From the empty, lifeless shell of an old Food Lion market, the Bedford Public Library has evolved into more than a book repository and information center with its research resources.  Library Director Maria Redburn and her award-winning staff have taken the Library to become the City’s “front porch,” a goal of hers since the Library moved into the building, about 13 years ago.

Today, Redburn and her staff are reaching out to the community for help in determining the future of the Library.  Through focus groups over this weekend and into next week, Redburn said through an email exchange that these groups are meant to create “a deeper conversation about how the Bedford Public Library can better meet the needs of the community.”  She said, “We hope to learn what the community views as our strengths and how we can build on those strengths in the next three years.”  She wants, she explained, to apply them, along with results from the Annual Satisfaction Surveys, toward setting “priorities and goals for the 2025-2028 Library Business Plan.”

People can register online to participate in the focus groups, which are being held Saturday, June 8 (2pm to 3pm) and Wednesday June 12 (2pm to 3pm and 7pm to 8pm).

In addition, Redburn said she wants to engage with “residents who don’t use the Library” and to determine “how to change that.”  She stated that the focus groups are open to anyone and that they do not even need to be Bedford residents.

In the past, as a result of Redburn’s ability to listen, adapt and innovate, the Library has become an active “community hub,” offering a broad range of constant activities and events that have proven relevant to Bedford and non-Bedford residents of all interests and tastes.

According to Redburn, the Bedford Public Library serves nearly 145,000 people per year of “every age, income level, location, ethnicity and physical ability and promotes personal growth, cultural enrichment and lifelong learning for all members of the community.”  She described the Library as a place that “enriches, empowers and transforms lives through community engagement, access to information and serving as a learning hub.”

The Library, she detailed, achieved this position within the community through “innovative events and programs for all ages,” pointing to the Pumpkin Patch as one such achievement.  “The Library of Things,” she said, “is a prime example of meeting the needs of Bedford residents,” even if it is just once or twice a year.

Adding another key dimension in the Library’s vast array of community services, Redburn said is they also partner with parents “to provide resources to support children’s literacy through HEB Reads!, educational programs, Reading kits, STEM kits, audiobooks and tablets.”

In recognition of its success, the Library received the Achievement of Library Excellence Award for the 12th consecutive year from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association, as posted in March on the City of Bedford website.  “Out of 545 public library systems in Texas, only 84,” about 15 percent, received this honor.  The award, according to the website, focuses on the “variety of services, programming and staff development.

For many in Bedford, the Library has become essential.  Mayor Dan Cogan, former Council liaison to the Library Advisory Board, said at a recent Council meeting that the “Library is just near and dear to my heart.  He stated that he and his daughter had just visited the Library that day “getting out, getting books.”

“The city of Bedford is so fortunate to have Maria Redburn,” commented Council Member Joy Donovan Brandon.  Recently appointed as the Council’s liaison to the Library Advisory Board and herself having served on the Board, Donovan Brandon said, “I’ve witnessed her work. I’m impressed by her pro-active strategies, creative programming and dedication to serving the entire community, not just Bedford.”

“Actively promoting healthy lifestyles” is another way the Library serves Bedford, Redburn said, “by providing a Seed Library, cooking demonstrations and fresh food from the hydroponic units.”

Redburn also gives credit to the Library’s success to “two non-profits that help raise funds,” The Friends of the Library, which raises “funds through book sales, the pumpkin patch and the Book Nook.”  In addition, she said, The Bedford Library Foundation raises funds through North Texas Giving Day, A Bedford Christmas, and Beer, Brats & More. She emphasized that “these two non-profits would not thrive without the community support.”