A Terse History of the Public Library in the City of McAllen, Texas
1928 McAllen City Commission was petitioned by interested citizens to call for a bond issue of $25,000 to construct a library. Bond issue was rejected.
1932 McAllen Study Club, headed by Mrs. W. H. Moon, opened a library in a room in the McAllen Chamber of Commerce on November 1, 1932. The new library was open only on Saturdays and had a total of 60 books. Anyone who contributed a book became a member. Mrs. W. C. Stewart was the first cataloger and Miss Elinor Hambrick was the first librarian.
1934 The rapidly growing library moved to a room in the First Baptist Church.
1936 The American Legion offered the use of the basement of the Archer Park Bandstand for a library. The collection of 2,575 volumes was transferred to the larger quarters. In November of that year, the library was open Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoons in addition to all day Saturday.
1939 The library had a collection of 4,429 volumes and an annual circulation of 11,897 volumes to a membership of 1,823 patrons. The library was now open on a daily basis. The basement was already becoming crowded and it was realized that a new location would have to be found.
1944 Library petitioned for municipal status with the understanding that the city would assume direction without becoming financially involved. Numerous drives to raise the necessary $65,000 for a library building were begun.
1946 The Archer Park Bandstand basement library ran out of space and part of the book collection was put into storage. Fund raising activities continued.
1948 By March of this year, fund raising had produced $33,289. Plans were made to construct a new library at Archer Park but were dropped due to opposition to the use of the park for the library.
1949 The present site at the corner of Fir and Main streets was selected and the land purchased for $10,000 from Pete Bonneau. Fund raising continued and construction was begun late in the year. The architect was Zeb Rike, and the building contract was awarded to Marchant Brothers of Mercedes for $23,751.
1950 On May 28, the McAllen Memorial Library was dedicated and opened for business. The building is ment to be a memorial to those men from McAllen who died in World War II. Circulation for 1950 was 28,496 items. Mrs. Ruth Abbott is the Librarian.
1957 Having outgrown the space available yet again, a youth room, a periodical room and a small auditorium were added. The new additions were opened on April 12.
1965 August. Mrs. Ethel Swafford was hired as Library Director.
1966 September 11. The Library receives the Ruth Clark Scrapbook by donation. Ruth Clark was the secretary at the Chamber of Commerce in the late 1930s into the early 1940s. The scrapbook is said to be the most complete history of McAllen then available.
1968 The second largest addition to the library, costing almost $300,000, was made in 1968. This addition more than doubled the size of the existing library. The oldest portion of the library became the children's section, and a new wing with two stories was added on the north side. Mr. Sommers was the architect on this addition. After a two-week shutdown, the library was reopened Monday March 11, 1968. The public had the use of the new wing while the old portion underwent remodeling. At the end of the year, the library had increased to 42,000 books.
1975 The library's addition, at a cost of $650,000, was completed in 1975. A three story wing was added on to the north side of the existing structure and the library took on it's present form. Danny Boultinghouse was the architect for this project, and The Wilson Construction Co. built the addition. The latest expansion housed a collection of 82,820 books.
1976 The Hidalgo County Library System began to create a union catalog of all books in the system, which includes the collection of McAllen Memorial Library. The formal inter- library loan network that followed gives McAllen Memorial Library patrons easy access to the resources of all the public libraries in Hidalgo County.
1980 June. Library Director, Mrs. Ethel Swafford , retires and Gerard Mittelstaedt is selected to be Library Director.
1983 The Library began to automate (computerize) its operation with a patron registration and checking system.
1984 The Library installed a full computerized circulation system incorporating the previous year's patron system.
1984 The Friends of the Library established a used Bookstore at the Library to sell donated books and magazines. Mrs. Hal Speier was the President of the Friends organization at this time.
1989 The Paisano Consortium, using an LSCA grant and a Meadows Foundation grant created a regional library catalog which includes the holdings of the McAllen Memorial Library and the other major libraries in south Texas. This gives the library's patrons excellent access to its own collection as well as the other major collections in the area.
1991 The library currently houses 213,152 items (both books and other non-book formats such as video tapes, music compact discs, records, audio cassettes and computer software) with an annual circulation of 517,726. There are currently 79,149 active library cards issued; the walk-in count for 1991 was 313,109 and library staff answered 308,591 reference and informational questions.
1991 Tim Berners-Lee -invents- the World Wide Web by launching a server at CERN in Switzerland. Information sharing technology will never be the same.
