Puppeteers put on shows at Austin libraries

Beautiful hand-constructed puppets are turning straw into gold in "Rumpelstiltskin," the latest "Literature Live!" production at Austin Public Library.

• You might find yourself rooting for the title villain, who is as charming and strange as a puppet could be while threatening to snatch the queen's first-born son.

Catch up quick: According to library staff, Austin's public library system is one of two nationally that employs full-time puppeteers.

• The only other (that we know of) is in Nashville.

What they're saying: "It's the best job in the city," Ellen Scott, one of the two performers, told Axios.

The big picture: Besides being funny, free and entertaining, the shows are air-conditioned.

• Track events, from resume-skills workshops to Lego labs, at the Central Library and other branches here.

What's next: "Rumpelstiltskin" will be at branch libraries five more times over the next two weeks. Shows this week include:

• Carver Branch, 10:15am today
• Milwood Branch, 2pm Wednesday
• Hampton Branch at Oak Hill, 2:30pm Thursday