CHECK IT OUT Lake Travis-Westlake has four library districts that cover Lake Travis, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Westlake, Rollingwood, West Austin and Spicewood. Here is a breakdown of the library districts, their special features and all new library projects and renovations in the area.
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PHOTOS BY TAYLOR CRIPE COMMUNITY IMPACT SPICEWOOD COMMUNITY LIBRARY 1011 Spur 191, Spicewood Project : $1.5-2 million renovation Timeline: TBD Library cardholders : 951 Items checked out in 2022: 2,698
Spicewood
LAKE TRAVIS COMMUNITY LIBRARY WEST 21209 Hwy. 71, Spicewood Project: TBD Timeline: late 2023-early 2024
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Lakeway
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Westlake Hills
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Library will move from the City Hall building in the Hill Country Galleria to a location still to be determined, the library’s Public Service Manager Gretchen Hardin said. A modern library means having more space and ¡exibility for pro- grams, she said, adding it is supposed to meet the needs of people today while also having the ¡exibility to change 15-20 years from now. One example of this comes from the new Round Rock Public Library, which Bee Cave Library ocials toured to get ideas for their new, mod- ern library. “They have learning spaces that can be used for [English as a second lan- guage] classes or technology learning, but they can also use that same space for something they have not even thought of yet,” Hardin said. A primary reason to modernize the library is that its role has also changed over the years, Bee Cave Library Director Barbara Hathaway said. “We’ve embraced the idea that learning is more than just reading. ... We also try to not just connect people to resources, like books or databases, but to each other,” she said.
forward to oering more classes at the new location when it opens. “I trust that the new location will be just as wonderful and impactful to the Spicewood area,” Dixon said. Lake Travis Library ocials sur- veyed the public about the new Spice- wood location at the beginning of the year, according to library documents. Of the 829 people who responded to the survey, over 86% of respondents said they look forward to borrowing library materials, and nearly 60% of respondents indicated they would visit the west location when it opens. “I imagine our new library won’t be able to keep up with growth out there,” McMillan said. “We’re going to need a free-standing, bigger building.” Modernization Bee Cave Library ocials are designing a 24,000-square-foot, three-story library with modern ame- nities, including a separate work area for technical services, 45,000 books, laptop-docking work stations, a pub- lic conference room, individual study rooms and usable outdoor spaces. Once completed, which is ten- tatively set for 2025, the Bee Cave
Library service districts Spicewood Lake Travis
Austin
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Austin Public Library
Bee Cave Westlake Lake Travis overlap
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SOURCES: AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, BEE CAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY, LAKE TRAVIS COMMUNITY LIBRARY, SPICEWOOD COMMUNITY LIBRARY, WESTBANK COMMUNITY LIBRARY COMMUNITY IMPACT
early 2024, the district is seeking to add another library called Lake Travis Community Library West o Hwy. 71 in Spicewood. The main reason for building the library is growth in the service areas in Spicewood, Briarcli, Bee Creek and Rough Hollow, Lake Travis Library Director Morgan McMillan said. The new library will also be making more services and programs available to more patrons, McMillan said. Library programs at the Lake Travis Library range from live music events to stress management classes. Sound Bath Meditation is a free meditative class held at the Lake Tra- vis Library. It is run by sound healing and yoga studio Cloud 9 Wellness; co-owner Jessica Dixon said she looks
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The Lake Travis-Westlake area has four library districts: Lake Travis Community, Bee Cave, Westbank and Spicewood libraries. Each library district is anticipating signicant changes over the next few years, library ocials said. “In these stressful and competitive times, our libraries strive to be a sanc- tuary where people feel welcome, comfortable, relaxed and supported,” Westbank Community Library Direc- tor Mary Jo Finch said. Continued growth The Lake Travis Community Library has one location o Lohmans Cross- ing Road in Lakeway; by late 2023 or
GET CARDED While many community members live in the service area of a Lake Travis-Westlake or Austin Public Library, residents who live outside of these areas may still receive a library card for other library districts. These are the costs and options associated with each district.
WESTBANK COMMUNITY LIBRARY Library card Free: residents in Westbank W
AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY Library card Free: Austin residents $120 per year: nonresidents
BEE CAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY Library card
LAKE TRAVIS COMMUNITY LIBRARY Library card
SPICEWOOD COMMUNITY LIBRARY Library card
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Free: anyone with a valid Texas ID or TexShare card
Free: anyone who lives in Texas and lls out an application
Free: anyone who lives in Texas and lls out an application
and Eanes ISD areas Various prices: other memberships
SOURCES: AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, BEE CAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY, LAKE TRAVIS COMMUNITY LIBRARY, SPICEWOOD COMMUNITY LIBRARY, WESTBANK COMMUNITY LIBRARY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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