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May 15, 2022
Bandera High School library dedicated to beloved librarian
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
This month, the Bandera High School library will officially be renamed the Patsy Small Memorial Library, in honor of Patsy Small, who served the district as librarian for 26 years.
Last Monday, the Bandera ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the change at the behest of BHS Librarian Regina Johnston, who proposed the name change in April.
Small, a native of San Antonio, graduated from Edison High School in 1963. After earning her degree at UTSA, she was accepted to library school at UT Austin. There she completed her graduate studies and began her career as a medical librarian at the State Hospital of Texas in San Antonio.
In 1985, Small applied for and was immediately hired as the Bandera ISD middle and high school librarian. An advocate for the literacy of the children of BISD, she made sure they were current with the times, Johnston said.
During the 1990s, Small pioneered fully digitizing the libraries on the first automation system. She taught herself HTML, and created the BHS library’s first web page.
In early 2000, BISD passed a bond in order to build a new wing onto Bandera High School, and Small worked with architects to design the new library.
“The BHS library is the most well-designed and most beautiful library I personally have ever worked in,” Johnston said. “Every single person that I spoke to was in favor of dedicating and renaming the BHS library to the Patsy Small Memorial Library at Bandera High School, and there were too many to list.”
Among her many accomplishments, Small, who died in 2011 after battling cancer, worked with the late Coach Bob Shearhart to craft the legendary Shearhart Paper, a six-week research requirement of all high school students. The assignment is taught today still.
“I wholeheartedly support this...what a wonderful way to commemorate the legacy of Patsy Small who served as our librarian from 1985 until 2011,” Bandera ISD Superintendent Gary Bitzkie said.
The dedication will be held Thursday, May 26, at 2 p.m., in the Bandera High School library.
Last Monday, the Bandera ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the change at the behest of BHS Librarian Regina Johnston, who proposed the name change in April.
Small, a native of San Antonio, graduated from Edison High School in 1963. After earning her degree at UTSA, she was accepted to library school at UT Austin. There she completed her graduate studies and began her career as a medical librarian at the State Hospital of Texas in San Antonio.
In 1985, Small applied for and was immediately hired as the Bandera ISD middle and high school librarian. An advocate for the literacy of the children of BISD, she made sure they were current with the times, Johnston said.
During the 1990s, Small pioneered fully digitizing the libraries on the first automation system. She taught herself HTML, and created the BHS library’s first web page.
In early 2000, BISD passed a bond in order to build a new wing onto Bandera High School, and Small worked with architects to design the new library.
“The BHS library is the most well-designed and most beautiful library I personally have ever worked in,” Johnston said. “Every single person that I spoke to was in favor of dedicating and renaming the BHS library to the Patsy Small Memorial Library at Bandera High School, and there were too many to list.”
Among her many accomplishments, Small, who died in 2011 after battling cancer, worked with the late Coach Bob Shearhart to craft the legendary Shearhart Paper, a six-week research requirement of all high school students. The assignment is taught today still.
“I wholeheartedly support this...what a wonderful way to commemorate the legacy of Patsy Small who served as our librarian from 1985 until 2011,” Bandera ISD Superintendent Gary Bitzkie said.
The dedication will be held Thursday, May 26, at 2 p.m., in the Bandera High School library.