Some of DC’s history is moving to Van Ness.
Part of the DC Public Library’s Washingtoniana Collection will be stored at 4340 Connecticut Avenue, in the space that housed the Interim Cleveland Park Library until last May. DCPL holds a lease on the space through July 2019.
We say part, but the list (below) of collections available on-site is the core of DCPL’s DC history holdings, including photos, old city newspapers and genealogy materials such as marriage records.
The Washingtoniana Collection had to find a new home due to the MLK Library renovation. This segment ended up first at the Carnegie Library, with the Historical Society of Washington. Then, together, they packed up and moved to the Newseum for the Apple Store renovations at the Carnegie. Work on the Apple Store has proceeded more quickly than expected. HSW is already preparing to move back into the Carnegie Library, and Washingtoniana’s core collection needs a new, temporary home once again.
Washingtoniana has already started moving into 4340 Connecticut and will open to the public later in the summer. DCPL Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan told ANC 3F at its June 19th meeting that the library would be happy to work with the community to make this collection accessible and active, with walk-in hours and special programming such as house history workshops and neighborhood history tours.
Preliminary hours of operation (all but a few weekday hours will be by appointment only):
Monday: Closed to public (in-house digitization and photo order scanning)
Tuesday and Thursday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Collections accessible at this location:
request.
dclibrary.org/research/collections to get started; you can also contact a staff member via phone or email for a research consultation and to schedule an appointment
Sample programming:
Please comment with your suggestions for walk-in hours and programming.
Jerry A. McCoy says
Washingtoniana staff is looking forward to our new home!
David Jonas Bardin says
We should try to take advantage of opportunities to access wonderful Washingtonia resources right here in our neighborhood.