Library name: San Antonio Central Library, the flagship location of the San Antonio Public Library

Location: 600 Soledad Street, San Antonio

Hours: Sunday, closed; Monday and Tuesday, 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Learn more: Watch our short video for an in-depth look at San Antonio Central Library

What makes this library special:

Known popularly as the “Enchilada Library” because of its signature color, this gorgeous building, designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, opened to the public in 1995. A contest run by the San Antonio Express-News asked readers to suggest a name for the vivid color, and “Enchilada Red” won.

Immediately upon entering the library, visitors are drawn to the Art Walk, an art gallery on the first floor. The striking pieces here include Caballo Tamaño Grande, a bronze sculpture of a horse by famed Colombian artist Fernando Botero; and Mi Vida, a 36-foot mural by artist Jesse Treviño depicting movie marquees and a memorial altar. The San Antonio Central Library is a must-see for San Antonio residents and visitors.

Don’t miss: The Fiesta Tower sculpture by Dale Chihuly

This breathtaking, two-story multicolored glass sculpture at the center of the library was created by famed artist Dale Chihuly, in commemoration of the library’s centennial in 2003.

“The sculpture weighs 4,500 pounds. And only 1,000 pounds of that is the infrastructure to hold it up. So the rest is glass. There are 3,500 pounds of glass, 917 individual hand-blown glass pieces. And each piece is about three feet high… Everyone has to come and see this in person,” said Krystal Jones, Director of the San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture.

“People can look at this piece and see many different things, which is what art is all about. Many people see animals, or sea creatures. I particularly think of flowers and also the South Texas birds when I look at the piece,” Jones said.

The sculpture is visible from each of the library’s six floors.

“You can see it from so many so many different levels, so many different floors, you get different perspectives. And of course, that’s what the library does, is bring different perspectives,” Jones said.

Flagship library for a large system

The San Antonio Public Library System comprises 30 locations, including the Central Library, the Kampmann Library Portal at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, and a library partnership with Roosevelt High School. The system delivers library services to approximately 1.9 million residents in San Antonio and Bexar County.

Library Director Sukrit Goswami has been leading the system since 2025. He follows longtime library director Ramiro Salazar, who retired.

“When this opportunity came to lead one of the largest library systems in the country… I was intrigued, not just about the size, but I was intrigued about how beautiful the city is, and how much potential the city has and how much work we can do as library leaders to make a difference in this wonderful community,” Goswami said.

Latino Collection and Resource Center

The Latino Collection and Resource Center (LCRC), located on the first floor of the San Antonio Central Library, is a cultural and educational resource which chronicles and celebrates the literature, heritage, and contemporary life of Latinos in the United States. 

It was founded by the Chicano arts historian and scholar, Dr. Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, who donated many items from his vast personal collection to the library in 1996. Then the SAPL collection development team began purchasing items to broaden the collection, which now includes more than 14,000 items.

The Latino Collection “is hybrid in nature, both contemporary and scholarly,” said Sarah De La Rosa, Program Manager of the LCRC. The materials, in Spanish and English, range from children’s books to young adult and adult fiction, nonfiction, and biographies.

In addition, the LCRC hosts many programs including ESL study club, summer salsa dance classes, poetry events, and platicas (author conversations).

Earlier this year, the library hosted author Tara López discussing her award-winning book Chuco Punk: Sonic Insurgency in El Paso, which chronicles the history of El Paso punk rock. Following the author’s talk, the library hosted a live punk show on top of the Central Library’s parking garage. About 100 people attended the author talk; the punk show drew more than 900.

“We do everything from music, dance performances, to poetry readings and rotating art exhibits. We host film screenings,” said De La Rosa. “The programming is meant to highlight the collection and bring people to the collection.”

Hollywood appearances

The San Antonio Central Library is featured in two movies. In Selena, the 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez, the building is featured in this scene where Selena is supposed to be in Mexico City. It also serves as the “OSS Junior Headquarters” (kid spy headquarters) in the Robert Rodriguez 2002 movie Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams.

