The new $18 million Southwest Library is set to open May 15 with an impressive list of services and features, the DC Public Library announced.

The 20,000-square-foot space includes a meeting room for 100 people, three conference rooms that fit 12 to 20 people each, four single-occupant study rooms, and an outdoor reading porch. It also has an Innovation Lab with 3D printers and boasts an environmentally sustainable design with solar panels and a green roof.

The Southwest Library, located at 900 Wesley Place SW, has been closed for construction since June 2019, with a temporary library replacing it a few blocks away on 4th and M Streets. The renovation is part of a wider effort to modernize all of its libraries — the 48-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library got a makeover and reopened this past summer, for example.

DCPL hired Perkins+Will Architects and Turner Construction as the design and build team for the Southwest Library project.

DCPL also announced that starting May 3, the Deanwood and Southeast libraries will reopen for in-person services, joining 18 other locations that will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Masks and social distancing are enforced at each location.

Citing updated cleaning guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, DCPL said it will no longer close these locations for cleaning from 2 to 3 p.m., as it has done throughout the pandemic. It will, however, continue regular cleaning sessions throughout the day and conduct additional cleaning if a COVID-19 case is reported at a specific location.

The library currently offers limited in-person services including: picking up books placed on hold, applying for a library card, and borrowing from a curated list of titles kept near the curation desks. The library has reduced the number of computers available and placed a 45-minute limit on computer sessions.

Most services are available through the DCPL website.

This post has been updated with a new opening date.