Checking Things Out in Boerne, Texas
by Jennifer Santee Bitzkie
One of the first things I remember doing when I came to Boerne as a young seven year old girl was getting my library card. Even though we lived almost FIFTEEN miles away (as a kid it felt like FOREVER!), my mom made sure that I had access to the public library. Since this was in 1978, the library was not the beautiful limestone structure on the corner of Main Street and the Plaza, otherwise known as The Dienger Building. 
Police StationThe Boerne Public Library was housed in what is now the Boerne Police Department; except it was not renovated. This tiny rectangular building, with no annexes to speak of, managed to meet my literary needs every week.
To this day I can still hear the metallic hum of the free standing water fountain and feel the arctic air that the librarian obviously preferred. The children's section was an even smaller rectangle to the left while the fiction was to the right. The non-fiction was ... well ... I didn't really browse the non-fiction as a 7 year old. I thought life was great there in that little building with the glass-front. 
Dienger BuildingImagine my amazement when the new library opened up in the beautiful Dienger Building. This place was HUGE! The new library had several dark nooks and crannies, and it seemed so regal and smart. Even though this library had so much more to offer its patrons by way of space and content, it was that tiny make-do of a building that kept me reading.
The following school year, when I was in 3rd grade at Boerne Intermediate School, I had the pleasure of having a small little library once again. The library found its home in a portable building with a window unit cooling system. I was blessed enough to have Mrs. Ann Tibbett as my librarian. She opened my eyes to the wonders found within books. She inspired me so much that I never knew my library could have been bigger ... that there could have been more.
To this day, I enjoy driving by the police station and recalling my early library days in Boerne. To this day, I enjoy slipping into the current library on Main and finding the perfect read. To this day, I enjoy being the children's librarian at Kendall Elementary School in Boerne, Texas.