What to look for as a first-time visitor: The Art Walk and the Latino Collection on the first floor. The Chihuly sculpture in the main atrium. The always-busy children’s section on the third floor. The Teen section, also on the third floor, which draws crowds on weekdays after school. The Texana/Genealogy Department and Texana Resource Center (currently available on the first floor but soon to reopen with a new, remodeled area on the sixth floor.) “Of course, enjoy our Art Walk, enjoy our exhibits. And make sure to visit every single floor. On every floor, magical things are happening,” Goswami said. Pro tip: Don’t miss The Book Cellar, the used bookstore in the basement of the Central Library; all proceeds benefit the library.

And one more thing: A short drive away from the Central Library is the lovely Landa Branch Library (located at 233 Bushnell, San Antonio), located inside a beautiful historic home in the Monte Vista Historical District. It’s part of the San Antonio Public Library System.

“Harry Landa donated the mansion, which used to be his and his wife’s residence, to the library in memory of his wife, Hannah,” Goswami said. Landa wanted the mansion to become a library, and the adjacent lands to become a playground; he gave both to the City of San Antonio in 1946. It’s worth a visit to see the carved marble mantle, crystal chandelier, and elegant staircase, as well as the gracious gardens, shady playground, and picnic area outside.

Opening doors to art and literature

The annual San Antonio Book Festival is a free, one-day celebration of books and literature that takes place every spring, drawing about 25,000 attendees each year. It’s produced by the San Antonio Book Festival, an independent nonprofit organization.

“The Central Library is really the home base for the San Antonio Book Festival. It’s one of our busiest days of the year,” said Scott Williams, Marketing Manager for San Antonio Public Library. “Every single floor is full of people that day. Of course, mostly what people will come here for is to attend author sessions…but we also have activities for kids, and we take advantage of the huge crowd the book festival draws to make sure that we are also introducing the community to everything that their library offers.”

Above, chef Adán Medrano, author of the Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook, poses with fans at the San Antonio Book Festival in April 2026.

“The San Antonio Public Library means a lot to me,” Jones said. “And it means a lot to our community. The library that I grew up in, I mean, it was just books, but the San Antonio Public Library…it’s books, it’s music, it’s technology. It’s events, and of course, it’s art. It is truly opening a world of possibilities to all ages to let people know that all of this information and art is for you. And it’s free.”

Above, teens gather in the San Antonio Central Library’s dedicated teen area on the third floor.

Library name: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, Dallas Public Library

Location: 1515 Young Street, Dallas

Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Learn more: Watch our video for an in-depth look at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

The Dallas Public Library’s copy of the Declaration of Independence is the only one located west of the Mississippi.

What makes this library special:

The seventh floor of the massive J. Erik Jonsson Central Library holds two rare treasures, both free to view by the public. The first is an original copy of the Declaration of Independence printed on the night of July 4, 1776, one of only about 25 surviving copies. It’s the only original copy located west of the Mississippi.

“When the Declaration of Independence was ratified, they had the one document that everyone signed and we all know about that one, it’s at the National Archives,” said Manya Shorr, Director of the Dallas Public Library (DPL). “But they had to figure out how to tell everyone in the colonies that we were now a nation. So they printed between 80 and 100 copies, unsigned, and they sent them out to the colonies. And the copy we have is one of the original broadsides.”

The copy at the DPL is known as the “lost copy” and is one of only a few remaining in good condition.

“It was found in a bookstore in Philadelphia in 1968, folded up in a box,” Shorr said. “It was sold at auction in 1969 for $404,000 to two Dallas businessmen. In celebration of the Bicentennial in 1976 they sent it around the whole country, and it came back here and was given to the City of Dallas.” At first displayed at the Dallas City Hall, the Declaration found its permanent home when the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library opened in 1982.

Nearby, on the same floor, is an even older and equally beloved treasure—an original copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, published in 1623. Shakespeare died in 1616 without publishing any of his plays. Two of his friends decided to publish 36 of his plays in this volume. Only about 235 copies exist today, and the DPL is privileged to have one of them.

“Of the 36 plays that are in the Folio that we have, 18 of them had never been published before,” Shorr said, including The Tempest, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night. The book was donated to the library in 1986 by the Dallas Shakespeare Club.

