D.C. Public Library Holiday Fundraiser (with Rum)

Washington D.C.-shaped ornament really makes the mask.

Think about how much glitter is too much. Now double that amount and give jars of it to people in suits who don’t know glitter in sufficient quantity flows like water. Then add water. Thus the Friday after-work-happy-hour-holiday fundraiser for the D.C. Public Library played out.

An unexpected number of people in suits knelt beside tables in an open-air room at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. DCPL was raising funds by introducing the thirty-something crowd (stretch the ends of that liberally) to its four makerspaces, collectively known as The Labs. The makerspaces include the Digital Commons, the Dream Lab, the Studio Lab, and the Fab[rication] Lab.

In which the be-suited are given the tools of their own destruction.

Conveniently for the crowd, the regular denizens of the makerspaces had already pre-cut our DIY projects for us. We had only to cover ourselves in glue and paint and glitter in order to make our ornaments, holiday cards, tea-light boxes, sno-globes, etc. Tickets were $35 each and totally worth it.

For the most daring, a very large bottle of rum called from the festively-decorated drinks table. Most people stuck with wine, though, and noshed on decorated sugar cookies and Chex mix.

DCPL’s fundraising campaign is ongoing and supports not only the makerspaces but also the 26-branch D.C. Public Library system. Donations help do the following:

 

• Put books on library shelves
• Provide learning opportunities for children and adults
• Increase access to media and technology
• Support cultural events
• Enhance library service capacity
• Provide funds for facility improvements

Tea-light boxes. Image courtesy of @DCPL_Literati

I’m a sucker for public libraries. Long ago, they introduced me to Isaac Asimov’s early robot books and to Frank Herbert’s Dune series. Nowadays, public libraries give me the gift of history in the form of digitized newspapers and glorious cabinets full of microfilm. But whenever I’m in a library, I always visit the children’s area. So many books. For free. Available to all the wee ones whether they can afford to buy their own books or not. They’re so lucky.

To find out more about the D.C. Public Library system, visit https://dclibrary.org. Donations are accepted through https://dclibrary.org/donate. DCPL is on twitter @dcpl.