The Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of Fort Bend County Libraries’ Fulshear Branch Library will take place on Saturday, January 13, beginning at 10:00 am, at the new library, located at 6350 GM Library Road in Fulshear, Texas.
The grand opening will be officiated by Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who will be joined by Precinct 1 County Commissioner Vincent Morales and other county and local officials. All area residents are invited to come out and take part in the grand-opening reception.
The Fulshear Branch Library, which replaces the Bob Lutts Fulshear/Simonton Branch Library, is now the third largest library in the Fort Bend County library system. Designed by Huitt-Zollars, the 2-story building is 41,980 square feet in size. Flintco is the general contractor.
Construction of the new Fulshear Branch Library is the final phase of a $19.8-million bond referendum approved by voters in November 2015, which included $13.4 million for a new library to be built on the north side of the county.
The library was designed to be family-friendly, with individual areas for children, teens, and adults. The general library areas on the first and second floors are enhanced by natural light from a series of glazed windows framing spectacular views of the area.
The library includes an outdoor patio with charging stations, a drive-through book return in the parking lot, community meeting rooms, study rooms, a puppet theater, and a computer lab for technology classes and public use. Additional computers will be available for public use outside of the computer lab. The library has free WiFi access for individuals wishing to bring their own laptop computers to the library.
Children will be delighted with the interactive game table in the Youth Department, as well as with the whimsical musical elements outside the library.
The Youth Services department will offer a full range of children’s programs, including Mother Goose Time for infants, Toddler Time for children from 1 to 3 years of age, Preschool Story Time for 3- to 6-year-old children, and school-aged programs for children in grades K through 8.
The library will offer book clubs and craft groups, and introductory computer classes for adults will soon be available. Patrons may learn computer basics, such as how to use a computer, how to search the Internet, and how to use Microsoft Office programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
A wide variety of books for children and adults are available for recreational reading and research. Magazines, newspapers, and audiovisual materials are also on hand. The library offers an online digital collection of ebooks and e-audiobooks, as well as e-magazines and streaming movies that can be accessed from home. A generous assortment of research databases is available for patrons to access in the library or from home.
“Part of our library mission is to provide an environment of lifelong learning and enrichment for the entire, diverse community, and this new venture just reinforces our commitment to providing a continuum of service for people of all ages,” said Library Director Clara Russell. “We hope the residents in the area will find the new library a pleasant and enjoyable place where they can study or just relax with a good book.”
The new Fulshear Branch Library is located at 6350 GM Library Road, off Texas Heritage Parkway, north of FM 1093, in Fulshear, Texas.
The hours of operation for the new Fulshear Branch Library are as follows: Monday, 12:00 noon – 9:00 pm; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Thursday, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm; Friday, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm; and Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The library is closed on Sundays.
For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us) or call the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).