About the Adult Area
In Adult Services, we strive to strengthen and enrich our community by providing opportunities for educational, professional, and personal growth. Whether you are writing a research paper, studying for an exam, learning English, meeting people with common interests, or looking for the next great read, we are the place for you! We offer a wide variety of events, classes, services, and print and electronic collections to suit your needs.
Fun Design Fact: The adult area is size of football field (6,400 yards) and has several sections for study or lounge.
Quiet Reading Room
The is a dedicated quiet space for library guests to study or read in an environment with minimal interruptions. The wooden tables in the room seat up to 6 people and come with lamps, while the sofa seating has coffee tables besides it.
Fun Design Fact: The tables in the room are made out of knotted wood, with a patterned design.
Art Exhibit │ Quiet Reading Room
On loan from artist John P. O'Neill, several art prints are on exhibit in the Quiet Reading Room. The art consists of giclée prints from the book Great Texas Birds, which was published by the University of Texas Press in 1999.
Electronic Classrooms
Electronic Classrooms A & B each have 20 computer workstations and feature audiovisual equipment for multimedia instruction, presentations, and lectures. They may be rented and are part of the Meeting Center.
In the Department
Adult Information Desks
Have a question for one of our librarians, looking for information about our adult programs or resources, checking into a Study Room, or guidance finding a book? Visit our Adult Information Desk to speak with our library staff.
Study Spaces
Aside from the Study Rooms and Quiet Reading Room, there are plenty of study spaces throughout the library, whether it be using one of our tables for group study or a station with plug & play for laptop use.
Fun Design Fact: As part of the design elements symbolizing movement, migration, and local wildlife, notice the red panels and carpeting throughout the Adult Area. These are places to stop, such as for seating and resting spaces.
Lounge Spaces
The library is not only a space where the community comes to learn and create. With comfortable furniture, our design also allows for lounge and socializing.
Computer Catalogs
Throughout the library collections, computers mounted on the book shelves allow for convenient access to our online catalog. Simply look for the red panels on the side of the shelves.
Mega-pendants
Three overhead mega-pendants provide colorful directional signage throughout the building and make it easy to find our adult collections.
Fun Design Fact: As part of the design elements symbolizing movement, migration, and local wildlife, patterns can be found on our mega-pendants.
Adult Collections
The adult area has thousands of items available for checkout to the public and includes fiction (large print / westerns / sci-fi / mystery), biographies, non-fiction, graphic novels, reference, DVDs & Blu-ray, books on CD, and many, many more! Below are some of our newest collections.
Newest Collections
Local Authors Collection: The local author collection is comprised of works by authors that reside in Hidalgo County, and is a unique way to highlight our local authors and provide a way for more people to discover their works.
Personal Finance Collection: After receiving a grant from the FINRA Foundation, Main Library expanded its personal finance collections and began sharing fraud prevention messages to help residents make well-informed financial decisions following a FEMA-declared major natural disaster in the region.
World Languages Collection: We now offer books in Korean, Tagalog, and Hindi, adding to the library’s wide selection already offered in English and Spanish.
Periodicals
Dozens of popular magazines and newspapers are available for the public to browse, and range from regional, national, and international periodicals. By accessing our eBranch while in the library, patrons are able to browse complete online editions of local newspapers (The Monitor, Brownsville Herald, and Valley Morning Star). From home, patrons with any valid Hidalgo County Library card can also access digital magazines (Better Homes & Gardens, Discover, ESPN, and many more) from our eBranch.
Genealogy & Local History
The Genealogy and Local History collection is a non-circulating collection of materials useful for beginning self-directed research. Our collection covers a broad range of locations, family groups, and time periods. In particular, we strive to provide materials which are relevant to residents of South Texas.
Our entire genealogy collection can be searched in our online catalog. Try clicking on "advanced search" and change one of the search fields to Subject. Then search for terms such as "Saenz family", "Hidalgo County", or "Mexico genealogy". You can also do a regular search for any family name, location, or subject, and then use the Collection button in the menu on the left to filter the results to books in the Genealogy collection.
Local History Files
Contain newspaper clippings, brochures, and other ephemera from the early 1970's to the mid 2000's that cover about 1500 topics related to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley. Material is organized in vertical files according to subject.
Microfilm
Recent past issues of The Monitor (McAllen’s daily newspaper) are available on the periodical shelves. The library keeps the original paper copies for approximately 6-8 weeks.
Microfilm is also another resource that researchers should not overlook. We have several newspapers in microfilm such as The Monitor, Brownsville Daily Sentinel, and New York Times. The microfilm reels are kept near the North Information Desk and can be viewed whenever the library is open. The microfilm reader machine is operated on a self-service basis, and does not print. We recommend bringing a camera to take a photo of the screen.
Aerial Photograph Collection of Hidalgo County
Original printed aerial photographs of the county, particularly the agricultural areas of the early 1960's, are in the map drawers near the North Information Desk. Please ask for assistance at the Information Desk before using this collection.
The library was awarded the Portal to Texas History Grant enabling a sample of the collection to be digitized by the University of North Texas - Digital Projects Unit. This digitized collection of 30 remote-sensing aerial images includes the City of McAllen and surrounding cities.
Adult Programming
McAllen Public Library is constantly adapting new ideas as a social hub for learning through fun, innovative, and - most importantly - relevant programming to stay attuned to the shape and needs of our community in order to have the greatest positive impact on our patrons.
A few of our recurring programs include:
- Amigas Tejedoras / Knitting Friends
- Book Clubs
- Coloring for Adults
- Craft Corner
- Gaming Club
- Genealogy at the Library
- Tech Connect
- Writing Circle