Federation of Friends

The DC Council included $3.3 million in cuts to the DC Public Library System in its recent actions to address a $130 million anticipated budget deficit for FY2009 and to create a reserve fund should the deficit be even greater than predicted. At this time, we do not know how these cuts will impact library hours or planned improvements to library facilities, collections and technology. The $2.04 million promised to restore library positions may also be affected by the cut and reserve fund creation as those funds have still not been transferred to the Library.

We should have more information about the impact of these cuts by the end of this week and this will surely be addressed at the next Board of Library Trustees meeting scheduled for 6:00 pm, Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at the Lamond Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Ave, NE.

The City Council has requested that the DC Public Library open in locations around the District on particular holidays. In addition to regular library services, we will offer programs that both celebrate the holiday and convey to the audience the importance of the holiday.

The holidays are: Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Presidents’ Day, Emancipation Day

The Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Library will be open on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday only.

The following libraries will be open on all the holidays:

Ward 1 – Mount Pleasant
Ward 2 – Watha T. Daniel / Shaw
Ward 3 – Cleveland Park
Ward 4 – Petworth
Ward 5 – Lamond Riggs
Ward 6 – Southeast
Ward 7 – Benning
Ward 8 – Washington Highlands

Due to the cancellation of the October meeting and the scheduled date of the November meeting, the Federation of Friends has rescheduled their November meeting to Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 6:00 pm in Room 443 at the MLKJr Memorial Library.

The meeting will include a presentation from the DCPL Literature department as part of their request for funds to support their 2007 Poetry Month Activities.