2025 Impact Report
Letter from the Director
At Harris County Public Library (HCPL), we are a rusted community anchor and an educational safety net—connecting people at every stage of life with the resources, guidance, and opportunities they need to thrive. Our libraries are welcoming spaces where curiosity is sparked, lifelong learning begins, and communities are built. Every day, we connect people with knowledge, opportunity, and possibilities, enriching lives and strengthening the communities we serve throughout the greater Harris County.
This year was marked by meaningful accomplishments that reflect our commitment to serving residents at every stage of life. With support from the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, every HCPL branch now offers the resources and services of a Family Place Library, strengthening early literacy and giving parents and caregivers tools to help children from their earliest days succeed in school and beyond. We were also honored to receive support from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation’s Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative. This investment allows HCPL to expand English-language learning, Career Online High School, and FutureU, thereby expanding pathways to education and economic opportunities.
These investments reflect our vision for the future: a library system that removes barriers, expands opportunity, and empowers every resident to learn, grow, and thrive.
HCPL’s impact is measured by more than numbers; statistics reflect tremendous reach, but they tell only part of HCPL’s story. HCPL's impact is measured by lives changed. The child who discovers a lifelong love of reading. The adult who earns a diploma increases their earning potential. The student who learns that college or a new career path is a real possibility. The family that finds support, resources, and a welcoming place to grow across multiple generations.
None of this work is possible without our dedicated staff, Harris County leadership, Harris County Friends of the Library groups, the HCPL Foundation, community partners, donors, volunteers, and the residents who continue to place their trust in us.
As we look ahead, HCPL remains focused on meeting the evolving needs of one of the nation's most dynamic and diverse communities. The accomplishments highlighted in this report reflect our continued commitment to expanding access, removing barriers, and creating opportunities for every resident to learn, grow, and thrive. Taken together, they demonstrate what is possible when a community invests in learning, literacy, and lifelong enrichment.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we are building a stronger Harris County—one reader, one family, one connection, and one story at a time.
With sincere gratitude and appreciation,
Edward Melton
Executive Director
Harris County Public Library
The Year in Numbers
Harris County Population
5,045,026
Cardholders
2,435,609
Total Circulation
18,867,354
Library Visits
2,898,775
Library Events
20,992
Event Attendance
344,085
Website Users
5,539,682
In-Library Computer Sessions
342,831
In-Library WiFi Sessions
2,715,218
Summer Reading Program
HCPL, like libraries across the country, combats the summer slide with fun, educational programming at all branches and offers incentive prizes to encourage everyone from infants to seniors to log their reading all summer long.
SRP Registration
20,494
Books Logged
287,771
Reading Minutes Logged
7,177,666
Summer Reading Events
3,891
Summer Reading Attendance
143,506
Outreach
Whether it be visits to assisted living facilities and local elementary schools, face-painting at Harris County Precinct 4's annual Sunday Afternoon in the Park, information and activity tables at Comicpalooza and Houston Maker Faire, pop-up libraries at farmers markets, or our fleet of mobile outreach vehicles, Harris County Public Library brings library services where you may least expect them.
Curiosity Cruiser
Total Programs
372
People Served
22,656
Books Given Away
21,399
Miles Traveled
21,965
Mobile Outreach Librarians
Total Programs
696
People Served
22,656
Carnegie Grant
Harris County Public Library was selected as one of 11 public library systems nationwide to receive grant support from Carnegie Corporation of New York through its Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative. This competitive grant program recognizes libraries meeting urgent community needs through proven education and workforce programs. For HCPL, the award will help expand three high-impact services: FutureU, the library's college readiness initiative; Career Online High School, which gives adults the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and career certificate online; and English as a Second Language classes for residents building language skills for work, school, and daily life.
This investment reflects the essential role HCPL plays in helping Harris County residents move toward greater opportunity. With more than 40 percent of Harris County households speaking a language other than English, library programs often serve as an entry point to education, employment, and long-term stability for entire families. The Carnegie funding will support a mix of in-person and online learning, workshops, community outreach, and one-on-one guidance for adult immigrants, refugees, high school students, and first-generation college applicants.
By strengthening English language learning, college access, digital skills, and career pathways, HCPL is helping residents take practical next steps toward brighter futures while reinforcing the library's place as one of the county's most trusted and accessible public institutions.
Family Place Project Reaches Completion
Barbara Bush pioneered a literacy movement across America and believed that learning how to read, write, and comprehend was a fundamental human right. Using her platform as U.S. First Lady, she placed her cause of literacy at the forefront of our nation’s priorities, advocating it to be an economic, social, and moral imperative. She was a staunch supporter of family literacy, promoting reading and learning together. She believed that parents are their child’s first teachers and that reading together strengthened bonds and enriched families.
This year, to commemorate the late First Lady Barbara Bush’s 100th birthday, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation provided funding to establish a Family Place Library to all of HCPL’s branches. Family Place for Libraries provides a comprehensive and proven suite of services and materials to member libraries across the country including in-depth training for library staff, parent-child workshops, specially designed spaces, and curated collections of books, toys, early literacy kits, music, and multimedia materials for babies, toddlers, parents, caregivers, and service providers.
Family Place builds on the knowledge that good health, early learning, parental involvement, and supportive communities play a critical role in a young child’s growth and development. The overall goal of Family Place Libraries is to develop and institutionalize a family-friendly environment by transforming libraries into community centers for literacy, early childhood development, parent education and engagement, family support, and community information.
The HCPL Foundation's Booked for Lunch Fundraiser
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