Burnet library closing for renovations; Coffee Talks program on Civil War
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — The Friends of the Herman Brown Free Library have a Christmas gift for library patrons.
The organization is paying for new carpet tile and paint that will be installed and applied from Jan. 12-30. The library will be closed during that time.
“If you’re going to read … the surroundings need to be fresh and comfortable,” library director Betsy Engelbrecht said. “This building has a great deal of character.”
The money for the renovations is coming from the thrift store, not the building fund, she said.
The projected cost is about $50,000, according to Friends group president Leonard Smith.
He said the latest renovations are part of the objective of the organization, which is “to have a nice library.”
Staff members will clear out furniture, books, equipment and other items that need to be moved to allow workers to begin the renovation.
“It’s going to be a busy time,” Engelbrecht said.
Last year, the Tocker Foundation awarded the library a $50,000 grant that paid for upgrades to the meeting room, furniture, shelves and other needs, she said.
The new meeting room is where the library’s monthly Coffee Talks occur. An author is invited to talk about a book or published work he or she has penned.
“Since the success of the meeting room, we wanted to carry on and finish the rest of the library,” she said.
Those needing library services can use the Marble Falls Public Library, 101 Main St., and the Bertram Free Library, 203 S. San Gabriel.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
Coffee Talks on Jan. 8
Experience a “A Private’s View of the Civil War” during a Coffee Talks presentation Jan. 8 at the Herman Brown Free Library.
The free program in the author series is 2 p.m. at the library, 100 E. Washington on the courthouse square. Refreshments will be served at 1:30 p.m. The public is invited.
Leonard Smith, president of the Friends of the Herman Brown Free Library, will present the program. He is a descendant of Alfred Jefferson Smith, a private in the Confederate army, whose diary gives details about the war and that era in the South. The soldier fought at Cornith, Mississippi, and was captured at Vicksburg.
A general membership program for the Friends group will follow the presentation. There will be drawings for prizes, and a book bag will be given with each new membership.
The Friends of the Herman Brown Free Library is a nonprofit organization that supports the library by sponsoring programs, funding books and other items as well as preparing for library expansion. It also manages and staffs the Library Thrift Shop, with profits going to the library.
Call the library at (512) 715-5228 for more information.