What's a hometown without a library? It's a good thing we'll never have to know. The Brownwood Public Library has been the sentinel of literary wealth since 1904. Residents have long enjoyed reading the many books, periodicals and reference materials the library has to offer. The pages within them have enlightened, inspired and also helped many students get through Mrs. Cadenhead's or Mrs. Stovall's high-school English classes. It's not enough that there are more than 75,000 books within its walls. Through its participation in the Interlibrary Loan Program of Texas, it has access to hundreds of thousands more. So even that obscure book Migratory Habits of Western Armadillos you are looking for is within reach.

Looking to trace your family's roots? The BPL can assist you with its expanded genealogy section. Many out-of-towners have been spotted in this section finding their ancestors.

Our library is also a major on-ramp to the information superhighway (a.k.a., the Internet), with nine computer terminals connected to the World Wide Web and loaded with the latest software, like Microsoft Office 2000 and Corel Office 2000, and a CD-ROM library to boot. Just stop by to get connected with the world.

The library is a place for children too, and every Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m., the kiddos file in for story time. And when school's out for summer, the library's summer reading program keeps them imagining and learning. Contact the Brownwood Public Library for more information at 646-0155.

The Howard Payne University (HPU) Library is another resource open to the public. While they don't keep a recreational reading collection, they do have 100,000 volumes related to the University's curriculum. For a small annual fee, you can access all the electronic subscriptions that are maintained by the library, including several hundred indexes and full-text databases. Plus they have over 70,000 full text journals and newspapers and nearly 20,000 ebooks available online. You can even access them from home. They also have a genealogy collection and early census film of Texas counties for you researchers.

During the fall and spring semesters, the HPU Library is open until 10:00 p.m. most evenings and open on weekends. Contact the HPU Library at 646-2502.