When the library opened in 1976, Aldine was a small, semi-rural community. It has seen considerable growth since then and the Aldine Branch Library has grown right along with it to serve the area's diverse and ever-changing population.

The Atascocita library's beginnings can be traced to 1986, when the Atascocita Hi Neighbor group, led by Odell Dreyer, initiated a decade-long project to have a library built in the developing Atascocita subdivision. The branch celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2021.

The original Cypress Creek Library was built in 1976. After 30 years, the community had outgrown the building. Work began on a new building named in honor of former First Lady Barbara Bush, a lifelong advocate for reading and literacy. Barbara Bush Branch Library opened to the public on December 18, 2002. Mrs. Bush visited the library several times to read stories to the children. 

From book cars and wagons to fully air-conditioned vehicles with Internet access, trace the bookmobile program from the 1920s to the modern-day.

Established in 1922, the library grew throughout the years with the help of the community and the Crosby Friends of the Library. The library building as we know it today was dedicated on October 8, 1987. The branch was renamed Crosby Edith Fae Cook Cole Branch Library to honor the local historian in 2017.

In 1985, the City of Seabrook donated to Harris County five acres of land originally given to the City by Rex and Evelyn Meador. The Evelyn Meador Branch Library opened on June 26, 1988.  Unfortunately, the original library building was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008.  With funding assistance from the City of Seabrook, a new state-of-the-art, environmentally green facility was opened in 2011.

The Fairbanks Library was founded in 1922 as part of the local post office. After the post office caught fire in 1925, the community raised $146 for materials and built a 224-square-foot building without running water. That building continued to serve as the Fairbanks community library until the current building was opened in 1971. With 5,000 square feet, it was more than twenty times the size of the original and was further expanded in 1991 thanks to a generous legacy by the estate of Elfreida C. Letz.

HCPL had 10 different leaders over its first 100 years.  The title has changed from County Librarian to Library Director, but the mission has always stayed the same: providing free access to books to all Harris County residents. 

The High Meadows Branch Library opened in 1983 on land deed to the Harris County Library System by the Aldine Independent School District. The branch was updated and renovated in 2005.

Jacinto City Branch is a cooperative effort between the City of Jacinto City and Harris County since 1957, when a resident, Mrs. Dorothy Bowyer, spearheaded the effort to obtain a library for Jacinto City.  The current building, the A.J. "Bert" Holder Library, is a replacement for the original branch, which still stands on Mercury Drive.

Originally named the Bear Creek Library, the branch was renamed in 1999 for former Harris County Clerk Katherine Tyra. The branch survived a tornado in 1992, and Hurricane Harvey in 2017, thanks in no small part to the tight-knit and supportive Bear Creek community.

HCPL has been providing library service to the Katy area since 1921. The community built its first freestanding library building in 1940 after nearly two decades of the library floating between homes and private businesses. The current Katy Branch Library building opened in April 2003.

The original Kingwood Library opened in 1983. It was the result of a grassroots effort by area residents who saw the need for a library in their growing community. The current library building was funded jointly by Harris County and the City of Houston. It opened its doors on April 19, 2010. After flooding from Hurricane Harvey occurred in 2017, the building was rehabilitated and reopened on May 29, 2018.

The La Porte Branch started in 1921 with 110 books placed at La Porte High School, with a separate building debuting in 1929.  A new building opened in 1967, six times the size of the original branch.  The branch was renamed the Edith Wilson Memorial Library in 1982, in honor of the dedicated librarian who oversaw the branch for nearly twenty years. The current facility was dedicated in September 2001. 

The Tomball branch started in the 1920s in a post office. The bookmobile later served the community until support grew and a branch was built in 1962. Now operating in partnership with the Lone Star College, the LSC-Tomball Community Library is one of the largest HCPL locations.

A dedicated group of Katy residents started a campaign in 1984 for a new branch to serve the increasing population in western Harris County. Nine years later, the Maud Smith Marks Library opened. The branch is named in honor of Maud Smith Marks, who ran a small HCPL station in Barker, Texas, during the 1920s and 1930s.

The North Channel Branch Library opened in May 1994, replacing the old Channelview and Woodforest Branches.  The branch was funded by local businesses and residents, including local petrochemical companies and the families of those who lost their lives in Houston Ship Channel disasters during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Northwest Branch Library was built in 1983, dedicated in May 1984, and has proudly served the Cypress area ever since. The library was renovated in 2004. Northwest Branch Library continues to grow to meet the needs and wants of the Cypress community.

HCPL has been providing service to the Humble area since 1921, first in Humble schools and then for almost 40 years at the Humble Court House.  In 1969, the library moved once again and was renamed the Octavia Fields Memorial Library in memory of Mrs. Fields. The Fields family continues their support of the library, with many of them attending the grand opening of the current facility in 2001.

Trace the early years of the Harris County Public Library from 1920 through 1939, as the library system grew from a handful of locations in schools to having full branches and a thriving bookmobile service.

Stratford Branch Library has long been a resource for the Highlands community.  The first public library in the area opened in 1927 and was located in a storefront.  The first freestanding Highlands Library opened in 1937 with 375 square feet. In 1966 a new building opened, thanks to a donation from Highlands resident Anna Stratford. 

These videos, many of which were produced by members of the LaPorte Community Library Film COmmittee, promoted the upcoming Summer Reading Program (SRP_ at the Harris County Public library. Each year SRP has a different theme, which these videos fully embrace. Enjoy these ten light-hearted and funny videos from the years 2001 to 2013.

The West University branch originally opened in the corner of the West University Community Center in 1942. The current 6,100 square foot building opened in 1963.  The library was renovated in 1984, 2006, and again in 2016.  Today the library works with the City of West University to present programs in other city buildings, such as the Scout House and the Community Center.