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Composite of four bookmark designs for the 2024 Freedom to Read competition.

Design the Library's next bookmark! Submit art celebrating "libraries, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" by Sept. 28.

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Place your holds in the catalog on these new September book releases.

Enter the Great Arlington Bakeoff by Nov. 6!

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An American flag is draped over a portion of the Pentagon near where the structure was hit by a plane during the 9/11 attack. Photo credit Diane Kresh. Charlie Clark center for Local History, 133-01-02-01-107

On the 25th Anniversary of September 11

Reflections on the role of libraries in recovering from and remembering September 11.

Author, poet, farmer and environmental activist Wendell Berry.

Remembering Arlington Reads Author Wendell Berry (1934-2026)

In Memoriam: Wendell Berry (1934-2026).

Bookmark Contest: Libraries, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Submit your artwork by September 28.

A collage of creative community quilt squares featuring artwork made of fabric scraps and fabric pens, with some including small written notes. Text on one patch reads "Arlington Public Library Community Quilt."

View our 100+ square community quilt from LibraryFest!

Each square tells a story from our community.

Composite featuring 10 book covers with text "new books."

Available Now: An Updated Library App

Update to a modernized app with a few new features.

Large banner that reads, “Let there Be Peace on Earth” displayed near the Pentagon following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Photo credit Diane Kresh. Charlie Clark Center for Local History, 133-01-02-01-130

Resilience and Community

On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered a devastating terrorist attack. Yet amid tragedy, remarkable acts of courage, sacrifice and resilience emerged.

Firefighters Planning Next Steps Two firefighters draw plans to work on the impact site at the Pentagon following the 9/11 attack. Photo credit Michael Defina. Charlie Clark Center for Local History, 133-0030

The Response in Arlington

For Arlington County first responders, who led the rescue and recovery efforts at the Pentagon for nearly two grueling weeks, the world after September 11, 2001, would never be the same.

Foam Unit Arrives; Arrival of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's Foam Unit 331 to the Pentagon after the attack, showing the impact area prior to collapse. Photo credit Charlie Clark Center for Local History, 133-01-01-01-0002

Remembering 9/11

The events of September 11, 2001 in New York City, Shanksville and Arlington shocked the country.

Dr. Alfred O. Taylor sits smiling next to a woman in a movie theater.

Remembering Dr. Alfred O. Taylor

Honoring a community leader, activist and friend of the Library.

Three men writing on squares of the AIDS Quilt.

Explore 2,800+ Arlington Courier Photos

Snapshots of local life in the ’80s and ’90s.

Photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson shaking hands with Martin Luther King, Jr., at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Photograph by Yoichi Okamoto. Courtesy of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Remarks by Rev. Dr. DeLishia A. Davis

Virginia voting rights

Photo of the historical marker for suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood, located at 1501 North Lincoln Street, across Hayes Park in Arlington, VA.

Arlington, VA Suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood

Women’s Suffrage Movement

Remembering Kitty Clark Stevenson

Remembering the late Kitty Clark Stevenson.

Appreciating Arlington Educator Katherine Mosley Ross

Learn about Arlington educator Katherine Mosley Ross.

Photo of marchers holding signs demanding the right to vote at the March on Washington, 1963. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-37229

Exhibition: From Barriers to Ballots

August 1 – November 4, 2025

Sharing the Love: Edmond and Alice Fleet

Edmond and Alice Fleet forged successful careers facing barriers.

Ellen M. Bozman at 100

April 21, 2025, marks Ellen M. Bozman’s 100th birthday

A group of eight people stands together on a small stage in front of large windows, smiling at the camera. They hold two framed items—one is a historical document with maps and text, and the other is a framed portrait of a bearded man. Colorful blue, green, and yellow balloons decorate the space above them, celebrating Glencarlyn Library's 101st birthday.

Glencarlyn Library’s 101st Birthday

Stories from patrons lifelong and new.

The Friendly Cab Company

Learn about Ralph Collins and the cab company he started.

Edmund and Elizabeth Campbell with hearts behind them.

