On Tuesday morning, Sept. 6, the foyer in the Doris Stanley Memorial Library in Moody was filled with over 50 people. The reason for the crowd was the library’s story time. Library staff hosts the event for local children, and to say it’s popular would be an understatement. In addition to the people in the lobby, there was a story time held inside the main section of the library for the older group of children.

Fortunately, Library Director Patsy Spradley and her staff are used to accommodating these large crowds. The library is active in story times, reading programs and more.

Spradley has been with the Moody Library for 16 years. After she had been there for around five years, she began to talk about expanding the library, or moving. Over the years, the idea was brought up, and then pushed down the road. Two years ago, plans were put in place. While it has been a long journey for Spradley and other lovers of the library, all the planning is paying off.

On Sept. 6, the City of Moody hosted the official groundbreaking ceremony for the future Doris Stanley Memorial Library. The library will be relocating from its building tucked behind City Hall, to its custom-picked location, directly across from the new and soon to be opened, Moody Civic Center.

“We are just thrilled for the new building,” Spradley said. “It will be wonderful to have more space and be able to get more organized.”

Currently, the library operating out of a 3,200 square foot building. The shelves are completely full of books, and the sections blend together. The new location will alleviate the library’s space confinements.

“We will have a conference room and a room specifically for children’s story time,” Spradley said. “We can spread out and add shelves so our collection can grow, too.”

One of the most beneficial aspects of the library is the separation of the space. Currently, most activity happens in the main room of the library, with the foyer acting as overflow space when needed. Being able to separate areas during events like story time will create a quieter atmosphere for everyone, Spradley believes.

The Doris Stanley Memorial Library is a part of the rapidly growing Moody community. The city’s civic center, which is expected to open soon, will be right across from the library, and Spradley hopes that will only increase the number of patrons.

“Moody is growing, we’re constantly seeing new faces and having new people come and get library cards,” Spradley said. “I think being so close to the civic center will be great. It will create a hub of activity over there and let people use both facilities without having to go out of their way.”

The upsized building will give the community a chance to better utilize the library’s amenities. Over the summer, the library received a grant for new technology and the City of Moody purchased additional pieces of new technology. The library was able to replace all of its computers, and use the others for a children’s technology center.

The new building will be close to 6,000 square feet, essentially doubling the space the library will have. Spradley hopes to open doors to the new facility in the beginning of next year.