“People absolutely come from all over the world to see what we have—specifically what we have on this floor,” Shorr said. “To have an America’s founding document, especially in our country’s 250th anniversary birthday year—I’m beyond thrilled.”

About half a million people each year visit the Dallas Public Library’s downtown location.

Searching for your family’s history:

On the eighth floor of the Central Library, the Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Genealogy Collection holds one of the largest and most comprehensive collections for family history research in the United States.

“The collection is worldwide,” said Stephanie Bennett, Genealogy and History Manager at DPL. “The Center was established so that no matter when you come to Dallas, we have something available for you to look at to learn more about your own family history. Whether that’s a social period in history, a book with your family’s name in it, a record you haven’t seen before, we want to make sure you leave with something you didn’t know.”

Suzan Younger is a former president of the Dallas Genealogical Society who has been doing research in DPL’s Genealogy Collection since the 1970s.

“The collection is so large and so good,” Younger said. “They have all the census records, there are always new books coming out and new technology. The library is an affiliate of the Family Search Network. The tip I have—first come and talk to the staff. Whether you are a beginner or experienced genealogist, the staff knows their collection.”

The Heritage Lab, also on the eighth floor, is an invaluable space for patrons.

“The Heritage Lab is for preserving your family history,” Bennett said. “Whether that is a scrapbook that you want to scan or a family Bible you are scared to open because it’s so fragile, we can help you. We also convert VHS tapes, records, mini cassette tapes—you can use the equipment and scan it for free.” Preserving the voices of late loved ones is meaningful to many people: “They’re an important part of your family history, and we want you to be able to preserve that for future generations.”

Many newspapers, magazines and thousands of mourning cards are part of the library’s JFK collection.

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection: “The JFK Collection is one of our major collections. We’re obviously in Dallas, where the assassination occurred. Librarians at the time really worked hard to collect everything they could to record information. I would say our collection is second only to the Sixth Floor Museum, also located in Dallas (nearby), so we are a major hub for people coming to do research,” said Misty Maberry, History and Archives Manager for DPL.

“One of the most unique things that we have is our mourning card collection: cards and mementos and photos left at Dealey Plaza. Thousands of people came to Dallas from all over the world to pay tribute to President Kennedy.”

Filmmaker Oliver Stone did research at the library for his film JFK; author Stephen King had his assistants come to the library for research for his book 11/22/63. DPL librarians have also worked with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ team.

In addition to the JFK Collection, Maberry’s division oversees a photography collection with more than one million images (both print and digital images) and worked with the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas to digitize records from The Dallas Express, the largest Black newspaper in the South during its publication era (1892-1970).

What to look for as a first-time visitor: The Declaration of Independence and Shakespeare First Folio on the seventh floor. The Genealogy Collection and Heritage Lab on the eighth floor. And so much more—the library’s Creative Spaces include the third floor Story Center, where you can record a podcast or film a movie. The fourth floor Fiber Arts Workroom is a favorite for patrons who enjoy sewing, knitting, embroidery, and weaving. There’s also a Pollinator Garden on the fifth floor balcony facing City Hall. The Central Library features extensive public art, including a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth and a serigraph by Texas-native Robert Rauschenberg. The JFK Collection is on the seventh floor.

And one more thing: DPL is celebrating its 125th birthday in 2026. In addition to the Central Library, DPL has 28 branch locations throughout the city of Dallas.

DPL has robust plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, including hosting programs, exhibits, and book clubs, with chances to win Dallas Wings and Mavericks tickets, as well as passes to state parks.

“We are proud to serve the citizens of Dallas,” Shorr said. “Everything we do is for them. I really hope people take the opportunity to come visit us, because we are here for them.”

• By Michele Chan Santos, Coordinator, Texas Center for the Book

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Library name: Rosenberg Library History Center & Museum

Location: 2310 Sealy Street, Galveston

Hours: Main Library hours Monday, Friday, and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; closed Sunday. Galveston & Texas History Center (appointments encouraged) Tuesday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday. Rosenberg Library Museum, fourth floor galleries Monday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Second floor galleries open during main library hours. (All times Central.)

Learn more: Watch our video for an in-depth look at the Rosenberg Library.

