WASHINGTON — The Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library (MTP), a popular public space in Ward 1, is closed for renovations until Summer 2025 — leaving the community, they say, without their beloved resources and community support.
As part of D.C. Public Library’s (DCPL) Facilities Master Plan, their proposal for maintaining and growing the city’s public libraries, MTP closed in early February for upgrades including a new heating and air conditioning system, roof repairs and new furniture. MTP serves as a free indoor space for all community members to use regardless of age and circumstance.
While DCPL provided a list of alternative neighborhood services to the community — as seen outside of the MTP entrance — with no interim library location within the neighborhood or ward, many patrons note that library services are no longer readily accessible.
When Helene Matschek moved to D.C. six years ago, one of the first things she did was get a library card. She said the library is an “irreplaceable resource” and would regularly check out books and use their printing services.
“I’m a big believer in supporting the public library. I live a four-minute walk away…[and] right now to pick up my holds, I have to go down to Shaw [Library],” said Matschek. “I’m looking forward to our neighborhood library being open again.”
Even without a central location, MTP staff hosts outreach programs including a drop-in library time every Monday at the La Casa Community Health Action Center. Every other Saturday, they host a pop-up at the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market. Both locations are two-minute walks from MTP.
The pop-up service allows the community to register for library cards and return to check out materials. This was a surprise to some library guests who only knew about these resources being available at other DCPL locations.
While on a walk, Deven Comen passed by the MTP pop-up and a book caught her eye. She recently missed her pick-up window for a book she had on hold at another location, but said she found a “perfect replacement” at MTP’s table.
“I haven’t been getting physical books as much because I have to go to Petworth [Library],” said Comen.
DCPL lists Petworth Library as the interim location. It is located in Ward 4 and is about a 30-minute walk from the Mt. Pleasant Library.
Even though this temporary pop-up is helpful for some services, it does not cover every community need. Multiple residents expressed disappointment that they no longer have accessible printing services. Erika Núñez, commissioner of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D03, echoed the sentiment. She represents Mt. Pleasant and Northwest Columbia Heights.
“It’s hard not to have a space where you don’t have to pay. From our Advisory Neighborhood Commission perspective, we would host our monthly meetings [at MTP] and we’ve had to go virtual,” she said. “Part of the point of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission is to build a community and it’s a lot harder to do that over Zoom.”
District Bridges, a non-profit organization that serves the area, provides support to the unhoused community through street outreach and by connecting individuals with recovery and housing resources.
Ward 1 Community Navigator for the organization, Gian Simone, primarily works with Latino men. He said the library was a place for them to build community and without it, they are feeling lonelier.
“A place to be…is a huge asset for the community,” said Simone.
Beyond being a community hub, Simone said MTP is an important resource staffed with a variety of professionals, including some who offer mental health services and distribute NARCAN Nasal Spray—a treatment used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.
“If they’re immigrants and don’t know how things work here or if they have been out in the street for a long time and miss that stability, that sort of institutional structure is huge,” said Simone.
During this closure, DCPL Press Secretary George Williams is encouraging the community to seek out alternative library services at other DCPL locations.
“Our other locations are still open,” said Williams. “If there are people that are looking not necessarily to check out a book but a place to hang out, that is the Petworth Library.”
The 2025 winter update of the 10-year Facilities Master Plan recommends closing three smaller library locations to replace them with full-service libraries. This includes the Rosedale Library, Deanwood Library and Northwest One Library.
