M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library

M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library Logo

Basic Information

Established: 1938
Schedule: 10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M. Monday-Friday Closed Sat. and Sun.
Address: 410 Post Hill Mason, TX
Phone Number: 325-347-5446 or 325-347-5232
Fax Number: 325-347-6562
Director: Patti Grote

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M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library
M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library
M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library
M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library

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Additional Information

Computer Capabilities:

13 public access computers with high-speed internet
free Wi-Fi

Education Programs: Spanish-to-English Computer classes Yoga classes Story Time outreach to Steady Steps Daycare, Head Start Read, Baby, Read distributes board books to low-income families with children ages 0-3
Summer Programs: Read-With-a-Dog Read-to-Swim Book Hounds Club
Membership Details:

2,175 members
free library cards

Library Information:

The library offers books, books on CD, ebooks, downloadable audiobooks, large-print books, children's collection, junior collection, young adult collection, non-fiction, adult fiction, Spanish collection, Texana and German Texas collections, Western fiction, magazines, and DVDs for checkout. USA Today, Mason Co. News, and area newspapers are available. FAX, copier, and scanner services are for public use. Rosetta Stone, Learning Express, Career Accelerator, and TexShare databases are available.The library houses the Mason Historical Commission's Jane Hoerster Archive room, which keeps yearbooks, family histories, organization histories, citizenship records, cemetery records, and other genealogy resources. The Cup and Chaucer has hot and cold drinks and snacks. The Stribling Room is available for meetings, reunions, and social events. A multimedia projector, laptop, screen, TV, and sound system are available.

Library History:

The library was first begun as a project of the Mason Study Club. Eighteen members met in May 1937, with the dream of opening a public library. Each member bought a current best seller, and these 18 books were circulated among the membership and became the nucleus of what was to become the Mason County Library. On June 29, 2938, the public was invited to attend a Boot Tea at the Fort Mason Hotel to see the books available and were asked to donate books for the library. On July 9, 1938, the library was officially opened in the small room in the Odeon Theater. The library was housed at various times in the Mason Co. Courthouse and the Mason Historical Building until it moved into its current location in 1991. The library serves a rural county with a population of just over 4,000 in the Texas Hill Country.

Exhibits: Fred Gipson, author of Old Yeller, was a Mason native. The library foyer houses Gipson memoribilia and exhibits. The library hosts rotating exhibits of works of local and area artists and craftspeople. Permanent works include the bronze statue located in front of the library depicting Old Yeller and Travis and a wood marquetry mural inside the library that depicts the county's history.
Events:

September 28 Old Yeller Day
Special fall programming includes:
Sept. 26--Friends of the Library Wine and Cheese Appreciatio
Oct. 29--Friends of the Library Membership meeting with program on the Texas Rangersby Dr. John Davis
Nov. 18--author's talk and book signing by Gary Vineyard, author of Grave on Peckerwood Hill
Dec. 17--Reach to the Stars--astronomy program by Kevin Manning, astrophysicist