By Miranda Ebersole
The San Pedro Branch Library across San Pedro Avenue to the west of this college reopened Nov. 8 after almost a year of being closed for remodeling.
“The place was pretty run down,” library branch Manager Michael Kaminski said Tuesday.
The library underwent a complete overhaul, Kaminski said. Walls were knocked out, opening up additional space, and some new walls were put in the 4,000-square-foot building, he said.
Both the library’s interior and exterior walls were treated to a fresh coat of paint, and the plumbing and wiring of the building were upgraded, he said.
This library was the first branch library in San Antonio when it was built in 1930, Kaminski said.
It sits in San Pedro Springs Park, which is the oldest municipal park in Texas and second oldest in the nation after Boston Commons.
It is the smallest branch library in San Antonio and is split in half between the children’s and adult sections.
The branch has two librarians on staff, Kaminski and children’s librarian Betsy Dalton.
Some of Dalton’s responsibilities include coordinating story times, after-school activities and crafts, Kaminski said.
Along with the rest of San Antonio Library branches, San Pedro Branch Library offers free wireless Internet access to library card holders.
The library plans to increase popular materials in their collection and become a resource for the latest popular books, Kaminski said.
They also have a collection of movies to check out, he said.
To obtain a library card, people need identification and proof of residency, such as a driver’s license, Kaminski said.
For residents of Bexar County, library cards are free.
Residents of other counties, however, will be required to pay $60 for a yearlong library membership, and $20 for a three-month period, Kaminski said.