Sharing the Love: Elizabeth and Edmund Campbell

Read about Elizabeth and Edmund Campbell’s contributions to Arlington.

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Staff Picks

catalog link to "You Dreamed of Empires"

This is the palace-intrigue, Maya-Aztec revenge fantasy that I didn't know I needed. Beautifully human characters, and transporting descriptions of Tenochtitlan. If you enjoy Spanish literature, check it out for the allusions to Borges and Calderón de la Barca.

Charlotte M

Arlington Public Library

2025-11-07T16:06:43-05:00

Charlotte M

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/you-dreamed-of-empires/

A Most Agreeable Murder

A delightful romp through whimsical Regency England. Beatrice Steele has a scandalous secret: she’s fascinated by crime and murder. When a guest is killed at a dinner party, she gets her chance to test her sleuthing skills—with help from a beguiling London detective.

Laurel T

Arlington Public Library

2026-09-17T10:22:49-04:00

Laurel T

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/a-most-agreeable-murder/

It’s Elementary

A fast-paced mystery featuring a funny and charming lead character who faces challenges such as single-parenting, racism, and the PTA all while investigating the disappearance of the school principal. Perfect for fans of "The Expectant Detectives" or "Trouble in Queenstown."

Sarah D

Arlington Public Library

2026-09-17T10:26:32-04:00

Sarah D

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/327619/

Lei and the Fire Goddess

Anna loved summer visits with Tūtū in Hawaii. Then her friends start teasing her so she decides it's time to stop listening to Hawaiian myths. But when she loses her temper and insults Pele, a hawk kidnaps her friend Kaipo. Can she appease Pele and save Kaipo?

Karen G

Arlington Public Library

2026-09-17T10:28:54-04:00

Karen G

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/lei-and-the-fire-goddess/

The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir

André Leon Talley's marvellous (spelled with two ll's - the Vogue way) memoir that covers his entire life from the racially charged American South of his youth to the inner worlds of the elite fashion houses in 70's/80's Paris. Talley recalls it all with alacrity and poise.

Jamar R

Arlington Public Library

2026-09-17T10:31:18-04:00

Jamar R

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/the-chiffon-trenches-a-memoir/

Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World

A lively, humorous adventure about an overlooked office worker who unwittingly triggers world‑ending chaos. Action‑filled with a charming LGBTQ romance thread. Perfect for readers who enjoyed "Assistant to the Villain" and "Boyfriend Material."

Sarah D

Arlington Public Library

2026-09-17T10:34:51-04:00

Sarah D

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/colin-gets-promoted-and-dooms-the-world/

book cover of art of losing. clicking links to the catalog record

The Art of Losing

From Algeria to France, three generations of a family grapple with war, identity, memory, and the legacies of colonialism. Evocative prose and vividly drawn characters make for a haunting story.

Jennie R

Arlington Public Library

2024-02-12T15:53:56-05:00

Jennie R

From Algeria to France, three generations of a family grapple with war, identity, memory, and the legacies of colonialism. Evocative prose and vividly drawn characters make for a haunting story.

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/the-art-of-losing/

The Country of the Blind

A blend of memoir and cultural investigation that takes readers on a deep dive into the world of blindness. As he confronts his own gradual but progressive vision-loss, Leland explores the rich culture and community of blindness that is often invisible to the seeing world.

Laura B

Arlington Public Library

2025-03-27T10:57:46-04:00

Laura B

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/the-country-of-the-blind/

Cyborg Detective

A razor-sharp poetic retort to the ableism found in Literature. Weise's incisive poems directly respond to the ways authors use disability as metaphor and the way disabled writers are expected to perform disability. Smart, moving, often funny, and very powerful.

Jennie R

Arlington Public Library

2024-05-08T14:01:10-04:00

Jennie R

https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/cyborg-detective-2/

Everything is an Emergency

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can seem like a simple personality quirk to those who don't live with it, but New Yorker and MAD Magazine cartoonist Katzenstein's graphic memoir introduces readers to the complexity of growing up and living with OCD.

Alex Z

Arlington Public Library

2025-07-10T08:57:02-04:00

Alex Z