Meeting Rooms
Meeting rooms are available to rent at the Library. Click the button below to go to our online portal to create a free account to request meeting rooms. If you require assistance, please contact the Library at 512-930-3551.
Georgetown Public Library Meeting RoomsRates
| Room | Nonprofit/resident | Commercial/nonresident |
| Classroom | $10/hr | $50/hr |
| Friends | $20/hr | $125/hr |
| Hewlett | $20/hr | $125/hr |
| Hewlett & Friends | $40/hr | $250/hr |
The meeting room team is available if you have any questions. You can reach them via email at librarymeetingrooms@georgetown.org or by phone at 512-930-6730.
The Georgetown Public Library meeting rooms are available every day from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. and require a rental fee. View the meeting room policies here.
Library Meeting Room Team
librarymeetingrooms@georgetown.org
512.930.6730
The library has three rental rooms:
Hewlett Room 222
Set for: 134
Max. seats: 150
Set up auditorium style
Friends Room 218
Set for: 52
Max. seating: 78
Set up banquet style
Friends Room Layout
*The Friends and Hewlett rooms may also be rented as one large room*
Classroom 211
Set for: 18
Max. Seating: 27
Set up with tables in rows
Classroom Layout
Study Rooms
Georgetown Public Library Study Rooms
Georgetown Public Library | Study Room Policies
The study rooms and conference room are available from library opening until 15 minutes before closing. These free rooms include three study rooms that each accommodate 4 people, and a conference room that accommodates up to 10 people. No commercial use of these rooms is allowed. Commercial use includes but is not limited to the following: political, legal, sales, business training, seminars, etc.
If you wish to put in a request for a study room, please call the reference desk OR create a free account and request a study room online using the button above.
- To ensure equitable use of library facilities, the library reserves the right to limit usage, cancel or re-schedule any reservation for any reason.
- Reservations will be held for 15 minutes past the reservation before the room is released to another user. GPL is not responsible for notifying reservation holder of this cancellation.
- Rooms can be reserved for up to 2 hours, four times per month. If no one else is waiting, you may stay in the room until library staff notify you the room is needed by another person. Reservations can be made up to 2 months in advance online, in person, or by calling the library.
- Please note that this limit may not be circumvented by different individuals using their names to register the same group, or by a group using different names. Use by two or more people constitutes a use that day for each person present.
- Any room left unattended for more than 15 minutes will be considered available. At that time, library staff will consider items left unattended to be lost and will place them in the library’s lost and found by closing of that evening.
- When you arrive for your reservation, check-in at the Reference Desk. Please close the door when you exit and check-out at the Reference Desk.
- GPL rooms are not soundproof. Patrons should keep noise levels low to be courteous to all users.
- Study rooms are not compatible with use of A/V equipment, such as TVs or projectors. Lights do not dim or turn off.
- GPL is not responsible for lost or stolen items left in the study and conference rooms.
- Per City of Georgetown fire safety, patrons may not exceed the occupancy limits listed above in each room.
Tax Help at the Library
Tax Help at the Library
Free tax help from AARP is at the Library this tax season, starting on Feb. 1 through April 18. Sessions will be on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Please check- in downstairs. Tax forms are available in the lobby. Please ask at the desk if you need assistance printing a specific form.
- Wednesdays 9:30 A.M. to 3:45 P.M., By appointment only (schedule here)
- Saturdays 9:30 A.M. to 3:45 P.M., Walk-In Service, first come, first served
- An unstaffed telephone line is available at 512-686-8571. Please leave a voicemail and AARP volunteers will get back to you.
For a list of other area locations, visit the Williamson County AARP website.
Please bring these forms and review this checklist of important items to bring, which includes:
- Government issued photo ID for all adults on your return
- A social security card for everyone on your return
- 2020 and 2021 tax return and any paperwork (W-2,1099, etc.)
Library Operations
Regular Library Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Upcoming Library Closures
April 8-9
May 29
June 19
July 4
Sept. 4
Nov. 10
Closing early at 6 p.m. Nov. 22
Nov. 23-24
Closing early at 6 p.m. Dec. 19-23
Dec. 24-25
Closing early at 6 p.m. Dec. 26-29
Jan. 1, 2024
Contact Us
Phone: (512) 930-3551
Email: library@georgetown.org
Text: (512) 686-7247
Confronting Racism Toolkit
Explore important Georgetown historical and cultural sites
Citizens Memorial Garden Cemetery. Visiting the link to the City of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department’s page provides some detail about a 2013 study that revealed the locations of at least 511 unmarked graves at the cemetery. The Williamson County Historical Commission marker page also provides information.
