Nine Dallas libraries would stay open longer if a City of Dallas budget proposal is approved.

“Library access has proven to be challenging for many, as the current post-pandemic hours are not reflective of community needs,” the city’s proposed budget states,” the City Manager’s proposed budget states.

It calls for spending about $1.2 million in the coming budget year, Sept. 30, 2021-Oct. 1, 2023, to keep nine Dallas Public Library branches open six days a week.

Bachman Creek Library in North Dallas and Fretz Park Library in Far North Dallas are among those selected for expanded hours. The others are Hampton-Illinois, Lancaster-Kiest, Arcadia Park, Mountain Creek, Prairie Creek and White Rock Hills.

Open library hours would increase from 40 to 54 hours a week, adding between 22-50 jobs.

There are 30 libraries in the city’s system, serving about 6 million users a year, with a total proposed budget of $35.7 million for the ’22-’23 budget year, an increase of more than $3.5 million over the previous year.

The budget also proposes spending about $141,000 to offer enhanced library cards to Dallas residents.

Ways the library strives for equity are enumerated in the proposed budget:

  • Increase in-person Adult Education study opportunities and outreach at libraries in high impact zip codes.

  • Increase workforce development programs and broaden the impact the Library can have by deepening its partnerships with area Workforce Development partners.

  • Increase early childhood literacy initiatives through outreach events, hosting larger events at underutilized branch locations, providing more reading ready kits to parents for at-home learning, and placing small bookshelves with children’s books in strategic locations such as laundry mats and medical clinics.

  • Continue hotspot and Chromebook lending programs to provide residents in high impact zip codes with access to internet for free.