SAN ANTONIO – “There’s a whole lot more at the library. And a lot of it actually happens outdoors,” Scott Williams with San Antonio Public Library said. “Libraries are fully fledged community centers.”
Williams said the libraries here in San Antonio are places where the community can enrich your mind and body outside.
“A lot of people engage themselves not just with their mind, but also with their body,” Williams said. “And so many of our locations offer amenities for people to play, explore, exercise, walk, get outside and kind of enjoy the nature of their communities.”
You can do just that at Mission Library on the city’s South Side, located next to Mission San Jose. There are two playgrounds on its campus, exercise equipment, several outdoor seating areas and a community garden but it’s not just here where you can enjoy the outdoors while visiting a library.
“We have eight locations that have playgrounds,” Williams said. “We have eight locations that have adult fitness centers. We have four locations that have walking trails. Then one of my favorite types of libraries are the ones that are actually located inside or right next to a park.”
Like San Pedro Branch Library located right next to the oldest municipal park in Texas, San Pedro Springs Park, complete with trails and a swimming pool.
Williams said San Antonio Public Library’s goal is to not just provide free books and resources, but to meet the community where they are and to bring people together.
“It’s not just about books. It’s about an access point for expanding your mind, expanding your body, expanding your experience, expanding your connection with your community because it’s also a place to meet other people who are like-minded, like you.”
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