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About the Friends

The Friends of the Houston Public Library, founded in 1953, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to fostering wider recognition, use, and support of the Houston Public Library. With support from the Friends, our Library is better able to meet the vital needs of the community.

The Friends provides support and resources for Library programs such as the Summer Reading Program for children, ASPIRE after school programs, and cultural programming and activities for the entire community.

The Friends supports Library staff through scholarships for advanced degrees in Library Science, employee recognition programs, staff recruitment, and training and development.

Two big book sales are the highlights of the Friend’s year:

The Annual Bargain Book Sale
The highlight of the Friend’s year, the Annual Bargain Book Sale is held each Spring. This sale features tens of thousands of books and is attended by more than 5,000 people each year. Through the sale, the Friends raises more than $150,000 for the Library. Moreover, the sale is a valuable service to the community as it provides a huge selection of affordable books and educational materials.

The Children’s Book Sale

Each Fall, the Friends raises money for the Library and serves the parents, children, and educators of our community through our Children’s Book Sale. At the sale, thousands of children’s and young adult books are sold for an average price of just a few dollars each. This means that so many Houston children are able to get the books they need and deserve while the Friends, at the same time, is able to raise additional funds to support the Library.