Beyond Books: Marble Falls Library connects community, builds support
Dozens of patrons gathered and mingled with writers at the Marble Falls Public Library on May 8 during a local authors book fair, just one of the many programs and events offered by the library to inspire the community. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Beyond Books” is a story series by The Picayune Magazine that features local libraries and how they meet the needs of the communities they serve. This is the first of the series. The others will be published in the magazine and DailyTrib.com at later dates.
Inspiration. That is the word that guides the decisions, directives, and hearts of the people who lovingly curate the Marble Falls Public Library. Director Amanda Rose leads a band of dedicated staff and volunteers, backed by ample support from the community, in her effort to create a malleable refuge that meets the diverse needs and dreams of residents.
The library is known for its physical and digital collections of books and media as well as its exceptional programming. Any given day at the Marble Falls Public Library could mean a magic show, an indoor concert, a Chess Club meeting, free legal help from the Highland Lakes Bar Association, a local author book fair, reptile wrangling, or, of course, storytime.
“It is kind of our mission, our goal, to not only be a library of resources and materials but also programming and creative inspiration of all kinds, from sciences to the arts, for all ages,” Rose said. “I have a very creative staff and a team of people who have a heart for helping. We work together to adapt and change our programs for the community.”
The library’s patrons seem to like the way things are going. About 56,000 of them walked through the doors in 2024, which is 2,000 more than in 2023. That comes out to an average of 230 people per day. Not bad for a library in Small Town, U.S.A.
The numbers don’t stop at the door. Love for the library’s programs is strong, with over 2,100 kids attending shows and sessions throughout 2024, more than 800 songs sung and 400 books read during scheduled storytimes, and 200-plus games of chess played.
If anyone has heard that libraries are no longer relevant or that ”kids don’t read anymore,” the news has not made it to Marble Falls. Nearly 100,000 books were circulated at the library in 2024, with 42,504 of them from the youth collection.
All of this was done free of charge. Patrons just need to sign up for a library card to gain access to a trove of treasures and programs. Library users saved over $2.8 million in 2024 using the Burnet County Library System rather than buying materials themselves.
“It’s important to listen. That’s our job,” Rose said. “This library is for the community, and we have to know what they want.”
QUICK FACT: In 2024, the most popular children’s book at the Marble Falls Public Library was “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney. The most popular adult book was “The Exchange After the Firm” by John Grisham.
To keep the library operating and its programs exciting isn’t all on Rose’s shoulders. The Marble Falls Public Library runs on an interesting collaboration between Burnet County, the city of Marble Falls, library staff, volunteers, and the ultra-dedicated Friends of the Marble Falls Library support organization.
The library is part of the Burnet County Library System, which includes the Herman Brown Free Library in Burnet, the Bertram Library, the Oakalla Library, and the Spicewood Community Library. County funds pay for the budgets and staff salaries throughout the system.
The city of Marble Falls owns the library building at 101 Main St. and pays for its upkeep and infrastructure.
The library’s seven staff members get a helping hand from about five consistent volunteers, one of whom has been at it for 13 years.
“From the time that I first walked in here and applied for my library card, maybe two months after I moved here, I started immediately volunteering, and it’s been inspiring ever since,” said Deann Randle, president of the Friends of the Marble Falls Library Board of Directors.
Randle and other Friends play an important role in funding projects, including the 2025 summer reading events, which offer inspirational opportunities like Magik Theatre on June 12, Wildlife on the Move on June 26, Robotic Workshop on July 17, and Science Show on July 24.
Beyond programming, the Friends group helped fund recent renovations. This year, members paid for an overhaul of the library’s children’s section and a new location and setup for computer stations that offer more privacy to users. With programs gaining in popularity, new chairs were purchased to accommodate the growing audiences.
The Friends group raises money through the Marble Falls Library Thrift Store at 300 Avenue J. The store is a popular destination for locals to both shop and make donations, with all proceeds going toward the store’s operating expenses and direct funding for library projects.
“The value of the library and the thrift store, as a team, is to build our community,” Randle said.
Randle’s dedication to supporting the library begins with her own true love for the institution of libraries as a whole. Her mother was a school librarian, and Randle followed in her footsteps, working as a librarian at schools and universities before making her way to the Herman Brown Free Library, where she worked for eight years before retiring.
She noted an important difference between public libraries and those at schools.
“It’s about the amount of thought that goes into ‘What does the community need?’” she said. “(School) libraries do what professors and teachers and students need, but in a public library, you have to consider what the entire community needs.”
Rose voiced similar sentiments, along with her personal reasons for loving libraries.
“When I figured out that libraries were about helping people, I was hooked,” she said. “Growing up, the library was always a comforting place to be. Whatever I wanted to learn about, I could go and find it. It’s a little bit of a magical place, right?”
The Marble Falls Public Library at 101 Main St. is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 830-693-3023 or visit marblefallslibrary.org.
PROGRAMS & CLUBS
Visit marblefallslibrary.org to keep up with everything the Marble Falls Public Library offers, especially its over-the-top, popular summer reading programs.
Here are a few of the wonderful opportunities available:
MONTHLY
- Monday Book Club, 10:30 a.m. second Mondays
- Birding Book Club, 11 a.m. third Mondays
- Beading Group, 3 p.m. first and third Tuesdays
- Poetry Club, 6 p.m. last Tuesdays
- Classics Book Club, 10:30 a.m. first Wednesdays
- Lawyers in the Library, 4 p.m. second Wednesdays
- Writer’s Club, 1:30 p.m. third Wednesdays
- Mystery Book Club, 1 p.m. first Thursdays
- Photo Club, 3:30 p.m. first Thursdays
- Lego Club, 4 p.m. second Thursdays
- Ukulele Club, 5 p.m. third Thursdays
- Native Plant Society, 1 p.m. third Saturdays in January, March, May, September, and November
WEEKLY
- Preschool Story Time, 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays
- Mother Goose Time, 10:30 a.m. Fridays
- Reading Unleashed, 3:30 p.m. Mondays
- Chess Club, 4 p.m. Mondays