Facilities

The South Branch Library was the second branch location established for the Abilene Public Library, first opening its doors in 1998 in a 5,000 sq ft store front in south Abilene.  In 2016, this location was successfully relocated to the Mall of Abilene, now in a 20,000+ sq ft facility, offering even better services for those residing on the south side of Abilene.

Now open seven days a week, and most holidays, this library offers a variety of wonderful services for the community. There are two entrances to the facility, either entering from the parking lot or from within the mall. The lobby areas houses plenty of display case space for staff and the public to display their materials for the public to view.  A meeting room is housed where the majority of the library's programs and workshops are hosted; however, this space is also utilized by outside groups who book the room for meetings on a regular basis.  The meeting room comes equipped with tables, chairs, three large screen televisions for presentations, microphones, a green screen, VDesk studio system for recording activities, and a kitchenette for use by staff and the public complete with storage, a dishwasher, sink, and refrigerator.

The main public floor houses a great collection of popular materials for the public including fiction and non-fiction adult adult collection, audiovisual materials (DVDs, Playaways, audiobooks on CD), a great children's collection, graphic novels, and young adult materials as well.  A computer lab is available for public use with a valid library card that offers access to the Internet and word processing tools.

This space also offers self-checkout stations as well as a circulation services desk where you will find staff ready to assist you in all your needs.  This location features three private study rooms that may be reserved by the public during the library's hours of operation.  Each room comes with tables and chairs, as well as a dry erase board.  Two rooms seat up to four people and one room seats up to six.  

The facility also comes with a Quiet Study Room where patrons may go to for studying and quiet reading away from the public floor.  Restrooms are located in the facility for use by library and mall guests alike.  Ample seating may be found throughout the public floor, including a large open area in the children's section of the library for storytimes and select youth programs that can be seen from inside the mall to show the activity going on inside. 

Another great feature of the facility is a dedicated Teen Room complete with teen-friendly furniture, a color wall, computers for public use, cafe tables, two TV's for gaming purposes and movies, board games, and the young adult collection.

As a high traffic facility, the South Branch Library has everything you need in a library and we invite you to visit this branch and see what it has to offer for you.