About the Library

The Schertz Public Library promotes the love of reading and the joy of discovery for persons of all ages, provides information and learning resources in a variety of formats for both education and leisure, and supports our customers in their life-long learning pursuits.

The Public Library Association has identified eighteen of the most common clusters of services offered by public libraries and defined them as “service responses.”  The Schertz Public Library has chosen the following service responses as priorities.

• Create Young Readers: Emergent Literacy                                                                                                 
  Preschool children will have programs and services designed to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write, and listen.
• Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong Learning                                                                                                             
  Residents will have the resources they need to explore topics of personal interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.
• Stimulate Imagination: Reading, Viewing and Listening for Pleasure                                                       
  Residents who want materials to enhance their leisure time will find what they want when and where they want them and will have the help they need to make choices from among the options.
• Connect to the Online World: Public Internet Access                                                                                 
  Residents will have high-speed access to the digital world with no unnecessary restrictions or fees to ensure that everyone can take advantage of the ever-growing resources and services available through the Internet.
• Make Informed Decisions: Health, Wealth, and Other Life Choices                                                          
  Residents will have the resources they need to identify and analyze risks, benefits, and alternatives before making decisions that affect their lives.

The Schertz Public Library:

• Reviews, acquires, catalogs and processes a wide variety of library materials in print and audiovisual formats for users of all ages;
• Circulates, tracks, repairs and stores library materials;
• Provides internet access to the public;
• Answers informational and reference questions;
• Provides Inter-Library Loan service (ILL);
• Provides access to a number of services and products to the public such as tax forms, electronic informational and research databases, and online book clubs;
• Provides weekly story time programs for children from infants to teens, as well as winter and summer reading programs;
• Provides instructional and recreational programming for adults in high-interest areas such as computers and computer software, health and fitness, financial planning, crafts, and literature; and
• Actively cooperates and interacts with other libraries in the region to share ideas and stay current in library practices. The library participates in PLAN (Partners Library Action Network), a non-profit organization that provides a range of services to ensure that every public library in Texas can maximize their effectiveness and provide the best possible services to their community.

• No more overdue fines: If you return materials late, you will no longer accrue daily charges.
• Responsibility for lost or damaged items: You will still be responsible for the cost of any lost or damaged items.
• Reminders: You will receive an "almost overdue" reminder 3 days before your items are due and an "overdue" reminder 7 days after the due date.
• Lost & billed status: If items are not returned within 7 days after the overdue reminder, they will be marked as "lost" and billed.

As part of this transition, we are waiving all existing overdue fines! From December 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025, the Library will hold an amnesty period to encourage the return of any overdue items still in the possession of patrons. Bring in any items you may have, or drop them off in the item return so we can clear your account of lost items and waive overdue fines. Accounts with existing overdue fines will also be cleaned up during this time. However, fees from lost or damaged items will remain on your account.

Revenue from overdue fines has always been directed to the City of Schertz's general fund, rather than to the library. Donations made specifically to the library, the Library Board, or the Library Foundation are earmarked for library use.

If you'd like to support the library and help enhance our collections and resources, you can make a donation online or in person at the library. Additionally, you can shop at the Library Board’s bookstore located in the Library’s foyer. All proceeds from donations and bookstore sales go directly toward funding library programs and purchasing materials.

Research from the American Library Association (ALA) has shown that overdue fines create barriers to library access, especially for low-income families and children. Fines not only disproportionately impact those who can least afford them, but studies have also revealed that they’re an ineffective way to encourage the return of materials. In fact, fines can lead to fewer materials being returned and reduced library use overall.

By eliminating overdue fines, we aim to ensure that all members of our community, especially those who may be facing financial or other challenges, can continue to benefit from library resources without fear of accumulating fees.

This change reflects our ongoing commitment to making library services more equitable and accessible for everyone in our community. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy all that the library has to offer—books, movies, programs, and more—without the stress of overdue fines.