Houston Public Library Annual Report

H o u s t o n P u b l i c L i b r a r y

2 0 0 8 A n n u a l R e p o r t

“Shhhhhhhhhh”

Welcome to the new Houston Public Library

“Shhhhhhhhhh”

Welcome to the new Houston Public Library

has left the building.Today’s Houston Public Library is a place where

bold voices are welcome. It’s a vital and vibrant

hub of our community, where everything from

cultural performances to multilingual seminars

to the non-stop clicking of keyboards can be seen

and heard every day. Let’s keep up the volume!

Click to return to Table of Contents

4

ta

bl

e o

f c

on

te

nt

s 3 Message from the

Director

4

Introduction

5-7

Central Library Reopens

8-9

The New Looscan

Neighborhood Library

10-11

Mobile Express and

HPL Express

12Discovery Green Park Express

13The Julia Ideson Building

14-15

Clayton Library, African-American

Library, Kendall Library,

Bracewell Library & Ring Library

16

HPL Financial Overview

17-22

Houston Public Library

Foundation

23-24

Supporting Organizations of

Houston Public Library

© 2009 Houston Public Library Foundation2

Click on the number to navigate through the document


5

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e

Director

Everyone has a library story. Most often, those stories take us back to our childhood,

and memories of afternoon trips to the local library with a parent, friend or class,

losing ourselves in the sea of books and the stories and worlds held in each.

Our memories tell us that these libraries were all quiet, wood-paneled, dimly lit

havens of rows and rows of books, places where one could peruse the stacks seeking information and education

about the larger world with the helpful assistance, and the occasional “shhhh,” of the local librarian.

Today’s libraries are changing. Not that they don’t still link people to the world of information. They do. And

not that there isn’t the occasional “shhh” from the local librarian. There is.

But more and more, today’s libraries seek to provide information that meets the needs of their communities,

in ways that we could not have conceived just a few years ago. And that sometimes means a library different

from that of our memories. The great libraries are those that find a balance between old and new, between

history and the future, between memory and possibility.

As the Director of the Houston Public Library, I am proud to lead an organization that seeks to find that

balance and is a critical part of the community, both in terms of physical locations and in service delivery.

In Fiscal Year 2008, we completed the fantastic renovation of the Central Library, opened the replacement

for the 50 year-old Looscan Neighborhood Library, and implemented the innovative HPL Express service model.

These projects helped HPL record over 8.6 million customer visits, up 6% from the previous year, circulate 5.8 million

books and other materials, and find the answers to just under 1 million reference questions posed by our customers.

Within these traditional library services, though, is a glimpse at the future of HPL. While the majority of

customer visits were traditional, in-person visits to an HPL facility, we are seeing an increase in the number of

customers accessing HPL resources electronically from home or work. Books on CDs and DVDs, a small portion

of overall circulation currently, both continue to increase in demand. The number of customers using HPL

computers increased at over 88% of our neighborhood libraries. And electronic reference, through email and

chat services, grew 38%.

We also continued our efforts to represent the incredible diversity that is so much a part of Houston and the

surrounding area, adding over 32,000 new items to our World Languages collection. HPL now offers materials in

15 languages other than English, with two more, Bengali and Marathi, to be added in 2009.

And even with that future ahead of us, we reach back to, and celebrate, our past. Fiscal Year 2009 will see HPL

open or expand three facilities dedicated to collecting, protecting and making accessible materials dealing with the

history of Houston and the surrounding region – the renovated Clayton Family House at the Clayton Library Center

for Genealogical Research, the addition of a new archival wing on the historic Julia Ideson Building, which houses

the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, and the opening of the African-

American Library at the Gregory School, a resource and repository to preserve,

promote, and celebrate the rich history and culture of African Americans in

Houston and the surrounding area.

I hope you will join us as we take the libraries of our memories and shape

the library of our future. With your support and commitment, we can create a

new library story – one in which “shhhh” has left the building.

Rhea Brown Lawson, Ph.D.

Director 3

Blanca Quezada


6

The Houston Public Library (HPL) is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of Houston’s

neighborhoods and emerging populations. As neighborhoods add and subtract residents, HPL is

responding to those changes with new, renovated or different facilities. But facilities, while vital, are only

a part of HPL’s evolution.

As methods of delivering information continue to undergo radical change, HPL is reshaping its content

offerings to best serve the needs of the community. Just as the village storyteller’s job gave way to books,

then spoken books on records,

which gave way to books on

tape and now books on CDs,

today’s libraries are pulsing with

the thrum of the information

highway as computers form a

new framework for information

delivery.

