May 2026

Welcome, SNL members.
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We promised you periodic information with suggestions of action you might take. Here you go.
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The Mission of FOHL is to advocate for HISD libraries as essential centers of student learning. Students Need Libraries in HISD (SNL) is a separate group that works to keep our members informed about HISD libraries, about support they receive from FOHL, and about issues that affect school libraries more broadly. The group that spoke at the Board meeting were advocating for stronger libraries for all HISD students by recognizing the excellence that a few HISD students experience in their campus libraries.

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Five speakers attended the May 14 meeting of the appointed Board. We spoke to honor two HISD librarians who won statewide awards, and we spoke to remind the BOM and the community about why school libraries matter, why every HISD student should have access to the excellence that could win state awards in other years.

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Sarah Miller spoke on Zoom. 
​I’m a parent at a school with a library staffed by an educator.  Our PTO just approved a significant investment in our library to update the collection.  PTOs are important partners in our schools. Despite the fact that the district has deprioritized libraries, our school has made this a focus. We have had volunteers throughout the year helping in the space because we want our children to become lifelong learners, not just short term testers. We want them to have choice in their learning.  HISD just announced an initiative where every child will be reading at grade level by 2nd grade.  In their announcement, the district said, “Strong reading skills open the door to success in every subject and in life.”  If the district truly believes this, then why are you shuttering libraries?

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Cheryl Hensley introduced Brooke Corso.
I’m here today to recognize Brooke Corso as this year’s Texas Librarian of the Year, an honor bestowed by the Texas Library Association, representing approximately 5,000 members across all types of libraries. 
       For the past eight years, Brooke has served as the librarian at Pin Oak Middle School. The library is known as “The Living Library” because of its continual balance of reflection and innovation. Her students are passionate, expressive, and eager to be heard — and the library is a place where every voice matters.
     At Pin Oak Library, every type of reader is welcomed, and every kind of book has a place. With its genrefied “Barnes & Noble style,” the library inspires creativity, curiosity, collaboration, and discovery.
       All HISD schools deserve a librarian like Ms. Corso and a library like Pin Oak’s.
Please join me in congratulating the Texas “Librarian of the Year,” Brooke Corso of Pin Oak Middle School.
​NOTE: Ric Campo applauded. It can happen.​

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Brooke Corso spoke about her library.  
I’m very honored to receive the award of Librarian of the Year for 2026 from the Texas Library Association and to represent Pin Oak and HISD on state and national stage. The diversity of our wonderful community and our school district is one of our greatest strengths. And the POMS (Pin Oak Middle School) Library is called a Living Library as it’s structure and composition reflect the voices, cultures, curricular needs and interests of its students. I am so excited for next year and the fresh ideas that will engage my students so that everyone, regardless of background or fluency level, is an active part of a dynamic library program. I welcome you to visit our research-based, student-centered, award-winning library anytime. Thank you.

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Suzanne Lyons
In addition to Brooke Corso, Texas Library Association’s Librarian of the Year, I am also pleased to recognize librarian Jennifer Moore from Travis Elementary who won the Shirley Igo award. This award honors outstanding collaboration between the PTO and school library, highlighting the impact  of parent support.  
      The Friends of HISD Libraries awarded conference scholarships to 11 HISD Library staff.  Many, if not all of these staff would never have had the opportunity to attend, as HISD places little emphasis on fostering professional growth.  Improving library programs relies on using the latest trends, including responsible use of AI as well as many other technology innovations. This turns a good library into a great one. With less than 30 certified librarians [for 270 schools], few students experience a “good” library and the majority do not even experience an open library. Thank goodness for librarians like Jennifer and Brooke.  Please join me in recognizing and congratulating Jennifer Moore on her achievement.

​Jennifer Moore, Travis Elementary, was present but did not speak.
The Board did applaud our honorees. We can only hope they will someday change their actions towards libraries.

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Dorcas Hand referred to this infographic which she supplied to the Board on paper:
Students Reach Greater Heights with School Librarians
Thanks to ongoing mismanagement of HISD funds since the takeover and before, libraries are seen as an expense without adequate return on the investment. Libraries are NOT a distraction. They are an expander of minds, a catalyst to broad learning and further curiosity, and a strong contributor to excellent teaching of the curriculum. Oh, wait. The NES curriculum does not encourage curiosity – only regurgitation on multiple choice tests. Without the libraries you have dismantled at great taxpayer expense, Houston will have a generation of students not as well prepared for their future as they should be. Test scores are only the tiniest glimmer of a student’s potential success.

