Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center

The outdoor book drop at the library building (276 N. Orange St.) will close Friday, April 24. After that date, all books must be returned during opening hours at the library's temporary location within the EDC lobby. Library staff is losing access to the book drop at that time and will be unable to enter the building to remove books. The book drop will be sealed shut at that time. Please do not attempt to pry open the book drop. If books are left in the drop or on the ground, they will be considered lost.

Visit our online library catalog for a complete list of books available at this location. You can also search the catalog if you're looking for something specific, although reserves are unavailable. Click here to view a complete list of e-books and e-audiobooks available.

During the emergency closure, all due dates were put on hold, and no books went into overdue status. Now that we're open again, all due dates have shifted accordingly. To check your due dates, log into your library account online. You'll find a helpful tutorial here.

Any materials that were due or overdue prior to the closure were not affected. All items that were already in an overdue status remain in an overdue status. Visit this page for more information about the overdue process.

E-materials are still available through Libby, the library reading app. We're also researching ways to increase access to e-materials. Click here to view a complete list of e-books and e-audiobooks available.

Yes! To obtain a membership, simply bring in a valid state-of-Texas issued photo identification with current address. If your state-issued I.D. does not contain a current address, bring in a tax bill, utility bill, or lease agreement as proof of address. City of Giddings residents receive a free library card. Lee County residents pay $2, and Texas residents pay $10. The library-card issuing process takes about 5 minutes. Library accounts require a photo and are valid for two full years. New account holders are issued a library card when they open their account. In the case of a lost or damaged library card, a replacement may be purchased for $2.50.

We're able to accept cash and card. Please note, we don't keep extra cash on site so we can only accept coins and small bills. Exact change is the most convenient way to pay at this temporary location. The card-processing company does charge an extra fee for card use ($1 per transaction). Please plan ahead and check the price list before you visit. 

We'll have at least two staff members at this location at all times. For other staff members, some of our work will continue at different locations. We're also grateful for the opportunity to assist other City departments during this time. The library director will receive a temporary office at City Hall, and all staff members will help wherever we're needed. We're viewing this as a great opportunity to learn new things and serve in new ways!

We are securing another location for Summer Reading and all other library programs and events. We'll update you when details are confirmed.

Yes! The festival will continue as planned. If for some reason, there's a delay in the remediation or reconstruction, we already have secured a secondary location for the September 25-26 festival. 

Follow us on Facebook for updates as we receive them. We'll also continue to send our monthly e-newsletter and update our website.

We're working on getting phones set up at this location. You'll be able to use the same phone number to reach us: 979-542-2716. You can also email us at staff@giddingspubliclibrary.org, or just stop by!

First, thank you for wanting to help! Several people have reached out to offer us space for meetings, programs, and events. We're in the planning stages of securing locations for everything that was planned to occur at the library through July. It would really help to see familiar faces during this transition, so please, come see us! If you're interested in donating, we always accept donations online.