Volunteer-run library doubles to 1,600 square feet and reopens after a 10-week renovation

Gunter's library reopened Saturday, Oct. 31, after 10 weeks of construction that took it from 800 square feet to 1,600.

The library held a ribbon-cutting to mark the grand reopening, KTEN reported. It has served the town for 23 years and is run as a nonprofit, staffed by 25 volunteers.

What changed

The larger space is divided into areas set aside for children, teens and adults. The renovation also added new furniture, interactive games, laptops and tablets, according to KTEN.

Library director Sue Stratton, a volunteer who has led the library for five years, told the station the expansion was driven by demand. "We have had tremendous growth here in Gunter as part of the Grayson County growth that we are experiencing. And we really just needed more space," she said.

Who paid for it

The work was funded with nearly $250,000 from Texas foundations, businesses and individual donors. David Lewis, president of the Friends of Gunter Library and Museum, put the total raised and spent at "close to a quarter of a million dollars."

"A community ought to have a library," Lewis told KTEN, describing the project as one the town built because residents believed in it.

Stratton said no one on the staff is paid. "It has to be love that keeps us coming here," she said.

Programs and hours

The collection holds more than 5,000 books. Current programs run from story hours for children to bingo for seniors, and the library plans to add educational activities and make more use of the room as a community gathering place, KTEN reported.

The library is at 110 TX-289, Suite 4. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Sources

KTEN

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