eBranch Blog

June 25, 2007

All Decked Out Day Winner is the Barbara Bush Branch Library

Harris County Public Library held All Decked Out Day on June 13, 2007 to celebrate the Summer Reading Program. The Administration Offices plus 20 branch libraries participated by dressing in their best pirate fashions. Customers voted on their favorite photo the week of June 18-24 and the results are in. There were 6,691 votes!
The Barbara Bush Branch Library won with 3,004 votes.

Second place went to High Meadows Branch Library with 2,403 votes.
Third place went to the Tomball College and Community Library with 642 votes.

June 20, 2007

Radio Disney Comes to Crosby Branch Library

Hey, Kids! Come to the Crosby Branch Library on Tuesday June 26 @ 10:30 am for a fun story time with Radio Disney! There will be stories, songs, games and more!

Radio Disney's Reading Together Program" is presented by Choice Homes

June 14, 2007

Runescape Scavenger Hunt: Florida VS. Texas

Come and play Runescape with fellow scavenger hunters! Join the week long scavenger hunt Monday June 18 - Friday June 22. The scavenger hunt is also a competition between Harris County Public Libray players and players from Broward County Library in Florida. Join our team and let's win!

Here's how it works:
1. Log on to your Runescape account and add hcpl25 as a friend.
2. Collect the items. Here is the list!
40 Cabbages

Runes- 100 of any type

3. From 4-5 pm each day during the Scavenger Hunt, a librarian will be online for you to turn your found items in.
4. hcpl25 will always be located near the bank in Varrock. To find out which world, check your Friends list.
5. The first person to turn in everything wins! There will be a daily winner. At the end of the week, the person (Florida vs. Texas) who found the most items will be the state champion!

For more information, contact Eric at ewilbour@hcpl.net

June 07, 2007

2007 HCPL Staff Recognition & Awards

On May 18, 2007, Harris County Public Library had it's eighteenth annual Staff Recognition and Awards Ceremony. The morning included breakfast, entertainment by pianist Kenne Smith & guitarist Scott McCullar, a key note address by Amy Castro, and last, but not least, the presentation of the awards.

The recipiants are...

Photos of recipiants and nominees can be seen in the Staff Awards 2007 photo collection.

Oprah Announces New Book Club Title

On Tuesday, Oprah announced the latest addition to her book club, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenidies.

"A dazzling triumph from the bestselling author of The Virgin Suicides--the astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl. In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry blond clasmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them--along with Callie's failure to develop--leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all. The explanation for this shocking state of affairs takes us out of suburbia- back before the Detroit race riots of 1967, before the rise of the Motor City and Prohibition, to 1922, when the Turks sacked Smyrna and Callie's grandparents fled for their lives. Back to a tiny village in Asia Minor where two lovers, and one rare genetic mutation, set in motion the metamorphosis that will turn Callie into a being both mythical and perfectly real: a hermaphrodite. Spanning eight decades--and one unusually awkward adolescence- Jeffrey Eugenides's long-awaited second novel is a grand, utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire. It marks the fulfillment of a huge talent, named one of America's best young novelists by both Granta and The New Yorker."

June 05, 2007

New Titles Cataloged Lists Updated

The New Titles Cataloged in the Past 30 Days have been updated for May 2007.

The lists are in PDF file format and require the free Adobe Reader to view. We hope you enjoy the new format. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this change please use our Feedback Form

June 04, 2007

Press Release: HCPL Now Offers Downloadable Video

Customers Have Access to a Diverse Collection of Video, eAudio Books, eBooks, and Music

Houston, TX ? May 29, 2007 ? Harris County Public Library, a leader in offering digital books and music to customers since September 2006, extends their online collection with downloadable video at http://hcpl.lib.overdrive.com/.

Customers can check out and download videos, as well as eAudio books, eBooks, and music, from home or work. Digital titles can be enjoyed on a PC, laptop, or transferred to a wide range of portable devices.

?The addition of video to our digital collection has been greatly anticipated and we have high expectations of the popularity of the service among our customers,? comments Rhoda Goldberg, Interim Director.

Customers have 24/7/365 access to a diverse collection of over 500 video titles including feature films like The Lost City, documentaries on Enron & World War II, concerts starring Kiss and Randy Travis, classic movies, westerns, Imax films, children?s stories, and much more. More than 300 videos are available for unlimited, simultaneous checkouts, so there are no holds or waiting lists for customers.

Customers can download videos, eBooks, eAudio books, and music to their personal Windows-based PC or laptop. Downloadable video requires the same software platform which customers are already familiar with for eAudio books and music, the Overdrive Media Console. Titles can also be transferred to compatible devices to enjoy anytime, anywhere. At the end of the lending period, 7 days for video and 14 days for eAudio, eBooks and music, titles automatically expire and are returned to the libraries collection. Check out is worry free for customers because there are no late fees or lost or damaged items.

Harris County Public Library has been a partner of Overdrive, Inc., the leader in providing digital media services and technology, for almost a year.

Press Release: Sail Away With Books

Harris County Public Library kicks off 2007 Summer Reading Program for Kids, Teens and Adults

Houston, TX ?May 29, 2007- Don?t sit at home and be bored this summer! Harris County Public Library kicks off its 2007 Summer Reading Program on May 29 - Sail Away with Books! All 26 branches across Harris County will offer pirate and sailing related activities for children of all ages. All the activities are free and open to the public.

?We have been waiting all year for this!,? said Stephanie Borgman, HCPL Children?s Specialist. ?Every branch library presents unique programs and activities. We encourage families to visit all the branches in their areas to make sure they don?t miss any of the fun!?

As an added bonus, teens also get their own summer reading program. The program, Read TV, will be available at branches and online.

Readers of all ages are eligible for a free book. Readers need to complete 5 hours of reading or 10 books to earn their free book. Books are provided through generous support from Comcast Cable, Randalls, The Simmons Foundation and the Strake Foundation.

This year, Harris County Public Library and local Barnes and Noble Booksellers locations are hosting an adult summer reading program. The program, Reading: The Ultimate Vacation, is open to adults 18 and older. Participants who read or listen to 3 books during the summer will be eligible to win a Barnes and Noble Gift Card. All 26 Harris County Public Library branches and 14 Barnes and Noble Bookseller locations are participating in this program.