{"id":334530,"date":"2026-06-13T03:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T03:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/334530\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T03:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T03:13:50","slug":"austin-public-library-postpones-reopening-closure-of-2-branches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/334530\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Public Library postpones reopening, closure of 2 branches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReaders in Central and Southwest Austin will soon see changes to local library access.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Public Library<\/a> postponed the reopening of the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/old-quarry-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Old Quarry Branch Library<\/a> and the closure of the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.austintexas.gov\/menchaca-road-branch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Menchaca Road Branch Library<\/a>, which were <a href=\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/austin\/southwest-austin-dripping-springs\/government\/2026\/05\/22\/menchaca-road-branch-library-to-close-for-major-modernization\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">previously scheduled for this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The big picture<\/p>\n<p>The Old Quarry Branch will reopen later this summer, after additional electrical infrastructure and approval requirements were identified, according to a news release. Further work will be done so the branch can open safely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe renovated Old Quarry Branch is going to be an incredible community asset, and it is important that the remaining infrastructure work and approvals are completed before the building reopens,\u201d Austin Public Library Director Hannah Terrell said in a news release. \u201cWe appreciate the community&#8217;s patience and look forward to welcoming customers back to the Old Quarry Branch as soon as the project is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The branch closed approximately two years ago to undergo renovations, which include:<\/p>\n<p>A modernized interior layout and updated designA new outdoor reading patioNew literacy and learning zones for children and teensNew shelving, flooring, furnishings and fixturesUpgraded HVAC and building systemsTechnology, accessibility and sustainability improvements throughout the buildingComprehensive asbestos abatement and other infrastructure upgradesDiving in deeper<\/p>\n<p>The Menchaca Road Branch closure, previously scheduled for June 14, will be rescheduled for later this summer. The Menchaca Road Branch will close closer to the Old Quarry Branch reopening date to \u201cminimize the impact on library customers caused by simultaneous branch closures,\u201d the release stated.<\/p>\n<p>Renovations and improvements to the Menchaca Branch will include:<\/p>\n<p>A redesigned and modernized interior layoutDedicated areas for children and teensLiteracy and learning zones with colorful, child-scaled design elementsTechnology upgrades and infrastructure improvementsUpdated furnishings, shelving, and finishesAdditional accessibility and sustainability improvements<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Renovations to the Menchaca Road Branch Library include updated furnishing and fixtures. (Sienna Wight\/Community Impact)\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/06\/12\/428581.jpg\" class=\"include_body\" onerror=\"this.src=\" width=\"1200\"\/>Renovations to the Menchaca Road Branch Library include updated furnishing and fixtures. (Sienna Wight\/Community Impact)One more thing<\/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>&#8220;&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Readers in Central and Southwest Austin will soon see changes to local library access. The Austin Public Library&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334531,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[111138,132,134,133,5563,111136,111137],"class_list":["post-334530","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\/334530","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=334530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}