Sent to the Friends of DCPL Libraries from Ginnie Cooper, Chief Librarian, DCPL, 8/17/06
I want to be sure that Friends of the D.C. Public Library hear officially about the good things that are happening here. Because many of you are aware of what is going on at your branch, some of this news you will already know. I hope this frequent publication will help you to learn of new and exciting initiatives as soon as possible.
It’s important the Friends share in our good news and accomplishments. Knowing ahead of time the initiatives we are undertaking will enable you to be more informed Friends of the Library. Expect to see “News from Ginnie Cooper” often as we move forward transforming the D.C. Public Library into the best 21st century library for the District of Columbia.
Branch Quick Fixes: What began as a trial at Southeast and Washington Highlands will spread across the D.C. Public Library system over the next few weeks and bring visible changes to every location. What is it? Branch quick fixes. Using contractors to paint, repair and/or install new lighting, repair ceilings, clean floors, clean restrooms, and repair plaster, our buildings will be brighter, cleaner and more attractive to you and to library staff. This is an effort that requires the participation of all branch staff, so they will be asked by Facilities Management to pre-stage library workspaces to enable crews to get in and out quickly. Branches being “fixed” will be closed to the public on a pre-determined Saturday and crews will work throughout the weekend. Staff will have Monday morning to reorganize what was displaced and open their doors to the public by 11 AM. This early effort won’t solve all problems, but it will help!
Wi-Fi Installation Project: We tested it at Georgetown. A couple of places in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library are “hot spots.” Now it’s time to make all of the D.C. Public Library Wi-Fi! Beginning next week and extending through mid-September, all branches and all of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library will be brought online as wireless access hot spots. That means anyone with a laptop computer that is configured for Wi-Fi can walk into one of our libraries and log on without using a public access computer. It’s great news for DCPL and even better news for our customers. Once the installation is complete we will broadcast the news of our Wi-Fi availability to the entire Metro area. Signs and brochures for the public will come as Wi-Fi access is installed. Watch as we take yet another step toward being the library our public needs!
Interim Libraries: Much progress has been made recently on the interim libraries. Negotiations with National Parks-East for Benning and D.C. Public Schools (Shaw Junior High) for Watha T. Daniel/Shaw are nearly completed. Due to these agreements, both interim libraries will be sited relatively close to their permanent branches. Designs for all four interim libraries have been finalized and furniture has been ordered. Books and computers are ordered and, in some cases, already received. And the build out for the Tenley site and delivery of the modular libraries for Anacostia, Benning and Shaw communities are in motion. All four interim libraries will open before the end of this calendar year. About time!
Tech/Bookmobiles: Our recognition that the interim libraries would not open this summer led us to decide that more library services were needed in communities with closed branches than the Xtreme Mobile could provide. With city funds, we quickly put through a purchase order for three new bookmobiles. The new bookmobiles will be larger than the Xtreme Mobile, have eight public access computers on board, a small collection of books, and be dedicated to one community each full-time! The Xtreme Mobile will serve Tenley full-time. After the interim libraries open, the mobile libraries will be used in other ways around the city.
