Georgetown Library

1935 Georgian Revival Mansion Known for its Collections of Local History

A pair of massive fires ripped through two treasured city buildings in separate incidents yesterday -- first destroying most of the South Hall stalls at Eastern Market and 12 hours later claiming valuable books, leather-bound documents and artwork at the Georgetown branch of the D.C. Public Library.

Video: Georgetown Library Blaze

Acting Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin said he did not know what led to the fire at the library. Officials said it was in "various states of collapse" but had no damage estimate.

Karen Blackman-Mills, interim head of Special Collections at the D.C. Public Library and former chief of the Washingtoniana Division, will be online Tuesday, May 1, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the loss, its effect on the community and what can be done to rebuild for the future.

A transcript follows.

Full Coverage Including Photos and Video

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Karen Blackman-Mills: Thank you for the opportunity to respond to questions the community may have about the fire that occured yesterday. This fire burned portions of the Georgetown library. The library, located at 3260 R Street NW also housed the Peabody collection, a special reference collection of historical and current information about Georgetown. We do not know how much of the collections were lost but the damage to the building and materials was extensive.

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Washington, D.C.: I know this isn't important in the big scheme of things, but I have several books checked out from the Georgetown library right now. What should I do with them when they are due?

Karen Blackman-Mills: With me today is Mark Greek, Photo archivist in Washingtoniana Division. Mark has been appointed Salvage coordinator for this project.

Please return books to any DCPL library location

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Kingston, Ontario, Canada: I used to work in the Georgetown branch. I was horrified at the state of the building back then. In fact, as soon as a job came up in another city, I left. The fire speaks volumes about how D.C. cares for the library, which we were repeatedly trying to renovate years ago. The special collections were not kept safely, the HVAC system was completely non-functional (at least in part because the rotted wood frame windows couldn't be opened or closed). My list of complaints about the facilities could go on for days. In short, why couldn't private funds be used for library renovations years ago, as is done in other public libraries? Example: Toronto Public Library's Book Lover's Ball: The Book Lover's Ball

Karen Blackman-Mills:

DCPL has been working to improve the state of Special Collections since our new Director, Ginnie Cooper arrived last summer. Georgetown was being renovated at the time of the fire and the renovtion plans included improved climate control for Peabody.

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Rockville, Md.: As a retired science librarian who managed several scanning projects, I can only wonder why we do not back up and scan all of our treasures. I know it is a matter of time and money, but some projects (such as by Google) are actively opposed.

Was anything saved becasue we have scanned it or have other forms of copies? Why not? Do you plan to save what is left?

Karen Blackman-Mills: There are duplicate copies of many items in Washingtoniana Division. Rare items unique to Peabody had no back up but we will work with the community to recover all items that we can.

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Washington, D.C.: Just wanted to say that as a local resident and library patron, I hope the library will be rebuilt without any delay, and restocked as best as possible. You can count on the neighborhood for donations and support, but it is up to the DCPL system to get moving on this, and not to drop the ball. My fear is that in 5 or 10 years there will still be a chain-link fence around the site and a tarp over the roof.

Karen Blackman-Mills: The Library intends to rebuild as soon as possible. I spoke with the Director yesterday and she assured me that the residents of Georgetown will have their library in the near future. This will not take 5 years. It will be sooner.

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Washington, D.C.: May be a bit early to tell, but can D.C. get federal funds for rebuilding?

Karen Blackman-Mills: I am sure there are both federal and DC funds for rebuilding. The Mayor has promised financial help and I believe Eleanor Holmes Norton is looking into federal assistance. We too will be seeing what help there is

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Arlington, Va.: I was saddened yesterday when I heard about the fire at the Georgetown branch of the D.C. Public Library. I felt even worse to learn that the extensive files which document the individual homes and residences were possibly destroyed. Would it be unreasonable to expect that a duplicate set (either paper or "soft copy) of files would be maintained? Why not use fire-resistant file cabinets?

Has anyone had an opportunity to get inside and see how these things fared in the blaze?

Karen Blackman-Mills: We do not know how much was lost, but we know some of these files can be replicated. Washingtoniana has some material. It is impossible to protect everything but we will communicate with the community to see what is out there. The rarest material in our colletion receive the highest priority.

