Hidalgo County Library System - Historical sketch


The Hidalgo County Library System was created by the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court on August 9, 1971 by resolution. A board and bylaws were passed in that resolution. Commissioner Curtis moved the adoption, and Commissioner Pike seconded the motion. It carried on a unanimous voice vote.

The original member libraries were the city libraries of Weslaco, McAllen, Pharr, Mercedes, Mission, Donna, San Juan, and Edinburg.

Coordinators of HCLS include:
     Mr. Ron Steensland
The original office for HCLS was a room in McAllen Memorial Library.
It was during Ron Steensland's tenure that HCLS received the largest single LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) grant in the history of Texas. It was written to serve each of the libraries as the individual member library needed serving. Significant audio-visual resources came to each library through this grant. This project had the acronym P.L.A.N.E.

     Mrs. Mary Kay (Donahue) Hooker
During Kay Donahue-Hooker's tenure the office of HCLS moved out of the McAllen Memorial Library to a rented office in McAllen. The Union Catalog project was begun. The first version was printed on paper, but this soon transformed to a COM-Cat on microfilm, using special large reel microfilm readers.

     Mr. Guadalupe Mier
During the tenure of Lupe Mier HCLS continued developing its union catalog, which went through a phase of being on microfilm, then on microfiche. Later HCLS produced a union catalog on CD Rom. The first contracted party was Brodart, Inc. and later the contract went to Autograhics Inc. of Pomona, California.

     Mr. William H.J. (Bill) McGee
During the tenure of Bill McGee HCLS took control of its Union Catalog and managed it on a computer out of its own office, first using Cuadra Star software, and later upgrading to SIRSI software. With that later move the union catalog grew to a complete library system, including circulation functions as well as union catalog functions. This was made possible by the fact that each library had internet connections.

     HCLS was reorganized by then Hidalgo County Judge Eloy Pulido and the position of Coordinator, and in fact all paid positions were terminated at the end of December 2000. The Coordinator and Librarian for the system is now a librarian elected from the Library Director Boardmemebers, who is qualified (by State Law) to be the County Librarian. The physical office for HCLS is the office of the person selected to be HCLS Coordinator/County Librarian. H. Rusty Dove of Speer Memorial Library (Mission Public Library) was elected to that post by the members of he HCLS Board. Rusty resigned effective the end of December 2004, an election for County Librarian was held among the new Board Members and Letty Leija of Edinburg Public Library was chosen. She took office January 1, 2005.

Member Libraries in the system - May 2000

ALAMO PUBLIC LIBRARY - Lalo Arcaute Public Library
DONNA PUBLIC LIBRARY
EDINBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY
ELSA PUBLIC LIBRARY
HIDALGO PUBLIC LIBRARY
La JOYA MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
McALLEN MEMORIAL LIBRARY
MERCEDES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
MISSION - Speer Memorial Library
PHARR MEMORIAL LIBRARY
SAN JUAN PUBLIC LIBRARY
WESLACO PUBLIC LIBRARY
============================================

HIDALGO COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM - office
--------------------------------------------------------

Associate Libraries in the System (in 2000) were:

updated January 2005
----------------------------------------------------------------

to Libraries index page
Hidalgo County Public Libraries list - with map Coordinates - detailed Latitude and Longitude coordinates - for Global Positioning users.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Cameron County Libraries List with information.
----------------------------------------------------------------