Dallas Public Library will run seven flagship locations open seven days a week while branch libraries keep six-day schedules, after the City Council restored funding during this year's budget process, according to a progress report on the library's strategic plan headed to a council committee Monday.
The memo, from Assistant City Manager Liz Cedillo-Pereira for the Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee's 9 a.m. meeting Nov. 16, says the library had proposed a regional model with five flagships.
It worked out an evaluation model with the city's Office of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, ran staff-led condition assessments at every location and built an updated schedule that kept full service without closing any branches.
The City Council adopted the strategic plan in April 2024 after a planning process paid for by the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. The memo says 5,000 residents took part across 65 stakeholder meetings. Fiscal 2026 was its second year, and instead of task lists the library set broader objectives.
What changed in year two
- Central Library: Floor managers pitched small-scale improvements, staff finished a full condition assessment of the downtown building, and the west side garden got fencing, garden beds and outdoor furniture for programs.
- Safety: The library revised its incident reporting system, placed a City Marshal sergeant at Central to help with training and communication, updated security assignments and filled security jobs at the Oak Lawn and Vickery Park branches.
- Programs: Each location now has a program plan based on community needs, and the library wrote a three-year plan to build up youth programs and outreach.
- Collection: The library set shelving capacity standards, launched a World Languages collection, added browsing tools and curated lists to its catalog, and compared physical and digital checkouts to manage costs.
