The Texas County Library system has a new leader: Louise Beasley.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Beasley began duties in the director position on March 28. She is married to Roger Beasley, and the pair lives on the old family farm near the Oscar area in eastern Texas County. They met at a University of Missouri football game and lived together in Columbia for about 15 years prior to coming to Texas County three years ago.
“I’m a city girl,” Beasley said, “but I love it here.”
Beasley’s employment history includes working in the public television and radio field, first in Dallas and then for the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. After moving to Texas County, she worked in the banking field for a while before taking a position at the Licking Elementary School library.
“This is kind of a dream job for me,” Beasley said. “I love kids, and I read a lot when I was a kid. My mother was also an avid reader, so I grew up in a household watching her.
“Plus, I have a background in managing people in different jobs, and I haven’t really done much ‘librarian’ type of stuff since I started because this job is definitely an administrative type of position.”
Beasley said she likes how each of the four library branches in Texas County (Houston, Cabool, Licking and Summersville) have their own personality.
“The buildings themselves each have distinct personalities,” she said, “and they all have stories to tell about how they got the way they are.”
Most of the members of the all-female Texas County Library Board have held their positions for a long time. Beasley said they’ve been very receptive to her.
“They’re so dedicated,” she said, “and they don’t plan on going anywhere. That’s a wonderful thing because you don’t have all this changeover.”
One of the bigger improvements made lately at all four library branches is the upgrading of computers available to patrons. The annual Summer Reading Program at each branch begins in early June, and plans are in place to restart the Book Club at the Houston branch.
Beasley said she hopes fans of the library make an effort to contact her.
“My door is open and I want people to come in and meet me,” she said. “I want people to come in even if they don’t have a library card, because we offer so many other services, like copying and faxing and the computers they can use. And every week we get new books in.
“This really is a full-service operation.”
More information about the Texas County Library system is available online at texascountylibrary.lib.mo.us.
“I’m really happy to be here,” Beasley said. “I plan on being here for the long haul and just watching it get better.”