“I think my daughter has read almost every graphic novel, and we’re running out of things for her to read that she’s open to,” Lundell said.
Lundell said she and her children are waiting in anxious anticipation as library officials work to acquire land for a larger facility.
The overview
The Liberty Hill Public Library District is seeking to open a new, expanded library to provide more resources and services to the area’s rapidly growing population.
Since 2003, the library has operated out of a 2,400-square-foot building while the population in its service district has increased by more than 300% over the last 20 years, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
In late November, Liberty Hill City Manager Paul Brandenburg brought the possibility of the city purchasing 30 acres of land for a municipal campus before Council. He said the library may then be able to purchase a portion of that land from the city.
“[The city knows] the value of a library,” Palmer said. “I think they’re willing to work with us and do well for the good of the town.”
Why it matters
The library cannot adequately serve the community as there is not enough space to accommodate everyone who wants to attend programs and events, said Bob Calvisi, a Liberty Hill Public Library District board member and vice president of the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce.
With a larger building, the library could shelf more books; launch new programs, amenities and classes; and offer meeting spaces, Palmer said.
Although the library is not a city facility and is funded instead through a portion of sales tax, Liberty Hill officials are supportive of the library as it aids in providing programming to the area, said Katie Amsler, director of community engagement and communications for the city.
“The library’s a really important part of our community, and we want [it] to be as successful as possible,” Amsler said.
What they're saying
“I’ve been really excited about the bigger location for a long time. I just really hope that they can get the space they need and the resources they need, because they just have so much potential," said Liberty Hill resident Amber Lundell.
“The library is at its capacity. There are some additional programs that we’d like to bring into the community, and we just don’t have the space," said Bob Calvisi, a board member for the Liberty Hill Public Library District.
Moving forward
Over the coming months, library officials will gather feedback from the community on what they’d like to see from the new library through events, focus groups and surveys, Palmer said. That input will be used to create a strategic plan by the spring or summer to guide the new facility’s design, she said.
The building will be at least 20,000 square feet; however, its size will depend on how much the district can afford and how much land is acquired, Palmer said. She said she hopes to see the new library open in the next five years. In the future, she’d like to open library branches across the district and start a mobile library known as a bookmobile.
“We really want to see ourselves as that community center where people from all over can all come and congregate and feel like this is their library. This is their home. This is their community,” Palmer said.
The wishlist
The new library’s features will largely depend on what the community desires, Palmer said. She would like to see the space have the following:
- More room for books
- Spaces for kids, teens and seniors
- Areas to sit, read and converse
- Meeting and study rooms
- Makerspace craft area
- More computers
