Amarillo ISD choosing to withdraw from Harrington Library Consortium

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Amarillo Independent School District is withdrawing from the Amarillo Public Library’s Harrington Library Consortium.

The HLC is a group of 87 libraries around the Panhandle who provide other clients with books and electronic information, making it a borrowing system.

“It’s one of the very few multi-type library consortiums in the whole United States; we have public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries and special libraries,” said Director of Library Services for APL Amanda Barrera.

Amarillo ISD decided last September to stop utilizing the service and released this statement:

The downside is that this comes at a time when major progress is happening at the HLC.

“Right now HLC library patrons have access to about 9,000 e-book and audio book titles through cloud library. Once we join Texas cloud link on Sept. 7, we will have access to over 250,000,” said Barrera.

Students of Amarillo ISD are still able to use the HLC.

“In the past they were able to just use their school library card in the public libraries, so what will change with AISD’s withdrawal from HLC is that their parent or guardian will have to come into the public library with them and get them an APL card,” said Barrera.

The change will go into effect on Aug. 31 when the contract officially expires.

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