhaps, a school of fish. After sitting and enjoying the sculpture's movement for awhile, you may have your own opinion.
The bronze sculptures outside in the parking area are the latest addition to the Selby collection. They are part of Sarasota Arts in Public Places program funded in part by a gift from the Selby Foundation. 'Sharing', created by artist Bruno Lucchesi, was installed in 2002. Lucchesi’s sculptures are on display in New York City, NY. and Denver, Co. as well as in Fort Mill, SC., Raleigh, NC., and at Yale University in New Haven, Ct. His works are in the collections of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.