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Celebrating Team Spirit at HPL: Honoring Our Employees During National Library Week

04/04/2025

LaDonna Weems

HPL News

National Library Week, celebrated April 6 – 12, 2025, is a time to celebrate the vital role libraries play in our communities—and the amazing individuals who make it all happen. This year, as we reflect on the significance of libraries, we also want to take a moment to recognize the heart and soul of our organization: the incredible staff at HPL.

At HPL, our staff is more than just a group of individuals—they are a team, a community, and a family working together toward a common mission: to empower, educate, and inspire through the power of information. The energy and enthusiasm you bring to your roles are evident in every interaction with patrons, every program you run, and every new idea you develop to improve the services we offer.

One of the core days of National Library Week is National Library Workers Day on Tuesday, April 8, which honors the dedication and hard work of library staff. Behind the scenes, HPL employees work tirelessly to ensure that every aspect of our library functions seamlessly. From curating collections and managing our online systems to creating engaging programs, providing customer service, supporting the technological, budgetary and facility needs of the library – each member of the team contributes to our collective success.

Central Library Staff on March 24, 2025

So, here’s to our amazing team—the backbone of our library. Together, we continue to inspire, educate, and connect our community, and we couldn’t do it without each one of you.

Thank you, HPL Team! We appreciate everything you do, and we are so proud to work alongside you.

Happy National Library Week!

—The HPL Leadership Team

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From Raps to Drums: TECHLink Shines on Great Day Houston!

04/03/2025

David Wilkins

HPL News

Good Morning Houston TECHLink HPL

Catch the full video interview with our very own John Middleton, which aired today on Great Day Houston. In this interview, John discusses the exciting buzz around HPL’s TECHLink service and its impact on the community. You’ll also get to see Emery Vanderbilt showcasing his skills on the drums in the music studio, and don’t miss Chesley Lunt’s (CJ) freestyle HPL rap song!

Check out the full video and to see our team in action!

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Recent Posts

Celebrating Team Spirit at HPL: Honoring Our Employees During National Library Week

National Library Week, celebrated April 6 – 12, 2025, is a time to celebrate the vital role libraries play in our communities—and the amazing individuals who make it all happen. This year, as we reflect on the significance of libraries, we also want to take a moment to recognize the heart and soul of our organization: the incredible staff at HPL.At HPL, our staff is more than just a group of individuals—they are a team, a community, and a family working together toward a common mission: to empower, educate, and inspire through the power of information. The energy and enthusiasm you bring to your roles are evident in every interaction with patrons, every program you run, and every new idea you develop to improve the services we offer.One of the core days of National Library Week is National Library Workers Day on Tuesday, April 8, which honors the dedication and hard work of library staff. Behind the scenes, HPL employees work tirelessly to ensure that every aspect of our library functions seamlessly. From curating collections and managing our online systems to creating engaging programs, providing customer service, supporting the technological, budgetary and facility needs of the library – each member of the team contributes to our collective success.Central Library Staff on March 24, 2025So, here’s to our amazing team—the backbone of our library. Together, we continue to inspire, educate, and connect our community, and we couldn’t do it without each one of you.Thank you, HPL Team! We appreciate everything you do, and we are so proud to work alongside you.Happy National Library Week!—The HPL Leadership Team...

From Raps to Drums: TECHLink Shines on Great Day Houston!

Catch the full video interview with our very own John Middleton, which aired today on Great Day Houston. In this interview, John discusses the exciting buzz around HPL’s TECHLink service and its impact on the community. You’ll also get to see Emery Vanderbilt showcasing his skills on the drums in the music studio, and don’t miss Chesley Lunt’s (CJ) freestyle HPL rap song!Check out the full video and to see our team in action!...

Update for out-of-state-library cardholders

Important Announcement for Out-of-State Library Cardholders We would like to inform out-of-state residents that starting April 7, 2025, Houston Public Library will no longer be renewing out-of-state resident library cards. This change is a result of adjustments to library funding and operations, and we want to ensure that our patrons are aware of the upcoming changes. Key Information: Effective April 7, 2025, out-of-state residents will no longer be able to renew their library cards; however, cards will remain valid until its expiration date. Patrons are still encouraged to engage with us on social media, explore our digital archives, and attend virtual events which remain accessible to all patrons. Thank you for being part of our library community! ...

