More than 80 library donors gathered at Deep Eddy Vodka tasting room to design glass butterflies as part of a fundraising event hosted by the Dripping Springs Community Library. This was the third butterfly donor event DSCL has hosted.

The details

As part of the butterfly workshops, community members can sponsor a glass butterfly to contribute to the campaign to raise $5 million in funds for a new library. Sponsors will see their butterfly creations in the new library once the new facility is constructed.

Before the butterflies “take flight” at the new library, donors choose from a variety of glass colors and materials to design their butterfly. Once sponsors are finished with their design, Dallas-based artist Carlyn Ray takes the butterflies to fire them in her studio’s kiln, then drills a hole for the butterflies to “take flight” in the library as part of an art installation.

The glass butterflies vary in cost and range in small to extra-large sizes depending on the donation amount. Donations range from a $1,200 donation for a small butterfly to $15,000 for an extra-large butterfly, with donation amounts paid monthly over the course of three years. Over 170 butterflies have been sponsored so far out of 470 butterflies available for the display, DSCL Communications Manager Christina Thompson said.

Ray said the butterfly project is a way for people to engage with DSCL and for the community to be represented in the library’s space.

“The heart behind the project is that [the library] is a place for the community to come together, to learn, to explore, to transform,” she said. “As an artist, I believe that the more hands and hearts that come together, the more magical and alive the place feels.”

Library Director Mindy Laird said the butterflies illustrate DSCL’s mission of “lifelong learning” and the transformative process of education.

“We know that lifelong learning is not just about acquiring skills and knowledge, but it's about the commitment to growth mindset,” she said. “Lifelong learning transforms who we are. It transforms our thinking.”

The background

The butterfly event is part of a larger fundraising initiative to raise money to build a new library. DSCL set out to reach a $5 million fundraising goal by the end of 2024, but did not receive enough funds to meet that goal.

The library officially launched the Beyond Books, Building Community fundraising campaign in 2024 to raise money for the new 37,000-square-foot facility, or four times the size as the current building, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The library currently serves over 52,000 guests, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Association. The library serves Dripping Springs residents and anyone who lives or works within Hays County.

Between 2017-22, the Dripping Springs population nearly doubled, as previously reported by Community Impact.

This growth has contributed to the library’s need for a bigger space to add new materials and account for library programming, as previously reported by Community Impact.

As one of 15 library districts in Texas, DSCL does not receive funding through property taxes or through funding from the city or county. Instead, the library relies on money from donations, grants and 0.25% of the sales tax revenue generated within the library district’s borders, according to library officials.

DSCL has hosted previous fundraising events in the past to reach the $5M goal, including a butterfly event in October and September.

The library has fundraised over $1.7 million so far, with a goal to reach $5 million to break ground by the end of this year, Thompson said.

Also of note

Library Director Mindy Laird said she hopes the new library will allow DSCL to continue growing as a “library of experiences,” offering programming beyond physical and digital books.

The library has introduced various resources, such as children’s museum passes for guests to borrow, implementing a seed library program for people to get free seeds to plant, and offering “Stay Sharp” kits for seniors experiencing memory issues and more, Laird said.

In 2022, DSCL offered over 750 programs with an attendance of over 12,000 people total. The library offers over 72,000 resources both in print and digital formats, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The current library facility does not have enough space to accommodate expanded programming, she said.

“We have so many needs, but we are limited in what we can do because we can only fit so many people in a building with 35 parking spots,” she said.

Laird said that in addition to reading materials, many people are viewing the library as a place to engage with their local community. The design of the new library factors in community space, she said, such as multipurpose rooms, study rooms available to rent for small group meetings and a larger room with a capacity of 250 people, she said.

The new library will also include an outdoor amphitheater for events, a playground and more parking, as previously reported by Community Impact.

What’s next

DSCL is planning to host more fundraising events, including the Birdies and Books Golf Tournament on March 27, and Books, Brews and Goats at Jester King Brewery on May 3. The library will run an online donation campaign for Library Giving Day on April 1.

For more information about the library and donations, visit www.dscl.org.