CrossTalk DC: DC Public Library's Peabody Room (2016)

CrossTalk DC: A History of Housing Covenants, one of the Talks and Screenings at the Folger, was held in the Folger Theatre on Friday, Friday, July 15, 2016 at 6:00pm.

The CrossTalk series was presented alongside the Folger Theatre production of District Merchants, that brought disparate publics together to think about race and religion thoughtfully and deeply, through the lens of literature and history.

At this event, Jerry A. McCoy, special collections librarian at the DC Public Library's Washingtonian and Peabody Room, offered a brief history of the Peabody Room, highlighting artifacts of African-American history from its collections.

The DC Public Library's Washingtoniana holds more than 25,000 books and other printed materials, covering all subjects related to the District of Columbia. The Peabody Room is a special collection of Georgetown neighborhood history that offers information about the community's homes, businesses, past residents, genealogy, and social history. A 2007 fire heavily damaged the Georgetown Neighborhood Library and destroyed about 10% of the Peabody Room's collections. Numerous collections were water-damaged with the artworks being the most seriously impacted. In 2010 the library reopened with a newly constructed, climate and security-controlled third floor that houses the new Peabody Room.

Jerry A. McCoy

Jerry A. McCoy is a special collections librarian for the District of Columbia Public Library, sharing his time between the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library’s Washingtoniana and the Georgetown Neighborhood Library’s Peabody Room.