Houston 2 0 0 8
Publi c
Annu a l
L ibr ar y Rep or t
“Shhhhhhhhhh”
Welcome to the new Houston Public Librar y
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!
table of contents
Click on the number to navigate through the document
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
12
Discovery Green Park Express
13
The 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
24
Š 2009 Houston Public Library Foundation
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Me ssage f rom t he
Director
E
veryone 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 AfricanAmerican 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 Blanca Quezada
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Introduction
A Vibrant, Vital Community Resource To d a y a n d To m o rr o w
T
he 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.
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Central Library Renewed and Re-energized
T
he 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.
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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.
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John Everett
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More from the
Central Library 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.
Blanca Quezada
John Everett
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New Life for Looscan
T
he new Looscan Neighborhood Library, which opened in 2008, represents a unique publicprivate 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
Jackson & Ryan Architect
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.
Blanca Quezada
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The City’s First LEED-Certified Green Building
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.
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High-Tech and Then Some! Mobile Express Advances Computer Literacy in the Community
T
he 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
Blanca Quezada
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.
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HPL Express Connecting Neighborhoods at a Fraction of the Cost
T
he HPL Express concept was developed to bring HPL’s services to communities
at one-quarter the cost of a freestanding 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
Blanca Quezada
area residents.
HPL Express-Southwest
T
he 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. Blanca Quezada
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HPL Express – Discovery Green
O
ur newest HPL Express is located downtown at Discovery Green Park. The Sandra Fernandez
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.
Sandra Fernandez
Vinson & HPL Express Vinson to Open Partnering with Houston Health Department
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,
Autoarch Architects
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
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available for public use.
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Julia Ideson Building Fulfilling a Historic Vision
T
he 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
Bob Gomel
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.
Bob Gomel
Gensler
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13
Clayton Library Extended
New Community Venue and Meeting Rooms
I
n 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 Eric Darnart
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
Opening at the Historic Gregory School
L
ocated 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. Smith & Company
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
14
so it can accessed on the Internet. The building is expected to be open by the end of 2009. Click to return to Table of Contents
Kendall Library
Partnering with Parks and Recreation Dept.
H
ouston’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 driveup 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
T
he 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
T
he 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.
Vibrant. Expanding. Sometimes a little noisy. That’s today’s Houston Public Library! Click to return to Table of Contents
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H P L F I NANC I ALS
Houston Public Library Financials
5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 0
20,000,000
5,000,000 4,000,000
15,000,000
3,000,000
10,000,000
2,000,000 1,000,000 0
Visits 5,000,000 4,000,000
5,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
0
3,000,000 20,000,0002,000,000
3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000
Visits
0
FY 04 FY 05 FY 06 FY 07 FY 5,000,000 08 Total Usage
4,000,000
1,000,000
20,000,000
3,000,000
0
15,000,000
2,000,000
10,000,000
1,000,000
5,000,000
0
15,000,000 10,000,000 5,000,000 0
20,000,000 15,000,000 16
10,000,000 Click to return to Table of Contents
0
FY 04 FY 05 FY 06 FY 07 FY 08
Total Usag
* Total Usage = visits, circulation, reference questions, directional questions, in-house use, computer users 20,000,000 and program attendance 15,000,000
10,000,000
Houston
Publi c
L ibr ar y
FOU NDATION
L e t t e r f rom t he
President
W
hen 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 Sandra Fernandez
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 ageappropriate 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 John Everett
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devastating loss.
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. Blanca Quezada
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
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First Look
C
urious 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.
John Everett
Houston Chronicle Book & Author Dinner
A
uthors 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.
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Donors a s $ 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
of July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008
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
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HPLF Board of directors
Officers Franklin D.R. Jones, Jr. Chair Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Cathryn Rodd Selman• Harriet Calvin Latimer• Jesse H. Jones, II• Treasurer 1st Vice Chair 2nd Vice Chair Community Volunteer Development Consultant Community Volunteer
Members
E. Fred Aguilar, III Medical Director, Ermosa Centre
Zarine M. Boyce• Community Volunteer
Tina Arias Peterman• Ann Short• Vice President, JP Morgan President & CEO, Securities Inc. International Business Consulting
Bonnie Gayle Brooks• Juanita Elizondo• Patricia J. Lasher, J.D. Alison Leland• Director of Corporate Lecturer, University Vice President/Business Associate Attorney, Development, Encore Bank Relations, Fiesta Mart, Inc. Fullenweider Wilhite of Houston
J.S. Stone, II, M.D. Community Volunteer
Robert B. Tudor, III CEO, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., LLC
Lisa Mouton Wallace• Cyvia Wolff• Community Volunteer Community Volunteer
Ex-Officio
Mayor Bill White City of Houston
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Anne Shen Chao Secretary Lecturer, Rice University
Dr. Abelardo Saavedra HISD Superintendent
Diane Durbin• President, Friends of the Houston Public Library
•Photos courtesy of Alexander’s Fine Portrait Designs Click to return to Table of Contents
Rhea Brown Lawson, Ph.D. Director, Houston Public Library
Susan Bischoff• President, Houston Public Library Foundation
Annette Mullins• Community Volunteer
ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $831,337 Investments 17,895,570 Pledge receivables 200,000
Discussion of HPLF Financials
Total assets
The Foundation’s evolution from a purely
Houston Public Library Foundation Summary Statement of Net Assets As of June 30, 2008
$18,926,907
LIABILITIES Accounts payable $93,206 Deferred revenue 50,000 Total liabilities
$143,206
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
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
Look, the May 2008 sneak preview event
Total net assets
were greatly expanded when the Friends
$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
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 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
1,465,840
a Foundation-supported capital project at
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
the Ring Neighborhood Library. The delay
Total revenue CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE/NET ASSETS Fund balance and net assets, beginning of year Fund balance and net assets, end of year
956,536 (509,304)
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.
19,293,005 $18,783,701
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Friends of the Houston Public Library
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
Friends of the Houston Public
a monthly brown bag lecture series at Looscan.
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 minigrants at neighborhood libraries. Friends of HPL joined the Houston Public Library Foundation on July 1, 2008.
Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners The 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
w w w.friendsofhpl.org
sensitive archival
Clayton Library Friends Clayton 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
storage wing for the valuable archives of
Houston Chronicle
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.ideson.org
Friends of the Texas Room Friends of the Texas Room completed In Search of Houston’s History, a documentary based on archival
Clayton Library. w w w.clay tonlibra r yfriends.org
holdings in the Houston Metropolitan Research Center in the Julia Ideson Building. The documentary
Friends of Neighborhood Libraries Begun 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
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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.friendsof thetexasro om.org
Blanca Quezada
Sandra Fernandez
Visit a library near you. For a complete list of programs, services, locations and hours, click on w w w.houstonlibra r y.org
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