WASHINGTON — The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C. has closed its doors for a 3-year renovation, but some of the creativity and learning that the MLK Library has long nurtured will carry on at other sites during the temporary closure.
The library’s popular laboratories, such as the “Fab Lab, where members of the public can access computer design programs and fabricate their designs in acrylic, wood, leather or other materials, are being relocated while the building undergoes modernization.
“We are in the process of identifying interim spaces for our labs,” said George Williams, spokesman for the DC Public Libary.
The Northeast Neighborhood Library will provide a temporary home for the MLK’s popular “Memory Lab.”
“It’s a very popular service that people come to convert VHS files to cloud-based digital formats, for example,” said Williams.
Another one of its popular labs is the “Studio Lab,” a full service recording studio where budding musical artists can explore their own potential. “Digital Commons” is the sprawling second-floor room that houses row after row of public-access computers.
“We’re adding more computers to many of our neighborhood libraries that are close to the MLK Library,” Williams said.
While the library is closed over the next three years, nearby branches will take up some of the slack. The library, which occupies more than half a block, has long been a major presence in downtown D.C.