What makes this library special:

Bridging the past and present, the Rosenberg Library History Center & Museum serves many parts of its vibrant community. The Galveston & Texas History Center, located on the fourth floor of the library, holds manuscripts, books, maps, photographs, and more, dating back to the 1800s. Also a thriving public library with numerous community events for children, teens, and adults, the Rosenberg is deeply rooted in the life of the city.

The Rosenberg is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas and the only public library on Galveston Island. The building was dedicated on June 22, 1904, on the birthday of its patron, Henry Rosenberg, a business leader and philanthropist who left $600,000 upon his death in 1893 to create the library (the equivalent of about $21 million today.) In 1971, the library expanded to double its floor space, allowing for a children’s library, history center, museum space, and, later, a computer lab.

A beautiful glass chandelier hangs alongside the spiral staircase at the Rosenberg. It’s seen here from bookshelves on the second floor.

Preserving history:

Sharon Batiste Gillins is a genealogist and historian who grew up in Galveston.

“Galveston is an island. The island vibe is a lot different than any other vibe,” Gillins said. “It’s relaxed, but it’s one that cherishes its history. This is a good place to be exposed to history. We are building on that every day so that we can continue to tell an evolving history of the island.”

 For her, the Rosenberg’s history center is a treasure trove of primary source documents.

“The center is full of primary source documents on the history of Galveston and this entire area,” she said. “If I am researching families… there are numerous resources here such as county histories that I can refer to. The historic newspaper records are important, the electronic databases are important, family history databases are important. I use the Sanborn Insurance Maps to find out the history of homes.” On a personal note, she began going to the Rosenberg as a child.

“The Rosenberg Library has always been part of my life,” Gillins said. “Some of the most important resources at the Rosenberg are its librarians. You can’t have a better friend at a library than a librarian.”

Gerrianne Schaad is the Special Collections Manager at the Rosenberg. “One of the things that makes us unique is that we span the history of Texas from the Republic to the current day,” Schaad said. “People forget about Galveston as a space that holds so much history. We have immigration, the port, finance, and commerce. The Strand (the downtown historic district) is very well known for Mardi Gras but that was the Wall Street of the South for years… Galveston has been here since the beginning. Being the site of the oldest library is just one more first and one more greatness that we can be proud of.”

What to look for as a first-time visitor: The statue of the library’s founder, Henry Rosenberg, in front of the library’s east entrance, is popular with visitors who often take their photos with it. The Great Storm of 1900 Exhibit on the fourth floor includes an interactive touch screen, oral histories from three different survivors, and a memorial wall. The museum exhibit areas on the second and fourth floors host a variety of rotating exhibits (learn more about their current exhibits). The beautiful first-floor children’s library area is a fun and interactive space. Make sure to check out Rose, the blue-tongued skink named after Henry Rosenberg.

The statue of Henry Rosenberg, at the library’s east entrance, is a popular photo spot with visitors.

Heart of the community:

The Rosenberg runs the Galveston Reads program each year, a “One Community, One Book” island-wide reading program where residents can get a free copy of the selected book, join in a broad range of events and discussions, and participate in an author visit. The 2025 selection was The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer.

Other popular events include the summer reading program and Rosenberg Day (an annual book sale and open house in March with activities for patrons of all ages).

Stephanie Davis, Community Engagement and Communications Coordinator for the Rosenberg Library, feels that the library ably balances its two primary roles as a historical archive and an active public library because of the cooperation of its staff members. “We have these separate entities, and we have the team members dedicated to those areas. What makes the Rosenberg special is that we all work together harmoniously, and we understand that each of the areas has a very unique value.”

And one last thing:

“I’d like to invite anyone who hasn’t visited the Rosenberg Library please stop by and see us, and if you’ve been here before, come back,” Davis said. “You’ve got to see it to understand. It’s not just a library, it’s a landmark. It’s a historical beauty. And when you walk through the doors, you really feel that.”

Photos courtesy of The Rosenberg Library.

This stained-glass window at the Rosenberg Library was a gift from the Lykes family, founders of the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company.

Article written by Michele Chan Santos, Coordinator, Texas Center for the Book