Jessie Daniel Ames historical marker
Marshall-Carver High School historical marker
Preserving History mural by Norma Clark and Devon Clarkson
Rocky Hollow Cemetery historical marker
Wesley Chapel A.M.E. historical marker
Explore local history online
The Federal Writers’ Project: Slave Narrative Project, Vol. 16, Texas is part of Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1938. Andy Andersons narrative talks about growing up in slavery in Williamson County.
Oral Histories: Memories of Marshall-Carver School and Desegregation in Georgetown can be found on Georgetown Public Librarys Local History page.
Jessie Daniel Ames UNC Archival Collection: a large portion of the anti-lynching activists collection is digitized and it mostly has to do with the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching, which Ames organized as a volunteer movement within the Commission on Interracial Cooperation after 1929.
Farney, Marsha. Promoting the Progress of Education: the History of Georgetown Public Schools, 1850-1966. Marsha Farneys dissertation on GISD schools contains a lot of information about Marshall-Carver and the Mexican school, including highlighting disparities in equity: teacher pay gaps, student to teacher ratios, etc. It includes citations to the Williamson County Sun and to GISD school board minutes, as well.
The Sam Houston State University Lynchings in Texas project lists lynchings in Hutto, Taylor and Round Rock.
The Texas Freedom Colonies Project highlights Rocky Hollow, which was off Williams Drive, and was the closest Freedom Colony to Georgetown.
Visit the Georgetown Public Librarys Texas History Room for books about local history
Allen, Martha Mitten, ed. Georgetowns Yesteryears (Volume II includes an entire section on growing up in segregated Georgetown; GTN R 976.4289 GEOR)
Allen, Martha Mitten. The Gracious Gift: the Negro Fine Arts School, 1946-66: easing the transition from segregation to integration (GTN R 379.263 ALLE)
Caldwell, Clifford R. Eternity at the End of a Rope: Executions, Lynchings and Vigilante Justice in Texas, 1819-1923 (HRC 364.6609 CALD)
Stratton, Brad, project coord., Christy Friend, chief editor, Birdie Shanklin, Ethel Moore, and Martha Tanksley contributing eds. Histories of Pride: Thirteen Pioneers Who Shaped Georgetown’s African American Community (GTN R 305.896 HIST)
Utley, Dan K. Jessie Daniel Ames, 1883-1972 (GTN R 923.6764 UTLE)
Los Unidos Club, Brad Stratton, project coord., Linda Miranda Cisneros and Angelita Torres Roblez, historical researchers, Christy Friend, ed.. Recuerdos Mexicanos: a History of Hispanic Culture in Georgetown, Texas (GTN R 305.868 RECU)
Take home some other books or films on the topic of racism–the librarians at the Georgetown Public Library have compiled lists of relevant library materials that can be checked out
Adult Anti-Racism Reading List
Teen Black Lives Matter Reading List
Take the Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, which gives participants a structure in which they can take one action to further their understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity every day for 21 days
21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge (Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr.)
21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge (Debby Irving)
21 Day Racial Equity Challenge
Take an implicit bias test online
Harvard Implicit Association Test
Start a conversation, book discussion, or movie viewing with your neighborhood, club, faith-based organization, or friends–if youd like to spend more time talking with others about these three books, here are discussion questions to help you get started
How to Be an Antiracist Book Club Kit
The Hate U Give discussion guide
Coretta Scott King Book Awards 2020 Discussion Guide (includes New Kid)
Talk with your children
Explore How to Engage in Anti-Racism Work: 70+ Resources for Teens
Explore resources for white parents to raise anti-racist children
Support local businesses owned by minority members
Join Courageous Conversations GTX on Facebook to learn about forums, equity in education, and more
Connect with the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association
Volunteer with a local agency that works to create social justice and equity, such as the Southeast Georgetown Community Council (now known as GTX Connect)
Walk with others in the January MLK Day march; attend an African American History Month event; or a Juneteenth function
Attend a workshop to further your understanding such as a One Human Race Workshop
Learn about organizations whose focus is increasing minority voting or other rights, such as:
Vote Forward, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower grassroots volunteers to help register voters from under-represented demographics and encourage them to vote
JOLT Texas, which encourages voter engagement among Latinos
Confronting Racism: A Community Conversation
Confronting Racism was a community-wide read and virtual panel discussion that focused on deepening our understanding of racism and the ways it impacts individuals and society. The program was sponsored by the Georgetown Public Library and Lark & Owl Booksellers.
