By Melinda Hodges.
The Buda Public Library was created officially on April 1, 1980, after beginning life as a shelf of books in City Hall. Through the hard work and persistence of the community, the library found its first home in a small metal Butler building at the library’s current location on Main Street in May 1984.
Over the years, the original library became overwhelmed. In 1985, operating at just 20 hours a week, there were roughly 7,500 checkouts and 4,500 visits. By 1993, the hours had been extended to 41 per week to accommodate more than 17,000 checkouts and 11,198 visits, all with one staff member and a bevy of dedicated volunteers. It was time for the library to grow with the community. Again, with hard work and persistence, library lovers raised enough money to qualify for a federal matching grant. In 1993, the current Buda Public Library was built and named the Basil Anthony Moreau Memorial Library for a French priest who founded an order dedicated to education.
Our community has grown explosively over the past two decades, as has library business. Neither looks to slow down any time soon. In 2013, there were over 100,000 checkouts and nearly 67,000 visits. Once again, it’s time to start looking towards our library’s future.
A library should always be tailored to fit its community, so we need your ideas! There will be a public input meeting on February 11th at 6:30 p.m. in the Buda Elementary Kunkel Room. Please come and share your vision for the future of the Buda Public Library.
