The Hidalgo County Library System is expanding their virtual collection.

The new cloud network will now offer residents more than 150,000 e-books.

McAllen Library Director Kate Horan said there has been a noticeable boost in the library's online system since the pandemic started because the system is user-friendly and many people are avoiding social spaces.

"Since COVID hit, we recognize how important this has been in the lives of our citizens who are trying to either stay at home or at least limit their outbound experiences," Horan said. "This is to increase literacy which is very-- it's a real issue here in the Valley and the county supports and sends a really strong message to the community-- that Hidalgo County cares about literacy.”

The expanded cloud system will cover libraries from across the entire county. 

The virtual library can be accessed from a computer on the website www.yourcloudlibrary.com where e-books can be read using an existing library account. The ‘cloudLibrary’ app is also available on all smart devices for on-the-go reading.

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