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When the Mount Pleasant Library reopened in 2014 after an extensive historic renovation, it symbolized DC Public Library's ambitious vision for modernizing its aging facilities. Now, as the beloved library prepares for its next round of improvements, it demonstrates something equally important: the fulfillment of a commitment made to District residents in 2008, when the library system promised to ensure the new buildings were maintained.
Kim Fuller, DC Public Library's Director of Facilities, brings unique insight to the Library's transformation. During her 21-year tenure, she has served as a project manager and interim director in Capital Construction as well as helped develop the Next Libris Facilities Master Plan.
"We made the promise that we were going to transform the library system into this 21st century system," explains Fuller. "When I first started, budgets were low, collections were down, circulation was down. Now we've won national awards, and people are amazed at what happens in our libraries."
The upcoming closure, scheduled from February 10 to June 23, demonstrates Next Libris's holistic approach to building construction and maintenance. Rather than handling maintenance needs one at a time, the library will replace the aging heating and air conditioning system, repair the roof and exterior doors, install new flooring, and add new furniture for the Teen Space.
Fuller explains the importance of proactive maintenance using an analogy familiar to many, "It's just like in your home – we dislike it when it happens, but the furnace goes out, or the hot water heater goes out. All of these things have a useful life," she says. "You want to get ahead of it so that you're not in such distress when something stops working and you didn't plan for it."
This preventive approach represents a dramatic shift from the conditions Fuller encountered when she first joined the Library in 2003. "There was a lot of deferred maintenance," she recalls. "Buildings were certainly outdated – the standard brick buildings, not very inviting, with old, worn finishes and spaces that were really small and tight. There wasn't much flexibility for what could be done."
The old brick buildings with their tight spaces and single-purpose rooms have given way to flexible designs that adapt to changing community needs. "Part of the thought has been: how else can we change this space? What are the needs of the community?" Fuller reflects. "Instead of investing in infrastructure that took up a lot of space, we asked: how do you streamline that, still be efficient, but then give people more space to spread out to do different things?"
The Mount Pleasant project exemplifies the Next Libris plan's emphasis on proactive maintenance and strategic improvements. Rather than waiting for systems to fail, the Library is combining several needed upgrades into one project.
"We can plan for a shutdown," Fuller explains, highlighting the benefits of this coordinated approach. "It gives us time to plan so that programs can be offered in other places. It also helps to demonstrate to the public how we are good stewards of the buildings and the funding that has been provided to us."
While the building will be closed, customers are encouraged to visit the nearby Petworth Library during the closure.
The Mount Pleasant project represents the first of several planned library updates across the District. Work is being planned for Bellevue/William O. Lockridge, Woodridge and Northeast libraries, where aging HVAC systems will be addressed. The Shaw and Petworth libraries will also have updates that include modernizing their layout, technology and finishes.
"When we worked on Next Libris, we knew we had to think about buildings from the ground up - how they're built, how they're used, and how we maintain them," Fuller says. "It's about being good stewards of taxpayer dollars because these buildings belong to District residents."