What you can find at the Pleasant Hill Branch:
- Access to over 73,000 titles, magazines, and periodicals
- Public Internet computers and wireless access
- The south-most Branch in the Austin Public Library system - that explains our pronounced drawls.
- A large and lovingly used young people’s collection of books, magazines and media.
- A beautiful grounds with shady live oak trees and the Council Ring. The Council Ring, a large circle composed of impressive limestone blocks, has hosted story times, musicians, Christmas carolers and a wedding.
- A friendly and customer-service oriented staff with almost 75 years of experience helping library users in south Austin.
- Home of the 1st Saturday Book Sale and Magazine Giveway
About the Pleasant Hill Branch
Although the Pleasant Hill Branch of the Austin Public Library officially opened in South Austin on May 1, 1987, the branch itself was actually founded back in 1966 with the opening of the Southwood Mall Branch in the Southwood Mall shopping center.
Then in 1982, the branch was relocated to retail space within the Century South shopping center at the intersection of E. William Cannon and IH-35, and renamed the Century South Branch. Five years later, the branch moved again, but this time to its very own, permanent facility. The new facility was appropriately named Pleasant Hill since it stands on the hill that serves as the focal point and namesake for the area.
Extensive interior/exterior renovations were recently made to the branch-after closing from June 2000 to March 2001-including the addition of a beautiful outdoor “council ring” sitting area, peacefully situated under a shady cluster of oak trees. The area has quickly become a popular spot for reading, storytelling, and just passing the time.
Certainly things have changed a bit since the first “incarnation” of the branch back in 1966, but much has remained the same too. Today, the branch continues to serve as a gathering place for families, an activity center for children, a study hall for students, and an educational and informational resource for its South Austin community. Plus, as Branch Manager DJ Harris points out (jokingly), “It is the southernmost branch of the Austin Public Library, and this accounts for the prominent drawl in the voices of many of its staff members.”
