Renovation Awareness *Updated 3/17/2020

Changes are coming to Main Library.

*UPDATED March 17, 2020

In an effort to offer a longer notice period for patrons who have not been made aware of availability changes, the final date of availability for any reference resources located in the Perrenot Room including Southwest Reference Books, Architectural Drawing, Archives, Photos, and Postcards will be available through Friday March 20, 2020. 

Saturday March 21, 2020, there will be no materials accessible for reference or patron usage.

Please be aware that due to current public health guidelines established by the CDC, the patron capacity for library facilities has been greatly reduced. Patrons may experience wait times to enter the facility and computer usage is limited to one hour sessions per person a day.  

In anticipation of the City's Mexican American Cultural Center co-location project, Main Library will undergo a renovation creating new collection/service/work spaces. The renovation will affect Border Heritage's collection availability throughout its duration since Border Heritage will be moved temporarily to Main Library's Mezzanine. As space will be limited, only a small portion of Border Heritage materials will be available throughout the renovation.

This selection is expected to include:

• The El Paso Times, Lone Star, and Herald Post microfilm
• The library's newspaper indexes
• The El Paso Vertical Files, the Citizens Vertical Files, and the Mexico Vertical Files
• A selection of circulating materials
• Historical Maps
• A portion of the El Paso City Directory Collection  

Border Heritage will continue to offer reference services and research assistance (in a limited capacity) as well.

Unfortunately, Border Heritage's archival materials and special collections will be unavailable throughout the renovation. These include:

• The Reference Southwest Collection
• The Reference RAZA Collection
• The Reference Genealogy Collection
• The Southwest/RAZA/Genealogy Periodicals
• The microfilm/fiche collection with the exception of the El Paso Times, El Paso Herald Post, and Lone Star
• Photograph Collections
• Architectural Drawing Collections
• Yearbook Collection
• Postcard Collections
• The great majority of the El Paso City Directory Collection
• The Southwest Vertical Files, El Paso Municipal Files, and El Paso Public Library Files
• All archival papers, records, and collections

Beginning February 24, 2020 access to Border Heritage's Reference Southwest Collection and archival materials will be limited as work to reorganize and shift materials in Border Heritage's Perrenot Room will begin.

On March 2, 2020, the Perrenot Room and all of its contents (Reference Southwest, archival materials, etc.) will be inaccessible until Main Library reopens after the renovation.

We thank you for your past patronage, and look forward to your continued visits throughout the renovation! Please contact Border Heritage with any questions or concerns and for additional information.