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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2004
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442

The Austin Public Library Wants to Know What You Think
Help us plan for the future...

The Austin Public Library is developing a strategic plan for the future of library services in Austin, Texas. The Library wants to hear from the community about what library services are most important and what future expectations are for library services. During the month of April the Library will be conducting public focus groups to seek input on this topic. The focus groups are open to anyone interested in helping the library plan services for the future.

The public will have several opportunities to give the Library their suggestions:

• Saturday, April 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Windsor Park Branch, 5833 Westminster Dr.
• Tuesday, April 13 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Howson Branch, 2500 Exposition
• Tuesday, April 20 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Pleasant Hill Branch, 211 E. William Cannon Dr.
• Wednesday, April 28 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Spanish focus group at the Ruiz Branch, 1600 Grove Blvd.
• Wednesday, April 28 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Little Walnut Creek Branch, 835 W. Rundberg Ln.

In conjunction with these focus groups an online survey will be available beginning Saturday, April 3 on the Library's Web site. Copies of the survey will be available at all Library locations.

About the Austin Public Library
Currently, the Austin Public Library has 20 branches, the John Henry Faulk Library, and the Austin History Center. The Austin Public Library serves over 484,000 library card holders. In 2002-2003, customers visited the libraries over 3.3 million times and checked out over 3.3 million items. In 1926 (78 years ago) the Library opened with a collection of 500 donated books; today the system holds over one million volumes.

The Austin Public Library continues to receive frequent state and national awards for its programming and services. In March 2004, the Austin History Center won the "Texas Library Association Project of the Year Award" for their work on the film The Blue Bellies are in Austin: Readings from Travis County Slave Narratives. In 2003 the Wired for Youth Centers were selected by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) as the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults Project. These Wired for Youth Centers provide free computer training and Internet access to the children of Austin. The City of Austin partnered with Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to provide staff and computer equipment for the centers. In January 2001 the Library's Youth Star Card Outreach Program won the first "Giant Step Award", a national honor. The program's goal was to place a Library Card in the hand of every child in Austin.

Visit our Web site at www.cityofaustin.org/library or call (512) 974-7400 for additional information about APL services.

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