Darren Grant’s quarterly segment examined how one rural librarian delivered books to dozens of families when the pandemic closed her library.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas. Sam Houston State University professor Darren Grant urged residents to look beyond the larger library systems around Huntsville and consider the volunteer-run institutions in nearby communities that depend on donations, fundraising and local participation to keep their doors open.
Grant’s quarterly Nooks and Crannies segment focused on small libraries in the region, including the New Waverly Public Library in Walker County, the Coldspring Area Public Library in San Jacinto County and the Bedias Museum and Library in Grimes County. Each has a different structure, yet all rely on people who give time or money close to home.
"It is not easy to get a grant because anytime you’re dangling free money, there’s everybody’s going to want it," Grant said while discussing the challenge small organizations face when trying to compete for outside funding. He said the work of applying can itself consume time that a small staff or volunteer group would otherwise spend serving patrons.
New Waverly’s Nonprofit Library
The New Waverly Public Library identifies itself as a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves residents of the community and surrounding counties. The library depends on support from members, community donors and businesses. It offers books, audiobooks, digital resources, public computers, free Wi-Fi, printing, notary service and a children’s area.
Volunteers keep programs, outreach and fundraising moving. They serve on the library board and front desk, tutor patrons and assist with events. Their work extends well beyond checking out books.
Grant described New Waverly as a community with a history of supporting its library and said the institution deserves a place in that generosity. The library’s own history traces its development from rooms in City Hall to a dedicated building made possible by volunteer labor, donated materials and fundraising. Its current model continues to rely on local support.
A Rural Service Model in Coldspring
Coldspring Area Public Library likewise presents itself as a nonprofit that relies on donations. Apart from the library director and assistant, volunteers staff the operation, which is funded through grants and donations from individuals, public groups and civic organizations. Volunteers can help during the week, with special programs or through Friends of the Library fundraising work.
That arrangement supports more than a collection of books. The Coldspring library provides programs, workshops, an online catalog, e-books and a partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It serves as a free-access resource for a rural community seeking information, connection and lifelong learning.
Grant said smaller libraries can be easy to overlook because their needs are less visible than those of larger institutions. "You’ve got a library down in New Waverly and the building is beautiful and plenty of books," he said. He added that volunteer staffing and donations are central to its ability to operate.
His point was practical rather than abstract. People who want to help can use a library’s volunteer applications, donation options, current programs and board opportunities to find the most immediate need. That approach directs support to the institution that knows its immediate needs instead of assuming one kind of help fits every community.
Karen Shiver Took the Library on the Road
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed the Bedias Library and Museum in March 2020, librarian Karen Shiver began delivering giveaway books directly to families across rural Grimes County. The library’s 2021 published account documented Shiver’s first distribution of 145 books in five hours from a local Dollar General parking lot before she moved to doorstep delivery.
Her twice-monthly route reached 45 to 46 families in Bedias, Iola, Shiro, Singleton, North Zulch, Madisonville and back roads toward the Walker County line. Each family received bags of books selected for its children, including fiction, nonfiction, science, social studies, religion, biographies and Spanish-language titles.
“There are a lot of people who can’t get to the library and a lot of kids live in homes without reliable transportation or the transportation is with the person at work,” Shiver said in the library’s 2021 account. The route covered about 150 miles round trip and turned a closed building into a continuing book source for children who could not easily travel to one.
The service required gathering books, sorting bags for households, driving rural roads and making deliveries over months of pandemic closures. The mobile program distributed 4,197 books after it began in March 2020.
Bedias and the Regional Picture
Across the county line in Bedias, the Grimes County library directory lists the Bedias Museum and Library, its hours and a 24-hour Little Free Library and Wi-Fi hotspot. The Texas Historical Commission identifies the site at 3348 Main St. Those listings show that regional access to books, information and gathering space is spread across a network of small institutions rather than concentrated in one city.
Grant also used the segment to connect library support with the broader question of community capacity. Applying for grants can be worthwhile, he said, yet it requires time, information and persistence. A donation, a volunteer shift or participation in a fundraiser may be more immediately useful to an organization that is already operating with a small team.
Residents should confirm a library’s current hours and needs directly before visiting or donating. New Waverly and Coldspring provide contact information and ways to help online. Bedias’ county listing provides public contact details and regular hours. Those first-party sources are the most reliable starting place for anyone ready to get involved.
Grant’s message was a reminder that a library can be both a reading room and a civic resource. In the communities he named, the operating model includes residents who organize events, staff service hours, share skills and contribute funds. The structure may look modest from the outside, yet the work is sustained by specific people making a continuing commitment.
If you would like to support these local libraries, links below are provided.
New Waverly: https://newwaverlypubliclibrary.org/
Bedias: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bedias-library-add-new-books-for-all-ages
Coldspring: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/2319504
Centerville: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML8S7MB376KDY/checkout/H67HDM5DXQ4HWAFZ3PHRTXH5