It was the summer of 2014 when Hayley Warren, a fourth grader at Jarrell Elementary School wrote a letter to the City Council telling them about the need for a local library. She had a love for books and didn’t feel her family should have to drive to Georgetown so that she could get the books she wanted to read. She said that “we need books to study or use our imagination. And it’s not just for kids; adults can enjoy reading and learning as well.
On November 10, 2014 Hayley was joined by her family and community leaders at the Schwertner State Bank to officially open a bank account with $1,000; funds she raised to start our library.
Over the next 5 years the library became a registered non-profit and created a board of directors. Volunteers worked countless hours soliciting book and furniture donations, creating infrastructure and holding fundraisers in order to make Hayley’s dream a reality.
With the generosity of the Sonterra MUD, the library was allowed to move into their empty building in 2018. Then it was time for the daunting task of sorting through all the book donations which filled 2 storage units. More time was spent transporting the books, evaluating them for shelf readiness, cataloguing, labeling and shelving the books.
We opened our doors in May of 2019. It wasn’t always easy. There was definitely some blood, sweat and tears expended to get where we are today. But through the passion and dedication of some great volunteers, we were able to bring the community a place where students could study, seniors could socialize, kids could be introduced to fun stories and crafts, and adults could learn new skills.