DISTRICT DYNAMOS: Libraries & Beyond

LRP News Roll

Friends of Georgetown Library present a Spring Book Sale
[April 29, 2013]

Cast Your Vote for One City One Book
[April 19, 2013]

Tenley Library Friends To Host Book Talk and Discussion: The Orange Tree
[April 8, 2013]

DCPL News Roll

Fifth-Grader Wins $1,000 as First National Letters About Literature Essay Contest From The District
[May 15, 2013]

Books & Bites Returns
[May 7, 2013]

District Students Understand Their Stories Through Reading
[April 27, 2013]

Raising Readers with Your Library
[April 26, 2013]

This is Your Brain on "Bossypants"
[April 23, 2013]

DCPL Events

An Afternoon with Breena Clarke at the Anacostia Community Museum
Author Breena Clarke will perform two readings from her novels River, Cross My Heart and Stand the Storm, her latest novel which explores the constant struggle and sacrifice of African American to maintain their freedom in a frontier town with no laws protecting black citizens.  A book sale and signing will follow the reading. For reservations, call 202-633-4844. This program is presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, DC Public Library and the DC By the Book Project, and Cultural Tourism DC.   Event takes place at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE, Washington DC, 20020. Launched in March 2013, DC By the Book is an interactive online map that allows anyone to explore and contribute to the landscape of Washington, D.C. as it has been represented in fiction.  We are fully mapping River, Cross My Heart in anticipation of the program! Sunday, May 26, 2013 - 2:00pm at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

Job Seekers Clinic
Get help with setting up email accounts, resume writing and online application.Mondays, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Monday, May 27, 2013 - 10:00am at Lamond-Riggs Library.

Knit-Wits: Knitting & Crocheting Class/Club
Every Monday, except where noted, the knitting and crocheting CLASS meets; every Friday, the knitting and crocheting CLUB meets.Join us for fun, creativity and making georgeous wear! Friday, May 24, 2013 - 2:30pm at Parklands-Turner Library.

Ultimate Game Nights
Do you have the skills with a Wii or Xbox controller?Come every Monday until 6 p.m., starting April 1, in the large meeting room on the first floor.Wii and Xbox games will be played, so come with friends ages 12-19 years old. Monday, May 27, 2013 - 4:30pm at Mt. Pleasant Library.

Chess Instruction for Children and Teens
Beginning Monday, April 2, 2013, Chess Instruction for children and teens will be held on Mondays at 5:30 p.m.There is no change for chess instruction for younger children ages 2- 6 on Thursdays.Best for ages 7-16. Monday, May 27, 2013 - 5:30pm at Woodridge Library.

Library News

Expert review of DCPL's proposed plans

Mount Pleasant Library -- The Renovation and Expansion Plans

DC Public Library wants to renovate and expand the Mount Pleasant Library. This sounds like a good thing, right? Upon examination of the proposed plans, many Ward One residents have issued serious concerns. The two biggest are with the proposed accessibility ramp and the proposed rear expansion. More recently, there have been red-flags raised about the renovation and what it will do to the historic building (remove the historic sunroom & gut the interior).

A community petition was started and is on it's way to over seven hundred signatures. There are many community groups standing in opposition to the plans. Three of four Ward One ANC's are skeptical of the plans and want a meaningful discussion about them. But nothing has swayed DCPL leadership so far and they want to move forward.

According to expert review, DCPL is squandering an opportunity to build a satellite library in the Ward. In addition, they are not negotiating in good-faith with residents about the controversial aspects of the plans and exposing the City to lawsuits if they construct what they are proposing.

ADA specialists and consultants have looked at the plans. Historic preservationists have looked at the plans. Fire safety experts have looked at the plans. They all agree that these plans need to change.

Please review the links below to get a sense of what's at stake with this project.

DCPL's Plans: DCPL's construction website. DCPL's "Bid" documents. More images of DCPL's proposed plans. Scheme "G" was Councilmember Graham's compromise plan developed by a community working group he chose in May 2009. This compromise plan was ruled off the table by DCPL without meaningful public discussion.

Community Concerns: Petition showing some of the major concerns with the renovation and expansion project. List of groups and letters they signed showing skepticism and opposition to the proposed plans. Historic Mount Pleasant letter to Councilmember Thomas who is Chair of the Libraries Committee Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D, in Mount Pleasant, compiled a list of resolutions with regard to the library project

Expert Review: The Nichols Report (full report): Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C contracted with an independent expert to review the plans. See the basic findings and conclusions here. The proposed ramp and expansion are discovered not to be code compliant. Nichols Design Associates provides some sketches of alternative plans here. ADA specialist James Diluigi's analysis of the plans. Anonymous AIA architect rendering of what an accessible front entrance may look like. Birds Eye | Street View Curator and librarian, Patrick Sheary takes a look at the historical presevation aspects of the plans, especially the interior. He also develops visual representations of what saving the historic sunroom could mean for the plans -- exploring a terrace leve-onlyl expansion with green roof to allow access from the sunroom to an outdoor reading area.

District Dynamos Mount Pleasant Webpage