Spicewood Community Library
Five-Year Plan
2017-2022

Mission

To provide free and equal access to a variety of materials and resources for personal enrichment and to be an advocate in the community for lifelong learning.

Vision

To be the place in the community to learn, to discover, to explore, to educate, to enjoy, and to play an essential role in the intellectual and technology growth of the community.

Community

  Spicewood is an unincorporated, rural area of the Hill Country in Texas about half way between Austin and Marble Falls, approximately 20 miles each away.  The population of the area is roughly 6,000 people.  The area contains many farms and ranches but being close to both Austin and Marble Falls, there are a number of communities that serve people working in those areas.  In addition, the area is bordered on the northeast side by Lake Travis so there are a number of housing developments that serve as retirement and second homes.

The area is part of the Marble Falls Independent School District and has one elementary school, Spicewood Elementary.  Middle and high school students are bussed to Marble Falls.

Being unincorporated, there are limited city/county type services.  There are no city/county public libraries, community centers, swimming pools, police stations, or medical facilities.  The library is privately owned and funded with the exception of a part-time county employee to help run the facility.  The community center is privately owned and funded.  The fire department is volunteer.  The county is currently building an EMS station in Spicewood but that is the only totally funded county emergency service located here.  Everything else is located in Marble Falls, 20 miles away.

History

In 2004, a group of Spicewood residents gathered at a local BBQ restaurant called Opie’s to discuss the need for a local library.  This group formed a non-profit corporation, Friends of the Spicewood Community Library, Inc., set up a board, and filed for tax-exempt status.  Starting soon after, fundraising began.  Efforts included an annual BBQ and auction fundraiser, membership drive, and donation requests.

Linda Wall, a local farm owner, donated one and one-half acres of land in memory of her parents just below Spicewood Elementary School on Spur 191.  A 1,440 square foot, unused/unwanted manufactured building was located and donated.  It was moved to the property and remodeling began with volunteers doing most of the work.

For several years, the Friends group had been collecting donated books and stored them in an empty class room at the elementary school.  In total, approximately 5,000 books were stored in that classroom.  Once the remodeling was completed, these books were moved to the remodeled library onto donated shelving.  Volunteers cataloged the books and set up Spicewood’s first, free and open WiFi hotspot.

The library opened in July 2007.  Late in 2007, a grant from the Tocker Foundation made commercial grade library shelving and furniture possible.  In 2010, an LCRA grant pair with matching library funds made a 1,080 square foot addition possible with another Tocker Foundation grant in 2011 for additional furniture and shelving.  In 2015, volunteers built a 500 square foot building to serve as a thrift store.

Since its grand opening, the library has continued to evolve and increase the number and types of services offered to the community.  It has never charged for a library card and makes its Internet access available 24 hours a day inside the building during business hours and in the parking lot at all times.  Patron computers are available with popular software applications.  The library’s current catalog includes over 10,000 titles on the shelves, over twice the original total.  In addition, the library has joined with other Central Texas libraries in a consortium that offers over 9,000 items of digital content for electronic reading and listening devices.

Goals

1. Improve overall quality of the library’s status and catalog

2. Develop plans to build a permanent, replacement building

3. Seek grants and funding for furnishings and collection development

4. Continue to evolve the library’s technology-based set of solutions

5. Continue library volunteer  and staff development program

6. Increase membership and thrift store income to support library operations

Objectives

1. Improve overall quality of the library’s status and catalog

1. Gain accreditation from the Texas State Library & Archives Commission (ACHIEVED)

2. Improve catalog by weeding and updating average copyright date

2. Develop plans to build a more permanent facility

1. Continue to explore paving parking lot (ACHIEVED)

2. Create basic floor plan for new building and rendering

3. Develop and execute a building fundraising plan

4. Explore loan options

3. Seek grants and funding for furnishings and collection development

1. Attend grant workshops and webinars

2. Identify and file for additional collection and furnishings grants

4. Continue to evolve the library’s technology-based set of solutions

1. Maintain the library’s website

2. Use accreditation and add TexShare databases (ACHIEVED)

3. Implement interlibrary loan program (IN PROCESS)

5. Continue library volunteer and staff development program

1. Develop plan to increase volunteer base

2. Increase communication with volunteers

3. Meet or exceed professional development hours for library manager (ACHIEVED)

6. Increase membership and thrift store income to support library operations

1. Develop broader programs to collect donated items

2. Increase sales revenue 10% per year

Budget