Library

A Historic Village – with an Equally Historic Library by Tina

By Prince Of Petworth

What better way to experience the history of our wonderful neighborhood in a single afternoon than a stroll along the Mt. Pleasant Heritage Trail, huh? Well, since it was about ten million degrees out on Saturday, I’m going to have to complete the second half of the trail on another day, but allow me to welcome you to the first of what will be a multi-part post on the stops along the way.

Before I went along my merry way, I picked up a trail booklet at Pfieffer’s Hardware. You can find out where else to get one, or download it from the web here. I spent a little time reading through and learned quite a bit of interesting information about good old Mt. P. Did you know that Mt. Pleasant originally extended as far east as 7th Street? Me neither! It wasn’t until 1903, about 40 years after Mt. Pleasant came to be, that electric street cars began running on Mt. Pleasant Street, businesses started sprouting up, developers started building houses and apartment buildings and Mt. Pleasant began to morph into the neighborhood I know and love today.

Moving along…The trail starts at 16th and Mt. Pleasant Streets and runs north along 16th to Newton, then west on Newton and down 19th Street all the way to Adams Mill Road, back east on Park Road and south on Mt. Pleasant Street, back to where you started from, all with 17 stops along the way. I had originally envisioned this as a 17 part series with a post about each stop, but as I made my way along I realized that might not be too interesting. Who knows if I’ll be able to hold your attention better this way – but I’ve decided to tackle this 3-4 stops at a time and highlight one or two of my choosing. So, here we go… Post continues after the jump with more photos. (more…)

Sneak Peek: “Library of Congress Experience”

By Prince Of Petworth


I had the opportunity today to check out the new Library of Congress Experience. And I must say, it was pretty damn cool and interactive. The press release says: “Beginning on April 12, 2008, the Library of Congress will welcome visitors to an exciting and innovative Experience in its breathtaking Thomas Jefferson Building (Ed. note: The Thomas Jefferson building is located at 10 First Street, SE and at times it did take my breath away.) Four main features and exhibitions define the Library’s new Experience: The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building, Exploring the Early Americas, Creating the United States and Thomas Jefferson’s Library.”

Personally, I though Thomas Jefferson’s Library was by far the coolest. The picture above is part of his Library. There are 6,487 volumes divided between History, Philosophy and Fine Arts. I spoke with the Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections, Mark Dimunation, who explained that in 1851 there was a fire that burned 2/3 of Jefferson’s Library. The surviving third are located in this exhibit. Additionally, the 2/3 that burned have been replaced with originals when possible. Dimunation explained that the original Jefferson books are distinguished by a green ribbon. It is also interesting to note that this collection is active and can be accessed by researchers. But what is really cool about this exhibit is the interactive feature. You can see a computer screen in the above photo (lots more photos after the jump) and at the computer you can pick any book in the collection and “turn” the pages and have foreign volumes translated. It is super cool.

Sneak Peek continues after the jump with lots more photos. (more…)

Have Any Suggestions For New Programming At The Library

By Prince Of Petworth

I recieved the following email:

“My name is Shannon Lee and I am the new adult reference librarian for Petworth. Thank you for your post on the Petworth Public Library back in August of last year.

Although the library received such a generous review from you and your readers, there is much more we could do to serve the local community.

I will be putting together programs for the library and would very much like your input on potential areas to explore. If you have any ideas on programming, materials or displays you or your readers would like to see in the branch, please let me know.”

My original post on the library can be found here. So what would you like to see. I’d love to see some displays and materials on the history of Petworth, Georgia Ave. and the nearby neighborhoods. You?

A Diamond in our Midst: The Petworth Library

By Prince Of Petworth

Thank you Lisa for asking about the Petworth Library. I had been meaning to check it out for months. I have to tell you, my mind was blown. It was awesome! I got my library card today and it took all of five minutes. This is the first library card I have had in since I as 17. First of all the people who work there are absolutely fantastic. Super nice and welcoming. There is Wifi throughout the library and a number of computers for use as well. Otherwise it is a traditional library with a children’s, adult’s, reference, audio and dvd sections. And let me tell you about the dvd selection it was quite eclectic. I ended up taking out season three of the Wire (which is absolutely badass by the by). The dvds ranged from Family Guy to Alfred Hitchcock to the Simpsons to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to Bird Flu How Safe are We to Six Feet Under. Totally blew my mind. I am so embarassed that I am just discovering this gem now. The only flaw was that it was a bit spartan and they can certainly use your book donations if you have any to spare (I will remind you again next week.). But the books they did have were super, they even had the Eliot Pearlman book that I’ve been looking forward to reading. So the next time you have five minutes, head down to the library on Georgia and Upshur, get a library card and enjoy!