Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Reopening
DC Public Library, D.C.
Innovation Synopsis
The DC Public Library's Office of Communications reimagined the reopening of the District of Columbia's central library, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, as a virtual event. Creating strategies that showcased the building without requiring residents to enter allowed the library to secure news stories in local and national press.
Challenge/Opportunity
The District of Columbia's central library, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, was scheduled to reopen in September 2020 after a three-year, $210 million modernization. When the District of Columbia declared a public health emergency to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all DC Public Library locations closed. As the city began offering limited reopening of libraries, the DC Public Library's measure of success for the reopening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library could not depend on visits.
Key Elements of Innovation
The Library's Office of Communications reimagined the opening celebration as a virtual event. Local media were invited to tour the facility and do news stories on what the modernization accomplished. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was changed to be a television event featuring Washington, D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser, DCPL library leaders and elected officials and featured remarks by Martin Luther King III.
Achieved Outcomes
Since shifting to the new model, the library has secured new stories promoting the library's virtual celebration in local and national news outlets, including a feature on National Public Radio and in the Washington Post. These stories have been shared more than 5,000 times on social media. The library also partnered with government-owned cable television to stream the virtual reopening, reaching a wider audience.
