Kyle’s new library boasts more than 32,000 books, 50 computer workstations, a special children’s area, two community rooms and a history archive. (Photo by Kim Hilsenbeck)
by WYNETTE BARTON
Listen, and you’ll hear a sigh of relief from the Kyle Library’s staff, board and patrons. The new building opened for a trial run last week, with its official grand opening scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 12.
The “pre-opening opening” is to get the kinks out before the library’s official debut, according to Librarian Connie Brooks. Official numbers aren’t out yet, but more than 700 people used the new facility last Friday.
The building was completed ahead of schedule, but delays in furniture shipments pushed the library’s opening back until April. The library staff worked furiously to get fixture arrivals in place and plan the intricate dance steps for the final move while keeping the old library open until a couple of weeks ago.
A final piece, a big one, fell into place in January when Bill Johnson announced the Burdine Johnson Foundation grant of $200,000 for stocking the new library. With the average item costing $30, the grant will add more than 6,500 new books, videos, CDs and computer programs to the collection. Many of these have already arrived, Brooks said, and more are on the way.
The Johnson grant came in the nick of time. With new population figures, Brooks was recently notified that 2,000 items must be added to meet State Library Commission accreditation standards. The commission provides help in many ways to accredited libraries, including access to continuing staff education, purchases at group discounts and state grants, which Kyle has received several times in recent years.
This is not the first time the Johnson family has come to the rescue of the library. The old library building, constructed in the 1960s, was a gift to the community from Bill Johnson’s parents, Jack and Burdine Johnson. Previous to that, Kyle’s library was housed in a back room of the Bon Ton Store, and later in a small room in the old City Hall. With less than 700 people in Kyle at the time, plus farmers and ranchers on its outskirts, the Friends of the Library held fundraisers, sold pies and cakes on street corners, and solicited donations for more than a year to reach the goal of $6,000 to stock their new facility.
The new library was almost seven years in planning and construction. When the building bid came in last year at something over $3 million, library consultant John Gillum said the same structure, built in Austin a year earlier, would have cost $5 to $6 million. The time was right, with building materials dropping in price; the site was right, flat and stable; and the city of Kyle was cooperative.
Construction began in late spring of 2011. The last nail was pounded in by late October. Ease of use and comfort for patrons, utility efficiency, sufficient parking, and room for expansion were all part of the library plan. Beauty of the building is an added plus for the city, as is the construction of a drainage pond that now holds water that previously flooded Scott Street with every big rain.
“Everything is coming together better than we could ever have imagined,” said Library Board President Kathy Ryan. “This will be a terrific asset to the community.”
The May 12 opening promises to be a gala event, with music, guided tours through the building, and a short program. Area businesses and organizations have combined to provide food, flowers and volunteer workers for the event.
“It’s a come-one-come-all opening,” said a Friends of the Library volunteer. “People can come and go or come and stay for the full three hours. We have no idea how many will be there, but we’re expecting a crowd, and we’ll be ready.”
If you go
WHAT: Kyle Library’s official grand opening with music, guided tours and a short program
WHEN: Saturday, May 12, 1-4 p.m.
WHERE: 550 Scott Street, Kyle
