A city in Texas now has a library thanks to its mayor—who used to be a school librarian.
Alma Salinas became mayor of Sullivan City, Texas, in 2021, but before that, she was a school librarian for La Joya (Texas) Independent School District (ISD). One of Salinas’ top priorities upon taking office was establishing a public library for the city of almost 4,000 people in the southern part of the state. That vision came to fruition when the library opened in late July.
“I know that this building is going to transform a lot of our lives, our community lives, in one way or another,” the mayor says.
The new library sits on nine acres of land donated to the city by La Joya ISD in 2018. It includes a children’s area, two study rooms, a computer lab area, and a community room. The library staff hopes to begin hosting workshops and learning seminars for community members, as well as book clubs and activities for children.
Mayor Salinas says that the library will forever change the city and lift up its residents.
“The whole idea behind it is just so that it can be a way that you can transform yourself,” she says. “It’s about being proud of where you are from, and then, of course, maximizing the resources that are offered to you.”
While staffed, the library still needs work: It’s currently without a library director and needs to get Texas Public Library accreditation and to become part of the Hidalgo County Library System. Those minor obstacles don’t hinder the city’s enthusiasm, though.
“It’s a dream come true for all of us here in Sullivan,” says Elizabeth Salinas, a permits clerk and code enforcer for the city who works in the library. “I’m really proud. And I told [the mayor] that she was one of the reasons this library got built. She kept pushing, and she told me, it wasn’t only her, it was all of us because we all believed in her. I’m very proud of the city and of our mayor for bringing this dream come true to all of us here.”
Take a Spanish-language tour of the library below.
You can learn more about the new library in Sullivan City at My RGV.
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