The Liberty Hill Public Library is one step closer to building a larger library for its thousands of patrons.
In July, the library purchased 6.6 acres of land at 1600 Main St. for a new facility. The purchase follows about a decade of planning and saving funds to open a space that will better meet the needs of the area’s growing community, Library Director Angela Palmer told Community Impact.
“It’s so exciting, but it’s very surreal,” Palmer said. “The biggest thing that I think about is what can we do for our community, and what can we provide?”
Current situation
The Liberty Hill Public Library selected the new site because of its central location and accessibility to community members, Palmer said. The library district—which is funded through a portion of sales tax—used funding accumulated over the last 10 years along with a loan to purchase the land, she said.
With a new location acquired, the library has partnered with a consultant to create a strategic plan that will inform the new space’s design using community feedback. The library gathered over 800 survey responses and held focus groups with community members over the last year, Palmer said.
Community members have expressed a desire for a programming room, a drive-up book drop and more space, including spaces for teenagers, adults and children, she said. Nearly 1,900 children participated in the library's summer reading program this year, according to data provided by the library.
Palmer said she would like the new space to serve as a hub for community members to gather, which she said the area lacks. With a larger space, the library may better serve certain age groups and provide classes on subjects such as computers, crafts, coding and resume building, she said.
Why it matters
The Liberty Hill Public Library has been looking to open a larger facility as the area’s population grows and the library does not have enough space to accommodate all of its patrons’ needs, Palmer told Community Impact in December.
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. The number of new library members has nearly tripled from the 2021 to 2024 fiscal year, which runs from October to September, according to Liberty Hill Public Library data.
The library’s new space may be as large as 15,000-20,000 square feet, Palmer said. The site will allow the library to further expand if it chooses to do so, she said.
“We want to keep the homey feeling and atmosphere we have in this library, and try to translate to that bigger space,” Palmer said.
The library, which has 10 full-time employees, will seek to hire more staff members, she said.
Going forward
The library is now working to raise funding for the new facility’s construction by starting a foundation and reviving its Friends of the Liberty Hill Public Library District organization, Palmer said. As a nonprofit, the library foundation would work to build an endowment by acquiring larger, corporate donations.
The Liberty Hill Public Library District board anticipates the new building may be ready in 30 months, or in 2027, Palmer said.
