Latest News
IMLS Award Celebration
Join us at our fundraising luncheon to celebrate Harris County Public Library’s award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and our past year's achievements! We offer various sponsorship levels, each providing unique benefits and visibility opportunities. We look forward to you joining us and supporting our continued success in serving our community.
What: IMLS Award Celebration Luncheon
When: Monday, October 14, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Junior League of Houston | Directions
HCPL’s Summer Reading Program kicks off on June 3!
Log your reading all summer long to earn cool prizes!
Annual Meeting:
The 2024 Annual Meeting of the Harris County Friends of the Library was held on Friday, March 8 at 10:00 am. The location was the Harris County Library’s Central Office, 5749 South Loop East, Houston, TX 77033. There was a short business meeting at which time we approved the annual Friends budget. That was followed by a State of the Library report by Edward Melton, Library Director. Linda Stevens also gave a presentation on the Summer Reading Program. We also had discussions about fundraising, Friends of the Library memberships, and other items of general interest.
HCFOL Earns Silver Status on GuideStar
We are excited to share that HCFOL has achieved Silver status on GuideStar, a prominent nonprofit transparency and accountability platform. This accomplishment reflects our unwavering commitment to transparency and dedication to our mission. Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize accountability, transparency, and making a positive impact in our community. We owe this achievement to our donors, volunteers, and partners, whose unwavering support has been instrumental in our success. We could not have done it without you. We look forward to accomplishing even greater things in the future and invite you to check out our updated GuideStar profile to learn more about the impact HCFOL is making. Thank you for joining us on this journey and for believing in our vision.
HCPL Summer Reading Program 2023
hcfol Supports summer reading program
The HCPL Summer Reading Program is underway! This is a program that is supported by your generous donations to HCFOL. The theme for this summer is “All Together Now - Kindness, Friendship, Unity”. There are weekly focal areas, such as STEM or adventure, with corresponding online programs and activity kits that you can pick up at your nearest branch. You can find out more, including how to sign up to participate, here
New LEGO sets for the South Houston branch library.
Mini-Grant Projects funded
Every year, HCFOL sponsors mini-grants for all 26 branches of Harris County Public Library. Branches submit requests for a wide variety of projects - anything from providing new toys for the Children's department, to furnishing pizza and refreshments for an after-school program. We love seeing these projects come to fruition. They represent the individual communities our libraries serve, and they are a great reminder of the creativity of HCPL staff.
HCFOL is proud to present the AARP Digital Skills Ready 50+ program.
AARP Digital skills ready @ 50+ Grant
HCFOL was excited to receive a grant for the AARP Digital Skills Ready @ 50+ grant program. This represents a natural extension of HCPL’s digital literacy programs. Thanks to this AARP grant, we are offering free digital literacy classes at library branches across Harris County. Topics covered include setting up a LinkedIn presence, navigating Venmo and PayPal, and other courses designed to introduce the 50+ community to newer technology platforms. Classes are offered in both English and Spanish. Check out HCPL’s digital literacy classes here.