Can someone compare public libraries in Austin, TX suburbs?

[prairiewindmomma]

We are considering different job opportunities. We scouted DFW and Austin neighborhoods last week. We ran short on time in Austin due to a travel delay (8! hours stuck on I-35) and so I only got to see the Pflugerville public library. Can anyone chime in on Cedar Park or Round Rock or the Austin libraries?

 

Pflugerville seemed safe and new, but the nonfiction children's section was minimal. The ILL policy is also meager (only 5 at a time) compared to what we are used to. The library had more of a cafe feel....

[vonfirmath]

I live in Pflugerville and thus frequent both Pflugerville and Austin libraries (living in Travis County, we can have library cards in both).

 

Pflugerville is nice because it is much closer and there are no overdue fees. But the Austin library is bigger and has a much larger collection.  Pflugerville lets you keep books out for 2 weeks, Austin for 3 weeks.

 

Pflugerville's "5 at a time" on holds is the same as Austin's libraries. I remember when Austin when from 10 to 5 and I didn't like it -- but it is what it is. I cope.

 

I don't particularly like the new library -- it feels cold and inpersonal. And you have to walk SO FAR to get to any books! But it certainly has a larger collection than the old library did, and they are making good use of all the new space they have. And I can still put books on hold online and just walk in to check them out.

 

The two closest Austin library branches to Pflugerville are Millwood And Spicewood Springs.  I used to have Spicewood Springs as my "home" branch. I prefer the actual library there. But Milwood is closer and when I'm just doing a quick in and out to grab hold books, I find it easier to get to so I finally changed my home to there.  Neither has Sunday hours :( (Pflugerville does! After 1p. I don't think they open until 1 on Saturday either).

 

Both Austin and Pflugerville have online access where you can put books on hold, as well as different OVerdrive catalogs (for ebooks/Downloadable Audiobooks)

 

I just thought about something else. When a Hold comes in at the Austin library system, you've got 10 days to get in and check the book our (You get charged $1 if you neither check the book our nor cancel the hold before this time is up).  At the Pflugerville library, you get 3!  This makes holds much harder to manage at Pflugerville sometimes.

 

[vonfirmath]

Requesting books at local libraries:

I've had 2 books purchased at my recommendation from the Pflugerville library. (maybe 3. I don't remember the 3rd) in each case, once it came in it was automatically added to my hold list. I didn't have to watch for it to show up.

 

I don't know if any of the books I've recommended at the Austin libraries have been purchased. They never got back to me either way.

 

My experience with each system:

Pflugerville 1.5 years

Austin 5.5 years  (Manchaca Branch down south was my home branch for 4 of those years, with wonderful SUNDAY hours!)

 

Checking out the websites at the other local communities.

 

Round Rock allows 3 holds at a time on a Single card account. Family accounts can put up to 9 holds.

[Cafdog]

Must chime in  - I worked at the Spicewood Springs branch about a hundred years ago when I was a Library School grad student at UT.  Made me smile to hear about my old branch in this thread!  Sorry to threadjack, though.   :lol:

 

[brehon]

We've always preferred the Austin library branches to the other cities' libraries. More choices on a wide variety of topics, generally more availability, longer check-out periods, etc. Plus you don't pay a non-resident rate to get cards. We don't even live in Austin and pay nothing for our cards. Georgetown library is nice and has really nice people staffing it; Round Rock has, I think, the second largest collection; but, they have high non-resident fees, lots of restrictions on non-resident & Tex-Share cards, and aren't generally as helpful (IMO). Cedar Park & Leander have small libraries without the choices.

 

I'm not sure where you're planning on living. Austin proper is very expensive. Living in Travis County or Williamson County is less so. Many, many people live outside Austin because of the cost and commute in to work. You can live anywhere around Austin (even outside of TC) and obtain library cards for the Austin library and that's what I would do. I don't know about all the branches within Austin because I only ever use the Spicewood Springs branch and Faulk Central.

 

Oh, just a piece of friendly advice :) don't refer to the smaller cities, especially in Williamson County, as suburbs of Austin. They get their widdle feewings hurt. ;)