{"id":306902,"date":"2026-05-24T11:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/306902\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T11:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:43:17","slug":"menchaca-road-branch-library-to-close-for-major-modernization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/306902\/","title":{"rendered":"Menchaca Road Branch Library to close for \u2018major modernization\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/menchaca-road-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Menchaca Road Branch<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Public Library<\/a> will close this summer to undergo a major modernization project, according to a news release from the Austin Public Library.<\/p>\n<p>The big picture<\/p>\n<p>The Menchaca branch will close June 14 for about a year. Librarians at the Menchaca branch will be reassigned to other branches during renovations.<\/p>\n<p>According to a news release, the renovations will include:<\/p>\n<p>A redesigned and modernized interior layoutA dedicated area for children and teensLiteracy and learning zones with a colorful designTechnology upgradesUpdated furnishings, shelving and finishesAccessibility and sustainability improvements<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Renovations will include upgraded shelving and furnishings. (Sienna Wight\/Community Impact)\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/05\/22\/425624.jpg\" class=\"include_body\" onerror=\"this.src=\" width=\"1200\"\/>Renovations will include upgraded shelving and furnishings. (Sienna Wight\/Community Impact)The Menchaca Road Branch Library was dedicated in 1974 and has previously undergone roof and HVAC updates.<\/p>\n<p>In case you missed it<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/old-quarry-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Old Quarry Branch Library<\/a> is reopening June 22 after undergoing renovations for the past two years. Library officials will hold a grand reopening celebration June 27 with activities and performers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to welcome the community back into a reimagined Old Quarry Branch Library,\u201d Austin Public Library Director Hannah Terrell said. \u201cThe renovations have transformed the building into a brighter, more flexible and more welcoming space while preserving the branch\u2019s important role as a neighborhood gathering place. These investments help ensure the library can continue serving the community for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The funding source<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/austin\/central-austin\/city-county\/2018\/06\/29\/austin-city-councils-925-million-bond-proposal-includes-historic-ask-for-affordable-housing\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2018 bond<\/a> funded the Menchaca Road Branch and the Old Quarry Branch renovations. The bond allocated $128 million for libraries, museums and cultural arts, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.<\/p>\n<p>Going forward<\/p>\n<p>The APL encourages cardholders who usually use the Menchaca location to visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/twin-oaks-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Twin Oaks<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/pleasant-hill-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pleasant Hill<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/hampton-branch-at-oak-hill\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hampton Branch at Oak Hill<\/a> libraries during the closure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Menchaca Road Branch of the Austin Public Library will close this summer to undergo a major modernization&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":306903,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[111138,132,134,133,5563,111136,111137],"class_list":["post-306902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-2018-bond","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-austin-public-library","tag-menchaca-road-branch","tag-old-quarry-branch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/306903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}