The Joe Barnhart Bee County Library
One of Dr. Barnhart's dreams was the creation of a
library, a new, modern facility to serve the entire community. The
Foundation worked with the community to make that dream a reality. The
Joe Barnhart Bee County Library opened March 3, 2001. Housed in an
historic 1906 building owned by the Foundation located on the courthouse
square, the library is a state-of-the-art facility and is one of the
first public libraries in the country to use the newest 3M Digital
Identification System. It offers distance learning, video-conferencing,
and Tex Share, a program enabling patrons to check out books from
participating libraries across the state,including the University of
Texas and Texas A&M University. The library provides over 36 public
access computer workstations and 34 public access laptops, all with
high speed Internet connections. The library has over 27,000 volumes,
including a first edition Samuel Johnson dictionary dated 1755. The
library shares its resources, via a shared library system with area
schools.
The library has created a branch facility at the Boys
and Girls Club of Beeville, equipped with public access computer
workstations and books aimed at the young adult audience (ages 11-16).
Custom-made,
signed Thomas Moser furnishings are featured throughout the building.
The glass addition to the original structure includes a glass elevator.
Funding
for the creation of the library, including build-out, equipment and
furnishings, technology and books, was provided by a grant of over $4
million from the Foundation. In addition, the Foundation provides a
$250,000 endowment to the library for operating expenses. Remaining
operating budget funding is provided by Bee County, the City of
Beeville, and grants. The Foundation leases the building to the library
for $1 per year and funds capital maintenance and repair costs of the
building.
The Foundation offers
Earning by Learning, a proven reading improvement program for all K
through age 11 students in the Beeville Independent School District and
parochial schools. On completion of a book and testing on the book's
content, students are paid an average of $2 per book read. Funding from
the Joe Barnhart Foundation for the 2009 program was $35,000. The
program is conducted at the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library. Reading
skills have improved over the year since inception of this program.
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