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Washington, D.C.: Are there tasks to be done, related to efforts to restore damaged items, that community volunteers could help with? What needs might interested community members meet?

Karen Blackman-Mills: It is too early to say what items will be needed or how the community can help. In the coming days we will know more about how you can help. Thanks for the offer. We will post this information on the library's website and other places.

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: After the fire, I heard that some of the Peabody Room's items were being freeze dried. Can you explain how this helps preserve damaged items?

Karen Blackman-Mills: freezing items stops the damage from spreading throughout the item and allows time to treat items individually. This allows us to maximize the number of items that will be recovered.

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Fairfax, Va.: What is Washingtoniana?

Karen Blackman-Mills: it's the local history collection of the DCPL located in the Main library at 901 G Street

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washingtonpost.com: Georgetown Public Library

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Washington, D.C.: How long do you anticipate the library being closed? Will bookmobile service be provided to Georgetown patrons?

Karen Blackman-Mills: We don't know yet. Rest assured that a bookmobile or some other resource will be there to serve the local residents. In the meantime please visit other library locations.Peabody researcers who are researching Georgetown should visit Washingtoniana Division at the main library.

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Near enough to see the smoke in NW D.C.: Hello and sincere condolences on this terrible loss. This has set me to wondering what steps we should take in our apartment and storage unit to protect our family's precious documents and artifacts, some from "the old country," and not all able to be scanned into a computer (and anyway, a copy's not the same, as you know too well). Are they better off in plastic tubs to guard against leaks, or metal boxes in case of fire, or is it okay just to display them in frames or standing on shelves? Some things are really old and crumbly, both papers and art.

Also, do you have any advice about how to go about getting them appraised without spending a fortune? Many thanks, and best of luck!

Karen Blackman-Mills: the best way to protect your items is to donate them to a museum or library collection, However items can safly be stored in your home. Keeping them dry and keeping them cool is my motto. NOT in a basement!!! there are several companies that sell archival supplies, gaylord and hollinger to name 2.

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Washington, D.C.: Just want to say that this fire is so much more tragic than the Eastern Market fire, which overshadowed it. Eastern Market has a large and influential constituency, and it will be rebuilt. At the end of the day, though, it's a bunch of (beloved) shops. The library is also a neighborhood institution, and it seems that while many of the books can be replaced, the materials in the special collections housed there are irreplaceable links to our city's past. I think I was only in the Georgetown branch once, decades ago, but the deplorable state of the D.C. library system in general, and its branches in particular, does not need this additional burden. I wish public libraries got the resources they deserve.

Karen Blackman-Mills: Things are improving here at DCPL. Please don't give up on us and the city.

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Alexandria, Va.: Was there any danger to anyone who was in the library at the time the fire started?

Karen Blackman-Mills: We are grateful no one was hurt in any way

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Washington, D.C.: How far along is the work of recovering materials from the building? Is that still ongoing or has it stopped because of the library's weak structure?

Karen Blackman-Mills: Currenly the building is unstable. We expect to begin recovery of important items tomorrow. Popular fiction and replaceable items will be discarded and replaced if needed.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you received any offers of assistance from any museums or other libraries in salvaging documents or photographs?

Karen Blackman-Mills: we are working with the library of congress, smithsonian, national archives, and the university of maryland

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Annandale, Va.: This says something for modern day technology, doesn't it? Now everything seems to be copied and exists online somewhere. But the old-fashioned hard-bound books from the past are rapidly being replaced by the Internet. Do you have any opinion about this change in how new libraries are now or will become?

Karen Blackman-Mills: Technology will never be able to replace the feeling of a good book in your hands. That said there is an important role that technology plays in digitization, microfilming and creating access that libraries must utilize.

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Alexandria, Va.: When was the Georgetown branch built?

Karen Blackman-Mills:1935

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Washington, D.C.: How did the fire start? Is arson a possibility?

Karen Blackman-Mills: We do not know at this time

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Glover Park, Washington, D.C.: What can we, the patrons, do to help Georgetown library recover from this? What should I do with the books I have here at home?

Karen Blackman-Mills: Thank you for this question because many others need to know the answer.

Books and other material checked out at Georgetown library can be returned at any DC Public Library location.

For now please visit

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Anonymous: I was not certain that I saw a response to the earlier question about the use of private funds. Could those who use the library give donations to expedite the reconstruction? I go to the library with my three little boys each weekend and all of us were so sad to see our library in the paper this morning.

