Librarian Maria Escher, left, shows Washington resident Sheyli Tripathi some items - including a bowl and bust of Martin Luther King Jr - produced by a 3D printer in the Digital Commons of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library in Washington.
WASHINGTON: Touch-screen devices line a glossy marble counter. Folks crowd around an iPad mini. A 3D printer hums in a corner of the bright and airy room.
Is this an Apple store? No. It’s the new Digital Commons at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library (MLK) in the District of Columbia.
The similarity to an Apple store is no accident, said Nicholas Kerelchuk, the library’s manager of Digital Commons.
The library opened the space last month after an 18-month, $3.4m renovation that aimed to transform the Washington landmark into a technology hub.
The renovation also includes 80 desktops (some of them featuring pricey graphic design suites), rows of tables set up for patrons bringing their own devices, a Skype station and a vast co-working space the library calls the “Dream Lab.”
Could this sprawling space be a glimpse into the future of libraries?
Libraries have been searching in recent years for relevancy in an age when most people who need quick access to information turn to their smartphone rather than a reference book. Many cash-strapped local governments are also cutting library spending, which often results in fewer branches or services. But in the aftermath of the recession, more people rely on libraries for frugal entertainment options and to search for employment opportunities.
That has left libraries facing an identity crisis: How do buildings traditionally filled with printed books fit into the digital age?
“Libraries are really transforming themselves into technology hubs,” said Kathryn Zickuhr, a researcher focusing on how Americans use libraries at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
Pew’s research shows that while many patrons still want to use libraries to borrow books, they also increasingly think of them as a community space that provides access to technology, Zickuhr said. Eighty percent of Americans say borrowing books is a “very important” service libraries provide, while 77 percent say free access to computers and the Internet is a “very important,” according to a recent Pew report.
In many cases, people view libraries as a way to enter the digital age, said George Williams, the spokesman for the DC Public Libraries system. At MLK, there are one-on-one stations where library workers assist patrons learning technology basics, including how to use e-mail.
“The idea of the Digital Commons is not only bridging the digital divide” by providing Internet access, Williams said. “For us it’s access to tech and the skills they’re going to need as tech continues to change the way that we interact, the way that we work, and the way that we learn.”
The 3D printer is the “rock star” of the renovation. Users can create blueprints for the device, which builds a plastic, three-dimensional version of the item.
There is a waiting list for the printer, which some patrons have used for practical essentials — a hand-held juicer — or the ultimate extravagance — a 3D self portrait.
“This is the future. Look at the biomedical field, look at the auto industry, they’re using 3D printing,” Kerelchuk said.
The Dream Lab, which includes semi-enclosed workrooms and conference rooms, is another popular feature of the renovation. The rooms have the least amount of technology, but within three days, the library received 25 applications from start-ups wanting to use the rooms. In exchange for access to the space, entrepreneurs agree to provide one hour of community programming per month.
The Digital Commons sets MLK apart from other libraries across the country, officials said. “Everyone’s done a computer lab, people have done a digital bar, people have done a maker space, in some cases they’ve done a style of co-working space with collaborative rooms . . . but no one’s ever done it all in one room,” Kerelchuk said.
The library wants to adapt to the needs of the District of Columbia, said Kerelchuk. WP-BLOOMBERG