But even with books, CDs,

computers and facilities at its core,

the Houston Public Library is still

so much more. It’s a community

hub with each center designed

to meet the specific needs of the

individual community it serves,

be they cultural, educational

or need-based. The following

highlights some of the ways in

which HPL is fulfilling its role as a

vital community resource.

Int

ro

du

ct

Ion

4

A Vibrant, Vital Community Resource T o d a y a n d T o m o r r o w


7

The heart of Houston’s Public Library system, The Jesse H. Jones Central Library, re-opened in May after

two years of renovation and a $17 million makeover to transform and repair the facility. Yes, there are

books, magazines and printed reports for its half-million visitors a year. But that, however, is not all.

The remodeling of Central updated the entire building. For the first time, the kid’s library moved to an 8,600

square-foot, sun-drenched fourth floor site with books, reading areas, computers and electronic games. Teen

readers also have a spacious room of their own on the fourth floor with 24 desktop and 30 laptop computers.

The teen room provides access to research and writing tools, gaming, music and the Internet.

Like a community in and of itself, the Central Library is not just a place to find information, it is also a place to

share it and enjoy it in a setting that is comfortable, welcoming and lively. A large Program Place hosts lunchtime

offerings with book discussions, crafts demonstrations, business, health and wellness lectures many days of the

week. At night the Program Place may house lectures by visiting authors and scholars, a young professionals’

series, programs for seniors and film and book clubs.

5

Central LibraryR e n e w e d a n d R e - e n e r g i z e d


8

Central’s first floor has a new art gallery and the

Inversion Coffee Shop where customers can enjoy drinks

and snacks while reading or using a laptop. Flat-screen

televisions provide announcements about upcoming

Library events and occasionally carry live HPL programs.

An outstanding resource for technology and

communications capabilities, Central now boasts 200

computers throughout the building and free wireless

Internet access both inside the building and on the

plaza outside. A new meeting room is also available in

the space formerly used by the children’s library on the

Concourse.

For those many library visitors who speak or are

learning to speak languages other than English, new

World Language and Immigration Resource Center

offers materials, services and programs in 15 languages.

Located on the first floor, the Center has a broad range

of free educational materials as well as books, DVDs and

compact discs in those languages.

6 John Everett


97

The Careers, Opportunities, Resources and Education (CORE)

Center has classes, materials and programs on starting and

running small businesses. The CORE Center offers classes ranging

from “An Introduction to Buying and Selling on eBay” to “How

to Find Potential Donors for Your Nonprofit Organization.” For

research and business, Central has over 100 electronic databases

and librarians with business backgrounds who offer individual

appointments to help small businesses find the help they need.

The kids’ library is designed to be activity friendly. It hosts the

ever-popular story time, an active summer reading program, as

well as numerous other programs and tutorials throughout the

year. The library also provides five special databases for kids that

can be accessed on the library’s kid-friendly computers, opening

their world to online resources.

M o r e f r o m t h e

Central Library

Blanca Quezada

John Everett


10

New Life for Looscan

8

The new Looscan Neighborhood Library, which

opened in 2008, represents a unique public-

private partnership. One of Houston’s first eight

city neighborhood libraries, Looscan initially opened 50

years ago. When the original facility desperately needed

repair and expansion, a new non-profit group, Friends

of Neighborhood Libraries, was formed in 2003 to save

and inspire the library. The group raised $1 million in four

months to buy adjacent property and a further $1.5 million

to enhance the new building.

The result is the new 20,000-square-foot library, more

than double the size of the old building designed with

an exterior to fit into its neighborhood while functioning as a state-of-the-art facility. Looscan is the City of

Houston’s first green building, certified through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Building Rating System

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Visitors can feel part of that certification beneath their

feet. Floor tiles, resembling terrazzo, are actually recycled rubber which is quiet, easy to clean and easy on the

feet. Other green features include a “cool” roof and extensive use of daylight.

Jackson & Ryan Architect

Blanca Quezada

9

In addition to its 60,000-item materials collection, the new Looscan Neighborhood Library now has a large

meeting room space to host programs, events and community gatherings. Like all HPL libraries, it has free

Wi-Fi and offers 42 desktop and portable computers. The children’s area features a large mural commissioned

especially for this space, entitled ART-LIFE, by internationally-acclaimed Houston artist Bert Long, Jr.

Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Garden Club of Houston, Looscan’s second floor also has a Garden

Archive Room. It contains the combined collections of the Garden Club and the Houston Public Library about

local gardening and landscape history. The collection of books, papers and plans will circulate throughout

the Houston Public Library system. The library is named for Adele Briscoe Looscan, who was a leader in the

movement to establish the Houston Public Library system.

T h e C i t y ’ s F i r s t L E E D - C e r t i f i e d G r e e n B u i l d i n g



10

High-Tech and Then Some! M o b i l e E x p r e s s A d v a n c e s C o m p u t e r L i t e r a c y i n t h e C o m m u n i t y

The Houston Public Library’s HPL Mobile Express

is our community computer center on wheels.

This large, bus-like vehicle with its own electric

generator houses 12 computer workstations, plus a

number of laptops. The Express, with a driver, one full-time

and two part-time trainers, roams Houston providing

computer skills and access to HPL customers. It holds

eight to 10 workshops a week, primarily with existing

organizations such as senior citizen centers, YMCAs, parks,

and City of Houston Multi-Service Centers.

Mobile Express serves everyone from children to the elderly, offering 22 different classes ranging from basic

computer skills, such as how to use the keyboard, to topics such as how to use on-line travel services, search

for information on the Internet,

use digital cameras or learn

Microsoft’s Office Suite including

writing and the use of databases.

Mobile Express also provides

Internet access when libraries

are closed for repairs or to those

attending civic events, such as

the City’s art festivals.

Blanca Quezada

Blanca Quezada



11

11

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The HPL Express concept was

developed to bring HPL’s

services to communities

at one-quarter the cost of a free-

standing library. The Express locations

are housed in existing buildings,

multi-service centers, office buildings,

and more. HPL Express has a limited

amount of printed material on-site, but

a unique approach to its collection.

When a customer orders a particular

book delivered to the HLP Express it

stays on-site. That way, the collection is

customized to meet the interests of the

area residents.

HPL Express-Southwest

The first HPL Express opened

in January 2008 in the city of

Houston’s Southwest Multi-

Service Center at 6400 High Star in

West Houston. The 3,600-square-foot

facility has 27 computer work stations

and 15 laptops for computer classes.

In keeping with the demographics of

its neighborhood, half of its materials

are in Spanish.

HPL ExpressC o n n e c t i n g N e i g h b o r h o o d s a t a F r a c t i o n o f t h e C o s t

Blanca Quezada

Blanca Quezada


12

HPL Express – Discovery Green

Our newest HPL Express is located

downtown at Discovery Green Park. The

facility, which opened last year, offers

basic library services to the east side of downtown.

It has reference books, a number of computer

workstations, popular browsing materials and a

place to pick up and return library materials.

Two new HPL Express libraries are set to

open this year. The HPL Express Vinson is currently

under construction inside the new South Post

Oak Multi-Service Center. The new Morris Frank

Neighborhood Library is expected to open as

soon as an HPL Express, replacing one built in 1982.

It is named for Morris Frank, a columnist for two

Houston newspapers.

Vinson & HPL Express Vinson to OpenP a r t n e r i n g w i t h H o u s t o n H e a l t h D e p a r t m e n t

HPL will continue its theme of partnering

with other City departments to ensure

efficiency of operations when it opens the

new Vinson Neighborhood Library and HPL Express Vinson in the

South Post Oak Multi-Service Center located at 3810 West Fuqua.

The replacement facility will be almost 20,000 square feet,

doubling the size of the existing facility, and will be the first to

house both a traditional Neighborhood Library and separate HPL

Express location. The new Neighborhood Library location will provide circulating materials for adults, teens and

children, with separate reading spaces for all three age groups. It also includes 10 public access computers and a

conference room which will be available for public use.

The HPL Express location makes up 3200 square feet of the total space and will include approximately

27 public access computers, plus a gaming area. In all, the new facility will triple the number of computers

available for public use.

Sandra Fernandez

Sandra Fernandez

Autoarch Architects


13

Julia Ideson BuildingF u l f i l l i n g a H i s t o r i c V i s i o n

The Julia Ideson Building was once Houston’s central public

library, named after Houston’s first professional librarian.

The building now serves as the repository of historical

treasures of the city of Houston. Its Houston Metropolitan Research

Center has an extraordinary collection of books, maps and images.

When it was first planned, the Ideson was to have two wings and an

enclosed garden. Then came the Great Depression and the second

wing was never built.

