Herman Brown Free Library gifted $20,000
The Herman Brown Free Library has undergone multiple upgrades to its facilities since being built in 1977, including new shelving, flooring, and even a genealogy room to preserve Burnet County history. Staff photo by Caden Senn
The Herman Brown Free Library will likely be making considerable upgrades to its facilities and equipment after receiving a generous $20,000 donation on Jan. 1 from Burnet community member Lavona Fry.
Plans for the new funds include finishing the “second phase” of the children’s bookroom, adding new furniture, toys, and games; and upgrading the library’s aging public print station equipment and software.
“We were overwhelmed by the donation we were given and just deeply moved at the generosity and the desire to invest in our community in that way,” Library Director Florence Reeves told DailyTrib.
The current library building, which opened in 1977, has faced the normal wear and tear of time and renovations are needed according Reeves.
With assistance from Burnet County’s maintenance department, the Friends of the Herman Brown Free Library, and donations from generous souls like Fry, the library has undergone many upgrades, including a building addition in 2017 that provided computer space, bathrooms, and a new genealogy room.
Over the years, much of the funding that the library has garnered from Burnet County and the Friends of the Library has gone towards keeping books and supplies stocked, with a few larger projects here and there.
“Burnet County maintenance and the additional funding provided by the Friends of the Library are our main support for programs, materials, and all those little things that make the library such a wonderful place to visit,” Reeves said.
For more information on the Herman Brown Free Library, visit their website at or call 512-715-5228.