Friends of HISD Libraries @HisdLibFrnds

“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.

“I now know I need quiet in order to create. The world easily overwhelms me. I first noticed I needed silence when I made my first visit to the library.” 175+ HISD schools no longer have these important sources of books (print & digital), tech, research/literacy help, & more.

"I am who I am today because I had a pretty remarkable imagination. I dreamed a lot. And I had lots of ideas based on books I read in school." 175+ Houston ISD schools now have no libraries; 93% of the affected kids live in/near poverty. TX: ALL children deserve school libraries.

Question 1: When impoverished kids don't have books from Pre-K thru high school, is it surprising that they struggle with the SAT’s reading/writing sections? Question 2: Why is Houston ISD closing libraries in its neediest schools, while keeping them in its most affluent schools?

Houston ISD students can now easily go from pre-K thru high school without ever having a school library. 93% of kids without libraries live in/near poverty, & have few, if any, books at home. TX: ALL students deserve school libraries.

For many Houston kids, school libraries are vital sources of books; tech; literacy/research support; safe, quiet study space; activities; community. 175+ HISD schools lacked functioning libraries in 24-25; more will close this fall. 93% of affected kids live in/near poverty.

"Join an interactive online space for librarians to share, learn, connect, & bask in all things library." The TCEA annual Librarian Conference will be live-streamed, with recorded sessions available through July 26. $149; details at tcea.org/events/librari….