Library Recovery 

Just as the devastation destroyed so many of our neighborhoods, seven libraries have been significantly damaged. Some will take months to reopen, and two may be closed for over a year. The City of Houston will rebuild the buildings, and other physical construction needs.

The library’s program support comes from donors, just like you and me. All of our donations stay local and help our Houston Public Library serve the community. The total losses are still being tallied, thus the needs are approximations and actual replacement costs may vary, however your donations will go to support a full library recovery.

MOBILE EXPRESS

To help with the recovery, HPL’s greatest need is the ability to get back into the community where our branches are closed. As Houstonians rebuild, they continue to need access to technology, homework help, youth and family programming. To provide this vital assistance, without taking programming from other areas within the community, HPL has an urgent need for a new Mobile Express unit. 

The LIBRARY’s response to harvey

During Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Public Library (HPL) opened the doors of neighborhood libraries to serve as temporary shelters, until the water flooded the library buildings and they had to evacuate.

Within two weeks of the storm, HPL’s team came together to open half of the 42 library locations, even as they dealt with their own personal post-storm recovery. HPL delivered much needed one-on-one assistance with storm relief applications, provided access to WiFi and computers, and even offered a safe space so that people could find a quiet refuge.