Aramco makes donation to rebuild Houston library

An Aramco gift of $1.6 million will fully fund the reconstruction of the Houston Public Library's Amanda Dixon Neighborhood Library, creating a new high-tech information center for the Trinity Gardens community on Houston's north side.

The decision to support the rebuilding of the Dixon Library came about as an outgrowth of Aramco's Hurricane Harvey relief program in which the company launched an extensive collaboration with community partners and the City of Houston to learn how it could best support the long-term rebuilding of Houston.

“With the help of companies and contributors like Aramco Services Company, we continue to accomplish great things in Houston by combining such donations with our limited city revenues to provide quality neighborhood services,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The new Amanda E. Dixon Library will help expand the minds and imagination of the next generation of Houstonians.”

The Dixon Library was closed for renovations just weeks before Hurricane Harvey, and the storm caused additional roof and structural damage.  The extensive damage made it clear that the facility would have to be completely rebuilt.  

With Aramco's financial support, the new Amanda Dixon Neighborhood Library will become the second TECHLink Center in the Houston Public Library system and the first Houston Public Library location to be dedicated solely for TECHLink. The project calls for demolition of the current 3,270-sq.-ft. building located at 8002 Hirsch Road.  The new center, in the same location, will be outfitted with the latest interactive technology to enhance learning.  New features include:  free access to computers and the Internet throughTECHLink, which provides access to multiple state-of-the-art technologies for visitors to create original music, videos, art, graphics --- the only limits are those of the imagination.

The innovative project is slated for completion by mid-2020.

“Restoring this resource to the community with a state-of-the-art facility lets us place tools in the hands of young, bright students to inspire a curiosity for learning---especially in subjects such as science, technology, engineering and math,” said Basil A. Abul-Hamayel, president and CEO Aramco Services Company.  “We want to encourage STEM education with this high-tech learning environment and have it be a welcoming place for all members of the community.”

Mrs. Amanda E. Dixon led the six-year drive in the early 1970s for a branch library to serve the Trinity Gardens area to increase the educational and occupational potential of her community, explained Sally Swanson, executive director, Houston Public Library Foundation.  “The community will continue to remember Mrs. Dixon's efforts while celebrating the generosity of Aramco Services Company whose societal investment will transform this library, serving as a catalyst for digital arts creativity in Houston.”   

Through advocacy and fundraising, the Houston Public Library Foundation supports the Houston Public Library's wide range of initiatives with particular emphasis on its neighborhood libraries and their community programs.  www.houstonlibraryfoundation.org