Our mission is “to expand Houston Independent School District libraries’ capacity through funding and volunteer support, and to advocate for HISD’s libraries as essential centers for student learning.”
Over the past two years, the district has authorized the closing of 167 school libraries. Donations enable us to help support the remaining libraries, to advocate for their retention, and to provide information about the importance of school libraries to community members and decisionmakers in Houston and throughout Texas.
Our focus is on campuses that serve high percentages of students living in or near poverty. These students most need the books (print and digital), technology, literacy support, and other resources that school libraries provide.
Resources for Campus Libraries
Until the 2023 state takeover, we invested in individual campus libraries by supplying books, technology, and other resources that the library staff and principal identified as priorities.
During the 2023-24 school year we provided new reading rugs for four libraries, selections of new high-interest books for library use, hundreds of new and like-new books for students to take home, and a professional-grade library cart, and co-sponsored the free district-wide Library Program of the Year celebration in May. We also established a program through which library staff members could apply for small grants ($200-500) to fund library projects on individual HISD campuses.
We planned to continue funding enhancements, including resources in languages other than English; college and career materials; extra copies of very popular books; furnishings that make the library more inviting and comfortable. With the continued library closures, we are focusing on events and consumables, such as literacy celebrations; books for students to take home; materials for literacy-related craft activities, maker spaces, and meetings; professional development for library staff; and volunteer support for individual libraries.
Exciting Educational Events
We support events that generate interest in literacy and academic achievement, such as book fairs, author visits, literacy-related awards and competitions, and other educational celebrations.
Professional Development
We sponsor the annual Library Program of the Year celebration as well as other events for HISD library staff. We hope to help sponsor professional development opportunities, such as assistance with conference attendance, support for teachers seeking state librarian certification, and access to experienced mentors.
Advocacy and Volunteer Support
We share information about opportunities to assist libraries, and provide outreach to leaders within HISD and to the Houston community about HISD libraries’ successful activities and the importance of literacy and school libraries in general. We are now forming a group of trained volunteers to help individual campus libraries with shelving, collection weeding, and other necessary tasks.
Why Was Friends of HISD Founded?
Modern school libraries are lively academic hubs, stocked with digital research resources, exciting new print and e-books, study centers, and other resources. In today’s libraries students gather to collaborate on projects, and creative librarians use technology to teach them vital research and critical thinking skills.
But, until 2022, more than 95 Houston Independent School District campuses had no functioning libraries. These schools were mostly in underserved neighborhoods, where students have few books or other resources at home.
When he joined HISD in 2021, Superintendent Millard House announced that “providing equitable opportunities and resources at every school” was one of his five main priorities, and in 2022 he announced that every HISD campus would be required to have a library and full-time librarian or media specialist.
As of spring 2023, most of these libraries had opened, and most received a one-time, federally-funded shipment of books.
However, many schools, especially those in which almost every student is economically disadvantaged, still lack funding for new materials or resources, events like literacy nights, and other important initiatives.
A group of school library supporters recognized that enhanced library resources would benefit HISD students in many ways. We founded the Friends of HISD Libraries in May 2023 to help provide funding, volunteer support, and advocacy.
In June 2023, the Texas Education Agency assumed control of HISD and the new superintendent immediately began closing libraries. As of January 2025, 167 HISD campuses no longer have functioning libraries. Most of these schools are in high-poverty areas, where students have few, if any, reading resources at home.
95% of the students at this school live in or near poverty, and 76% speak another language at home. The library received $63,700 in new books in 2022, funded by federal COVID recovery dollars. It is now closed.
99% of the students at this school live in or near poverty, and 66% speak another language at home. The library received $30,000 in new books in 2022, funded by federal COVID recovery dollars. It is now closed.
These non-functioning libraries have no staff to provide literacy support, teach classes, and maintain resources; no technology; no student visits, activities, or events. In many cases the rooms are inaccessible to students, or have been converted to other uses, and the books have been removed and either stored, discarded, or given away. In some schools, books that remain on the shelves are available for anyone to take on an “honor system.”
The Friends of HISD Libraries’ advocacy is more important than ever. We hope to continue to work in partnership with HISD administrators and staff and the Houston community to keep them informed about the importance of school libraries and to seek more investment in these learning centers.