Karen Blackman-Mills: Please visit our website at www.dclibrary.org or call the DCPL Foundation to find out more about donation. We certainly will need help from the private citizens. Thanks.

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Metro Center, Washington, D.C.: I'm a librarian, and I'm horrified by the fire at the Georgetown library. I understand there were no microform or electronic backups for the historic materials in the Peabody Room. Why not? I have a Canon Scanner that cost all of $50, the library could have set up an intern, local volunteer or library school student and had them methodically scan the material and burn it to disc or store the contents on the Web. Also, why weren't the most valuable materials locked up in a fireproof/waterproof safe? Those are readily available for safeguarding important documents. I hope and pray that the Washingtonia collection at MLK is better protected.

Karen Blackman-Mills: There is some back up at the Washingtoniana Division and we have electronic back up of some photographs in Washingtoniana. However, scanning is very time consuming and doing this properly with appropriate metadata will entail hiring an outside company since we are speaking about approx.4 million items

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Washington, D.C.: I work at Georgetown University, and yesterday at about 12:30 there was a large fire truck on campus near our library unfurling its hose. The firemen seemed frustrated (their truck was blocked by a delivery truck). I walked off campus, and moments later, that same truck came screaming by, headed away from campus -- and as I figured out soon enough -- towards the Public Library. Did this apparent confusion between the Georgetown University Library and the Public library have any consequences for the response-time to the fire?

Karen Blackman-Mills: this is still unknown and a problem DC Fire Dept. will address

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Alexandria, Va.: Being away from TV yesterday afternoon and evening caused me to miss coverage of Washington's two bad fires. So I woke up this morning to the unbelievable headline in The Post. As for the library, how much structural damage is there? And what are the plans for restoring salvagable materials?

Karen Blackman-Mills: We are now trying to get a grasp of the extent of the damage but it was extensive. We will know more in a few days.

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washingtonpost.com: Public Library, District of Columbia

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washingtonpost.com: DCPL (District of Columbia Public Library Foundation)

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Glover Park, Washington, D.C.: The books deemed ruined by the fire or smoke should be auctioned or sold to help raise money for a quick rebuilding effort. Any plans for this type of fundraising opportunity?

Some of those books spent months in my possession, keeping me company on travels far from home. They were freinds I saw every weekend while passing through the library. Re-reading first pages became equal to a very warm handshake. Despite the smoke or burn marks, these books would still be very welcome in my home and I'd love the opportunity to purchase them.

Karen Blackman-Mills: Wet books can lead to mold growth which causes great health risk. It is easier to replace items that can be replaced.

We will consider fundraising opportunities.

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Bethesda, Md.: First, my condolences on what I know is a terrible loss for the library. I hope you can answer a related question. The focus in the news media has been on the special documents and artwork that the library held. But what about the books? I haven't heard anything in news reports about the books themselves. Was the entire children's room lost, since it was on the second floor? Thank you.

Karen Blackman-Mills: We don't know if the entire children's room was lost but the damage there was extensive. We will not use wet or damaged books in the children's room so most of these will be replaced. The media focuses on special collections because they are rare and difficult to replace

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Washington, D.C.: Might not local historians who made xeroxes of documents in the Peabody Room be encouraged to duplicate them to try to rebuild its archival collections.

Karen Blackman-Mills: Fabulous idea. Please call the Washingtoniana Division at (202) 727- 1213 to let us know what items you would like to donate to the Peabody Collection. We will replicate this collection as best we can, in the Washingtoniana Division.

Thank you for your interest in the DC Public Library.

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Washington, D.C.: It is tragic that it takes something like this for the government, managers or library boards to see the necessity in disaster planning/preparedness and upgrading our systems and facilities. In light of May Day today I have asked our library board to reconsider their opinions on my proposal for funding for a disaster plan and training. This tragedy and a recent construction disaster in our building has prompted a slight reversal in their thinking although they are more interested in digitizing which is costly and time consuming over a disaster plan which is relatively cheap and ultimately worthwhile.

Karen Blackman-Mills: DCPL will have to do both. It is not an either / or solution.

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washingtonpost.com: This concludes our discussion with Karen Blackman-Mills today. Thank you for joining us.

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