Children’s Librarian April Puryear makes dinosaur footprints in Playdough in preparation for a special program at the Kingsland Branch Library, 125 W. Polk St. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
Children’s Librarian April Puryear’s desk was covered in plastic dinosaurs and Playdough one recent morning at the Kingsland Branch Library. As she pressed dino footprints into the soft clay, she explained she was working on an upcoming children’s library program. Her goal, she said, is for the kids to have fun and become lifelong learners.
“I want them to be library users,” she said. “I want them to be readers, to be searchers, to utilize the services that we have.”
Puryear’s passion for her job has not gone unnoticed. She was voted Favorite Librarian for the Kingsland/Llano area by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners in the 2025 Locals Love Us contest.
“I really put my heart and soul into my job, and for an entire community to appreciate that means the world to me,” she said.
She quickly moved the conversation to the great team of people at the library and the many resources they provide the community.
“We have a really good team here,” she said. “We all work well together and do the best with what we have. It’s important work.”
Puryear should know. She has worked full time for the library for 13 years.
“I’ve always loved libraries,” she said. “I worked in early childhood education before I took this job. I also volunteered at the Llano library weekly and mentored children.”
Her duties include working with preschool and elementary children, young adults, and homeschoolers.
“We play a lot, we read a lot, we sing a lot,” Puryear said. “It’s not just reading. I remember what Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) said: ‘Play gives kids a chance to practice what they are learning.’”
Her favorite part of the job, of course, is the “littles.”
“I love my babies, my kids,” she said. “I make sure that, on first meeting them, that I remember their names. I don’t always remember their parents’ names, but I know every one of their names.”
The parents have noticed and voted their appreciation for a job well done by naming Puryear the Favorite Librarian in the Kingsland area for 2025.
