Over the last decade, the District has made a tremendous investment in the city’s libraries: completely modernizing 19 aging buildings to often dramatic effect, with another five in the works. So why is the D.C. Public Library undertaking a major 10-year master plan for its facilities right now?

“We don’t want to rest on our laurels insofar as we’ve got a campus of beautifully renovated libraries. We want our libraries to provide more meaning and impact,” says Richard Reyes-Gavilan, DCPL’s executive director. The goal is not only to preserve its current buildings, but to envision new ways of offering services as both technology and the city change rapidly. “The expectations that people had of the Shaw library in 2010 are frankly very different than the expectations of the Shaw library of 2020.” 

To that end, DCPL has done a facilities assessment, focus groups, and an internal staff review. The next step is a digital survey and a series of meetings to get public input.

“We’re not looking at ‘hey, how pretty is your library or how much do you love it?’ We’re really looking to get more information about what are the things you want your library to provide for you? Or what do you want to do that can’t do because of the space?” says Reyes-Gavilan.  “We want to talk more globally about library services and what does the library’s physical delivery of services look like to [residents].” 

It’s an opportunity for the community to help shape what the library system of D.C.’s future will look like, whether that’s identifying library-less neighborhoods that are in need a full 20,000-square foot building or ways to utilize existing spaces to provide more programming, say, around early childhood literacy or workforce development.

“I’m really jazzed about what this report is going to go say about the city’s needs rather than the library’s,” Reyes-Gavilan says. It is expected to be finished in the late spring or early summer and released in a draft form to the public. But its more important audience is at the Wilson Building, where the mayor and the D.C. Council will determine DCPL’s future funding.

The plan comes amid a larger shift in thinking about libraries’ role in cities, Reyes-Gavilan notes. They’ve historically been considered considered responsible for a narrow set of services, but are increasingly recognized as an important resource for a wide range of social issues.

“This whole idea around collective impact is how can we use these spaces around the city to better assist in solving some of these seemingly intractable problems that plague cities. I think libraries are increasingly being asked to play a role,” he says. “This facilities master plan will help underscore the fact that libraries do much more than provide traditional library services.”

The library’s digital survey is available here. In-person meetings will be held at the following dates and times:

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Tenley Library
Saturday, March 2, 11 a.m. Woodridge Library
Wednesday, March 6, 7 p.m., Anacostia Library
Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 Eye Street SW