The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) is the

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

library system A library consortium is any cooperative association of libraries that coordinates resources and/or activities on behalf of its members, whether they are school, public, academic, special libraries and/or information centers. Consortia exist on a ...

for the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The system includes 26 individual libraries including

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (MLKML) is the central facility of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL). Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the 400,000 square foot (37,000 m2) steel, brick, and glass structure, and it is a r ...

(the DCPL's central library).

History

DC Public Library pre-1923 bookplate - Sarah Stierch

The library was founded in 1896 by an act of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

after a lobbying effort by Theodore W. Noyes, editor of the ''

Washington Evening Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Sta ...

'' newspaper. Noyes served on the library's board of trustees for 50 years. The first library branch was located in a home at 1326 New York Avenue NW, with a collection of 15,000 donated books and an appropriation of $6,720 for its maintenance. This was replaced by a main library, donated by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

, built at

Mount Vernon Square Mount Vernon Square is a city square and neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The square is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue NW, New York Avenue NW, K Street NW, and 8t ...

, which now houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. and an

Apple Store The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell various Apple products, including Mac personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad tablet computers, Apple Watch smartwatches, Apple TV digital m ...

. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

attended the dedication of this building in 1903. Several of the branch libraries still in use were also built with funds donated by Carnegie. In 1972, the main library was replaced by a Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-designed building dedicated as a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr.

Governance

DCPL is an independent agency of the District of Columbia government, managed by a Chief Librarian that is selected and reviewed by a Board of Library Trustees. The Board of Library Trustees are appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, subject to review and approval by the Council of the District of Columbia. The budget is also determined by the Council of the District of Columbia based on a request submitted by the Mayor as part of the annual budget process for the entire government. The United States Congress also has to approve of the District's budget as a part of their oversight of the District of Columbia as the nation's capital. The Chief Librarian is often invited to attend the Mayor's Cabinet meetings and works closely with the District Administrator on how to execute the DCPL budget. The District's Chief Financial Officer provides a fiscal officer from that office to ensure that financial practices within DCPL meet with District requirements. DCPL also has independent procurement authority, allowing them to execute contracts for books, electronic resources, furniture, equipment, and construction services. In addition to the Board of Library Trustees, the Council of the District of Columbia provides oversight for DCPL via a Counci
Committee on Education
The DC Council routinely has Performance Oversight and Budget hearings for the D.C. libraries annually.

Law enforcement

The DCPL has its own small police force, the District of Columbia Public Library Police. The Library Police's duties and mission is similar to District of Columbia Protective Services Division: to protect government property, staff, and the public. The types of incidents that occur are thefts, assaults, destruction of property, and so on.

Books from Birth

The D.C. Public Library runs a program called Books from Birth. The program is for children aged newborn to 5. All enrolled children receive a book in the mail every month. All children who live in the District are eligible. The program runs in partnership with

Imagination Library The Dollywood Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Dolly Parton, with headquarters in Sevierville, Tennessee (as of 2022). Shortly after the opening of the Dollywood theme park in 1986, the Dollywood Foundation was created in April ...

, a nonprofit run by singer

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

's Dollywood Foundation. The D.C. program launched in 2016, and as of November 2017, 57 percent of eligible children are enrolled (27,000 children).

Branches

* Anacostia Neighborhood Library * Bellevue / William O. Lockridge Library * Benning / Dorothy I. Height Neighborhood Library * Capitol View Neighborhood Library * Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library * Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library * Deanwood Neighborhood Library * Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library *

Georgetown Neighborhood Library The Georgetown Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Established by an Act of Congress in 1934, the library houses the collection of its predece ...

* Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library * Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library *

(DCPL's central library) * Mount Pleasant Library * Northeast Neighborhood Library *

Northwest One Library The Northwest One Library is part of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) System. It was originally opened to the public in December 2009. History The library was built as part of a collaborative project with the DC Public Schools ( ...

* Palisades Neighborhood Library * Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library *

Petworth Neighborhood Library The Petworth Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is located at 4200 Kansas Avenue NW. History Petworth residents spent at least a decade advocating f ...

* Rosedale Neighborhood Library *

Southeast Neighborhood Library The Southeast Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is located at 403 7th Street SE. Designed by architect Edward Lippincott Tilton in the neoclassic ...

* Southwest Neighborhood Library *

Takoma Park Neighborhood Library The Takoma Park Neighborhood Library is part of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) System. It was opened to the public in 1911. History Prior to the current public library opening in 1911, the community was served by a small lendin ...

* Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library * Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library * West End Neighborhood Library * Woodridge Neighborhood Library

Non-resident privileges

The District of Columbia Public library issues library cards without charge to non-residents who work in, pay property taxes to, or go to school in the District of Columbia. It also will issue them to residents of jurisdictions that will reciprocate for District of Columbia residents, this includes residents of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland, as well as residents of the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church, and Arlington, Fairfax, Frederick, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia. Residents of other areas not otherwise qualifying may obtain a card for $20 a year.http://dclibrary.org/getacard Get A Library Card, DC Public Library (Retrieved May 20, 2016)

Nearby Public Library Systems

* Alexandria Public Library *

Arlington Public Library The Arlington Public Library is a public library system located in Arlington County, Virginia. The library system includes nine locations that serve 214,373 people. It began as a library in the Glencarlyn community in the late 1800s. In ...

Fairfax County Public Library The Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is a public library system headquartered in Suite 324 of The Fairfax County Government Center in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Hennen's American Public Library Ratings ...

* Montgomery County Public Libraries * Prince George's County Memorial Library System

References

External links

*
DCPL Foundation

Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:District Of Columbia Public Library

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

Public libraries in Washington, D.C. 1896 establishments in Washington, D.C.