The virtual panel discussion was held on Crowdcast, a videoconferencing platform, on Aug. 31 but both the broadcast and the recording functions failed that night, so all three panels were re-assembled and re-recorded in September. The four September recordings are linked from the descriptions below.
The sponsors have also assembled a toolkit for Georgetown to encourage further exploration of questions around racism.
Mr. Eric Lashley, Georgetown Public Library Director
Ms. Tiffanie Harrison, Facilitator for this event, is an equity leader and marketing educator in Round Rock ISD who was Round Rock High School Teacher of the Year in 2015 and 2019. She has an MBA and a bachelors degree from Baylor University, and she is a Beyond Diversity Affiliate Practitioner and Facilitator as well as an active leader in community organizations like Undoing Racism Round Rock, Engage Round Rock, and the Round Rock Black Parents Association.
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. A timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft. Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature.
Ms. Nicole Bell is principal consultant with Full Humanity LLC, and a Courageous Conversations about Race Affiliate Practitioner; as an anti-racist educator her passion is the uplifting and support of women and families of color. She is the Human Resources training and development coordinator at Austin Community College with more than 15 years of experience creating diverse employee leadership and development training programs. She is also a certified mediator, coach, and graduate of Leadership Pipeline, Leadership Women Pipeline, and the Leadership Austin Essential Class.
Ms. Zoie Steen is nine years old and the daughter of Nicole Bell. She is an honor roll student at Frost Elementary School and she loves art, reading, and gymnastics (Simone Biles is her personal favorite). She has served as an active member of Frosts student council. She enjoys spending time at the beach with her family and she has serious aspirations too: she would like to be a NASA scientist and to run for President of the United States.
Dr. Alicia Moore is a Cargill Endowed Professor at Southwestern University. Her passion is examining the intersection of power, privilege, oppression, and their impact on race. Recently, she has begun to explore the impact of racial trauma on Black students in Persistently White Institutions in the midst of a syndemic (race and COVID).
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend Khalil. A topical, powerful YA novel by a brilliant new author. National Book Award Longlist title and winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Coretta Scott King Honor, Michael L. Printz Honor, and William C. Morris Award.
Mr. Chuck Collins is the Executive Director of the Southeast Georgetown Community Council. He has lived in Georgetown since 2001; previously, he served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force and then earned a degree in Management, Information Systems from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. He has worked for British Petroleum, Price Waterhouse Coopers, IBM, and General Motors. He believes in neighbors coming together to help each other and build a community all can be proud of.
Dr. Phil Hopkins is the Lurlyn and Durwood Fleming Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern University, where he teaches and writes about the phenomenology of identity, particularly racialized identity and critical race theory, and on the intersections of identity and ethics in contemporary media and consumer culture. Before becoming an academic, he worked for several years as both a police officer and social worker.
Ms. LaShonda Stinson is deeply engaged in educational and racial equity work in Central Austin. Serves as an Assistant Principal in Round Rock ISD. LaShonda earned a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education from Lamar University. She is committed to equitable outcomes along with ways to empower students and families while working to redesign systems of inequity.
From National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi comes a new approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society and in ourselves. The New York Times calls it a book that “may, in fact, be our best chance to free ourselves from our national nightmare.†Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, and The Washington Post.
Ms. Catherine Crisp-Martin is originally from Southern California. She worked in benefits and has been in Texas for almost 30 years spending just over two years in Georgetown. She likes that people are friendly and there is so much to do in Sun City, Georgetown and the surrounding communities. She hopes there will be improvements in U.S. race relations for her children and grandchildren.
Dr. Melissa Johnson is a Professor of Anthropology and Chair of both the Sociology and Anthropology and Race and Ethnicity Studies Programs at Southwestern University. As a critical race scholar, she has published the book Becoming Creole: Nature and Race in Belize, as well as articles on race and inequality. She teaches courses on race and racism, includes sections on race and racism in all her courses, and has been involved with anti-racist work at Southwestern University since she started teaching there in 1998.
Ms. Jaquita Wilson has lived in Georgetown for seven years as an active member of the community, military wife, and mother of five. She has a bachelors degree in English from Montclair State University, and experience as an equity facilitator and teacher.
