The Naming Committee of the San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a public input meeting at the Central Library Auditorium on Saturday, July 13 at 2:00 p.m. At this meeting the Board naming committee will receive input related to the potential naming of the Texana Resource Center gallery space. The proposed name is “Library Foundation Gallery at Texana.”

You are invited to attend and offer public comment in person at the meeting or before the meeting via any of these methods:

đŸ–„ïž Submitting an online written comment (via Library Board of Trustees website) – 300-word limit

📝 Dropping off a written statement to Central Library (600 Soledad St., 78205) during business hours – 300-word limit

☎ Leaving a voicemail message at 210-207-2595 (3-minute maximum message length)

Comments may be submitted in either English or Spanish. For more information on the meeting and how to submit your comments regarding this decision, you can access the meeting agenda.

While the 6th floor of Central Library is closed for construction, Texana/Genealogy services are available on the first floor of Central Library across from the main circulation desk.

Interim services include:

📰 Onsite special collections including local newspapers on microfilm, current periodical subscriptions, San Antonio City Directories, maps, San Antonio subject clipping files, and a carefully curated selection of Texana/Genealogy books and archival special collections

đŸ–„ïž Public computers for accessing research databases such as Ancestry Library Edition will also be provided with convenient access to experienced staff

❓ Reference staff to assist you with research and general inquiries

Texana/Genealogy Interim Service Schedule:

Tuesdays –
12:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Wednesdays through
Saturdays –
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sundays and Mondays – CLOSED
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World War Poster Collection

The Texana/Genealogy Department holds a collection of over 500 patriotic and propaganda posters spanning both World Wars. Common themes include patriotism, recruitment, conservation, and financial support for the war. Some posters depict enemy forces negatively, emphasizing the need for citizens to contribute to the war effort. Popular symbols such as Uncle Sam, patriotic imagery, and appeals to national pride are frequently featured. Posters also urged civilians to buy war bonds and conserve resources in support of the Red Cross and the troops on the front lines. A series promoting the post-World War II Marshall Plan is also included in the collection.

The bulk of the collection was assembled by the late Texas Senator Harry Hertzberg. After Hertzberg’s untimely death in 1940, the Harry Hertzberg estate bequeathed his vast assortment of circus memorabilia and his eclectic book & poster collection to the San Antonio Public Library where he had served as a member on the board of trustees. His book collection and World War I posters are now housed in the Texana/Genealogy room of the Central Library. Other posters, including those dating from World War II, were acquired later with funds from Hertzberg’s estate.

In 2008, an exhibit of war posters, The Winds and Words of War: World War I Posters and Prints from the San Antonio Public Library Collection, traveled across the country, visiting eight states over four years. To commemorate the centennial of the armistice ending World War I, the exhibit traveled to museums and libraries in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

In celebration of the 4th of July, our most patriotic holiday, the Texana/Genealogy Department is highlighting the recently published finding aid, Guide to the World War Poster Collection, 1904-1950, Undated (bulk 1917-1920). The electronic finding aid provides detailed background on the World War poster collection and is available online through Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO) here.

To learn more about the collection and view examples of the posters, visit our companion guide: San Antonio Public Library World War Poster Collection, on the library’s website here.

(Photo Caption: Conceptual rendering of the new gallery space to be built as part of the Texana Resource Center Bond project. Rendering courtesy of Marmon Mok Architecture.)