| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Georgetown Public Library will be celebrating |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | its first half-century in March 2016, and the beginning of its 50th |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | anniversary year provides a welcome occasion to take note of this |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | distinguished institution's history; and |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Before the public library was established, |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | residents of Georgetown used the libraries of the local school |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | district or Southwestern University if they wished to borrow a |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | book, though many of the popular titles requested by readers were |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | unavailable there; and |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, In response to demand, the Georgetown Public Library |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | was opened on March 21, 1966, in two small, poorly lit rooms off |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | Main Street, with $21 in its account, a volunteer staff, and a |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | collection of 1,200 books; in June of that year, fewer than 1,000 |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | books were checked out, but by 1970, the library had grown enough to |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | require its own building, and in 1987, it moved again, to Martin |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | Luther King Jr. Street; and |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Since 2007, the Georgetown Public Library has been |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | housed in a 54,000-square-foot building that features a |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | kid-friendly first floor and a quieter section on the second floor; |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | this thriving institution operates with an annual budget of $2 |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | million and boasts a collection of nearly 111,000 books and 6,700 |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | DVDs, and today it loans out as many items in a single day as it used |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | to in a month; and |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | WHEREAS, The library also enjoys the support of the Friends |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | of the Georgetown Library; this dedicated and hardworking group of |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | volunteers numbers more than 740 members, making it one of the |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | largest such associations in the state; and |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, For nearly half a century, the Georgetown Public |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | Library has been a source of enlightenment, inspiration, and |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | delight to countless area residents, and it is a pleasure to |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | recognize this vital community resource; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary year of the |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | Georgetown Public Library and extend to its staff, volunteers, and |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | patrons sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | prepared for the library as an expression of high regard by the |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
|---|