After Council Action, DCPL New Main Stalled
-- Library Journal, 11/27/2006
The board of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) and Mayor Anthony Williams support building a new central library at the former site of the Washington Convention Center, but a committee of the City Council voted 3-2 on November 21 to stall the process. According to the Washington Post, council member Carol Schwartz believes the real estate might be better used for retail and residential development and recruited two allies on the council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation to table the bill. Council member Vincent Gray said he also wanted to further examine how much it would cost to renovate the aging Martin Luther King Jr. Library, which currently serves as the central library.
DCPL board chairman John Hill was disappointed. "We know what the citizens want. District residents have told us at community meetings around the city that they deserve and demand a 21st century central library, which is exactly what Bill 16-734 will give them," he said in a statement. "Tabling the vote on this crucial piece of legislation delays but does not stop us from continuing to move forward. We know it is impossible to accommodate 21st century programs and technology, or even adequately service the needs of library users, in a renovated Mies van der Rohe building." He told the Post that delays by the Council might cause Congress to balk at pending federal requests for $15 million for the central library project—which could cost $275 million—and $15 million for the branches.
On November 16, a mayoral task force on libraries issued a report on transforming DCPL. Among the recommendations: "In close coordination with the overhaul and revitalization of its branch libraries, the DCPL should replace the functionally obsolete MLK library with an inspiring, state-of-the-art facility whose site, scale and design are to be determined through an inclusive and exhaustive public planning process."
The report further explains:
"Like many of the DCPL branch libraries, MLK suffers from a history of poor maintenance. While temporary repairs are now underway, perennial problems persist. These include an HVAC system incapable of maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the building (critical for patron comfort and preserving collections), elevators with serious mechanical issues that do not adequately allow for handicap access...."
"Maintenance, however, cannot address fundamental design shortcomings that seriously impair MLK's effectiveness as a library. Some of these issues include:
• Inflexible interior space, divided by intruding brick walls that prevent library staff from reallocating space to meet needs
• Poorly located elevators that, even when they do work, impede circulation and do not meet ADA requirements.
• Impaired sightlines that compromise the security of patrons and staff, and improper location of primary areas such as the auditorium, often used during evening hours
• Inadequate infrastructure and space to support modern information technology, or to allow for upgrades necessary to meet the evolving needs of staff and library users."
