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Greetings Ward 8 Residents,
This week I held a oversight hearing on the DC Public Library. It is a vibrant center of activity for residents and visitors in the nation’s capital.
The DC Public Library offers a number of services including book circulation, technology access, early childhood and childhood programs, community space, and other activities across its 26 locations. DCPL also runs the library at the DC Jail.
The proposed FY22 budget for DCPL is $72.4 million, which is a one percent reduction of the FY21 budget. The capital budget includes $24 million to replace the Deanwood library, $24.5 million to replace the Northwest One library, $24.5 million to replace the Rosedale Library, and $25 million to rebuild or replace the Shepherd Park library. Additionally the plan supports a new library in Congress Heights to replace the Parkland Turner Library.
I am concerned about cuts to the services budget of the library, particularly the cuts to circulation. I am also concerned about the restoration of full service hours at the library.
I also believe that it is imperative that we resolve equity issues as it relates to the usage of key library services, particularly the use of online library services. I am also interested in the work that DCPL is doing to increase youth and adult literacy in DC, but particularly in Wards 7 and 8.
The DC Public Library plays a unique role in connecting residents in our city to opportunity, and it is through this metric through which I measure the success of our library system, not metrics such as the number of books.
In case you missed the oversight hearing for the DC Public Library, check it out with the link below: (DC Library Hearing Link)
Trayon White, Sr.
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