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Library of Things

American Girl Dolls

American Girl Lending Program

Link to DIY Collection page.

DIY Collection

green lightbulbs

Energy Lending Library

Two red bags containing books, one labeled "Persian" and one labeled "Arabic"

Family Reading Kits

hand holding cards showing Professor Plum in the Library with the Lead Pipe in the game of Clue

Game Collection

Link to jigsaw puzzle page.

Puzzle Collection

picture books about trucks

Storytime Kits

The Shed

Wireless Hotspots

Help Someone You Know Get a Library Card for Library Card Sign-up Month!

Post Published: September 7, 2023

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! Celebrate by signing up for a new library card, renewing your existing one, or helping someone you know do either!

New Card Sign-up
How to Renew
Colorful library cards with text reading "Everyone Has a Story"

Your free Library Card superpowers await...

  • Hear and see literary rock stars at Arlington Reads events.
  • Use our free WiFi, public computers, and meeting spaces.
  • Sign up for online tutoring and resume assistance.
  • Attend storytimes any day of the week—plus other amazing events!
  • Meet fun bookish superheroes (aka librarians).
  • Get 24x7 instant access to eAudiobooks, eBooks, and digital magazines.
  • Discover 2 million physical and digital books, CDs, and DVDs to borrow with no late fees.
  • Borrow garden tools, American Girl Dolls, DIY equipment, and more.
  • Read online newspapers from around the globe, for free!
  • Stream films & TV, documentaries, and Great Courses with Kanopy.
  • Open new doors with LinkedIn Learning.

September 7, 2023 by Library Communications Officer Filed Under: Alert, App 1 Find Your Voice Tagged With: Alert Major

Director’s Message for National Library Week

Post Published: April 26, 2023

There's more to our story.

Library Director Diane Kresh smiles at her desk, with a bookshelf and cherry blossoms outside visible in the background.

April 23-29 is National Library Week. A pretty big deal for libraries across the nation, including this one.

This year’s theme is “there’s more to the story.” Libraries are full of possibilities ranging from picture books to large print, audiobooks to ebooks and now we offer Kanopy (30,000 documentary films and movies to stream for free). In addition, we have the Library of Things where patrons borrow American Girl dolls, games, gardening tools and DIY kits.

A collage of films available on Kanopy. Text reads "Explore a world of cinema with Kanopy."
Four American girl dolls stand side-by-side behind their related books.

Library programming connects community members to one another through book clubs, storytimes, musical performances, crafting classes at The Shop and author talks with Arlington Reads. Award-winning graphic novelist Jerry Craft ("New Kid," "Class Act" and "School Trip") will be in person (and streaming) at Central Library on Apr. 27.

Library infrastructure provides high-speed internet and computers, indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi, spaces for meetings or group study, comfortable seating for reading and tables for doing homework. The Teleconnect Space at Columbia Pike Library enables patrons to conduct online healthcare appointments, job interviews, career counselor meetings and social service appointments in a private setting. We invite you to check out our newest location, the Courthouse Library, on the ground floor of the Ellen Bozman Government Center.

Diane Kresh leads a shadow box craft workshop in The Shop maker space.
Headshot of author Jerry Craft, wearing a baseball cap featuring characters from his graphic novels.
The Teleconnect Space at Columbia Pike featuring a chair, Dell desktop computer with webcam, an adjustable sitting/standing desk, and writing utensils.

Library professionals support businesses, job seekers and entrepreneurs. Youth Librarians help hone literacy skills for our youngest residents. At Arlington Public Library we offer all this for free.

Arlington Public Library’s vision is to be “the heart of a thoughtful, inclusive and dynamic community where people and ideas connect.” Let’s think about a few of those words. Thoughtful: our collections represent diverse points of view and appeal to a myriad of lifestyles. Inclusive: Arlington’s libraries accept all people. We are welcoming spaces where all who enter our doors are accepted for who they are. Where people and ideas connect: libraries are safe places for exploration and discovery. To learn about the world and one’s place in it. To learn who we are.

And speaking of increasing understanding, on Sat., Apr. 29 we will host a Human Library, where human “readers” are invited to check out a human “book” and engage in a conversation.

