Back to School With a Smile

DC Public Library Staf pose with

Mayor Vincent Gray at the Smile
Project Back-to-School Festival on
August 16. Held at the Gateway DC
Pavilion on Alabama Avenue, the
celebration focused on encouraging
a positive mental attitude about
education. Along with rides, games,
and live music, students received
free school supplies to start the new
year of prepared for learning.
Batter Up
Summer Reading participants pose
with Cameron Myers, librarian at
MLK, near home plate at Nationals
Park on September 8. The kids set
aside their books for a few hours to
enjoy an important win against the
Atlanta Braves.
A Family
That Reads Together...
Three generations of a family use
the Southeast Neighborhood Library
on a Sunday afternoon in August.
One of the smallest libraries in the
system, Southeast is always one of
the busiest.
Executive Directors
Report
DC Public Library September 17, 2014
Document # 8.1

Board of Library
Trustees Meeting

September 17, 2014
Partnership with the Museum of Science Fiction
In July, DCPL announced a partnership with the Museum of Science
Fiction. The museum, which hopes to make its permanent home
in Washington DC, will be the worlds frst comprehensive science
fction museum. Partnership goals include enhanced science fction
literacy and project-based learning within the community. As
part of the partnership, the Museum of Science Fiction will curate
multimedia exhibitions and co-host a fall flm festival across various
neighborhood libraries.
Chipotle Fundraiser
On August 26, hundreds of staf, Friends, and supporters of DCPL
participated and helped promote DC Public Library Foundations
fundraiser sponsored by Chipotle. Chipotle donated 50% of the
meal cost for customers who fashed the fundraiser fyer (pictured
to the right). Participants helped raise over $6,000 of support for the
Librarys Summer Reading program. Thats a lot of burritos!
DCPLs U Street Oral History Project
On August 28, DCPLs U Street Oral History Project made the front
page of the Washington Post Style section. Special Collections
Librarian Kelly Navies, a trained oral historian, is leading the project
that will establish an audio archive at the Library dedicated to
stories of mid-century U Street. Funded by a grant from the Institute
of Museum and Library Services, the archive will include the oral
histories of DC natives who knew the neighborhood during its
heyday as Black Broadway.
Looking Back
2
Events
September
& October
September 19
UNCENSORED:
The Preview Party
Celebrate the freedom to read,
express, and create. MLK s Great Hall
will transform into a gallery space
as works of art by local DC artists
pertaining to the theme of censorship
are unveiled. Price of admission will
include exclusive cocktails and live
music. Visit dcplfoundation.org for
more information about this exciting
event.
Crafty Bastards
Get your arts and crafts on with the
DC Public Library at Crafty Bastards.
Check out library materials, get a
new library card, make awesome
crafts, and participate in 3D printing
demos. The event will take place at
Union Market on September 27 & 28.
NEPA
Scoping Meeting
The National Capital Planning
Commission, one of the various
regulatory agencies assisting with
the renovation of the MLK library, will
invite public comments around the
impact of the proposed changes to
the building. Part of what is termed
the scoping process, the session is a
requirement of the federal National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The meeting will take place at
6:30pm in the DreamLab at the MLK
Library.
DC Reads Kickof
DC Reads is DCPLs one book, one
city program. This year we will lead
a district-wide discussion on The
Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears,
by Dinaw Mengestu.
Find out more at dclibrary.org/
dcreads
Board Meeting
This meeting will take place at
6 pm at the Tenley-Friendship
Neighbrhood Library, 4450
Wisconsin Ave. NW.
DC Authorfest
The DC Author Festival is a celebration
of contemporary authors who live
in Washington, DC. Taking place at
MLK, it will include exhibition tables,
workshops for emerging authors,
and public readings.
DCPL Launches 50x15
50x15 is a campaign to generate
good ideas that enhance public
service and boost employee
morale through increased staf
engagement. The campaign
launches on the digital employee
suggestion platform Vocoli.
District of Change:
LGBTQ Life in D.C.
Then and Now
For decades the LGBTQ community
has been a vibrant and prominent
part of life in the District. From Frank
Kamenys fght against the lavender
scare of the 1950s to marriage
equality and the #TransRespect
campaign in the new millennium,
LGBTQ life in D.C. has changed
dramatically. Join moderator Mark
Joseph Stern, writer on LGBTQ issues
for Slate, for a panel discussion at
7:00 pm in the Great Hall of the MLK
Library.
15
DIG DC Launches
DCPL will publicly launch Dig DC, a
new online portal to access digitized
and born-digital materials from the
DCPLs Special Collections.
Explore the website at
digdc.dclibrary.org
3
September 27/28
October 7
October 8 September 26
October 15
October 18
October 22
November 19
Meet Manya
After a nation-wide search earlier this summer,
Manya Shorr was selected from a group of impressive
applicants to serve as DCPLs new Director of Public
Service. Manya starts on September 22, 2014.

Manya has served most recently as the Assistant
Director of Community Programs and Services
at the Omaha Public Library, where she was
responsible for public service at 12 locations, as
well as programming, outreach, partnerships, and
special events. Manya has also worked as the head
of the Central Library at the Sacramento Public
Library and an Outreach Specialist for Multnomah
County Library (Portland, Oregon). Currently, she
is the chair of both the Public Library Associations
Membership Advisory Group and
the American Library Associations
Emerging Leaders Interest
Group Steering Committee.
Manya herself was honored as
an Emerging Leader in 2009, a
Library Journal Movers & Shaker
in 2010, and an Emerging Leader mentor in 2013.

In addition to their two dogs and three cats, Manya
and her husband foster beagles and basset hounds
through a local rescue group. She also volunteers
with a local refugee organization by purchasing
food and home supplies for new American families.
In the rest of her spare time, Manya loves to bake,
run, and read.

As DCPLs Director of Public Service, Manya will
oversee all public-facing activities in our 26
locations. She will be heavily involved in the
renovation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
renovation, strategic planning eforts, and staf
development.
Looking Ahead