The Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library, formerly the Silver Spring Library, is part of the

Montgomery County Public Libraries The Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) is the public library system for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. The system includes 20 publicly accessible branches as well as a branch in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Hi ...

System. It opened to the public in 1931 and is currently located at 900 Wayne Avenue in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

. The library is named for Charles E. McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who had lived in Montgomery County.

History

Early locations

Silver Spring Library began service in 1931 at East Silver Spring Elementary School. In 1934, the library moved to Jesup Blair Community House, also known as "The Moorings." Architect

Howard Wright Cutler Howard Wright Cutler (1883–1948) was an American architect known primarily for his designs of churches, schools and public buildings in Washington, D.C., and adjacent Montgomery County, Maryland. Early life and education Cutler was born in ...

remodeled the building to serve as a library, and his work earned the building a nomination for placement on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1975. The library operated out of the Jesup Blair House for 23 years. 1957 Silver Spring Library

Colesville Road (1957–2015)

The library opened a building of its own at 8901

Colesville Road U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges ...

in 1957, on land donated by the

Hecht Company Hecht's was an American department store chain founded in 1857 by Samuel Hecht, Jr. It was headquartered in Washington, D.C., and operated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern United States. The family business was acquired by The May Department Stor ...

. At this location, the library occupied a building dedicated exclusively for the library's use for the first time. Ellsworth Urban Park was created in an area covering beside the library in 1979. The park has two playground areas where parents can take their children to play, and a

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

court. In 1990, Marcia Billig's sculpture ''Lion and the Mouse'' was installed in the grass of the library. A celebration of 58 years of service was held on March 15, 2015, the last day of service at the Colesville Road location.

Current location (2015–present)

The current library location at 900 Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring was opened on June 20, 2015. The facility was built for $64 million, including the acquisition of of land, preparation of the site, design, construction, furniture, equipment and funds to improve the collection. Construction was to cost $23 million, but $3 million was taken to renovate the Fillmore, a music venue nearby in downtown Silver Spring. The ground floor of the seven-story building has a coffee shop and a platform for the future Purple Line light rail station. In 2022, the library was renamed for Brigadier General Charles E. McGee, a

Tuskegee Airman The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Arm ...

who had lived in Montgomery County. * 1st and 2nd floors: Drop-off window, cafe, county offices, meeting rooms, and artists studios. * 3rd floor: Customer service, movies, teen books, conference room, meeting rooms, Mac lab (teens), study rooms, pick-up area, drop off area. * 4th floor: Books, audiobooks, CDs, newspapers and magazines room, conference and study rooms, computer rooms. * 5th floor: Children's floor.

Collection

The library has a collection of 90,000 books, magazines, downloadable music,

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

s, and a ''World Language Collection'' in

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

, organized in the following way:

Teens collection (third floor)

* Pick up holds section * DVD 7 days express * DVD TV series * Express DVD section * New fiction for children * Books for teens: Fiction, non fiction, graphic novels, manga.

Adults collection (fourth floor)

* Reading books (with magazines and newspapers) * Audiobooks section * Shelves organized by

Dewey Decimal classification The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) (pronounced ) colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. ...

(000 to 999) * World languages. * Biographies organized by subjects last name. * Fiction, new books large type fiction (by author's last name). * Non fiction (by author's last name). * Graphic novels * Mystery & new mystery * Romance * Librarians choice

Children collection (fifth floor)

* Picture books * New picture books * Beginning readers * DVDs & Vox books (printed and audio books) * Braille books * Series books * Audio books * Fiction books for 2nd to 7th grade. * Children internet computers * Biographies & reference * Library center * World languages * Children internet computers.

Other resources

In 2016, the library also offered: * 47

all-in-one computer An all-in-one computer (also called an AIO or all-in-one PC) is a type of personal computer that integrates the computer components, such as the CPU, monitor, and speakers, into a single unit. It occupies a smaller footprint than a desktop com ...

s with

Core i5 Intel Core is a line of multi-core (with the exception of Core Solo and Core 2 Solo) central processing units (CPUs) for midrange, embedded, workstation, high-end and enthusiast computer markets marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors ...

processor at 3 GHz, 8 GB

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

, webcam, 1080p/23"

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing or ''silkscreening'', a printing method * Big screen, a nickname for motion pictures * Split screen (filmmaking), showing two or more images side by side * Stochastic screening and Halftone ...

