DC Public Library Archives

Digital Collection

Identifier: dcpl_archives

Staff Only

Digital Object (mixed_materials)

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Dates

Creation: 1900 ca. - 1975 ca.

Creator

District of Columbia. Public Library (Organization)

Summary

The D.C. Public Library Archives digital collection includes selected photographs of library buildings, events, staff, and services dating from the 1900s to the 1970s from the institutional archives of DC Public Library. The images are arranged in chronological order.

The photographs document the evolution of the district’s public libraries throughout the 20th century. Collection highlights include images of the former Central Library at Mount Vernon Square, the construction and opening of Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in the early 1970s, library bookmobiles, and architectural drawings and models (including some for libraries that were never built).

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions to accessing this digital collection.

Conditions Governing Use

D.C. Public Library holds the copyright for most of the images, which were created by library staff or as work-for-hire. However, some of the images were created by photojournalists for publication, other professional photographers unassociated with the library, or by unknown entities. It is up to the researcher to determine rights before publication.