Libraries often get a reputation for being vehemently silent spaces. But on Saturday, a library in Silver Spring, Maryland, was booming with the music of DJs celebrating Montgomery County’s “Vinyl Day.”
The event was hosted at Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library. It’s a vinyl record sale at its core, but a special anniversary celebration gave it a special twist that was every music lover’s dream.
“This year is a little different because we are celebrating the DJ and 50 years of hip-hop culture,” said event organizer Jaime Flores, Assistant Director for Programs and Outreach with Montgomery County Public Libraries.
“What folks may not know is that we have world champions who live in this area, who compete in the DMC, which is like the Olympics, but for DJs,” Flores said.
“There’s a cash prize today for the best turntablist in the mid-Atlantic,” he added.
Montgomery County libraries partnered with several educational institutions, music schools and other organizations from around the D.C. area to put on the event.
“We want to show people we do a lot more than just books,” Flores said. “A lot of people think of a library, and they think you have to be quiet all the time. I think today was an eye-opening experience for many of our visitors to have music playing in the library.”
Throughout the day, DJs played open sets on multiple floors of the library as guests browsed.
The library also offered free music production workshops for aspiring DJs, as well as other opportunities like breakdancing classes for all age groups.
Flores says all of this serves to further the library system’s mission of expanding offerings to the public, and to keep the spirit of vinyl and hip-hop alive.
“People still crave vinyl,” Flores remarked. “DJs today will still spin original records, then rip to mp3 and record.”
In keeping this art form alive, Flores says Vinyl Day also helps to highlight a part of the culture that’s intrinsic to the D.C. area.
“Our libraries are diverse,” he told WTOP.
The day’s events culminated in spectacular fashion, where several accomplished DJs (who also happened to be D.C.-area residents) went head-to-head during an epic DJ battle in front of a live audience on the library’s second floor.
“I think most folks, when they think of a DJ, they think of house music, and like a stadium,” Flores said. “But when they see these guys, and see what they do, they want to take the classes.”
Flores says another thing he wants the public to take away from an event like Vinyl Day is that libraries still have a lot to offer.
“Since COVID became less of a worry, libraries have really come back and are open to the public,” he said. “We do a lot more than just books as you can see. We offer workforce development and business development too; activities for older adults, as well as story time for the kids!”
“Come to the library and experience our programs,” he continued. “We are here for you and it’s all free!”
