Outdoor patio, garden & tech bar: See inside Round Rock's new $29.8M library

Visitors to the new Round Rock Public Library this month will have many amenities to enjoy, including a wraparound balcony offering a view of downtown, a lounge area where you can sip coffee while reading and a garden designed for children to explore.

Despite all the modern features, when you ask library staff members what they are most excited about in leaving a 60-year-old building for their new digs, they point to one thing: more space to better serve the community.

"Round Rock just keeps growing so much, and now we can really grow with them," Michelle Cervantes, the library's executive director, said while standing outside the new facility. "We used to be this little plant that was in a pot that was too small, and we could never bloom. Now we've been replanted here."

On Jan. 28, the library will open the doors of its $29.8 million, 66,000-square-foot building, which has three stories and an adjacent 288-space parking garage. The previous library, which had 44,000 square feet, has closed, Cervantes said.

Along with the added space, the new library will offer more modern features, such as an open design, flexible meeting rooms, and training and educational labs. The garage will serve both the library and the downtown area.

An opening day celebration will take place at the library from 2 to 6 p.m. Cervantes said details of the event will be "a surprise."

The new library, at 200 E. Liberty Ave., is one block north of the old one.

What will remain the same, library and city officials said, is that it will play a vital role as a center for people to gather, learn and enrich their lives.

"A library offers more than just books; it offers a community," said Melissa Fontenette-Mitchell, a member of Friends of the Library. "A community that connects people, offers free services and resources, and creates safe havens for kids."


"We used to be this little plant that was in a pot that was too small, and we could never bloom.  Now we've been replanted here," Library Executive director Michelle Cervantes said of the new facility.
Mikala Compton/American-Statesman

A fresh look

Cervantes said designers of the new building focused on having clean lines and a casual yet elegant look that would be timeless and elevate the downtown area. Cathy Kincaid, vice president of membership for the Friends of the Library, said the look of the facility will help attract visitors.

Before entering the facility, visitors will have access to an outdoor patio. Once inside, they will see a lounge area where people can sit while enjoying coffee that can be delivered from nearby shops, Cervantes said.

The first floor will feature a neutral look, Cervantes said, with just a small pop of color, using variations of red.

A conference space on the ground floor will be available to Friends of the Library, church groups and other interested organizations. That space can be subdivided to make three rooms, each with a capacity of up to 60 people.

"We really wanted to use this space and be as open and inviting as possible," Cervantes said. "The idea for this building is to be very flexible, so we can change rooms around, move stuff around as you need to. As the building grows and changes and evolves throughout the years, we can grow with that."

The second floor, with its bright green, blue and orange colors, is dedicated to kids and will allow the library to expand its services to children and teens.

Young visitors will be able to explore an outdoor Discovery Garden, which will contain native Texas plants. In the same outside area, children will have interactive tools such as a labyrinth and Lincoln Logs. Cervantes said they also will be able to screen movies there.

The second floor also will feature a comfort room for parents with babies and five study rooms, each with retractable doors to make them bigger for groups if needed, Cervantes said.

The teen area on that floor will feature an open nook area, extra seating and a tech bar area to connect devices. Teens also will have a TV area to play games, watch movies or "just hang out," Cervantes said. She added that the designs were based on input from the library's teen advisory board.

The library's third floor is designed as a quiet place for people to work or study and features a balcony that wraps around two sides of the building and provides a panoramic view of downtown Round Rock.

Cervantes said that with the additional space, the library will be able to expand the programs it offers for all ages, including book clubs, poetry contests and résumé reviews.

“This is truly a library for the community, intended to serve people from all walks of life," Mayor Craig Morgan said. "This building, and the programming that will happen in it, will help shape the future of Round Rock.”

Cervantes said the location for the new library was selected because it is a place visitors could walk to from nearby core city facilities such as City Hall and Prete Plaza and is along a bus route. She said residents wanted the library to remain downtown.

The new library is the last project from a voter-approved, $123.6 bond package in 2013 that also paid for Fire Department facilities, training centers for police and firefighters, and park improvements. The $23.2 million for the construction of the library won with 60% of the vote.

The total cost of the library and garage, which includes construction and furnishings, is $29.8 million. The difference between the bond-approved cost and the total for the library is made up from the city's general construction fund, officials said. The garage cost of $13.4 million is funded by the city's sales tax revenue.

More than 200,000 materials from the old library are being moved into the new facility, Cervantes said, and about 10,000 new materials will be added to the collection. While awaiting the new library's opening, residents still have access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, videos and other e-resources.

All 43 library staff members will keep their positions, and seven more will be hired, including a security guard and a marketing director. The old library had 65,000 card holders, and Cervantes said a 30% increase is expected at the new one.

Old library's conversion

The old library, at 216 E. Main St., opened in 1961. After more than 60 years of service, the building is scheduled to be remodeled for $1.7 million to house the Round Rock Visitors Center and the Round Rock Chamber, and to include space for the city's arts and culture programs.

The remodel will include a floor plan change, adjustments to ground level access, updates to the facade and refurbishing the mechanical systems. The design phase began in November and will last about 18 months.

In anticipation of the remodeling, the city plans to move the nearby Round Rock Chamber's Palm House, which provides meeting space for the chamber, from 212 E. Main St. to Palm Valley Boulevard. Moving the house will allow the city to build a walkway that connects Prete Plaza and the courtyard for the new library, city officials said.