Friends Helping the Library

to

Enrich the Community

Friends of the Library have supported the Charles B. Stewart-West Branch Library since its inception 30 years ago. As local volunteers, we donate our time and efforts to help the library enrich the community in which we live. Our current priorities are the library services, resources, and benefits for Children, Young Adults, and Adults - especially activities not supported by county funds.

Our Library

Charles B. Stewart-West Branch Library

202 Bessie Price Owen Dr, Montgomery, TX 77356

Image of the bard park behind the library

The Charles B. Stewart-West Branch Library is part of the Montgomery County Memorial Library System, located in Montgomery, TX. The original West Branch Library came into being in 1986 when community members told county officials of their desire for a library. The Friends of the Library was formed at that time as a support arm for the growing library. These volunteers collected donations of money and materials to get what was needed. Many volunteers worked to catalog and shelve books so that the library could open, and they continued to work in the library for several years until enough employees could be provided by the county.

West Branch Library opened formally on June 18, 1988 staffed entirely with volunteers until November of that year when Teresa Samuels was hired as Branch Manager. Volunteers continued to do everything from staffing the circulation desk to filing and cataloging. More than two dozen volunteers gave an average of 250 hours each month.

In May 1991, Library Director Mike Baldwin prepared an application for a $100,000 state library grant to purchase and build out an additional 5,000 square feet of space. Commissioners Court voted to match the $100,000 grant, and the Friends pledged the remaining $20,000 needed to complete the grant package for the expansion on the old library in Western Hills Plaza.

As the community grew, the need for additional space grew with us. The Friends set about the task of fundraising, and many community members aided their cause. The funds raised were used to furnish the new library that opened in 2006, and you see the results around you in the library today, now called the Charles B. Stewart-West Branch Library. The branch currently serves more than 15,000 cardholders throughout the county!