Katherine Leal Unmuth - Dallas District 2 Library Board

Dallas City Council District 2

Find the jam-packed calendar of events for all the Dallas Public Library branches at https://dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/

Dallas Public Library programs are free and open to the public. To request accommodation, call 214-670-7809.

My kids had a great time Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Public Library Central Library “Survive 1776” America 250 program! 📜🇺🇸

They learned how to tie knots, rolled beeswax candles, and even tested their aim in a soft cannonball toss challenge. The hands-on activities made Revolutionary America come alive.

Thank you to the DPL Genealogy & History Department for organizing this event. If you missed this one, be sure to check out upcoming Dallas Public Library America 250 programs as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Learn more here: https://www.dallaslibrary.org/america250

Dallas City Council District 2
Friends of the Dallas Public Library

Looking for a fun, free way to keep kids learning and engaged this summer? 📚☀️ The Dallas Public Library SMART Summer reading program is back! Participants can log their reading and earn prizes.

Attend a kickoff party at one of five library branches on Saturday: Fretz Park, Lochwood, North Oak Cliff, Martin Luther King Jr., or Pleasant Grove!

The program runs through August 8 and includes activities for all ages. Sign up through Beanstack or learn more here: https://www.dallaslibrary.org/programs/smart-summer

Dallas City Council District 2
Friends of the Dallas Public Library
Office of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson
Dallas ISD Libraries
Dallas ISD

The Mexican American Museum of Texas debuted a new exhibit Thursday evening at the Dallas Public Library Central Library as part of its America250 programming: “Spanish Texas During the American Revolution, Life and Legacy: 1775–1783.”

I was honored to attend the ribbon-cutting for the new exhibit space on the 8th floor of the Central Library, home to the library’s nationally recognized Genealogy & History Department. Dallas Public Library Director Manya Shorr noted that the space is part of a broader effort to reimagine the Central Library, guided by a strategic plan that emphasizes a unified vision for programming and outreach. She also highlighted how the exhibit supports the library’s ongoing commitment to sharing a more inclusive history of Texas.

Museum Founder Gustavo Hinojosa emphasized the important contributions of Spanish and Tejano communities who supported the American Revolution at a time when Texas was a colonial province of Spain. The preview exhibit’s bilingual panels offer a vivid look at daily life during this era, including cattle ranching, education, and settlements across Texas.

Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Arage Bennett, MLS celebrated the library’s first exhibit collaboration with the TMAMT museum and continued efforts to create a more welcoming, engaging, and interactive experience for visitors.

This was a meaningful opportunity for me to learn more about the layered history of Texas, and it was exciting to see new collaborations taking shape between the library and the community. With America250 programming underway, the library continues to offer programming connected to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thank you as well to the Friends of the Dallas Public Library for their support of this program.

The exhibit is on view through July 31, before a larger exhibit opens in August 2026 at The Heritage Society museum in Houston. Learn more here: https://dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/event/mexican-american-museum-texas-presents-spanish-involvement-american-revolution-511262

Dallas City Council District 2
Office of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson

Dallas City Council District 2

There's a lot going on at your local library branch next week! Find the entire calendar of events at dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/

Dallas Public Library programs are free and open to the public. To request accommodation, call 214-670-7809.

The Dallas Municipal Library Board (MLB) met Tuesday at the Hampton-Illinois Branch Library 📚 in Oak Cliff, marking the first time our board has conducted a meeting at a neighborhood branch.

Dallas Public Library Director Manya Shorr suggested that the MLB begin rotating meetings to neighborhood branches, an excellent opportunity to learn more about the breadth of services and to experience the spaces and neighborhoods our libraries serve.

Before the meeting, Branch Manager Barbara Alvarez led a tour that highlighted many special features of the current branch building, which opened 20 years ago. The branch shares space with Jimmy Tyler Brashear Elementary School, a Dallas ISD campus. Since the branch also serves as a school library, students visit for lessons during the school day and for after-school activities as well.

We saw special features including a tree that children can read under and a community puzzle corner displaying completed puzzles. Books with phonics instruction in the Decodable Literacy Hub provided by The Commit Partnership are designed to help families with early reading instruction.

The Hampton-Illinois Branch Library is one of five libraries proposed as a flagship location under a regional library model. As a flagship location, Hampton-Illinois would be open seven days a week, with extended hours on the evenings and weekends.

I always enjoy visiting libraries across our city, and I’m excited for future MLB meetings at branches that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Dallas communities.

Dallas City Council District 2
Office of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson
Friends of the Dallas Public Library
Dallas ISD Libraries
Hampton Illinois Library Friends

📜 Step into 1776 at the Dallas Public Library Central Library on Saturday afternoon for an exciting family-friendly America 250 program that brings history alive!

You can take an interactive journey into the American Revolution from 1-3 p.m. for "Survive 1776" at the Community Showcase on the First Floor.

At this hands-on free program, you can:

✒️ Sign your name with a quill pen like a new recruit

🥁 Practice muster drills and marching commands

🪢 Learn essential sailor and soldier knots

🕯️ Roll your own beeswax candle to take home

🕵️ Crack secret spy codes and write your own messages

🎯 Test your aim in a (safe and soft!) cannonball toss challenge

Participants will rotate through activity stations together as they learn new skills and discover what everyday life was really like in Revolutionary America.

This Genealogy & History program is part of Dallas Public Library’s “250 Years of Us: Reading America’s Past, Writing Our Future,” generously supported by the Friends of the Dallas Public Library, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Dallas City Council District 2
Office of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson
Dallas ISD Libraries

Sign up for a reminder here: https://dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/event/choose-your-revolution-survive-thrive-1776-465602