Honoring Houston Matriarchs at Three Namesake Libraries

Left-right: Nena Stanaker and her grandson, Robert H. Stanaker, photo courtesy of Brett Stanaker; Amanda E. Dixon and Mayor Louie Welch, MSS0157-0491, HPL, Houston History Research Center; Beulah Shepard.Read and learn about Nena Stanaker, Amanda Dixon, and Beulah Shepard, three Houston women who followed in the footsteps of HPL legend Julia Ideson to establish neighborhood libraries that would be named for them. If you've never visited these locations, Women's History Month is an ideal time to take a tour.Stanaker Neighborhood Library, 611 S. Sgt. Macario Garcia Dr., 77011We begin in the heart of Houston’s East End. In 1950, Houston Public Library (HPL) opened the Central Park Branch at 69th and Canal Streets. Nena E. Stanaker was instrumental in its establishment. A resident of the East End since before it was developed, she petitioned for such neighborhood amenities as streets, streetlights, water, and schools. The year after the right to vote was extended to women, she became a precinct judge and went on to serve for 25 years. Having advocated for East End library services for years, she helped establish a collection of books, housed in various local schools, intended for the use of the neighborhood’s children. Known as the unofficial “Mayor of the East End,” she served on HPL’s Library Board for over 20 years. The Central Park Branch was remodeled and renamed the Stanaker Library in 1967. It received a new address when 69th Street was renamed Macario Garcia Drive in 1981, a new building in 1986 and a remodel in 2012. Today, Nena Stanaker would be proud to call this busy, popular branch her namesake.TECHLink Dixon, 8002 Hirsch Rd., 77016 Amanda E. Dixon arrived in Houston in the 1940s to attend Texas Southern University. She settled in the Fifth Ward and worked as a school librarian, taking neighborhood children on field trips to HPL’s Carnegie and Central locations. She and her family relocated to the Trinity Gardens neighborhood in 1965, where she organized the local civic group, Trinity Action Program’s library initiative. Dixon helped the group rent a dedicated space and campaigned to make Trinity Gardens the site of an official HPL location. Her dream materialized in 1971, with Houston Mayor Louie Welch allocating money to purchase land for a new Trinity Gardens Library, and Stran Steel Corporation providing a new building. Dixon passed away just before her namesake library opened in 1972. Dixon Library served the Trinity Gardens neighborhood for decades, until it was irreparably damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. A generous gift by Aramco Americas made it possible for HPL to rebuild and reopen Dixon as a TECHLink center in 2021. Dixon believed, “there is no poverty in a community which reads. Reading is an opportunity to learn, and the more accessible books are, the more people can learn. That is why communities need libraries.”Shepard-Acres Homes Neighborhood Library, 8501 West Montgomery Rd., 77088Traveling northwest from TECHLink Dixon, we arrive at the Beulah Shepard-Acres Homes Neighborhood Library. Beulah Shepard moved to Acres Homes in 1948, when she left Louisiana to help her sister with a new baby. She stayed and became active in her neighborhood, her church, and politics. She worked on Democratic campaigns at the local, state and national level, and registered voters between elections. She lobbied City Council for infrastructure improvements like roads, a swimming pool, and a library for Acres Homes, becoming known as its unofficial “Mayor.” Dedicated in 1976, the Acres Homes Library (as it was then known) is a welcoming space full of natural woodwork and light. Shepard passed away in 2010. Two years later, the City of Houston renamed the library in her honor. You can learn more about her life and career by browsing the Beulah Shepard Collection in the HPL Digital Archives.A fitting tribute to Shepard—and, it can be said, to Stanaker and Dixon as well—is a mural painted on the building’s exterior by Aldine ISD students from a concept by artist Reginald Charles Adams. It depicts the hands of elders stitching together a quilt on which patchwork pieces spell out the word, “Read.” These three locations are among many other HPL libraries named for notable Houston women; if you'd like to learn about more, our locations page is a great place to start! ...

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