The Human Library artwork, featuring a diverse array of people standing on a bookshelf. Text reads: "Human Library, real people, real conversations."
A person with blue hair, glasses, and a visible tattoo wearing a shirt that reads "I am a Book of the Human Library" speaks to a group of people.

In February, The New York Times published “A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue.” If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so. The article speaks volumes to people like me who have spent close to 50 years working in libraries. There is one line from the article I keep thinking about:

"The modern library keeps its citizens warm, safe, healthy, entertained, educated, hydrated and, above all, connected."
— Elisabeth Egan and Erica Ackerberg for The New York Times

Yes, yes, and YES.

There is and will continue to be “more to the story” in libraries – in their collections and in their services. Let us help you discover new aspects of your story. We will write it together.

Always free, always open, always your library.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

 

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

April 26, 2023 by Library Communications Officer Filed Under: App 1 Find Your Voice, Director's Blog, Homepage

Big Book Podcast: Things Fall Apart

Post Published: March 1, 2023

Back to High School with Chinua Achebe

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. 

Season 4, Ep.2: "Things Fall Apart"

For this episode we read the 1958 novel by debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. The novel became the first work published in Heinemann's African Writers Series in the UK, starting in 1962. “Things Fall Apart” is the first book in Achebe’s trilogy about African history, and has been read by high schoolers for generations as the archetypal modern African novel in English. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa, is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world, and continues to be listed on included on “most important books” lists whenever they’re published.

Episode Links

  • This episode's book - "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
  • Next episode's book - "Johny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo; "Beloved" by Toni Morrison; "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner

Tell us what YOU think about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our GoodReads or Facebook groups, or talk to us on twitter using the #BigBookPodcast hashtag. If you’d like to make a suggestion for future reading send us your recommendations on the Big Book Club Podcast page on the Arlington Public Library website.

We're Reading

  • Jennie – “Gangsters vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America” by Michael Benson
  • Pete – “The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut

March 1, 2023 by Web Editor Filed Under: Big Book Club Podcast, On Demand

The Henry Louis Holmes Library, 1940-1949

Post Published: February 17, 2022

Created by Arlington's Black Residents to Serve Their Community During Segregation

What follows is the first in-depth history of the Holmes Library, and of segregated library services in Arlington County. Drawn from primary source material held in the Arlington Community Archives as well as the work of researchers at other regional libraries, this history aims to honor the volunteer-led efforts of Arlington’s Black community, and to answer two critical questions: When and why did Arlington desegregate its public libraries?

The story of Arlington’s first library for Black patrons is one of an extraordinary grassroots effort led by members of Arlington’s Black community.

The Henry Louis Holmes Library was established in 1940 as a community-led facility to fill in the gap created by segregationist County and state policies. In order to bring books and material resources to the County’s Black residents who had been denied such services, a group of Black Arlingtonians worked together in order to establish an independent branch.

The Holmes Library would later join the still-segregated County library system as the only branch available to Black Arlingtonians until its closure in 1949, and the subsequent desegregation of Arlington's libraries in 1950.

 

Exterior of the Holmes branch of the Arlington Public Library system. 1946, 1 print, b&w, 8 x 10 in..

Exterior of the Henry Louis Holmes
Library branch, 1946. The building was located in the George Washington Carver Homes complex at 13th Street South and South Queen Streets.

An Exclusionary System

Arlington’s at-large library system began as a series of volunteer-run organizations, which were later incorporated into the County in 1937. Volunteer and civic groups across the County’s neighborhoods started five local branches in the early 20th century: Glencarlyn, Cherrydale, Clarendon, Aurora Hills, and Arlington (later Columbia Pike).

After operating independently for years, in 1936 the Arlington County Library Association was formed, and the following year Libraries became an official County department with a budget that included an allocation of funds for the hiring of a library director.

From their founding, these branches only provided services to white constituents.

Libraries in Other Municipalities

The neighboring jurisdictions around Arlington were similarly segregated during the Jim Crow era, and followed a similar pattern of segregated volunteer-led branches that incorporated into segregated municipal systems. From the 1930s-1960s, libraries became an increasingly significant issue in the fight for equal access to public services, in both the state and the nation. In some places, it took decades to achieve integrated facilities.

