Browse Exhibits (4 total)

The First Annual McKinney Public Library Literary Festival

On August 17-18, 2024, the McKinney Public Library System hosted its inaugural literary festival at the Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library in Downtown McKinney. The staff at the McKinney Public Libraries identified a need in our literary community to support local authors, and what started as an idea to host a small gathering of local authors quickly evolved into a full-fledged literary fest. 

The McKinney Literary Fest is a North Texas Celebration of local authors, illustrators, and readers! 

Get ready for Literary Fest 2025! 

Join us again on August 23-24, 2025, at McKinney City Hall for our second annual Literary Fest! Over 40 featured authors will have tables for browsing, conversation, and book sales, and there will be readings, workshops, and more! Check out our Literary Fest webpage for more information. 

Attendee registration is now open! Access the registration page here. 

The History of the McKinney Public Library

The McKinney Public Library as we know it was started in 1927, although efforts from the Owl Club started as early as 1894. The library has evolved from one bookshelf in the back of Smith Drug to a thriving system with two branches across the city. Let’s journey through the past to discover how the McKinney Public Library became what it is today and who the people were that made it successful. 

McKinney Saloon Tour

Join us on a tour McKinney's old west saloons, and enjoy some of the stories associated with these saloons.
A huge thank you to McKinney resident Steve Powell for providing the narration to this tour.

Thank you for taking the Saloons tour of the Historic McKinney Square. For more information on McKinney’s history, please visit Helen Gibbard Hall Genealogy and Local History Center located in the Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library.

Collin County - The Way it Was: As Told by the Pioneers Who Lived it's History

Bicentennial Oral History Project, 1976, edited by Mike Apsey 

These oral history audio files are all available in MP3 format for download. They are also available as non-circulating CD’s in our Genealogy Department at the Roy and Helen Hall Library.