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G2S Project Code: 2023-DC-93840
State: District of Columbia
Fiscal Year: 2023
Grantee
District of Columbia Public Library

Project Director
Director Name: Linnea Hegarty
Director Phone: 202-727-4943
Director Email: linnea.hegarty@dc.gov
General Information
Title: Community Conversations
State Project Code:
Start Date: 10/01/2023
End Date: 09/30/2024
Abstract: In Fall 2024, DC Public Library’s central library, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, was the 13th and final venue—and the only public library— to host The Negro Motorist Green Book, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian, Candacy Taylor, offering an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America – without content specific to Washington, D.C. Funding from IMLS supported hiring a contractor to research and write a companion exhibition, The Green Book in D.C.: “A Particular Place for Particular People,” presented to complement the national, traveling exhibition by taking a deep dive into the stories of the more than 150 businesses and organizations in the District that were featured in The Green Book. This important exhibition engaged visitors throughout the MLK Library and with capsule versions presented at eight neighborhood libraries.
State Goal: Stay Rooted
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$20,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$20,000.00
Intent(s)
Improve users' ability to converse in community conversations around topics of concern.
Civic Affairs
History
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Green Book in DC: “A Particular Place for Particular People”
Narrative: The contracted researcher researched more than 150 Green Book sites listed in the directory throughout its run, from 1936-66. Her work resulted in a full-scale exhibition at the MLK Library, smaller exhibitions for children and teens, and a capsule exhibit at eight neighborhood libraries, providing a critical connection for local residents between the stories presented in the national exhibit and their own history and experiences. The researcher finalized scripts for translation into Spanish and Braille, increasing accessibility of the content. The researcher also consulted on digital enhancements such as a slideshow and an online map enabling residents to explore Green Book sites throughout the city, and documented sites photographed in a newly-discovered collection in DCPL’s archives.
Intent: Improve users' ability to converse in community conversations around topics of concern.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Combined physical & digital
Other: The consultant contributed to the full-scale exhibition at the MLK Library, smaller exhibitions for children and teens, and a capsule exhibit at eight neighborhood libraries in addition to digital enhancements including a slide show and an online map disp


Quantity


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Nearly 5,500 visitors attended the opening weekend at the MLK Library and 62,550 customers visited MLK Library in November. It is estimated that more than 650,000 visitors may experience the resulting exhibition in some form.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
The national Green Book exhibition, which toured to 14 locations including the MLK Library and featured stories of Black travel and entrepreneurship from cities across the U.S.A, includes no mention of historic Black businesses in D.C. specifically. Incorporating local research has been critical to creating an exhibit that resonates with residents -- expanding residents’ knowledge of the District’s rich past, and engaging with its present and future — a key part of our mission. Having adequate support at an early stage allowed us to provide a greater variety of materials for staff looking to create related programs as well as for visitor tours, especially school groups. Testimonials collected early in the run of the exhibition have indicated a strong positive response, stating the exhibition has "sparked a lot of conversation” and that “D.C. stories resonated,” with several staff commenting that this has been the strongest exhibition since the MLK Library’s reopening.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Having external support for research – and fresh perspective from outside our institution - was critical for our small department in mounting a successful exhibition of this size. The Green Book in D.C.: “A Particular Place for Particular People” became a full-scale exhibition that balanced the richness and variety of the national exhibition while showing local audiences that their stories have an important place in our nation’s history. Sharing the full script internally, and involving staff across Library departments before, during, and after the exhibition opening was also important. Through this project we recruited six librarians across the system, as well as neighborhood library managers, to create additional programming on the theme and we are continuing to see the benefit of greater staff involvement in exhibitions. As the first and only public library on the exhibition’s tour, the greater impact of our ability to reach customers who are unlikely to visit a museum is something we continue to assess.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:
No, the exhi
Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: exhibits, local history, community conversation