In one notable local case, in August 1939, a group of Black Alexandrians held a sit-in at the Queen Street branch of the Alexandria City Public Library, protesting the denial of resources to Black members of the community. Police arrived and arrested the protesters for “disorderly conduct.” Samuel Wilbert Tucker (1913-1990), a lawyer who led the demonstration, was prepared to challenge the City in court, but the City stalled negotiations in an effort to resist integration.

Against Tucker’s wishes for integration, the City instead built a segregated library for Black patrons, which would remain the only option available to Black Alexandria residents until desegregation in the 1960s. The Robert H. Robinson Library was incorporated into the Alexandria system less than a year after the sit-ins under the “separate but equal” segregationist doctrine.

At this time, the only library available in Arlington to Black children was the school library at Hoffman-Boston School, which operated as the only secondary school for Black students until the public school system desegregated in 1959.

Library

Students study in the Hoffman-Boston School
library, circa 1950. Image from RG 307.

An Association to Organize the Library

Facing this lack of local and accessible resources, a group of Black Arlington residents, without financial assistance from the County, came together to establish the Henry Louis Holmes Library Association in July 1940, to maintain a library for use by the Black community. Since this library would serve Black residents across the County, representatives from organizations across Arlington were also called to join in in the efforts. Early members represented the Civic Association of Halls Hill, the Nauck neighborhood and the Jennie Dean Club.

A Board of Directors was also assembled, including the Reverend A. Mackley (representing Mount Olive Baptist Church), Mrs. Henry Chapman, Mrs. Jessie Pollard, Mrs. Annie Belcher, and Mrs. Nora Drew (Mrs. Drew was the matriarch of the Drew family and mother of Charles Drew, a pioneering surgeon and founder of the modern-day blood bank. Her daughter, Nora Drew Gregory, later became a well-known library advocate as a library board trustee for Washington, D.C.).

The group then selected officers and committees, including the Constitution; Name; Books; Accessioning and Cataloging; Program; Ways and Means; Publicity; and Rooms committees. Selected as its first president was Kitty Bruce, with Marie Ponce serving as secretary. Kitty Bruce was chairwoman of the Arlington Inter-Racial Commission and a teacher at the Francis Junior High School in Washington, D.C., a school for Black children living in the Foggy Bottom and Georgetown neighborhoods.

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The first page of the Holmes Library Association Constitution. It is notable that the library association, while formed with the intention of serving the Black community, wrote that “Any individual who is interested in the library may become a member by making it known and participating in the work of the association.”

Honoring the Past

In August 1940, the Library Association voted to honor Henry Louis Holmes in both its name and the name of its forthcoming branch. Holmes had been a prominent local civic leader, serving as the elected Commissioner of Revenue for Alexandria from 1877 to 1904. Previously enslaved, Holmes had come to Freedman’s Village in Arlington in his early life. He gained political success in the Reconstruction-era boom of Black political leaders, and was involved with the Radical Republican party, as well as in fraternal organizations such as the Masons and Odd Fellows and as a trustee of St. John’s Baptist Church. He also founded the Butler-Holmes community, a Black streetcar neighborhood in what is now the Penrose neighborhood.

In making this decision, the Association sought the blessing of Mrs. Emma Clifford, Holmes’ daughter, for use of the name. Mrs. Clifford wholeheartedly approved of the naming decision and donated a portrait of Mr. Holmes to the library as well as a set of encyclopedias.

Henry-Holmes
IMG_0222

Left: Portrait of Henry L. Holmes, date and artist unknown. Image courtesy of the “Built By the People Themselves” digital exhibit.

Right: The portrait of Holmes is currently located in the offices of the Commissioner of Revenue on the second floor of the Bozman Government Building. It was donated in 1985 by the Arlington Links Club, which described it as having once hung in the original Holmes library building. Current Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy, who was elected in November 2003, is the second person of color, since Holmes, to hold the position in the history of the office. Image courtesy of Susan T. Anderson, Communications Director for the Commissioner of Revenue.

In August 1940, the library formally requested to be housed in the basement of Mount Olive Baptist Church, which was located at 700 South Arlington Ridge Road between Columbia Pike and Washington Boulevard in the Johnson’s Hill/Arlington View neighborhood.

