Dallas council hears library annual report as visits, programs and grants rise

Dallas City Council heard the Dallas Public Library’s annual report during a Dec. 1 work session, where library staff summarized rising usage, program growth and new grants that library leaders say will support materials and programming.

The presenter opened by saying, "All of our statistics are up," and reported a large increase in visitors, a 2% rise in active library cardholders and a 5% increase in physical checkouts. The presenter credited expanded, front-facing display tables and a broader slate of programs for bringing more residents into the library.

Staffing changes were a headline of the report: longtime youth services librarian Betty Simpson retired in April, and an in-house staff member, Kelly Most, trained with Simpson and has taken over youth programming. Dakota Milburn was identified as taking on website maintenance, interlibrary loan coordination and supply purchasing.

The library highlighted a range of nonbook lending items and digital resources intended to improve access: guitars and ukuleles, museum and cultural passes, Playaways (preloaded devices for children), and mobile Wi‑Fi hotspots that allow patrons to connect up to six devices without requiring a particular wireless plan.

Programming has expanded across age groups. The presenter said the library runs roughly 150 story times per year and described highly attended signature events: a Halloween all-day event that drew about 1,000 visitors, a Harry Potter night with "a few hundred" attendees, and a summer reading program with more than 900 participants across children, teens and adults.

LibraryCon, the library’s largest single event, drew more than 1,000 attendees and used multiple venues (the library and the civic center) to host authors, artists and local vendors. The presenter named community partners and volunteer groups that assisted with events and logistics.

On funding, the presenter listed recent support the library received: a Dallas Community Foundation grant for large-print and audio materials, a Polk County Cultural Coalition grant for author programming, and an announced $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation due in January. When asked whether the Carnegie grant carried restrictions, the presenter said she believed it did not; a council member confirmed there were "no strings attached."

Council members asked operational questions — for example, how staff maintain the new front-facing displays and the timing of story times — and offered praise for the library’s role as a downtown partner that brings foot traffic to nearby businesses. Several members commended staff for innovation and for tailoring programming to different audiences.

The presentation concluded with an invitation to upcoming events, including winter- and holiday-themed programming and a March Comic Con expansion into an additional venue. The council did not take any formal votes or actions on the report during the session; the meeting adjourned until 7 p.m.

Note on names in the transcript: the library presenter is introduced in the meeting as "Andrew McAllister" (SEG 029) and is addressed by colleagues as "Andrea" during the presentation (for example SEG 211). The article cites details exactly as presented in the transcript and avoids resolving that name-format inconsistency beyond noting it.