, an

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

HD Graphics 4600, USB ports, DVD-RW drives, 256 GB

Solid-state drive A solid-state drive (SSD) is a type of solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuits to store data persistently. It is sometimes called semiconductor storage device, solid-state device, or solid-state disk. SSDs rely on non- ...

and 30 Mbit/s download/105 Mbit/s upload

Internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

each one. * Six

iMac The iMac is a series of all-in-one computers from Apple Inc., sold as part of the company's Mac (computer), Mac family of computers. First introduced in 1998, it has remained a primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since and evol ...

computers * Two

3D printer 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

s * A business center with a scanner, and

copier A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers us ...

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James Printer (1640 ...

Services

Library card A library card can refer to several Plastic card, cards traditionally used for the management of books and patrons in a library. In its most common use, a library card serves similar functions as a corporate membership card. A person who holds a ...

s: Free for

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

and D.C. area residents and students and are valid for 1 year. Money can be added to library cards to be used for printing of documents. * Each user can borrow up 100 books and magazines for 3 weeks, that can be renewed up to 3 times. * Each user can borrow up to 20 movies every week and most of them can be renewed up to 3 times. * Each user can borrow audiobooks and ebooks for up to 3 weeks. * Each user can borrow e-books from 3M dispenser machines with 3M book readers and on-line using Overdrive and 3M applications for PC, Kindle tablets, Nook tablets, and so forth.

s can also be downloaded to a computer, and using

Adobe Digital Editions Adobe Digital Editions (abbreviated ADE) is an e-book reader software program from Adobe. It is used for acquiring, managing, and reading e-books, digital newspapers, and other digital publications. The software supports EPUB and PDF (nonproprie ...

software, these books can be uploaded to classic versions of Kindle and Nook. * Hold lockers where users can pick up

24/7 In commerce and industry, 24/7 or 24-7 service (usually pronounced "twenty-four seven") is service that is available at any time and usually, every day. An alternate orthography for the numerical part includes 24×7 (usually pronounced "twenty- ...

books that were reserved. * Drop off area available

, where users can return books that were borrowed with. The use of

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...

technology allow to return books to the system automatically. * Automated borrowing: Spots with

scanners were users can borrow books by themselves. *

Mango Languages Mango Languages is an American online language-learning website and mobile app based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, for academic institutions, libraries, corporations, government agencies, and individuals. A Mango membership can be free at local ...

: Online language learning website for Montgomery County Public Libraries users. * Muzzy Online: An interactive language learning website for children with animations and games, free for Montgomery County Public Libraries users. *

LibX LibX was a free, open-source scholars' extension for the Internet Explorer browser (and formerly for Firefox) that lets people use services offered by their library. Users can search their library catalog(s) and databases through a search bar or ...

toolbar The toolbar, also called a bar or standard toolbar (originally known as ribbon), is a graphical control element on which on-screen icons can be used. A toolbar often allows for quick access to functions that are commonly used in the program. Some ...

: Allow to search from Montgomery County Public Libraries catalog from a toolbar on your web browser. Available for Firefox and Chrome.

Study rooms

The library has 14 study rooms with space for up to 8 people. Study rooms can be reserved online every week, and can be used once a day for up to 2 hours every day.

Printers and scanners

The library has four

multi-function printer An MFP (multi-function product/printer/peripheral), multi-functional, all-in-one (AIO), or multi-function device (MFD), is an office machine which incorporates the functionality of multiple devices in one, so as to have a smaller footprint in a ...

s that can be used with a library card. Scanning of documents is free and can be stored via

USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...

s. Documents can be printed from any computer in the library and have a cost of 15 cents per black-and-white page and $1 per color page.

