Dolley Madison Library opens in McLean following expansion, renovation

Designed by Bowie Gridley Architects, the revamped 1967 building incorporates a light and open design with an enhanced size. Glass is the dominant theme in the building structure that is accentuated by use of wood. It features large open shelving to store books, floor-to-ceiling windows positioned along the back wall and a spacious library foyer equipped with an LCD bulletin board for branch and library system announcements. The upgraded library has also reshuffled its arrangement of books. The facility is located in a densely wooded area and hence, sports various nature-inspired shades and design patterns to add to the aesthetics.

The main room of the building features curved glass. Two categories of books are placed on either side of the entrance to the main room of the facility including a section for new adult books and another for new children’s books. There will be regular children’s holdings in the children’s zone placed at the room’s far end whereas the children’s space will allow glimpses of the woods. The room will also feature different sections for reference books, adult fiction, and a young adult section for teenagers.

The upgraded facility features a conference room for small group meetings as well as a meeting room for conducting larger group meetings. The large meeting room is adorned with historic photographs of McLean and can be further segregated into two smaller rooms to hold community gatherings and library programmes. The building also features a small kitchenette.

Another feature of the building is the Quiet Study room equipped with eight stations for individual study with every station comprising their own electrical outlets for plugging in laptops. All the library tables too are fitted with individual electrical outlets with 24/7 computer access for public.

The building also imbibes several green features such as installation of occupancy-sensitive lights and temperature controls which reduce energy consumption as well as a green roof covered with vegetation which reflects heat away in summer to keep the building cool.