1995 November 28 . Sidewalk in front of Library is being ramped for wheelchair access. The ends (at corner of Fir & Main and at Gumwood & Main) have incised markings on the sidewalk that noted that they were constructed by the WPA in 1936.
1996 January 26 . Internet Connectivity Grant OK'd by Texas State Library Commission.
1996 August 22. Internet server and site up at McAllen Memorial Library. with world wide web address http://www.mcallen.lib.tx.us
1998 June 15. Jose Gamez hired to work as a librarian at McAllen Memorial Library.
1998-1999 Merging of McAllen Memorial Library - Main - with a to-be-constructed new library at South Texas Community College (STCC) is considered. After much public discussion the plan is shelved indefinetly.
1999 October 19 . Bid opening for construction of 2 Branch Libraries/ Community Centers. Bids came in within budget.
1999 December 13 . Groundbreaking for South Branch Library and Community Center. Located at the SE corner of Ware Road and Jordan Ave. (3401 Jordan Avenue) photos of the event.
1999 December 20 . Actual day that the first work began on the North Branch site, just east of Garza Elementary School, on Lark Avenue (4 Mile Line), east of 29th Street and west of 23rd Street.
2000 January 10 . Groundbreaking for the North Branch Library and Community Center at 2601 Lark Avenue photos of the event.
2000 . McAllen Memorial Library receives a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant for computer equpment. - The grant includes sending staff to Seattle, Washington at the Foundation Headquarters for operational training.
2001 January 1 . Hidalgo County Library System reorganized to being a system of members without a central staff or office. (County Judge was Pulido)
2001 January 18 . Both the Palm View Community Center and Branch Library and the Lark Community Center and Branch Library were dedicated. The ribbon cutting at Palm View was at 10:00 AM and the ribbon cutting at Lark was at 11:00 AM.
Branch ribbon cutting ceremonies Both centers were open for business immediately after the ribbon cutting.
Jose Gamez was first manager of Lark Branch
Kathryn Spangle was first manager of Palm View Branch
2003 October 20 . Fire in the emergency stairwell causes the Main Library to be closed for several days while the Library was being cleaned for smoke damage. The fire started about 3:00 PM.
2004 early in year . Library online catalog running on DYNIX software on main computers running Unix operating system and user interface computer running Linux.
2006 February 28 . Library Director, Gerard Mittelstaedt retired. Asst. Director Margaret Handrow becomes interim director.
2007 late Summer . Jose Gamez, who most recently had been director at the Pharr, TX public library was chosen to br Director of McAllen Memorial Library.
2007 - fall - The old Walmart building at the NW corner of Nolana Ave and 23rd Street was acquired by the City of McAllen as the site for a new Main Library in McAllen, to replace the library at 601 N. Main St.
2009 - McAllen Memorial Library totally revamps its internet service and web presence. the new url is www.mcallenlibrary.net most of the informational files which were on the previous web presence are not locally available (may be on the internet way back service)
2011 - McAllen Library discontinues use of its SIRSI based integrated library system (catalog and circulation system) and merges into the Hidalgo County union catalog and circ. system.
2011 November 23 - McAllen Memorial Library at 601 N. Main Street closes at the end of day at this location. During the time between Thanksgiving 2011 and December 10, 2011 all materials and functions of the Main Library moved to the new building.
2011 December 10 - McAllen Public Library (Main library) opens in the new building located at the NW corner of Nolana Ave and North 23rd Street. This building is created out of the shell of an old Walmart. This is the largest public library on a single floor in USA. It should be noted that as of the move there was a name change from McAllen Memorial Library (memorial being for those from McAllen who died in WWII) to McAllen Public Library. Internet services at this building goes through the main City of McAllen IT Department servers. Previously the Main Library (and branches) had separate internet service. Map of Main Library collections
2011 - McAllen joins the Hidalgo County Library System centralized Catalog and Circulation system and retires its own system and servers. System servers are off-site and run by the TLC company,.
2012 - Library Director, Jose Gamez retires
2012 - Katherine (Kate) Horan, who had been Asst. Director is officially made Library Director
Some years ago she had been manager of the Palmview Branch of McAllen Libraries.
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McAllen index page
Texas index page
McAllen Public Library official website
McAllen Library Catalog of books and materials which is part of the Hidalgo County System ( HCLS)
McAllen Public Library on this server
update 4 July 2013 - 15 March 2017 -