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FOHL Celebration
​On May 19, FOHL hosted HISD library staff  to celebrate their work this year. Yes, we honored the two award winners again - but we also invited and welcomed all library staff from HISD schools. And many came. We appreciated the Dandelion Cafe (5405 Bellaire Blvd) for welcoming us - if you need breakfast or lunch in that area, stop in. The Houston Assn of School Librarians (HASL), the official organization for HISD library staff, attended and their incoming leadership offered thoughts on what’s in store for the next year. We had books to give away, and door prizes for all plus light bites after a busy workday. Friends has hosted this May event for three years now. The organization thinks it important to honor our hard working library staff.

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Suzanne Lyons offers a few more thoughts:
Recently, this FB post from a city council meeting (The Fussy Librarian, May 21) referencing public library funding in a town not identified:
"Bad libraries build collections. Good libraries build services. Great libraries build communities.” 
       That quote from a recent city council meeting regarding proposed budget cuts stuck with me.
       Libraries are not just shelves of books. They are safe spaces, gathering places, learning centers, internet access points, job resources, children’s programs, support systems, and one of the few places that truly welcomes everyone. 
      Proposed budget cuts don’t just reduce hours or programs — they impact the heart of a community.
      Today and every day, we support libraries because strong libraries help build strong communities. “
Here at SNL, we know that ALL libraries circulate books and build collections as they have funds and space. Good libraries do that AND build programs that are interesting and accessible to students.  Great libraries do all of this and build communities.  Not funding school libraries either through personnel or materials budget doesn’t just impact a handful of students… It impacts the heart of the community by denying those students independent access to books that satisfy their curiosity about the world and sooth their souls.
We would like to know what YOU think about HISD libraries. Please take a few minutes (2-3) to complete this survey to help us keep working for you.

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Recent Articles of Note

School library books find new life through redistribution (Smartbrief.com, 18 May 2026)
​“Hundreds of library books from several closed Salt Lake City schools are being redistributed to students as part of an effort to keep children reading over the summer and improve literacy rates.”
      As HISD looks to close 12 campuses over the summer, campuses that have not had active libraries in some time thanks to the NES focus on drill and kill methods over broad access to literature, this article from the Salt Lake City (UT) School District illustrates a very different attitude about access to books.
       Some of the HISD campuses with closed libraries still have some books on the former library’s shelves, hidden under dust. Books from libraries on campuses where the library became a TEAM Center may have few books left, and the district has not tracked at all what happened to the investment in literacy made by previous HISD leadership.
Young readers need access to books!

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“Why Should I Care About Book Bans?” By Bonnie Lewis and Laura H. Darolia (Social Education (Nat’l Council for Social Studies), 86:6, 2022) 
As our students head to summer – and hopefully some summer reading – parents and librarians may want to consider asking them to think about books in different ways. Why are they reading the books they are choosing? Do some books reflect who they are now, or who they hope to be? Do some books let them experience places and cultures they cannot visit directly? Do they teach us new things, or help us think in new ways about things we already knew? Do they entertain us? These questions apply to ANY book students consider. Why do they choose NOT to read a specific book? It’s fine. None of us reads every book available, and we have individual reasons why. That’s the point.
       This article is, yes, a lesson plan. But we librarians and parents can adapt the ideas to broader applications. Our students might want to think about why some books are being challenged and banned. Who is challenging these titles? If any student reader wants to push back against a ban – or banning as a practice - how might they do that? 
       In Houston ISD, specific titles have not often been attacked because there are not enough libraries offering access to broad collections. Our neighboring districts are not so lucky. What are youth in those districts doing and thinking about limits being placed on their reading? 
        Books are windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. (Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990)  They let us see into other worlds, to see our own world through other eyes, and sometimes we can experience another world in the words of a skilled author. Book challenges limit our students’ access to understanding the world they will lead. Let’s help them learn how to lead well with a comprehensive understanding of the world now and in the past, an understanding grounded in access to many stories and points of view. Help them think critically about the books they choose to read this summer and looking ahead.

SPEAK OUT! 
​An Excellent Example of Public Library Leadership Advocating for School Libraries
(Book Riot, 26 May 2026) This is a great blog to follow, and  this post is important. Every reader of this SNL newsletter should be worrying about both federal bills HR7661 and HR 2616. If passed into law, these will directly impact school libraries first but all libraries before long. Our students need access to diverse ideas as they grow into active citizens of our democracy. Teton Public Library (WY) is wise to educate their community - and ours.

Forward into SUMMER!
Thanks for sticking with us all year. This newsletter will be back in the fall. Feel free to share this issue, and look at past issues which are all available on our website. Just scroll down.
       SNL will be looking at the survey results throughout the summer as we plan next steps for 2026-27. Please respond to it. Insights from the responses will be published in the fall.

​Now, relax - but keep in touch. We need your voices all year round.

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