Take a virtual tour of the Main Library and explore it for yourself!
After 60 years in the downtown McAllen location at 601 N. Main St., the Old Main Library closed its doors on November 23, 2011. Ready for a new home, new look, and new direction, McAllen Public Library relocated to its current location at 4001 N. 23rd St. on December 10, 2011.
Now an award-winning public library, the new McAllen Public Library is 123,000 square feet and may very well be the largest single floor public library in the nation. The next largest is the Johnson County Central Resource Library in Overland Park, Kansas, at 90,547 square feet.
Past vs. Present
Consider this by-the-numbers comparison of the old and present Main Library:
Old Main Library
|
Present Main Library
|
| Opened: 1950 |
Opened: December 10, 2011 |
| Size: 40,000 square feet |
Size: 123,000 square feet |
| Collection Count: 330,394 items |
Collection Count at Opening: 355,794 items |
| Floors: 3 |
Floors: 1 |
| Public Meeting Rooms: 2 |
Public Meeting Spaces: 16 |
| Public Study Rooms: 3 |
Public Study Rooms: 14 |
| Public Computer Lab: 29 |
Public Computer Lab: 101 |
| Children's Computer Lab: 16 |
| Teen's Computer Lab: 12 |
| Reference Computer Area: 2 |
Special Features:
ground floor atrium, patio, used book store |
Special Interior Features:
teen area, cafe, auditorium, quiet reading room, self-check out units, art gallery, electronic classrooms, meeting rooms with audiovisual services,expanded children's area, used book store, automated materials handling system, themed wood ceiling and other special interior design features |
Special Exterior Features:
extensive landscaping, Dewey Learning Trail, front mall area with one water feature, entrancecanopy, drive-up book drop, exterior children's area, over 350 parking spaces.
|