Georgetown council hears updates to library master plan

Doug Moss, a consultant with Steinberg Hart—a design firm the city contracted with in June to draft options for expanding the facilities and services of the Georgetown Public Library—said the most pressing issue is space in a presentation to the City Council on Nov. 12.

The city of Georgetown is in the midst of some rapid growth. The U.S. Census Bureau in June listed Georgetown as the fastest-growing city in the U.S. with a population of more than 50,000, and projects that the population will grow from its 2024 level of approximately 103,000 to about 130,000 by 2029.

Moss compared the needs for the GPL to those of libraries in similarly sized cities across Texas. The study found that GPL experiences traffic closer to that of a larger city with a population of between 100,000-250,000, but the current space is closer in size and resources to libraries from smaller towns with populations under 50,000.

The current library facility, housed at 402 W. Eighth St., sits in an approximately 50,000-square-foot building. Compared to facilities in comparably sized cities like Round Rock, Temple and New Braunfels, the facility is far smaller and would need to expand to 145,000 square feet in one or multiple locations to accommodate the city’s projected growth, Moss said.

Insufficient shelf and storage space can also lead to excessive wait times to check out popular books, and some community members might be turned away from programs and services, Moss said. Increasing the space would allow GPL to expand on the services offered and grow its collections.

“I don’t get a lot of complaints about the library,” council member Jake French said. “But as someone who is married to a heavy library user, we frequently need to drive to Austin to pick up books. To me, expanding the collection seems like the highest priority.”

Staffing is another major concern, Moss said. Georgetown is “woefully” below where it needs to fully staff the facility. The library currently has about 26 full-time employees for their location, while the state average for mid-sized cities is 36. The American Library Association and the Texas Public Library Standards recommend at least one full-time librarian with a master's degree in library science per population of 15,000. Currently, the Georgetown library is 7% behind the state recommendations.

“You do have an amazing volunteer staff,” Moss said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve never seen a group of volunteers like you have. But those volunteers can only do so much.”

What’s next

Moss expects to deliver a final report with recommendations, timelines and budget requirements by Dec. 5.

Development of the current library is constrained in several ways by other developments and zoning restrictions, but Moss said his firm is working on several possible options. One option would involve razing the current west wing and constructing a new three-story wing that would expand into the existing parking lot and connect to the lobby. This would add approximately 63,000 square feet. Moss did not provide any pricing options for the renovation at the meeting but will include that data in the final report to the council.

Moss also proposed ways the library could expand on its services throughout the city, including adding new hold lockers where people can pick up and drop off materials, making more space for temporary library pop-ups like the one currently at the Sun City Social Center, and adding a second bookmobile to the city’s fleet.