Harris County Public Library System Down

The Harris County Public Library (HCPL) system will be unavailable on Friday, November 16, 2012. The library network system is moving to another location. 

All HCPL electronic library services: online catalog, library website and databases will be unavailable.

For updates on when the library services will be restored, go to: http://www.hcpl.net/

Banned Books Display at the TMC Library

Banned Books Week is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Freedom to Read. Banned Books Week is an annual event that celebrates freedom to read, and is typically held during the last week of September. This year it is held from September 30 - October 6, 2012.

Librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers and readers get together during Banned Books Week to show their support to the freedom to express ideas, even when those ideas may be considered unorthodox or unpopular.

The TMC Library has a temporary display of a few banned books on the street level of the library. Stop by the library to browse some of the "banned" books on display and if you would like to check them out, bring them to the Circulation Department. The books on display belong to the  Harris County Public Library collection.

Some titles on display:

• The "what's happening to my body?" book for boys/ Lynda Madaras with Area Madaras ; drawings by Simon Sullivan. New York. : Newmarket Press, c2007.
• It's perfectly normal : a book about changing bodies, growing up, sex and sexual health / Robie H. Harris ; illustrated by Michael Emberley. Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, c2009.
• Final exit : the practicalities of self-deliverance and assisted suicide for the dying / Derek Humphry. New York : Delta Trade Paperback, c2002.
• Tweaked / Katherine Holubitsky.  Victoria, BC ; Custer, WA : Orca Book Publishers, c2008.

More information on Banned Books Week is available at: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek

Public Library Access Comes to The Texas Medical Center Library



Steve Radack, Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner, Jack Morman, Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner, Deborah Halsted, Senior Associate Director, Operations, The TMC Library, L. Maximilian Buja, Executive Director, The TMC Library, Rhoda Goldberg, Director, Harris County Public Library, El Franco Lee, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner, R. Jack Cagle, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner

Have you ever had trouble finding the time to make it to the public library to pick up the latest bestseller, an audio book for your commute, or a picture book for bedtime sharing?  Starting January 3, 2012, Harris County Public Library (HCPL) materials will be available for convenient pickup at The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library location.  Simply select the materials you want in the HCPL catalog at www.hcpl.net, place a request using your library card, and the items will be delivered to The TMC Library.  Once your items arrive, you will receive a notification by e-mail or phone and have one week to pick them up.  If you would just like to browse, the library will have a small collection of books for adults, children and teens available on site.

If you don’t currently have a HCPL library card, you can apply for one online at: http://www.hcpl.net/about/library-cards or at The TMC Library.  Library cards are free to residents of the state of Texas with proof of mailing address and three-month visitor cards are available for non-Texas residents. To checkout eBooks and eAudios from the Digital Media Catalog for use on your iPad, iPod, Kindle or Nook, you will first need to get your card from The TMC Library, and then enjoy convenient access, anytime, anywhere.  Harris County Public Library has 26 library locations throughout the area and a collection of over 2 million items, including books, CDs, DVDs, databases, eBooks and eAudios for all ages, so there is something to appeal to everyone.  It’s not always easy navigating the area around the Medical Center, so HCPL and The TMC Library hope to reduce your daily stress with this new program.

Please contact the TMC Library Circulation department at: 713.799.7146 with any questions.

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