Built from lumber scraps to house the first meager donation of about 400 books, Boerne’s first public library was born. The community saw the need for a much bigger space to serve the growing community back in 2007 and approved a 5 million dollar bond for what would be become the Patrick Heath Public Library we know today. Kelly Skovbjerg looks back on being the Library’s Director for the last 20 years.
Years with library?
20 years in July, 2022
What’s the most rewarding part of your work
with the library?
The connections and relationships I make with people in the community.
What’s your favorite aspect of the new library?
The open space and natural lighting
What are you most proud of with the library What do you have planned for the 70th anniversary? What do you see for yourself personally What’s on the library’s vision board for the next 5 years? 10 years?
in the past 20 years?
That a community the size of Boerne has such a large and fully supported and loved library.
How has the community supported the library?
The community has truly been amazing and supportive in so many ways. People volunteer their expertise, time, and money to assist the library in achieving goals and moving forward.
Lots of monthly activities, featuring 50s music, 50s food, 50s games. We even have a session on 50’s cocktails! In the summer we will have an exhibit of 1950s photography from a studio here in Boerne.
in the coming years?
My kids are growing up and we are close to empty-nest phase so I see a lot more traveling in the coming years.
We are currently updating our strategic plan, but we are anticipating adding a van for outreach, starting a Family Place Library program, continuing to digitize our archives, and determining how to serve residents in the high-growth areas of town. The van will be used for this, and we will also consider remote lockers and 24 hour library kiosks. We are also configuring the current space differently to accommodate more study spaces and café space.
