The Oak Lawn Branch of the Dallas Public Library, located at 4100 Cedar Springs Road in the Kroger parking lot, is one of four branch libraries in the city being recommended for closure, according to an email, dated Jan. 16, from Dallas Public Library Director Manya Shorr to “Dallas Public Library Shareholders.”
The other three branches Shorr is recommending be closed are the Renner Frankford branch at 6400 Frankford Road, Arcadia Park at 1302 North Justin Ave., and Skyline at 6006 Everglade Road, which has been closed since last Oct. 2, according to the Dallas City Library website.
The closures come in the wake of the adoption of the 2026 city budget which, according to a press release posted on the library website last October to announce the Skyline branch closure, left the library “not funded at a level to provide impactful, meaningful service at 28 locations and eight floors at the Central Library.”
The budget changes, the press release said, forced the city to “develop a regional model that will concentrate services and extend hours at geographically dispersed locations around the city while closing and/or reducing hours at the remaining branches. A regional model will allow for deeper service in the community because the budget and staffing will not have to be stretched to operate as many service points.”
Tasked with saving $2.6 million
The press release also noted without the regional model being implemented, “the library will still be tasked with saving $2.6 million in FY27. That would mean eliminating positions and reducing the number of days and hours at all library locations.”
In her Friday email to the library’s public shareholders, Shorr said she will present the new regional system plan to the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 9 a.m., in the Council Chambers at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Shorr’s plan will designate five flagship library locations: Fretz Park at 6990 Belt Line Road, Bachman Lake at 9480 Webb Chapel Road, Vickery Park at 8333 Park Lane, Hampton-Illinois at 2951 South Hampton Road and Pleasant Grove at 7310 Lake June Road.
Shorr said the library’s executive staff has “worked closely with the Data Analytics and Business Intelligence department” to develop the new regional system plan, taking into consideration several factors: community need, library usage and library coverage.
The Data Analytics and Business Intelligence department “also helped us to determine seven defined regions with roughly the same population size: North, Northeast, Northwest, East, Southeast, West, and Southwest,” Schorr wrote in her email. “Our hope is to add two more flagship libraries in the future.”
She continued, “I want to be clear about a couple of things: We are doing everything we can to retain employees. We are holding vacancies throughout the year and using temporary staff as needed and budget allows.”
She also stressed that “a lot can happen” before the 2027 budget is adopted in August and that the details of the plan outlined in her email “are recommendations only, and … much can change in a few months.
“I want to assure you that this is upsetting for everyone,” Shorr wrote. “Although I do believe that flagship libraries will bring a more vibrant and active library to our residents, it is painful to think about closing libraries. These are tough times, but I believe in our resiliency and commitment to serving our residents at the highest level.”
The Oak Lawn Library
The Oak Lawn library is one of the oldest branch libraries in the Dallas Public Library system. It first opened in 1929 and moved to its current location in December 1996 through a public/private partnership with Kroger.
In addition to its regular library holdings, the Oak Lawn Library has “the only circulating, non-reference collection of LGBTQ+ materials in the US.”
— Tammye Nash