Lone Star Libraries: Showcasing Exceptional Libraries in Texas

Lone Star Libraries is a quarterly series of articles and videos, created by the Texas Center for the Book and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, that showcases and celebrates exceptional libraries across Texas.

Library name: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, Dallas Public Library
Location: 1515 Young Street in Dallas, Texas

The seventh floor of the massive J. Erik Jonsson Central Library holds two rare treasures, both free to view by the public. The first is an original copy of the Declaration of Independence printed on the night of July 4, 1776, one of only about 25 surviving copies. It’s the only original copy located west of the Mississippi. Nearby, on the same floor, is an even older and equally beloved treasure—an original copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, published in 1623. Shakespeare died in 1616 without publishing any of his plays. Two of his friends decided to publish 36 of his plays in this volume. Only about 235 copies exist today, and the DPL is privileged to have one of them. About half a million people each year visit the Dallas Public Library’s downtown location. 

Thank you to Library Director Manya Shorr and her team at the Dallas Public Library for their help with this video and article.

Learn more about the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas with the article “Priceless Treasures and Creative Spaces” on the Texas Bookshelf Chronicles blog. In the short video below, learn more about this amazing library: https://youtu.be/WUfCSdXyhP8
 

Library name: The Rosenberg Library History Center & Museum in Galveston
Location: 2310 Sealy Avenue in Galveston, Texas

The Rosenberg Library is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas and the only public library on Galveston Island. Bridging the past and present, the Rosenberg Library History Center & Museum serves many parts of its vibrant community. The Galveston & Texas History Center, located on the fourth floor of the library, holds materials dating back to the 1800s. Also a thriving public library with numerous community events for children, teens, and adults, the Rosenberg is deeply rooted in the life of the city.  

Thank you to Stephanie Davis and Gerrianne Schaad of the Rosenberg Library and local historian and genealogist Sharon Batiste Gillins for their help with this video.

Learn more about The Rosenberg Library History Center & Museum in Galveston over on the Texas Bookshelf Chronicles blog, with the article “Rosenberg Library: Honoring the Past, Flourishing in the Present”. In the short video below, learn more about the oldest continuously run library in the state of Texas.
 

Library name: The Armstrong Browning Library & Museum
Location: 8th Street and Speight Avenue on the Baylor University campus; physical address is 710 Speight Avenue, Waco, Texas.

The Armstrong Browning Library & Museum is dedicated to the lives and works of famed Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It houses the world’s largest collection of Browning material and other rare nineteenth-century books, manuscripts, and works of art. The collection includes hundreds of their manuscripts and thousands of their letters. The library is also known for its 62 stunning stained-glass windows, most of which illustrate either Robert or Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetry.

Learn more about the ABL over on the Texas Bookshelf Chronicles blog, with the article “Poetry and Love: The Armstrong Browning Library Honors Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning”. In the short video below, learn more about this gorgeous library, where visitors feel transported to the nineteenth century.
 

Library name: The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University
Location: The 7th floor of the Albert B. Alkek Library on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas

The Wittliff Collections are both an archive and a museum. The Collections celebrate the cultural heritage of Texas, the Southwest, and Mexico, in nine galleries. It includes material related to literature, writing, photography, music, TV, and film. Highlights include material from the King of the Hill TV series, a music archive of Texas icon Willie Nelson, treasures of Mexican photography, and much more. 

Learn more about the Wittliff Collections over on the Texas Bookshelf Chronicles blog, with the article, "Find Your Artistic Inspiration at The Wittliff Collections." In the three-minute video below, take a closer look at The Wittliff and explore all the reasons to visit.