In 2007 the non-profit Julia Ideson Library Preservation

Partners was formed to realize that original plan. The new wing,

and restoration of the existing building, will cost $38 million. Half

that amount has already been collected. Groundbreaking for the

new wing came in January of this year. The new south wing will

serve as a climate-controlled storehouse for its holdings, including

some 7,000 rare children’s books, a 1615 edition of Don Quixote

and first editions of Moby Dick and Alice in Wonderland. Substantial

completion of the new wing is expected this year. In 2010, when

the rare book collection is moved to the new wing, restoration of

the original Ideson building will start.

Gensler

Bob Gomel

Bob Gomel


14

Clayton Library Extended N e w C o m m u n i t y V e n u e a n d M e e t i n g R o o m s

In March 2007 the Clayton Library Friends committed

$6.5 million to fund the renovation of the Clayton

House, Guest House and Carriage House located in the

Museum District. The City of Houston provided $1 million

for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

The three houses, built by the Clayton family,

originally housed the entire library until a new building

was erected next door. The three structures were then

used for part of the library collection as well as offices and

storage. Now they have been restored to Department of

the Interior standards, which is administered by the Texas

Historical Commission.

The 8,000-square-foot Clayton House will be used for special collections and reading rooms. The Carriage

House will be a meeting complex with a 100-seat venue. The Guest House will host Houston Public Library

Foundation offices on the second floor and a meeting room on the first. The buildings are available for use by

the public by appointment.

African-American Library O p e n i n g a t t h e H i s t o r i c G r e g o r y S c h o o l

Located in historic Freedman’s

Town, at 1300 Victor Street, the

African-American Library at the

Gregory School was the first public school

for African Americans in Houston. The

Gregory building will be restored to its

original 1926 condition.

It will contain collections including

reference and rare books, newspapers

and other archival materials, exhibits, artifacts and oral histories. There will also be programs documenting

the African-American experience in Houston and surrounding areas. The first floor will house temporary and

permanent historical exhibits, a restored classroom, a photo lab and a processing room for archives. The second

floor will have two reading rooms, open archives, two conference rooms for researchers, an oral history recording

room and offices for visiting scholars and staff. It is expected that much of the historical material will be digitized

so it can accessed on the Internet. The building is expected to be open by the end of 2009.

Eric Darnart

Smith & Company


15

Kendall LibraryP a r t n e r i n g w i t h P a r k s a n d R e c r e a t i o n D e p t .

Houston’s newest neighborhood library, the Belle Sherman Kendall Neighborhood Library, will open

at 609 N. Eldridge by the end of this year, replacing and doubling the size of the present library at

14330 Memorial. Built in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Kendall

Neighborhood Library will be the first three-story neighborhood library, and will also be the first to offer a drive-

up window. The Kendall Neighborhood Library’s first floor will contain a parks and recreation community center

(complete with a 1/2 court gymnasium), a meeting room and a library customer service desk.

The second story will house the adult collection, a reading room and a small meeting room. The third will

hold the children and teen collections, reading areas and another small meeting room. The Kendall Neighborhood

Library offers a park-like library setting with connections to hike and bike trails, and will seek Silver-level LEED

certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Mrs. Kendall wrote to Andrew Carnegie in 1899 asking for funds

for the first free pubic library in Houston. She was president of the Woman’s Club of Houston.

Bracewell Library

The new J.S. Bracewell Neighborhood Library, 9002 Kingspoint Dr., will replace the existing Bracewell

Neighborhood Library on Kleckley by the end of 2009. The new, larger facility will include a meeting

room and state-of-the-art technology. The building includes many “green” building components and is

seeking Silver-level LEED certification.

Attorney J.S. Bracewell was a community leader who served as Houston Independent School District

president, Houston Bar Association president and a member of the Houston Public Library Board for 26 years.

Ring Library

The Ring Neighborhood Library on Long Point near Bingle Road has classic ‘60s touches including its

signature circular shape. Designed by Hamilton Brown, AIA, and Robert F. Lent, the 1964 structure is an

architectural icon in the Spring Branch area.

The Houston Public Library Foundation has engaged Bailey Architects to design a meeting room and other

improvements without changing Ring’s distinctive form. The $400,000 project is the first initiated by the Foundation.

This Library was named in honor of Elizabeth L. Ring who worked to establish a free public library in Houston

as a leader of the Ladies’ Reading Club in the 1880s. Mrs. Ring was appointed to the first Houston Public Library

Board, now the Houston Public Library Foundation, in 1890 and served continuously for 41 years.

