hitting the books

Only in Dallas: Libraries in malls (yes, they're that shallow)

Two years after it opened at the mall, the library for kids 12 and under has aninventory of about 5,000 and circulates as much as branches eight times thatsize with both adult and children's books.
Photo by L.M. Otero/AP
A mother reads to her son at Bookmarks, a Dallas Public Library branch atNorthPark Center mall in Dallas.
Photo by L.M. Otero/AP
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas
Courtesy photo
The Marston Building, headquarters of the Houston Public Library

Literacy disguised in consumerism? Big D is down.

Our neighbor to the north, a national center of mall madness, is receiving national attention for its placement of a public children's library in the chichi NorthPark Center shopping mall. Dubbed Bookmarks — a decidedly retail-sounding title — the location serves kids ages 12 and under and has been met with enormous success by "customers."

From its small 5,000-volume inventory, Bookmarks checks out as many items as branches eight times its size. The process is a study in luxe libertarianism: NorthPark only charges $1 a year in rent and, shockingly, a local energy company funds the programming. Amping up the yuppie appeal are "Mommy & Me" yoga classes.

While the concept of providing affluent shoppers with free books in one of the nation's most upscale shopping malls may seem a bit off target, it's simply one library's reaction to the competition of convenience sparked by Amazon and Netflix, which has such cities as Wichita, Kan., placing a library in a grocery store, and in downtown Princeton, N.J., a library has started hosting a farmer's market this summer.

The idea of building a new branch without a drive-thru window is now unheard of.

And the scheme is working — the Institute of Museum and Library Services reports an almost 20 percent increase from 1999 to 2008 in library visits, despite decreases in hours and funding (a symptom of the recession, to which Houston is not immune).

Yet the method of convincing library visitors that they're in an actual store is distinctly Dallas. So the next time you're in Big D, crash a sing-a-long after maxing out your AMEX at Carolina Herrera — and why not stuff a borrowed volume of Berenstain Bears into your new Balenciaga while you're at it?

Bookmarks' wild success only proves what we always suspected: Neverland and Neiman Marcus make for great neighbors.

unspecified

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

hitting the books

Only in Dallas: Libraries in malls (yes, they're that shallow)

CultureMap Emails Are AwesomeGet Houston intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.