The McAllen Public Library’s conversion from a Wal-Mart and its recognition by the International Interior Design Association as a winner in the 2012 Library Interior Design Competition has drawn state and national coverage. Here’s a list of media outlets that have published articles or aired interviews about the McAllen Public Library:
ALA/IIDA
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/ala-and-iida-announce-winners-2012-library-interior-design-competition
NBC Latino
http://nbclatino.com/2012/07/13/walmart-transformed-into-library-unites-a-community/
L.A. Times Newsfeed
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/07/where-walmart-failed-a-library-succeeds.html
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1224761--how-an-empty-walmart-was-transformed-into-a-library
International Business Times
Angelo Young
646-867-7161
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/360580/20120707/wal-mart-mcallen-main-library-julia-christensen.htm
Texas Monthly
http://www.tmdailypost.com/article/culture/mcallen-s-dazzling-new-public-library
ABC Radio – San Francisco (Monday, July 9, 2012)
Sandra Firpo
KGO 810 News / ABC Radio San Francisco
sandrafirpo@abc-sf.com
(415) 216-1300
Univision - Paty Sesma
PSesma@us.univision.com
http://kgbt985.univision.com/fotos/slideshow/2012-07-05/un-walmart-convertido-en-la-mejor-biblioteca-publica-de-mcallen-texas
Slate.com
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/07/07/abandoned_walmart_in_mcallen_texas_becomes_an_award_winning_public_library_how_big_box_stores_are_becoming_public_spaces_.html?fb_ref=sm_fb_plugin_activity
National Public Radio – Los Angeles
Jacob Margolis, freelance reporter
Publication TBA
Daily Texan – publication week of 7/16/12
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/
Gawker.com
http://gawker.com/mcallen-public-library/?rel=author/index.xml
School Library Journal – publication due in August, print and online
Lauren Barack
lbarack@gmail.com
Library Journal – due out September, print and online
“Library by Design” supplement
sarah bayliss [mailto:shbayliss@gmail.com]
917-202-8320
Library Journal Design Slideshow
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/DICO_PP-master-sponsors.pdf
Time Magazine
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/09/the-town-that-turned-its-walmart-into-a-library/
Flavorwire.com
http://www.flavorwire.com/309136/10-wonderful-libraries-repurposed-from-unused-structures#1
The McAllen Public Library is also featured on the cover of an academic book, working title: Walmart and the American Dream, by Christine Labuski and Nick Copeland
Virginia Tech University
Department of Sociology
Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. (MS&R) on Design Work:
What influenced your color selection and design?
"We looked to nature – local plants and animals as well as migrating species that pass through the valley each year. The pattern on the wood ceiling, for instance, is derived from the form of the mesquite trees in the area. From the local and migrating species we derived the palette of materials, patterns and colors that drove the design."
--Jack Poling, Managing Principal
What was your main challenge for this project?
"The primary challenge for the project was to make such a large floor plate functional as a library. While the relationship of parking and entry to the building, as well as the proportion and shape of the building, are ideal for a functional library, the sheer size was a challenge. I do not believe that there is a larger library that is housed on one floor. The response to this was to locate the functional core of the building, the primary service desk, at the center of the building and to arrange the program areas around that center in quadrants. The quadrants are marked visually by the patterned wood ceiling running east and west, and the orange functional bar housing staff, group study and other spaces, running north and south. At the intersection of these two elements is the primary service desk. Accordingly, the space becomes visually intuitive and travel distances within the building are reduced. The interior shell of the building was painted neutral white and suspended pendants marking areas of assistance and places for people to work break up the space and mark place within the larger areas."
--Jack Poling, Managing Principal
http://dev.msrltd.com/projects/mcallenmainlibrary