V i b r a n t . E x p a n d i n g . S o m e t i m e s a l i t t l e n o i s y . T h a t ’ s t o d a y ’ s H o u s t o n P u b l i c L i b r a r y !


16

Houston Public Library Financials

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* Total Usage = visits, circulation, reference questions, directional questions, in-house use, computer users and program attendance

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H o u s t o n P u b l i c L i b r a r y

F O U N D A T I O N


18

When I joined the Houston Public Library Foundation, I knew first hand

the vital role neighborhood libraries play in connecting youth with the

world. Over the past year, what I’ve seen and experienced of the scope

of HPL’s mission and outreach stuns me.

Each day, the Library provides resources and services to children, seniors, small

business owners, immigrants, the unemployed and underemployed. Its shelves are

stocked with books in over 15

languages to connect and broaden

the opportunities of Houston’s

diverse communities. And for many, the Library provides their

only connection to the world through computers, the internet

and Wi-Fi. The Library is a place to learn new skills, find critical

resources, and receive social services designed to address

specific neighborhood issues, or simply listen to a children’s

story read with love. With 42 operating facilities and mobile lab,

HPL is a vital hub for neighborhoods throughout the city. And

it’s all free.

The Library’s activities after Hurricane Ike perhaps best

illustrate the broad scope of the Houston Public Library today. Immediately after Ike, Dr. Lawson’s team assessed

damage to HPL’s facilities. Fortunately, Central Library, its largest facility, withstood the storm well and never

lost power. Four work days after the storm, the Library team opened Central as a safe harbor. They encouraged

city employees to bring their children to Central Library where they were cared for and entertained with age-

appropriate programming, freeing vital city employees to tackle the monumental task of restoring Houston. The

Library sheltered more than 300 children.

HPL staffers went to relief stations to

help with FEMA applications, helping more

than 4,000 people through the complicated

process of applying for FEMA aid. Meanwhile,

HPL staff opened one neighborhood library

after another as quickly as possible to provide

air conditioning, power and respite for the

city’s storm-weary citizens. In the aftermath

of Ike, the Library made an enormous

contribution to Houston’s rapid return from

devastating loss.

L e t t e r f r o m t h e

President

Sandra Fernandez

John Everett


19

In today’s economic storm, HPL is providing resources for the

unemployed to search for jobs, to learn new skills, and to use the

internet to connect with family and employment opportunities.

Demand for HPL’s resources is increasing dramatically as the stress

of the nation’s recession takes its toll on Houston.

And as we all focus more of our attention on actions that

make sense economically and environmentally, the Library is

more relevant than ever. Borrowing books, periodicals and CDs is

both budget-friendly and earth-friendly. And because books and

materials can be ordered online and picked up at nearby locations,

travel costs and energy are saved, too.

While HPL progress is wonderful to behold, this tough

economic environment increases demand on HPL and on the

Foundation. While the City pays for the bulk of the Library’s

expenses, the Foundation contributes significant funding for

books and materials, programming, critical staff development and

training, communication materials and building refurbishment.

Your continued support is more important than ever.

The Foundation Board members, led by Chairman Franklin D. R. Jones, Jr., are deeply supportive of HPL’s

initiatives as a vital community resource. I am grateful for the board members’ leadership, their stewardship

and their passion for our libraries. I know they join me and the Library team in thanking all of our donors and

supporters who have contributed so much to the progress HPL has achieved. I know, too, they would want me

to impress on each of you how great our need is going forward.

So I ask each of you to do a couple of things: first, visit a library near you. You’ll be delighted by the vitality

you encounter and amazed at the resources available. Second, contribute to the Foundation if you can. Our need

has never been greater.

Sincerely,

Susan Bischoff

Blanca Quezada

Blanca Quezada


2220

First Look

Curious Houstonians got a sneak peek of the revitalized Central Library

with a progressive dinner, author talks, Wii gaming and fireworks at First

Look, two weeks before the Library reopened. Fancifully attired student

performers greeted guests on the colorful plaza. Popular spots during the evening

were the Kid’s and Teen’s Room, along with clusters of comfortable chairs and

tables with great views

of downtown and the

soaring lobby. Texas authors

ReShonda Tate Billingsley,

Katherine Center, Molly Glentzer, Weezie Kerr Mackey

and Andrea White, discussed and signed their books.

