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PAST NEWS ARCHIVE
October 16, 2001
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442

Community Jubilee Celebration at Spicewood Springs Branch

On Saturday, November 10, 2001, the Spicewood Springs Branch of the Austin Public Library, located in Northwest Austin at 8637 Spicewood Springs Road, will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Austin Public Library. The entertainment will begin at 10:30 a.m. with The Harms Marionettes in "Aladdin and His Magic Lamp," performed by Don Harms. At noon, Austin Public Library's very own Steve Reich will perform with the Barons of Rhythm swing band. Dancing is highly encouraged, so bring your dancing shoes! At 1:00 p.m. the Bengali Community Dancers will perform, followed by a group of students playing the harmonium—a musical instrument from India. "We wanted to put together a celebration that is truly reflective of our community and the customers we serve," says Jerry Williams, Managing Librarian. All ages are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be provided.

Please join us as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Austin Public Library at Spicewood Springs Branch! Visit our Web site at http://www.cityofaustin.org/library/ for additional information about APL services.

About Spicewood Springs Branch
Spicewood Springs Branch opened on November 4, 1985 after having been located (as North Oaks Branch) in the cramped, 200-square-foot lobby of the former Lamar Savings & Loan building. In its current 7,200 square-foot facility, Spicewood Springs Branch serves a very large area of Northwest Austin, and because it is on the city's outskirts, serves a large number of nonresidents. The majority of its service area is composed of highly educated, young, upwardly mobile singles and couples. Many newcomers from the Far East and Indian subcontinent are moving to the high-tech corridor along Highway 183.

Parents in this area take an active part in their children's education, even those not yet comfortable with the English language, and juvenile materials circulate heavily. Storytime programs are so popular that tickets are now required. Some features of the branch include: Lap Sit programs for infants and mothers; foreign language material in Chinese (mainland China) and Taiwanese dialect, Bengali, Spanish, and Hindi; a Chinese newspaper—World Journal of Texas; Midnight Madness party for the end of the summer reading program; a total materials circulation of 262,252 last year; and large collection of multicultural cookbooks.

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