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The Harrington Library Consortium is one of the most unique, innovative, and futuristic projects in the library world. Realizing the need to cooperate and share resources, in 1977 the directors of Amarillo College, Amarillo Public Library, and West Texas State University Cornette Library began to discuss ways this need could be fulfilled. Through informal discussions, these directors realized their individual institutions shared a common purpose: to serve the people of the Texas Panhandle. Their discussions then expanded to include not only cooperation and resource sharing among their libraries but also ways these concepts could be extended into the entire Panhandle.
In the late 1970's, when these libraries first began meeting, the world was moving into the information age. Realizing that each library would have to automate in order to remain a viable force in the coming age, this group applied for and was granted a Title III (Library Service and Construction) Grant to convert their cataloging information into computer-readable form. Focusing on the goals of automating various library routines, opening their collections to each other's users and sharing resources through a common computerized system, the group applied to the Amarillo-based Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation for a grant of $1.5 million. Upon approval of their grant application, the group was joined by the Amarillo branch of the Texas Tech University School of Health Sciences. They then formally allied themselves into the Harrington Library Consortium. The uniqueness of the project lies in the fact that a state university, a community college, a large municipality, and a medical school combined in a joint effort of such magnitude.
Once the holdings of the three original libraries where entered into a common database accessible by all library patrons, the library directors began to explore ways these resources could be shared throughout the Panhandle. The innovative feature of the project is that the resources of the Consortium are being made available to the diverse libraries of the area through a shared database. At the present time, full services are shared by the public libraries in Amarillo, Borger, Cactus, Canadian, Canyon, Childress, Clarendon, Dalhart, Dimmitt, Dumas, Friona, Fritch, Hereford, McLean, Memphis, Pampa, Panhandle, Perryton, Spearman, Stinnett, Stratford, Sunray, Tulia, Vega and Wellington; the academic libraries at Amarillo College, Clarendon College, Frank Phillips College Borger & Perryton, and Wayland Baptist University; and the school libraries at Allen 6th Grade School, Amarillo High School, Austin Middle School, Avondale Elementary School, Booker School/Public Library, Bowie Middle School, Caprock High School, Coronado Elementary School, Crockett Middle School, deZavala Middle School, Eastridge Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Forest Hill Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, Houston Middle School, Humphrey's Highland Elementary School, Landergin Elementary School, Lawndale Elementary School, the Learning Resource Center at AISD, Mann Middle School, Memphis Austin Elementary School, Memphis Travis Elementary School, Memphis High School, Memphis Middle School, Olsen Park Elementary School, Panhandle Elementary School, Panhandle Jr. High School, Panhandle High School, Palo Duro High School, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Sanborn Elementary School, San Jacinto Elementary School, Sunrise Elementary School, Tascosa High School, Wellington Elementary School, Western Plateau Elementary School, White Deer Elementary School, White Deer High School and Wills Elementary School. Partial Participants are Bushland Independent School District, Gruver Public Library, Higgins Public Library, Lakeview Elementary School, Quitaque Public Library, Shamrock Public Library, and Wheeler Public Library. Internet Affiliations are shared by the public libraries in Claude, Groom, Skellytown, and White Deer.
HLC is on the cutting edge of development in two ways. HLC was the first network in the United States to include diverse libraries in a shared environment, and the HLC patron card is reported to be the first accepted as a universal library card.
Even though HLC has continually been a national example of an innovative, futuristic project based on practical application, the project participants and directors refuse to rest on past accomplishments. Application of technological advances continues to be explored. Involvement in the advancement of libraries and the library profession continues to be an ongoing project at HLC. Recently, the Consortium adopted a long-range plan for continuing this resource-sharing project in the future.
The Harrington Library Consortium computer center and offices are located at Amarillo Public Library Central Branch. Consortium staff currently consists of Donna Littlejohn, Director, Troyce Wilson, IT Assistant, John Titus, Senior IT Analyst, Kay Crandall, Cataloger, and Mark Nuss, IT Support.
HLC owes a debt of gratitude not only to the individuals who conceived the idea of a regional network but also to the entities they represent; the board members of the Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation for their trust and support; and the library directors and their staffs for the endless number of hours they have donated for the advancement of the project. The deepest debt of gratitude belongs to the people of the Texas Panhandle region for their acceptance and use of this unique, innovative, and futuristic resource.
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