Watha T. Daniel / Shaw Library Study Group
Statement of Purpose
The mission of the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Branch Library Study Group is to promote the public interest in the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Branch Public Library and ensure adequate community oversight of the proposed transformation of the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Branch Public Library, located in Ward 2. The Library Study Group will research and disseminate information, as well as convene meetings to foster community consultation, discuss findings, identify concerns, and take action as participants so direct.
On June 23, DCPL hosted what was to be the last design meeting for the new Watha T. Daniel / Shaw Library. This meeting was attended by about twenty of your peers.
At this meeting the architect and Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper made some startling statements about a shrinking budget and problems with underground well water and metro tunnels. They didn't get into details besides offering some options to reduce the height of the building and lift the basement up a few feet to accommodate these new problems.
Besides a cursive review of these new concerns, nothing else has really changed. It has been six months since the last meeting and little has changed! This meeting, like the others offered little back and forth between DCPL and the public about what could be happening on the inside of the library and there are still outstanding questions about the exterior.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
* Where's a dedicated space for adult literacy training considering the literacy divide in Shaw and DC as a whole?
* There has never been a feasibility study done on a cafe inside the library. DCPL and Chief Cooper might make some room for a coffee cart!
* There is no dedicated space for a computer lab despite the overwhelming desire to have one -- instead a librarian is expected to set up and breakdown a laptop computer lab every time a class is to be held. Given the digital divide, Shaw librarians will be quite busy troubleshooting laptops for a lab setup while other library patrons have to wait for service.
* There is no plans to make the building expandable in the future
SURVEY RESULTS
* Residents throughout Ward 2 and in particular those working and living near the Shaw Library have expressed through surveys what they would like to see in their new Watha T. Daniel/ Shaw Library. The results can be found here >>
http://www.districtdynamos.org/documents/surveys/
VIDEO
* Here is video of the community comment period at the June 23 meeting (40min) >>
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6086160289667857958
* This is video of the question regarding a cafe in the new Watha T. Daniel / Shaw Library >>
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4938530105682715146
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
* ANC-2C has declared the Shaw library design process as poor >>
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/143659/index.php
* Commissioner Kevin Chapple has been following the library process all along >>
http://chappleanc.com/public/index.php?s=library
* Candidate for Council, Cary Silverman, has also been tracking the library design process >>
http://caryforcouncil.org/campaign/index.php?blog=9&cat=73
WEBSITE
* The DC Public Library website still has the low-resolution images from the January 30, 2008 design meeting. There is no narrative and no updates to these design images. You can find those here >> http://tinyurl.com/58r5ch
/dynamos/shaw/
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