Friends of HISD Libraries

On Nov 4, residents in HISD school board districts 5, 6, & 7 will choose their representatives. We sent a brief questionnaire to each candidate on 8/29, & then reminded those who hadn't responded. To read the responses, please visit friendsofhisdlibraries.org or…

"I didn't like reading, & then I was introduced to Encyclopedia Brown, my first boyfriend. I'm reading today because of Encyclopedia Brown." School libraries help kids read & succeed, but 185 Houston ISD schools no longer have them. 90% of the affected kids live in/near poverty.

"Today libraries are desperately important in many disadvantaged communities, & are still of great value everywhere." Rest in peace, Dr. Jane Goodall - legendary advocate for conservation, animal welfare, & many other issues, including literacy. #JaneGoodall @JaneGoodallInst

"Libraries are places for everybody." Student isolation & anxiety are increasing - & school libraries offer more than books (print & digital), tech, safe study space, & academic support. But 108k+ HISD students no longer have libraries; 90% of those students live in/near poverty.

90%+ of the affected students live in or near poverty. Many have little access to print/digital books, tech, literacy/research support, & quiet study space at home, & may not have adults available to read to them. TX: School libraries help our students read and succeed.

“Education is the foundation to build your dreams upon, & that starts with literacy. Knowing how to read helps every aspect of your life.” 115k HISD kids now have no school libraries for books (digital & print), tech, literacy/research help, safe study spaces, & more. TX: Why?

“Books uniquely teach empathy because they allow the reader to see life from a different point of view. This is a time when empathy is in short supply, so I really hope I’m doing my job and turning kids into readers.” Houston ISD has closed 185+ libraries; let’s do better, TX.

11 more Houston ISD schools now have no functioning libraries. Now 185+ HISD campuses, serving 117k students, lack the literacy/research support, books (print & digital), safe study space, tech, & more that school libraries provide. 89% of the affected kids live in/near poverty.

The Houston library closures continue: 186+ HISD schools now lack functioning libraries. 90%+ of affected students live in/near poverty; these kids most need the books, tech, educational support, & safe study space that school libraries offer. TX: Libraries help kids succeed.

HISD Library Staff: Please join us on Sat 9/13 to pick up some books, hear district news, share successes & challenges, grab a snack, maybe win a great door prize! Kids welcome. Location info coming soon. Thanks for all you do for #HISD students! #literacymatters #library #books

When she arrived in New York at age 12, her only disappointment with libraries was that she could only borrow 10 books at a time. “Libraries felt like church to me. It felt like a religious experience.” 107k HISD students now have no school libraries; 93% live in/near poverty.

Today's libraries are full of exciting resources! But in Houston ISD, a kid now can easily go from preK-12th grade without ever having a school library. Slides & worksheets are replacing books. TX: Solid literacy skills, not test prep, are essential for success in school & life.

“I loved going to the library... And I’ll never forget my librarian, Coreen Harvey.” Of the 107k+ HISD kids who now have no libraries, 93% live in/near poverty. They read handouts instead of books. TX: Literacy is critical for success in life. #johnlewis #johnlewisdayofaction

"Libraries are the places where book lovers are made." 175+ Houston ISD schools - most in high-poverty areas - no longer have libraries. The district's new, tightly regimented New Education System doesn't allow time for read-alouds, library visits, or reading full books.

2 librarians wi/HISD ties have joined TALL Texans, a highly competitive library leadership program. Lindsey, an HISD Library Services leader till the dept was closed, now heads Stafford's school libraries. HISD librarian Kaitlyn just earned her MLIS degree in addition to her MLS.

“My life has been inescapably shaped by libraries and books and the knowledge they hold." 2022: all HISD schools were required to have staffed libraries. 2023: TX took over the district; 175+ schools - most in high-poverty areas - now have no libraries, & the closures continue.

Happy Independence Day! #literacymatters #fourthofjuly2025 #IndependenceDay #Constitution

“I lost myself in my school library, & I found myself as well. I was deathly shy & introverted, but books gave me something I loved." 175+ HISD schools now have no libraries; 93% of the affected kids live in/near poverty. TX: Libraries help kids succeed in school & in life.

"When I was growing up in East TX, my family had no money for books, so our local library was my reading room. There I entered a boundless world to discover more lives to lead than I had dreamed of.” HISD kids can now easily go from PreK-high school without ever having a library.

100% of the students at the pictured HISD school live in/near poverty, & own few, if any, books. 65% speak another language at home. They loved their library, but it (&174+ others) is now closed. HISD libraries in more affluent areas remain open. TX: All kids deserve libraries.