The Bee Cave Bee

The Texas Book Festival (TBF) announced at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Houston recently that Bee Cave Public Library has been selected to receive a 2016 TBF Collections Enhancement Grant. 

Bee Cave Public Library sought the grant in order to enhance its collection of books and other materials on parenting and early childhood development.  “We were honored to receive a Family Place Libraries™ grant in 2015 from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to attend training and begin the process of becoming certified as a Family Place Library. That process includes expanding our collection of parenting materials for the families in our community,” explained Library Director Barbara Hathaway. “The Texas Book Festival grant funds will allow us to purchase books specifically recommended by Family Place Libraries to add to our small collection.  Because our physical space is limited and our community is digital-friendly, we intend to divide our purchases between print and e-books, making the new parenting materials easily accessible to everyone.” 

The grant will allow the library to add books on specialized topics not often available in a small public library collection and include child development, nutrition and fitness, family dynamics, grandparenting, pregnancy, sleep, play, speech and language, special needs, and multiples.  Bee Cave Public Services Librarian Terry Lewis said, “Having these resources available in our library will give parents and caregivers a great place to come when they have questions or concerns or just need a little reassurance.“

The Texas Book Festival was established in 1995 by Laura Bush to connect “authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination,” according to its Mission Statement.  It has evolved into one of the premier literary events in the country, hosting about 250 authors each year.  The Texas Book Festival awarded grants totaling more than $100,000 this year as part of its annual tradition of supporting libraries in Texas. Since its inception, the Texas Book Festival has distributed more than $2.9 million to Texas libraries.

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