From Marjorie Gonzalez, 9/11:
The first week back post-Harvey was eventful. We opened 18 of our locations to the public though the sheer dedication and determination of the HPL team. All 18 locations opened with consistent hours, 9:30AM – 6PM on Tuesday, September 5 and through Saturday, September 9, in locations all across the city. We held Camp HoUSton at Central Library helping our fellow City of Houston employees with much needed child-care services. Central Library has also been serving as a shared workspace for some other City of Houston departments whose facilities were impacted by the storm.
Our fellow neighbors and friends were ecstatic to see our locations open as HPL is a safe haven from the stress and chaos of Harvey’s aftermath. We’re providing key resources to help them start rebuilding their lives including free WiFi access, access to computers, fun and engaging activities for kids and teens to help bring normalcy back into their lives. We are also providing assistance with preserving family memorabilia and one-on-one assistance with completing any online forms or searching for additional aid.
In order to continue providing stable and consistent access, all across the city, we will continue the public operating hours of 9:30AM – 6PM next week, Monday, September 11 – Saturday, September 15. We will also open 3 additional locations - Julia Ideson Building, Looscan Neighborhood Library and Walter Neighborhood Library.
Our goal is to open additional locations each week and have as many locations as possible open by the end of September. All locations will receive an updated sign, listing open locations each week, to post on the library’s doors. View the Open / Closed signs as a reference.
The following locations will be unable to open soon due to having a substantial amount of damage from the storm. It may be several weeks, or many months before some locations reopen. Kendall Library is still inaccessible and will most likely not be able to open for even longer.
- Kendall
- McGovern-Stella Link
- Flores
- HPL Express Frank
- Meyers
- McCrane-Kashmere Gardens
- Mancuso
- Lakewood
- Clayton
Camp HoUSton has been extended into this week, Monday, September 11 – Friday, September 15. This service has been extended due to variable ISD’s re-opening dates. COH is a team and family, and we’re happy to offer a helping hand while we’re trying to rebuild Houston better and stronger than ever.
NOTE: See also the story about recovery efforts at HPL and Harris County in Library Journal. Karen