The no-speeches event left partygoers free to explore,

and netted more than $125,000 for our Libraries. The

event will return in May 2009 as Party in the Stacks, the

Foundation’s signature annual fundraiser.

Houston Chronicle Book & Author Dinner

Authors Douglas Brinkley, Bliss Broyard, Jeffrey Toobin, Katherine Center and Laura Lippman were

featured at the 28th Annual Dinner benefiting the Foundation and literacy programs of the Houston

Chronicle. A fall tradition, book lovers enjoyed talking to favorite and newly discovered writers, with

book-signings before and after the dinner. For the second year, H-E-B was the generous title sponsor. Bookseller

partners Brazos Bookstore and Murder By The Book, along with generous travel accommodations from

Continental Airlines, have participated in the dinner since its inception.

John Everett


2321

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$ 100,000+

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Houston Endowment Inc.

$50,000 - $99,999

Lurine Karon Greenberg Fund

H-E-B

The Humana Foundation

Joseph D. Jamail

John P. McGovern Foundation

$25,000 - $49,999

Wells Fargo Foundation

$10,000 - 24,999

Anchorage Foundation of Texas

Arts Midwest

Anne and Albert Chao

Friends of the Houston Public Library

Houston Chronicle

Patricia Lasher and Richard Jacobs

Ralph H. and Ruth J. McCullough Foundation

Maconda Brown O’Connor

Shell Oil Company

Phoebe and Bobby Tudor

Judy and H. Michael Tyson

Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999

Apache Corp.

Comcast

ConocoPhillips

Juanita Elizondo

Fiesta Mart, Inc.

Harriet and Joe B. Foster

Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation

The Melbern G. and Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation

Carol and Gary Gartsman

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Gloria Herman

Humana Health Plans

Barbara and Charles Hurwitz

Demetra and Franklin D.R. Jones, Jr.

JP Morgan Chase

Linn Energy

LyondellBasell

MacNeil/Lehrer Productions

Macy’s

Steven and Shelia Miller Foundation

Cynthia and George P. Mitchell

Hanni S. Orton

Tina and Mitja Peterman, Jr.

Scurlock Foundation

Cathryn and Doug Selman

Silver Eagle Distributors, Inc.

Spectra Energy

VistaCare Hospice Foundation

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

$1,000 - $4,999

Stanford and Joan Alexander Foundation

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

Susan Bischoff

Dr. & Mrs. Meherwan P. Boyce

Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc.

Deborah I. Detering

Jill and Bradley Deutser

Fredell and Robert Deutser

Susie and Joe Dilg

ExxonMobil Production Company

Allie and Jay Fields

Ray C. Fish Foundation

Paula and Alfred L. Friedlander

Ann and J. Kent Friedman

Gensler

Lainie Gordon and David Mincberg

Leigh and Todd Harris

HISD Bureau of Library Science

Houston Astros

Linda and Barry Hunsaker

Jill and Dunham Jewett

Jesse H. Jones, II

Marianne and Rob Jones

Joan and Marvin Kaplan

Kelli Kickerillo

Randy Lake

Harriet and Truett Latimer

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Kathrine G. McGovern

Memorial Hermann Hospital System

The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation

Mithoff Family Charitable Foundation

Nancy and Lucian L. Morrison

Annette and Eric Mullins

Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation

Regina J. Rogers

Paula Selle

Nancy and John Sherwood

Southeast Coalition of Civic Clubs

Dr. & Mrs. J. S. Stone, II

Gretchen and Greg Tharp

Shirley Toomim

Lisa and Barron Wallace

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Isabel B. and Wallace S. Wilson

Shirley and William A. Wood

$250 - $999

Rolaine and Morrie Abramson

E. Fred Aguilar

Lilly and Thurmon Andress

Association of Chemical Industry of Texas

Minnie and Raleigh W. Baird

Marilyn Bankston

Linda and John A. Barrett

Shirley and Allen Becker

Cindi and Robert T. Blakely

Ginger and Jack S. Blanton

Minnette B. Boesel

Brazos Bookstore

Brazosport Genealogical Society

Bonnie Gayle Brooks

Shannon Buggs and James Harrison

Matilda Taylor Buvinghausen

Cherri Carbonara and Tom McGhie

Robin K. Cavanaugh

CenterPoint Energy

Edward J. Davis

Dillard’s

Sylvia L. Dorsey

Sheldon and Clayton Erikson

Gayle and Robert Eury

Jerry and Nanette Finger Foundation

Linda Finger

Janis and David Goldstein

Flagship Properties Corp.

