Gatesville Public Library closed for makeover, new layout, furniture planned

The Gatesville Public Library is closed through May 18 while crews reset the building with new furniture, a new shelving layout and a larger makerspace, leaving walk-in access to the collection and study space on pause until the work is done. Programming will continue during the closure, so residents should keep an eye on the library calendar rather than assume every activity has stopped.

Director Shea Harp said the library has spent a little more than a year working with the Tocker Foundation on the project. The foundation’s Library Transformation Grant model is aimed at rural libraries that want to rethink and refurnish their spaces for modern use, with more flexible patron areas, updated systems, stronger access to computers and internet service, and more room for programs. Gatesville Public Library was listed among the foundation’s June 2025 transformation recipients.

The makeover is designed to change how the building works day to day. Harp said the revised layout is meant to create dedicated space for teens and tweens while still preserving room for adults. The new makerspace is expected to give the library more programming room, and it is likely to see heavy use this summer. The project also follows a more basic problem the city identified last year: the library did not have enough space for simultaneous programs and tutoring, homeschool use, genealogy work, laptops or meeting-room seating. City presentation materials said the meeting room needed room for tables and as many as 32 chairs.

This is not the first shutdown tied to the project. Some of the improvements were already underway last fall, and the library briefly closed in January while a portion of the furniture was installed. The current closure began May 5.

The transformation comes after a longer repair process. City officials said weather-related roof and HVAC damage hit the library in spring 2024, mold was discovered in September 2024, and the building later went through mold remediation, roof repair and rehabilitation work. By May 2025, city materials put the total cost of renovations, remediation and related needs at $566,192, including $89,025 for mold remediation, $135,530 for air conditioning and $341,637 for library renovations. Officials said $473,095 came from CLFRF funds and $93,097 came from the Capital Projects Fund.

Harp thanked the community for its patience, along with the Tocker Foundation, the Wise Family, City of Gatesville departments that helped move items in and out, and library staff who kept the project moving. When the doors reopen May 18, Gatesville will have a library better built for tutoring, genealogy, laptop use and summer programming, with a layout meant to serve families, students and job seekers more effectively than before.