The Houston Public Library Foundation supports the Houston Public Library (HPL) by securing funding and community partnerships to enhance its impact. We invest in innovative programs, literacy initiatives, and technology access, ensuring all Houstonians benefit from free educational resources. Through advocacy and collaboration, we empower the library to inspire learning, bridge digital divides, and strengthen communities, fostering a stronger Houston through the transformative power of libraries.
Our Values
Since 1904, the Houston Public Library has been THE public resource open to all Houstonians and empowering each one of us to learn, to grow, and to explore. Whether it’s for personal growth, relaxation, community, business development and job readiness, learning new skills, or engaging with new ideas, the Houston Public Library links the people of the City of Houston to the wider world. The Houston Public Library is a civic space, a community forum, a center for the arts and for cultural exchange, and an invaluable asset that each of us can take a part in utilizing.
When Andrew Carnegie invested in thousands of libraries over a century ago, he did so with the understanding that the public library is the place for an individual who wants to build-up their own life can go and do so—and that everyone sharing this access will build stronger, more successful communities. As Americans, our society encourages the free and open exchange of ideas and the public library is our mutual investment in making sure that there are spaces to actually exchange those ideas. Through this opportunity, we see real economic impacts throughout Houston’s communities.
It is because the Houston Public Library is a PUBLIC entity—owned and shared by every Houstonian—it strives to fulfill its mission as an institution marked by excellence. Because the Houston Public Library belongs to each of us as a democratic institution that strengthens our society, we are each called to ensure that this service is excellent because our community deserves nothing less.
At the core of a successful and resilient community is a strong and flourishing individual. The Houston Public Library is the key resource for any Houstonian who wants to personally and professionally flourish. A life in which we stop learning is a life in which we stop growing and seizing new opportunities. The Houston Public Library helps you to seize your opportunities.