Hotspot

The library also has a free

hotspot Hotspot, Hot Spot or Hot spot may refer to: Places * Hot Spot, Kentucky, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Hot Spot (comics), a name for the DC Comics character Isaiah Crockett * Hot Spot (Tr ...

with up to 10 MiB/s of throughput for visitors with personal

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

s, tablets or

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

Online services and mobile applications

Montgomery County Public Libraries works with more than ten providers of online services and companies that offer desktop access but also developed their own applications for

mobile device A mobile device or handheld device is a computer small enough to hold and operate in hand. Mobile devices are typically battery-powered and possess a flat-panel display and one or more built-in input devices, such as a touchscreen or keypad. ...

s such as tablets,

cellphone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...

s (such as

Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

and

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

), and Kindle that use its services. Among the apps are the following: * BookMine: An application to search on Montgomery County Public Library catalog that also can be used to manage Montgomery County Public Library card accounts. Available for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and

. * 3M Cloud Library: Application to download

s on

EPUB EPUB is an e-book file format that uses the ".epub" file extension. The term is short for ''electronic publication'' and is sometimes stylized as ''ePUB''. EPUB is supported by many e-readers, and compatible software is available for most smart ...

format. Available for iOS, Android and Android for Kindle. *

OverDrive Media Console OverDrive Media Console was a proprietary, freeware application developed by OverDrive, Inc. for use with its digital distribution services for libraries, schools, and retailers. The application enables users to access audiobooks, eBooks, peri ...

: Application to download e-books using Montgomery County Public Library accounts. Available for iOS, Android, Android for Kindle, Blackberry. and Windows phone. * Freegal Music: Application to download 5 free songs every week. Available for iOS, Android and Android for Kindle (via SlideMe). * Zinio: Free collection of more than 5,000 full color digital magazines. Available for iOS, Android and Android for Kindle. * Flipster: Application to read free digital magazine provided from your library. * OnceClickDigital: Application where can be downloaded audiobooks and e-books with MCPL library cards. Available for iOS, Android, Android for kindle. *

: An

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

language learning Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language. In other words, it is how human beings gain the ability to be aware of language, to understand it, and to produce and use words and ...

resource free for library users where can be learn more than 70 languages. Available for iOS, Android and Android for Kindle. * Reference USA for iPad: Search tool for business and residential information, used also for job searching. * Access My Library: Tool that helps to look for libraries by market and distance, and also allow to search items on library catalogs, read biographies, articles, journals, etc. Available for iOS and Android. * EBSCOhost: Tool that helps to search on libraries databases organizing them by date or relevance. Available for iOS and Android. *

LibriVox LibriVox is a group of worldwide volunteers who read and record public domain texts, creating free public domain audiobooks for download from their website and other digital library hosting sites on the internet. It was founded in 2005 by Hugh M ...

: Application where anyone can download

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

s. Available for Android and iOS. *

Kanopy Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows, educational videos and documentaries. The service is free for end users, but libraries pay fees on a pay-per-view model, from which ...

: It is an on-demand streaming video platform for public libraries and universities that offers films and documentaries. All the users have access to the Kanopy kids subdivision.

Courtesy charging stations

Three courtesy charging stations are available, with connectors, where visitors can charge cellphones and tablets.

Accessibility

The library follows Accessibility regulations: *

Wheelchair ramp A wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairway, stairs. Ramps permit wheelchair users, as well as people pushing strollers, carts, or other wheeled objects, to more easily access a building, or navigate b ...

s at both entrances. * Four ADA computers that follow the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

for persons with

visual impairment Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

physical disabilities A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy ...

. * Two wide

elevators An elevator (American English) or lift (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive tracti ...

: **Fenton St. elevator (located beside Kefa

Cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

) has access from 1st floor to 3rd, 4th and 5th floors and from 4th and 5th floor to 3rd floor **Wayne Ave. elevator from 1st to 3rd (main) floor and from 3rd floor to 1st floor. * 7

restrooms A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...

, each with baby changing stations. *

Air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

to cool the library in summer,

heat pump A heat pump is a device that uses electricity to transfer heat from a colder place to a warmer place. Specifically, the heat pump transfers thermal energy using a heat pump and refrigeration cycle, cooling the cool space and warming the warm s ...

s to warm it in winter, and

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Respirator, a ma ...

on every floor.

References

{{authority control 1931 establishments in Maryland Buildings and structures in Silver Spring, Maryland Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland Education in Montgomery County, Maryland Library buildings completed in 2015 Libraries established in 1931 Public libraries in Maryland