by MOSES LEOS III
After years of having to squeeze into their comely space, the Buda City Library is enacting plans to grow alongside the city it services.
In his State of the City speech at the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon last month, Mayor Todd Ruge announced a five-year long-range plan to help the Buda library meet the needs of citizens.
“For a city our size, we need a larger library,” Ruge said.
That assessment is an understatement, as library membership has exponentially grown beyond the current 5,200-square-foot structure on the greenbelt in downtown Buda. According to Buda Library statistics, the number of cardholders has grown to 9,705 in 2012 from 4,905 in 2007, with cardholders ranging from individual accounts to entire families.
As a result of the increase in cardholders, circulation within the library has also risen to new heights. From 2006 to 2012, average circulation at the Buda Library was 88,450 items. During that period, circulation increased by an average of 5,674 items per year, with the library completing more than 104,000 circulations in the 2012 fiscal year.
By comparison, the Kyle Public Library saw an average circulation of 82,524 items during that period. Circulation in Kyle increased by 13,018 items between 2006 and 2012, with the library circulating 125,715 items during Fiscal Year 2012.
The growth of the Buda area has made it difficult for the Buda Library staff to accommodate its citizens.
“The current structure was built in 1993, but it was reported as full in 2003,” said Head Librarian and Director Melinda Hodges. “We constantly have to take material out to make room for new items.”
The greatest challenge for the library staff has been finding open space to place their large collection of items. “We have to be extremely efficient with our space,” said Assistant Librarian Martha Sanders, who showed many bookshelves filled to the brim, with many book collections on top of, or crammed into, bookshelves.
The problem is exacerbated by programs the library currently provides. From reading programs for elementary school children, to learning programs targeted to teens and adults, the need for the larger space is becoming a needed reality.
“We have limits for people coming into our programs,” said Hodges, describing just how complex the library’s situation has become. "We just want everyone in the community to have access to our services.”
The five year long range plan, adopted by the Buda City Council in 2012, has included some solutions for the predicament. The proposed plan calls for a 26,456-square-foot structure similar to one in Harris County. The building was proposed in a 2005 analysis by Catherine S. Park. According to the guideline, the facility could seat up to 210 people, with a meeting room big enough for 150 people, a 35-person study area, conference room that could house 20 people, and a computer lab that would house 20 stations, with the ability to bring in up to 40 more.
The plan also calls for 10,000 square feet for expansion, with 63,700 square feet of parking space.
“To meet the needs of newcomers, we have to have all of the resources available,” said Sanders, describing how much the city needs an expanded library. “It is challenging to meet the needs of the people coming in.”
The problem, though, is where the new building should be constructed. Currently, the existing library lies on the greenbelt adjacent to Main Street in the downtown area. With the railroad track facing the east side of the building, the Gazebo on the North, expanding the current structure is something the staff would rather not do.
“We do not have enough room to grow. We do not want to take more of the greenbelt; it is more trouble than it is worth,” Hodges said. “I would rather have a new building.”
At this time, the Buda City Council is still in the early phases of discussing the expansion of the library. “This is all very preliminary and no decisions have been made,” Buda City Manager Ken Williams said. “The city has looked in the past in the downtown area as a possible site. Also, once, a portion of the City Park tract was considered.”
“As we don’t have detailed plans and drawings, we do not have a cost estimate at this time,” Williams said.
However, Hodges and the library staff are excited that people no longer question the need for a larger library.
“It is great that we have gotten to the point where the question no longer is, ‘do we need it?’” Hodges said. “Everyone now believes that we do.”
Expansion of the Buda Library is one component of the five year long range plan.
