Category Archives: Press Releases

Trustees Hire Urban Land Institute to Advise on MLK Library

Posted on by

October 31, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
contact Robin Diener
202 431-9254

Trustees Hire Urban Land Institute to Advise on MLK Library

Washington, DC — The DC Public Library issued a press release on Friday formally announcing the hiring of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to lead a panel to “to review and assess the value” of  MLK Library, and to “make recommendations on how to leverage the value of the building to benefit the District of Columbia.”
http://www.dclibrary.org/node/28735

The ULI will receive $120,000 in payment from the Library, out of its capital budget.

Earlier this month, MLK faced closure on Sundays due to a shortfall of $318,000.

Two days before the first scheduled closing, Mayor Vincent Gray located monies to keep the central library open on Sundays, at the urging of Libraries Committee Chair Tommy Wells, and numerous other individuals and groups.

__________________________

Sent from Robin Diener
Director, Library Renaissance Project
1530 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202 431-9254

Mayor Gray Finds Funds to Keep MLK Open on Sundays

Posted on by

For Immediate Release

Mayor Vincent Gray’s office Friday announced that Sunday hours at the MLK Library would not be cut.  The central library had been scheduled to close on Sundays for the coming fiscal year beginning this weekend October 2. (Press release from Mayor’s Office at link below.)

http://mayor.dc.gov/DC/Mayor/About+the+Mayor/News+Room/Press+Releases/Mayor+Vincent+C.+Gray+Restores+Funding+For+Sunday+Hours+at+the+Martin+Luther+King+Jr.+Memorial+Library

A rally to protest the closure will become an occasion to announce the restoration of funds. The Library has invited the public to a celebration on Sunday at 1 pm at the MLK Library. Council member Tommy Wells and Mayor Gray are expected to be on hand.

Wells, the newly assigned chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, took the lead in publicly pressing the Mayor to reconsider a move that would have left the District without any Public Library open on Sundays. All neighborhood branches libraries have been closed on Sundays since 2009.

The Federation of Friends of the Library — a citywide advocacy group — also played a large, ongoing role in the restoration. Members from across the city testified at budget hearings and lobbied insistently behind the scenes.  During their Citywide Book Sale Preview at MLK on September 8, Wells was publicly asked to keep the building open.

A few days later, at the Board of Library Trustees meeting, Wells vowed to “do everything in my power” to find the money to keep the MLK library open on Sundays. At a breakfast meeting with the Mayor and  DC City Council a few days ago, Wells pointedly raised the subject, causing a tweeting furor by reporters that further raised the profile of the issue.

One day later, the DC Federation of Civic Associations issued a resolution calling for the Mayor to “reverse this decision.”

Over the last several years, the city has spent approx $180M in capital funds to rebuild or restore 14 libraries throughout the city, while at the same time severely cutting library operating funds.

“This is the first step towards reversing the cuts in library hours sustained in recent years.  We should commit to keeping these valuable buildings in operation as many hours as possible — a relatively small cost — to fulfill the promise of a costly building program that is succeeding in bringing patrons back to the libraries in droves,”   said Library Renaissance Project Director, Robin Diener.

“The new libraries have dramatically increased usage. That was the goal in building them. We have to support that.”

 

Tommy Wells to Address MLK Library Rally This Sunday Oct 2

Posted on by

For Immediate Release — Washington, DC

A Rally will take place at the MLK Library on Sunday October 2, at 12:30 PM, to protest the elimination of Sunday hours at the central library – the only District library open on Sundays.

Councilmember Tommy Wells will speak at 1 PM. Wells was recently designated Chair of the DC Council Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning.

At a breakfast with DC City Council today, Mayor Vincent Gray remarked that “everyone has to sustain cuts.”  Wells raised questions, however, when $700,000 for the Washington Economic Partnership came under discussion. The Economic Partnership is a nonprofit organization that  “promotes business opportunity, attraction, and retention,” according to the organization’s mission statement.

Library officials have said it would require only $312,000 to maintain Sunday hours at MLK for all of FY2012.

Ironically, at their Board meeting last Wednesday, Library Trustees announced a $120,000 expenditure to hire the Urban Land Institute to make recommendations about the future of the MLK Library.  The city has long been interested in selling the Mies van der Rohe designed building, now landmarked.

MLK has been the only library open on Sunday in the entire District system.  In 2009, then-Mayor Adrian Fenty cut Sunday hours at all 24 branch libraries, but officials promised to keep MLK open to for use by library patrons from across the city.  The central library is served by all 5 Metro lines and numerous bus routes.

Sunday is the busiest day per hour open and is considered the most important day for homework help.

The Rally is being organized by the Library Renaissance Project.

 

Tommy Wells Vows to Save Sunday Hours for MLK Library

Posted on by

For Immediate Release — Deanwood, Washington, DC

Addressing the Board of Library Trustees meeting at the new Deanwood Library last night, Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward 6) said he strongly supported keeping the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library open on Sundays, “and will do everything in my power to get the $320,000 needed.”

The MLK Library is scheduled to be closed on Sundays in FY2012, which begins October 1, 2011. Wells was recently appointed chairman of the Library, Parks, Recreation and Planning Committee, after budget hearings were concluded.

“How encouraging that the new chair of the Library Committee is standing up so forcefully for the Library,” commented Wendy Blair, of Ward 6, President of the Literary Friends of the DC Public Library.

Marcia Carter, of the Friends of the Georgetown Library said “closing MLK on Sundays would be tragic — not only for its effect on the general public — but because of the many special needs students who rely on services available only at MLK.”

Susan Haight, President of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library and also of the West End Library branch summed up, “We look forward to working with Councilman Wells, Mayor Gray, the CFO, Library Trustees and Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper to make this happen by Oct 1, and reversing the current direction.”