Doe C. and Henry S. Florsheim

Nene Foxhall

Carole Garrigan

Paula Harris

Liz Hampton

Wendy Heger

Ellen and Otto Helweg

Roblyn Herndon

Joe Levit Family Foundation

Betsy and Dan Kamin

Caroline and Nicholas A. Lauriat

Amy Lecocq

Alison Leland

John S. Lewis

Frann G. Lichtenstein

Leticia and Michael Loya

Judy and Rodney H. Margolis

Mary Lynn and J. Stephen Marks

Jacqueline S. Martin

Mary McIntire and Jim Pomerantz

Janet and Thomas L. Mehlhoff

Anne C. and John Mendelsohn

John Middleton

Suzanne and Arnold Miller

Denise and William Monteleone

Jess and Beth Sanders Moore

Murder By The Book

Network and Security Technologies

Mary Ellen and William H. Plenge

Donna Joy Press

Prozign Architects

Adele A. Read

Sally Reynolds

Shirley and Marvin A. Rich

San Antonio Public Library Foundation

Schlumberger Oil Field Services

Sandra Sessoms

Margaret C. and Louis H. Skidmore

Barbara and Louis Sklar

Ed Smith

Trinidad Mendenhall Sosa

George Stark

Lucile B. Tennant

Texas Children’s Hospital

The Diana and Conrad Weil Jr. Family Foundation

The Weingarten Schnitzer Foundation

Eleanor Tinsley

Lynda Transier

University of Houston

Ann and Robert Weisgarber

Vicki and Paul West

Rosalyn Young

Donors a s o f J u l y 1 , 2 0 0 7 – J u n e 3 0 , 2 0 0 8


22

Officers

Jesse H. Jones, II• TreasurerCommunity Volunteer

Anne Shen Chao SecretaryLecturer, Rice University

Franklin D.R. Jones, Jr. ChairShareholder,Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Cathryn Rodd Selman•

1st Vice ChairCommunity Volunteer

Harriet Calvin Latimer•

2nd Vice ChairDevelopment Consultant

Robert B. Tudor, IIICEO, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., LLC

Members

E. Fred Aguilar, IIIMedical Director, Ermosa Centre

Zarine M. Boyce•

Community VolunteerBonnie Gayle Brooks•

Vice President/Business Development, Encore Bank

Juanita Elizondo•

Director of Corporate Relations, Fiesta Mart, Inc.

Alison Leland•

Lecturer, University of Houston

Annette Mullins•

Community Volunteer

Tina Arias Peterman•

Vice President, JP Morgan Securities Inc.

Ann Short•

President & CEO, International Business Consulting

J.S. Stone, II, M.D.Community Volunteer

Lisa Mouton Wallace•

Community VolunteerCyvia Wolff•

Community Volunteer

Susan Bischoff•

President, Houston Public Library Foundation

Ex-Officio

Mayor Bill White City of Houston

Dr. Abelardo Saavedra HISD Superintendent

Rhea Brown Lawson, Ph.D.Director, Houston Public Library

Diane Durbin•

President, Friends of the Houston Public Library

Patricia J. Lasher, J.D. Associate Attorney, Fullenweider Wilhite

HP

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•Photos courtesy of Alexander’s Fine Portrait Designs


23

23

Page 23

Houston Public Library FoundationSummary Statement of Net Assets As of June 30, 2008 assets Cash and cash equivalents $831,337 Investments 17,895,570 Pledge receivables 200,000

Total assets $18,926,907

lIabIlItIes Accounts payable $93,206Deferred revenue 50,000

Total liabilities $143,206

Fund balances and net assets Total liabilities and fund balances $143,206 Net assets: Restricted: Expendable $14,864,605 Nonexpendable 2,404,973 Unrestricted 1,514,123

Total net assets $18,783,701

Houston Public Library Foundation Summary Statement of Activities For the Year ended June 30, 2008 eXPendItures/eXPenses Programmatic $1,093,266 In-kind expenses 126,385 Fundraising 113,562 Management and general 118,077 Investment management fees 14,550

Total expenditures/expenses 1,465,840

reVenues Contributions 1,355,710 Special events 220,183 Book sales 215,056 In-kind contributions 126,385 Gain (loss) on investments (1,522,087)Dividend income 548,117 Interest income 13,172

Total revenue 956,536

CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE/NET ASSETS (509,304)

Fund balance and net assets, beginning of year 19,293,005

Fund balance and net assets, end of year $18,783,701

Discussion of HPLF FinancialsThe Foundation’s evolution from a purely

volunteer organization to one with

professional staff has been greatly assisted

by generous operating grants from Houston

Endowment Inc. and The Brown Foundation,

Inc., as well as by net proceeds from First

Look, the May 2008 sneak preview event

at the refurbished Central Library. The

Foundation board and staff’s primary focus is

to increase both the visibility of the Houston

Public Library and financial support from the

community.

