Sunday Hours at MLK Library Restored at Last Minute

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

With no time to spare, the D.C. Public Library announced today that the money needed to keep Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library open on Sundays had been found.

As part of the 2012 Fiscal Year budget, which goes into effect tomorrow, cuts to the library system's budget had forced the city's flagship library to discontinue Sunday hours starting October 2. But this morning, Mayor Vince Gray announced that the $316,000 needed to keep the library open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays had been found. The library is the only one in the District that is open on Sundays.

"The library plays an important role in supporting education for students of all ages and providing job search and career assistance," said Gray in the release. "We are pleased we were able to identify funding to keep the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library open on Sundays."

Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who chairs the D.C. Council Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning and had pushed Gray to dig up the needed funds to keep the library open on Sundays, was happy with the news.

"I'm thrilled that Mayor Gray has found the money needed to keep Sunday library hours open for residents," he said. "Working in partnership with the Mayor, this makes good on the commitment and shared priority to keep the city's libraries open and available to the public."

Update, 5:45 p.m.: So where did the money come from? Says Linda Wharton-Boyd, Gray's spokeswoman: "Due to the savings realized from borrowing at a lower interest rate, the mayor was able to direct the modest savings to fund expenses necessary to ensure that the Martin Luther King Jr. Library was able to maintain Sunday operating hours."

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By Martin Austermuhle in News on September 30, 2011 11:48 AM

Comments [rss]

mighty

not sure if its been said already (i don't wanna read all the posts) but the hobo lobby is strong people!!!

DonKeysHoTea

i'm assuming the side walk out front will remain open to hobos?

John H. Muller

Will Gray ramble about Voting Rights this Sunday, during his agit-prop appearance at MLK Library.

BombaySplashVermouth

Ah good news for those looking for a nice warm place when it is cold and rainy outside. Just keep moving around and don't leave things in the corners or on the stairs.

Ollie Pooeater

Oh thank goodness we saved parents from having to find something non city funded to do with their kids!

gtsix

Parents taking their kids to libraries would actually be a good benefit to society and well worth the funding of increased literacy, knowledge and creativity.

But this isn't my youth, when Sunday schedules were set in stone: church, then breakfast, then the weekly trip to the library.

Ollie Pooeater

I agree and disagree. I was more or less left at the library on Saturdays for a few years, however, I think libraries do themselves a disservice when they cater to a subset (any subset) of the population. By focusing on being open expressly during school hours (which more or less caters ONLY to stay at home mom's, nannies and hobos) and having a book selection to match, they alienate the evening users which could be teenagers who need a safe and sane place to do homework, and adults who's political support could be channeled into adequate funding.

gtsix

I agree and disagree. I liked the idea of closing MLK on a Monday so it could stay open on Sunday, and I agree that the times should vary - a library does not have to open at 9:30 am everyday.... but when I was unemployed, using the job seekers computer lab was phenominally helpful.. and I was there at 10am everyday.... . I have librarian friends, so this is always a topic of conversation for us - what MLK could be, if it had a visionary head librarian and some funding to implement some 21st century things. I hear the Mt. pleasant libbrary is quite nice space, and is open late twice a week, I should go check that one out. But as to the book selections.. that is usually done by the county/city as a whole... not by the librarians themselves.

Ollie Pooeater

I think they'd have more support if they were a resource for more working adults. Working adults *tend* to be available in the evenings and *tend* to not want to smell other people's urine.

sumergocognito

Glad I paid that fine.

gtsix

Keeping the library open 7 days a week and hiring more cops.... where's all this cash coming from? Did Hizzoner not have a girlfriend this year?

mighty

late fees, natch!

IMGoph

This is great news, but it's a little disturbing to just see large amounts of money that were assumed to not be there suddenly "appear" like this. It clearly points to accounting trickery of some sort. Doesn't give one a lot of confidence in the way the money is spent.

Any idea what was shuffled around to make this work?

monkeyrotica

Well, closing the Lincoln Theater's saving the city $500k, and this is only costing $316k. The remaining $184k will go towards urban "biopudding" refineries; the eradication of garlic, stakes, and mirrors from DC, and subsidized handdancing lessons. And, of course, how to handle a dead squirrel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

hollowsquare

"Any idea what was shuffled around to make this work?"

When Christopher Barry goes to jail Marion won't need to siphon off City money to feed his son's drug habit.

Aaron Morrissey

We've asked for the information about where the money is coming from. Obviously, we'll update when we hear back.

Shiba Fussa

What are the odds that there was a mistake© in something and the money really isn't there?

Whistlebritches

Gotcha. So this is going to be an annual shakedown, then? Anytime the Council thinks about cutting the Library's budget, it's going to threaten to close the central branch on Sundays? Fun times. Hopefully other agencies will learn from this.

hollowsquare

YAY, Hobosexual Sunday Tea Dance SAVED!

monkeyrotica

Thank goodness! For a moment, I thought I might have to throw out all these cucumber sandwiches, Constant Comment, and Astroglide.

monkeyrotica

This will be a day long remembered. It has seen an end to Kenobi. It will soon see the end of porn-browsing hobo harrassment.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com...