Texas Border Business
The McAllen Public Library kicked off a bevy of accolades and recognition, starting with National Library Week, April 7- 13, 2019, an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.
This year’s theme, “Libraries = Strong Communities,” illustrates how today’s libraries are at the heart of cities, towns, schools, and campuses, providing critical resources, programs,
“Library programs are designed to encourage community members to meet and discuss civic issues, work together using new technologies like 3D printing or learn alongside one another in English language or technology classes,” said Kate Horan, McAllen Public Library Director. “Library staff also partner with other civic and service organizations to actively engage the people they serve, always striving to make sure their community’s needs are being met.”
To celebrate, all three MPL locations will have special programs for all ages. All library programs are free and open to the public and cover a wide variety of interests, from technology and literature to crafting and gaming.
MPL is also celebrating being a recipient of not one, but TWO notable awards: the 2018 Texas Municipal Library Directors Association (TMLDA) Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award and a Texas Library Association (TLA) Branding Iron Award.
Each year, TMLDA confers awards for outstanding contributions to public libraries. To successfully receive the Achievement of Library Excellence Award, the applicant must exhibit excellence in providing services to underserved and special populations, enhancing services, marketing their programs and services in innovative ways, promoting cultural, topical, and educational programming, providing literacy support, in providing summer reading clubs, pursuing collaborative efforts, supporting workforce development, providing for digital inclusion, and in comprehensively training staff.
Of the 548 libraries in Texas, only 51 received this award in 2018. This places the McAllen Public Library in the top 10% of libraries in the state in terms of excellence of services, programs, marketing, and staff training during the 2018 calendar year. This is the fifth year MPL has received the award.
“This award shows that our McAllen Public Library is not only a beautiful building but also, has all the resources, materials, programming and most importantly, staff to make it a library that beautifully serves all of its community,” said City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E.
The Texas Library Association has awarded a 2019 Branding Iron Award to McAllen Public Library. This award honors the creative work libraries do to promote their programs, resources, and events. MPL received recognition in the “Rebranding” category for the promotional campaign that revamped the McAllen Book Festival to the South Texas Book Festival. The Branding Iron Awards, presented every year in ten public relations categories, are announced at the TLA Annual Conference.
“Rebranding the event to the South Texas Book Festival was not a mere name change, but rather, was reflective of the effort to have a more diverse representation of the authors and stories being told about deep South Texas,” said Assistant City Manager Joe Vera.
For more information, please call McAllen Public Library at 956-681-3000.
