Jacinto City Branch, Harris County Library

JACINTO CITY BRANCH HARRIS COUNTY LIBRARY 1026 Mercury Drive Houston, Texas 77029 673-3237 I. COMMUNITY Jacinto City is an incorporated city of about 12,000, bordered on three sides by Houston and on the other by Galena Park. It is governed by an elected mayor and five councilmen, with a city secretary hired and approved by the council. The city has an efficient volunteer fire department, police department, and a city ambulance. The recreation director has her office in the city's gymnasium, which is next to the library. Although a county library ^ the building belongs to the city and falls under the city's recreation department headed by one of the councilmen and the recreation director. Latin Americans moving into the city comprise about 40?6 of the total population; but since many of the older people and p re-schoolers speak no English and profess little interest in Spanish-language materials, school-age children are the main users of the library from this ethnic group. The economic level is generally low. Many of the houses are rent property and those and the houses for sale are comparatively low cost. The workers commute to Houston, В ay town, and Pasadena; and are generally e mployees of refineries, mills and factories. The local Armco Steel and Anchor- Hocking Glass со. has employees here as well as a number of professional people who use the library regularly. The library serves patrons within a five mile radius, although there are other- libraries in the area. The city's recreation department offers a wide range of activities, both indoor- at the gym and in t he surrounding park area and swimming pool. There-, are fields for girls and boys baseball football, and tennis courts, playgrounds with equipment and pavilions and picnic tables. Indoor act¬ ivities include classes for various age groups in gymnastics, volley & basketball games, table tennis; and classes in such things as knitting, crocheting, baton twirling, and swimming are taught from time to time. The city has a small two-room community building which is used five days a week, morning and afternoon, for the pre-school classes sponsored by the recreation department; it is used late afternoons, evenings and weekends by other groups, some regularly scheduled, such as the Scouts, TOPS exercise group, and a sorority. A n ew community building is under construction at the edge of the park and it will contain a number of meeting rooms, including one for senior citizens, and a stage. The nearest dramatic organization is at San Jacinto College North Campus, about five miles away.