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Libraries a showplace for buildings, not just books

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The young singer belting out Aretha Franklin’s signature hit “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” during the recent grand opening of the Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library might well have been expressing the city’s high regard for reading.

Since 2007, the D.C. Public Library has spent nearly $178 million to preserve and renew its facilities. This ambitious effort has led to six replacement libraries built from the ground up in locations all over the city.

The result is some of the most striking new architecture in Washington. These buildings raise the bar for our civic architecture with contemporary designs of transparency and sophistication.

“We wanted the libraries to be places of pride for the neighborhoods,” says Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper. “Our goal was to create buildings that people will want to spend time in and will last for 50 years so children will bring their children to the libraries.”

In considering the future, Cooper anticipated the ways in which libraries are changing, from quiet havens for books to lively hubs for knowledge sharing.

Open, adaptable spaces for book stacks and reading areas can be reconfigured for different purposes as collections change. Community meeting and conference rooms provide civic amenities to draw the public to the buildings after hours. Accessible electronic media and WiFi for laptops keep pace with digital learning and networking. During my recent visits, the computer stations were full in every one of the six branches.

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