Takoma DC Library: Can you find us?
We're that quiet building on the corner…
by Matthew Morde
The Takoma Park Branch of the DC Public Library system faces the challenge of anonymity.
| Photo: Julie Wiatt |  |
| Takoma Park branch of the DC public library | "I've had people from the neighborhood come in and say they've lived here for three years and never knew about this library," says Helen Hiltz, the branch manager. Set back from the main thoroughfares, nestled in a quiet historic district at the corner of Fifth and Cedar, NW, this building is, in fact, easy to miss.
Up close, though, it is a commanding single-story brick edifice with tall, white-trimmed windows.
Much about it is deceiving.
It resembles a colonial town hall, and, as the oldest branch in the system, you might suppose it to be 200 years old. But it is considerably younger, constructed in 1911.
Stepping inside, the main expanse of the library lies before the visitor in a single, un-partitioned hall that you might guess has more in common with a quaint rural town. But Helen Hiltz prides herself on an abundance of programs that appeal to the modern, indefatigable youth. There are movie nights, poetry slams and teen film festivals. "Our movies-based-on-books has been very popular with children," she says.
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month, the branch screened weekly movies relating historical accounts of famous African Americans, such as The Rosa Parks Story and the Tuskegee Airmen.
| Photo: Julie Wiatt |  | | Librarian Helen Hiltz |
Ms. Hiltz also cooperates with local recreation centers to produce a variety of other activities.
The Takoma Park Branch invites several authors a year to share and discuss their work. By the front door hangs a poster signed by Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple." Recently, an expert on vegetarianism gave a lecture at the branch.
Leading up to tax season, a program providing income tax assistance for senior citizens is underway.
Seeking to keep pace with technology running rampant, the branch offers public computers that can be used free of charge for e-mailing or Internet surfing. In addition, there is free wireless Internet access to anyone wishing to bring a laptop along.
The Takoma Park Branch is also part of the District of Columbia's dynamic and massive library network, encompassing eighteen branches, four library kiosks, and four bookmobiles.
Furthermore, the branch works in conjunction with local schools. Books in the stacks are chosen to supplement school curriculums, and the librarians on staff are available to aid students with their homework.
Teachers use the branch as a popular venue for class trips. Students learn skills such as understanding catalogues and searching databases.
Adults can also help themselves to practical and entertaining programs -- book clubs, discussion groups, as well as a myriad of educational services, lectures, and workshops. A recent addition to the branch is its Literacy Resource Center, which provides reference materials and aid for adult-based education, including teenagers seeking a GED.
ESL resources are available and are constantly being improved on for immigrants seeking to learn English in order to better provide for themselves and their families. Whatever obstacles the branch faces, it is overcoming them with the dedication of its staff and a group of volunteers called Friends of the Takoma Branch who donate their time and money to help keep the library humming and up to date.
"This community is amazingly supportive and that's why I've been here eight years," says Ms. Hiltz.
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