Harris County Public Library (HCPL) is a
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamen ...
system serving
Harris County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
Since its inception in 1921, HCPL has grown from a system of small book stations in homes, stores and post offices to 26 branch libraries serving a population of over 1.3 million users in
unincorporated areas countywide. HCPL has a collection of over 2.5 million items and circulated over 9.7 million items in fiscal year 2014. Edward Melton is the director of the library system.
HCPL operates branches in several cities which do not have library systems of their own and in unincorporated parts of Harris County. Three branches are located within the city limits of Houston, in sections that have been annexed since the branches opened. Most of Houston itself is served by the
Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States.
History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library
The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...
.
Administration
The county library system is headquartered on the property of 5749
South Loop East. It is in a one story building.
It was formerly headquartered at 8080 El Rio Street. At a later time it was headquartered at 9220 Kirby Drive, within the Corporate Centre Kirby in Houston.
Branches
*
Aldine Library - Houston
** The branch serves
Greenspoint
Greater Greenspoint, also referred to as the North Houston District, is a business district and a suburban neighborhood in northern Harris County, Texas, United States, located mostly within the city limits of Houston. Centered around the jun ...
. An expansion and renovation was scheduled to be completed in January 2001.
[WORTH READING ABOUT / Construction work under way on Barbara Bush branch library]
" ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...
''. Wednesday September 20, 2000. ThisWeek 1. Retrieved on December 9, 2011.
*
Atascocita
Atascocita is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 88,174. It is located north and south of Farm to Market Road 1960 about ...
Library - Atascocita CDP, ''unincorporated area''
* Baldwin Boettcher Library @ Mercer Park - ''Unincorporated area''
** Some areas near Humble are served by this branch.
It was constructed on donated land. It was named after Baldwin Boettcher, a German settler. His descendants deeded the homestead to Harris County. The plans stated that the Boettcher staff would assist the Mercer Park staff in finding any botanical reference books that they or the public need. This library is closed until further notice due to flood damage during Hurricane Harvey.
* Barbara Bush Library @ Cypress Creek - ''Unincorporated area''
** The branch serves areas with Spring postal addresses. Construction began in the northern hemisphere summer of 2000.
This branch is currently closed until further notice due to flood damage during Hurricane Harvey.
*
Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library -
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
** The branch is a joint project between HCPL and the
Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States.
History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library
The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...
*
Crosby Library - ''Unincorporated area''
* LSC Cy-Fair Branch Library (on the
Lone Star College–CyFair Campus) - ''Unincorporated area''
**The branch is a joint project between HCPL and the
Lone Star College System.
* Evelyn Meador Library -
Seabrook
*
Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...
Library - Unincorporated Harris County (Houston address)
* Galena Park Library -
Galena Park
* High Meadows - Unincorporated Harris County (Houston address)
* Jacinto City Library -
Jacinto City
* Katherine Tyra Library @ Bear Creek - Unincorporated Harris County (Houston address)
* Katy Library -
Katy
*
Kingwood Library -
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
* La Porte Library -
La Porte
* Maud Smith Marks Library - Unincorporated Harris County (Katy address)
* North Channel Library - Unincorporated Harris County (Houston address)
* Northwest Library - Unincorporated Harris County
Cypress, Texas
Cypress is an unincorporated community in Harris County, Texas, United States, located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S. Highway 290 (Northwest Freeway) is twenty-f ...
* Octavia Fields Library -
Humble
* Parker Williams Library - Unincorporated Harris County (Houston address)
* South Houston Library -
South Houston
South Houston is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Harris County, Texas, Harris County. The population was 16,153 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by the ci ...
* Spring Branch Memorial Library -
Hedwig Village
Hedwig Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,370 at the 2020 census.
History
The Spring Branch Memorial area was originally settled by German immigrants in the 19th century. Hedwig Village's name originat ...
(Houston address)
* Stratford Library - Unincorporated Harris County (
Highlands address)
* LSC Tomball Branch Library (on the
Lone Star College-Tomball Campus) -
Tomball
Tomball ( ) is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 12,341 at the 2020 U.S. census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball for local congressman Thomas Henry Ba ...
" LSC - Tomball Community Library. Retrieved on March 9, 2018.
**The branch is a joint project between HCPL and the
Lone Star College System.
* West University Library -
West University Place, Texas, West University Place (Houston address)
Gallery
File:OctaviaFieldsLibraryHumbleTX.JPG, Octavia Fields Library in Humble
Image:BertHolderLibraryJacintoCityTX.JPG, A. J. "Bert" Holder Memorial Library in Jacinto City
File:ClearLakeCityCountyFreemanBranch.JPG, Clear Lake City–County Freeman Branch in Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
Image:GalenaParkLibraryGalenaParkTX.JPG, Galena Park Library in Galena Park
Image:SouthHoustonLibraryTexas.JPG, South Houston Library in South Houston
South Houston is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Harris County, Texas, Harris County. The population was 16,153 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by the ci ...
Image:Northwest Library.jpg, Northwest Library in Cypress
Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the l ...
See also
References
External links
Harris County Public Library Web siteMobileHarris County Public Libraryat
BlogspotHarris County Public Libraryat
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...
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Harris
Culture of Houston
Education in Harris County, Texas
Education in Houston
Libraries in Harris County, Texas