L-R: County Executive Leggett, ULC President Benton,
and MCPL Director Hamilton
MCPL has won the prestigious 2016 Top Innovator Award from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) for our Library Refresh Program!
The Refresh Program represents an innovative approach to revitalize libraries by avoiding major building renovations and long-term shutdown of facilities, and updating infrastructure and technologies towards creating 21st century libraries. The Program refreshes branches on a rotating, system-wide scale while maintaining an economical and timely approach, minimizing interruption of library availability for services within the affected community.
Under the Refresh Program, developed in response to engineering redevelopment during times of County economic constraint; community concerns about long downtimes during renovations; and MCPL’s need to expedite modernizing its branches and re-opening them to the public, the total cost would be $20 million for all 16 libraries. Under the former model of working with library buildings, it would take 32 years and $203 million to renovate 16 Montgomery County library buildings as allowed under the County’s current Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget.
The entire refresh process generally takes about 18 months, with a branch closed for only five to seven months, as opposed to multiple years under the traditional approach. Twinbrook and Kensington Park branches were the first go through the refresh program. Davis and Little Falls libraries are nearing the last phases of their refresh, and Aspen Hill will close at 8 PM on November 8, 2016 to begin its refresh.
The Refresh Program provides:
Updated technology updated, for staff and the public
New furniture
Improvements to the infrastructure with modernized restrooms and new electrical and data outlets
New carpeting and painting
Improved access for people with mobility issues
Important preventive maintenance like roof replacement, lighting retrofits and replacement of electrical or heating systems.
The Refresh Program will make certain that our libraries will be open and available to residents with better facilities while we make certain MCPL is keeping up with new requirements from our residents and advances in technology.
The award was officially presented to County Executive Isiah Leggett by ULC CEO and President Susan Benton during the reception of the annual Joint Meeting of the Montgomery County Library Board, Library Advisory Committees, and Friends of the Library on November 2.