Panelists and Facilitator
Virtual Escape Rooms
Test your wits and pass the time with a virtual escape room! Find hidden clues and solve puzzles to “escape” these digital experiences, all from the comfort of your home. Librarians all over the country have been working hard to create digital escape rooms. Find our favorites below!
The 74th Hunger Games Escape Room – Round Rock Public Library
The Case of the Missing Painting: A Van Gogh Escape Room – LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library
Dr. Diabolical’s House of Horrors – Klamath County Library
Escape Your Boring Break – Pekin Public Library
Escaping Detention – Plymouth Public Library
Fandom Crossing: A Virtual Prom Escape Room – San Leandro Public Library
Hamilton Escape Room – Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
K-Pop Escape Room – Morristown & Morris Township Library
Magic Final Exam – San Leandro Public Library
Mandalorian Escape Room – Manchester Community College Library
The Minotaur’s Labyrinth Escape Room – The County Library
Ready Player One Escape Room – Gloucester County Library
Sailor Moon Escape Room – San Antonio Public Library
Spy Apprentice Escape Room Adventure – Washington-Centerville Public Library
Adult Toolkit for Sheltering In Place
As many people are currently sheltering in place, here are a few things we hope will be helpful, entertaining, or educational during this time.
This list is by no means comprehensive and will continue to be updated over the next several weeks. If there is any thing you would like to see on this page, please contact us and let us know!
The world has changed a lot in the last few weeks. Here are a few resources that may help make sense of feelings that may arise during this time.
Harvard Business Review talks with David Kessler about grief and offers insight on how that relates to COVID-19. Kessler is also offering a free, pop-up Facebook group during the pandemic.
The article “We’re Just Not Built for This (and It’s Fine to Admit That)” by Damon Young examines how everything about what is happening is new right now.
Psychology Today explores how “it is ok to feel overwhelmed and be unproductive” during this time.
The Third Annual UnLonely Film Festival presents over 35 short films “that will inspire, enlighten, elevate, and inform you.” The goal of the festival is to provided a sense of “connectedness.”
The NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide answers frequently asked questions regarding the intersection between Coronavirus, or COVID-19, and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers and loved ones. The guide features FAQs on a variety of topics from managing anxiety and social isolation to accessing health care and medications.
Age of Central Texas compiled a resource list for older adults and caregivers, including a list of caregiver support.
For information related to COVID-19, please consult the City of Georgetown and Williamson County and Cities Health District for local information, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for state information, and the Center for Disease Control and World Health Foundation for national and global information.
Our E-Library is Always Open!
Use your Georgetown Public Library card to enjoy materials from our extensive e-library on your own device.
Read or listen to e-books and e-audiobooks through OverDrive/Libby and SimplyE. Click below for more information about using e-books:
Find e-books and e-audiobooks
Or visit our many databases to find homework help, articles, how-to information, and more. For instance, the LearningExpress database offers test prep for all ages including elementary, college readiness, specialized certificates, and a career center. Click below for more information about using databases:
Find databases
To log in, all you will need is the barcode number from the back of your GPL resident or non-resident library card, and your 10-digit phone number.
(Please note that some other types of library cards, including TexShare or GISD cards, do not have access to GPL’s digital resources directly but instead should contact their public or school libraries.)
Kenny Williams joins the Art Carvajal Trio to perform a mixture of jazz, pop and light R&B in the library’s Live Music at the Library series on July 15 at 2 p.m.
Fifteen years of living and performing in New York City included Kennys Broadway debut in Disneys hit musical The Lion King as well as a role in the world premiere production of The Color Purple: the Musical, which was produced by Oprah Winfrey. In addition, Kenny starred in the national tours of the musicals Grease! and Smokey Joes Caf. Kenny has since returned to Austin where he was raised. Growing up in Austin, Kenny studied voice at the University of Texas, and then cut his teeth as a stage performer at Austins Zach Theatre. Most recently, he has appeared in several Zach Theatre productions including critically acclaimed Sophisticated Ladies, where he starred as the “Raconteur†opposite Tony award winner Jennifer Holiday, and played “the Friend†in the revival of Gospel at Colonus. Lastly, Mr. Williams sparkled and delighted as the lovable and effervescent “Ghost of Christmas Past†in Zachs A Christmas Carol.
Art Carvajal performs on nylon and electric guitars in solo guitar performances, with the Art Carvajal Trio, with Candy Declue as Art and Candy, and many other configurations. Jazz is his first love, followed by Brazilian music and then everything else.
The Live Music at the Library series is free and open to the public, a gift of the Friends of the Georgetown Public Library.
