In 1854, a group of enterprising Houstonians raised $12 and 88 volumes to establish the men’s only Houston Lyceum—the first lending library and a center of debate in the nascent city.
In 1886, the engaged and thoughtful women of Houston formed the Ladies Reading Club, and it was these civically minded women, particularly Mrs. Adele Briscoe Looscan and Mrs. Elizabeth Ring, who hired Julia Ideson as the first City Librarian in 1903.
These same women successfully lobbied both the City of Houston to establish a public library system and Andrew Carnegie for the funds to build the first public library building (which ultimately housed the Houston Lyceum). Thus, through their efforts, the Houston Public Library system was created in 1904.
The development of the Houston Public Library mirrors the interests, determination and brilliance of its first librarian, Julia Bedford Ideson.
Serving until her death on July 15, 1945, Ideson was a force to be reckoned with. She was a staunch suffragette, an opponent of segregation, made it a priority to serve the troops at Camp Logan and in France during WW1, hosted prized civic debates, traveled the world, was an experimental gardener, a leader in the library sciences, and built a branch system that continues to serve the people of Houston to this very day.
Ideson’s crowning achievement was the completion of the building that now bears her name: the second main library of the Houston Public Library. From 1926 through 1976, the stunning Spanish Renaissance library designed by Ralph Adams Cram served the people of Houston with its various collections and meeting rooms. From 1976 through the present, with substantial restoration and completion of the buildings original plan, the Ideson Building now holds the Houston History Research Center.
Following the passing of Julia Ideson, the library continues to serve the people of Houston.
Various directors through the present oversaw the expansion of the branch system (now at a healthy 44 service units); the development and completion of a remarkable new Central Library at the Jesse H. Jones Building; the computerization of the entire library system; the completion of multiple, publicly accessible archival buildings (with more to come), and the creation of TECHLink centers that offer high-tech resources to the public for free.
Today, the Houston Public Library continues to fulfill its original mission: to provide the resources and the spaces for the people of Houston to learn and seize opportunity.
The Houston Public Library Foundation, established in 2006 as the successor to the Library Board, continues to be a strategic philanthropic, marketing, and business development partner to the Houston Public Library.