Checking in with the Houston Public Library

The Chronicle reports today on the most and least popular books in the Houston Public Library system — and it turns out HPL users are (still) crazy about the Harry Potter series. The six Potter books count for 75 percent of the books checked out most often at the library's branches in the past two years, possibly because it attracts both kids and adults.

"Harry Potter is a phenomenon all its own," said [HPL technology services chief Syma] Zerkow, who has worked as a librarian in Houston for 30 years. "You can never have enough (copies)."

Houstonist could have guessed Potter was at the top of the library's list, but we would have had some trouble figuring out what was on the bottom: two Shakespeare plays, a photo book called After 9/11, a guidebook to New York City and "pop singer Ashlee Simpson's autobiography," which we think might actually be the sheet music to Simpson's album Autobiography. In either case, we can understand why no one would check it out.

Also on the list of titles that haven't been checked out in the past two years: the FEMA page-turner Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness and the Library Compensation Handbook: Guide for Administrators, Librarians and Staff.

Photo by flickr user BlepoXP