Treasures from the Archive

October is National Archives Month

photo of Arabeth setting up objects in the display case

Archivist Arabeth sets up a display at Central Library

What's An Archivist? Why Are Archives Important?

Archives are a place where people can go to look at the documentary evidence of past events, such as letters, reports, photographs, diaries and other primary sources.
Archivists are specially trained in preserving original materials and helping people access them.

The Center for Local History at Arlington Public Library houses our Community Archives, and Research Room. It is also home to a growing collection on digital collections and exhibits.

Visit Central Library this month to view our exhibit of objects from the Archives. The exhibit includes a Washington-Lee crew team megaphone from 1958, a photo of the demolition of the "Old Arlington Courthouse" on February 23, 1997, and an instructional voting machine, circa 1902-1944.

Everyone Has A Story

This year we're celebrating National Archives Month with the launch of a new weekly Instagram feature.

Each Thursday, we'll post an image from the Center for Local History's archival collection. We started last week with this picture of Richard Walker, photographed in 1981 by Lloyd Wolf.