The scope of the Foundation’s operations

were greatly expanded when the Friends

of the Houston Public Library joined the

Foundation on July 1, 2007. The Friends

continue to produce its two long-standing

annual book sales and encourage grass roots

interest in the Houston Public Library through

membership.

Operating grants to Houston Public

Library decreased in 2008 due to delays in

a Foundation-supported capital project at

the Ring Neighborhood Library. The delay

will permit City of Houston-funded ADA

improvements to be incorporated into the

project. Funding from the Foundation

will add a meeting room and other

improvements to Ring.

Net assets decreased primarily as a

result of the decline in the market value of the

Foundation’s investments.


24

Friends of the Houston Public LibraryFriends of the Houston Public

Library held their 30th Annual

Bargain Book Sale and two

additional book sales to raise money for HPL. The

successful sales and membership in the Friends fueled

a $80,000 annual gift to the Houston Public Library and

increased scholarships for HPL employees pursuing

professional library degrees to $5,000 from $3,000. In

addition, the Friends funded 10 programming mini-

grants at neighborhood libraries. Friends of HPL joined

the Houston Public Library Foundation on July 1, 2008.

w w w. f r i e n d s o f h p l. o r g

Clayton Library FriendsClayton Library Friends raised over $6.5 million for

the Clayton House renovation, including the home,

guest house and carriage house with a 100-person

meeting facility. They began developing a new docent

program to provide tours of the Clayton campus. In

addition, CLF contributed over 900 rolls of microfilm

and 111 published titles to the Clayton Library, one of

the nation’s premier genealogy centers. The Clayton

Library Friends provided over 1,500 man-hours of

volunteer service, equivalent to 1.5 employees, to the

Clayton Library.

w w w. c l a y t o n l i b ra r y f r i e n d s. o r g

Friends of Neighborhood LibrariesBegun to donate land and advocate to build a new

Looscan Neighborhood Library on the original

site, Friends of

Neighborhood

Libraries raised $2.5

million for the new

Looscan. They worked

with the Garden

Club of Houston to enhance and build the Archive

Garden Room in the clock tower. FONL has adopted

the ongoing maintenance of landscaping and capital

improvement of the grounds and partnered to present

a monthly brown bag lecture series at Looscan.

Julia Ideson Library Preservation PartnersThe Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners raised

over $21 million, or 58 percent of $38 million goal, to

build an archival wing and restore the Julia Ideson

Building. Built in 1926, the Julia Ideson Building is one

of Houston’s most significant architectural landmarks.

JILPP commissioned plans for a state-of-the-art

environmentally

sensitive archival

storage wing

for the valuable

archives of

the Houston

Metropolitan Research Center. Construction of the

Archival Wing is underway. Restoration of the existing

building’s grand public spaces will begin in 2010.

w w w. i d e s o n . o r g

Friends of the Texas RoomFriends of the Texas Room completed In Search of

Houston’s History, a documentary based on archival

holdings in the Houston Metropolitan Research

Center in the Julia Ideson Building. The documentary

was shown on KUHT Channel 8, Houston PBS. The

Friends have been notified they are being awarded

a 2009 Good Brick Award from the Greater Houston

Preservation Alliance for the documentary. They

presented the first annual Julia Ideson Award to

David Welling for his book, Cinema Houston: From

Nickelodeon to Megaplex.

w w w. f r i e n d s o f t h e t e xa s r o o m . o r g

Houston Chronicle

Blanca Quezada

Visit a library near you.

For a complete list of programs, services,

locations and hours, click on

www.houstonl ibrary.org

The materials used to print this publication are completely recyclable.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent organization promoting the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC certification means the products are independently certified to assure that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Certification by the Rainforest Alliance guarantees that the products are the result of practices carried out according to a specific set of criteria balancing ecological, economic and social considerations.

Printed with soy inks.

Sandra Fernandez


Documents

Houston Public Library Annual Report