This site was recognized as a temporary location for the library, which was expected to grow in the years to come. By September, the church had formally granted their request in turn, with a few stipulations regarding maintenance and upkeep. For one, the church would not charge the library rent, but asked for an occasional donation for things like the custodian’s salary and fuel.

Screen Shot 2022-02-07 at 1.53.29 PM

Letter from Marie Ponce and Kitty Bruce to the Mount Olive Church requesting use of their space for the Henry Louis Holmes Library.

Finding a Home for the New Library

The library initially supplied its catalog with donated books, which came from organizations such as the Alpha Gamma and Iota Chi Lambda sororities, and book showers hosted by other local civic groups. It was also noted that some books and shelves were donated from the Clarendon Library Association, as initiated by the Association's president Mrs. H.S. Cowman and a Mrs. Rice.

In addition, members of the association wrote letters seeking book recommendations from the historian and scholar Charles H. Wesley – the then-dean of the Howard University Graduate School – and Carter G. Woodson, the renowned Washington-D.C.-based historian, and the founder of Black History Month.

img012

Letter of response from Charles H. Wesley to Holmes Library Association President Kitty Bruce regarding suggestions for books related to Black life for the Holmes Library.

Opening Ceremony

The Henry Louis Holmes Library formally opened on November 14, 1940, a date chosen to align with both National Book Week and National Education Week (Opening program 1 and 2).

Among the festivities marking its debut was a speech by the Rev. Dr. J. Francis Gregory, member of the department of English at the Miner Teachers College (Dr. Gregory’s grandson Francis A. Gregory would become the first Black member of the Washington, D.C., library board of trustees, and was the husband of Nora Drew Gregory. He is the namesake of the Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library in Washington, D.C.) Dr. Gregory addressed the crowd and delivered a speech, during which he stated: “The library in any community should be a center of activity in any community, serving as a social, cultural, ethical and spiritual, as well as intellectual, recreational center.” (The Formal Opening of the Henry Louis Holmes Library-1). He also gifted the library a copy of “The Life of Frederick Douglass,” a biography on the famous orator and abolitionist written by his father, James Monroe Gregory.

Opening program-1 (1)
Opening program-2 (1)

Program from the Holmes Library opening at Mt. Olive Church on November 14, 1940.

Another Home for the Holmes

The library was based in the Mount Olive Church basement until 1942, when the church property was taken over by the U.S. government. The church was ordered by the War Department to vacate the property in July 1942 , to make way for roadways leading to the Pentagon’s facilities. The church reopened at a new site at 1600 14th Street South in the Johnson’s Hill/Arlington View neighborhood in 1944.

RG_06_Arlington_County_Churches_MtOlive_1938

The original Mount Olive building,
circa 1938. From RG 06.

In the meantime, the Holmes Library Association ran programs to benefit the community, including prominent speakers from the broader D.C. community. These included an address by Dr. Rayford Logan, a renowned Black historian, scholar, and professor emeritus at Howard University.

The Holmes Library found its next home in the basement of Lomax A.M.E. Zion Church, where it reopened on September 5, 1942. The Lomax site brought with it new developments, such as a children’s story hour.

Lomax reopening-1942-09-05
Screen Shot 2022-02-15 at 1.03.30 PM

Left: Flyer advertising the debut of the Holmes Library in the basement of Lomax church, its second home after Mount Olive.
Right: Lomax A.M.E. Zion at 2706 South 24th Street, taken August 31, 1996.

The Holmes Branch Incorporates into the County

Since founding the Holmes Library Association, the group had discussed joining with the County library system at a future date. In its initial meetings in July 1940, early long-term plans included eventually seeking financial assistance from the County. The first step in this was meeting County requirements via the American Library Association, which required 1,500 books to qualify as an official library. In its July 25, 1940, meeting minutes, Secretary Marie Ponce wrote: “It is hoped that from this beginning we can eventually work up the 1,500 books required before we can be recognized by the Library association.”

In February 1941 it was reiterated that the group would attempt to seek County aid (rather than state aid), and a Study and Plan Committee was formed to “carefully study out a plan to get aid from the County.” Plans around seeking County aid were always in the context of maintaining the Holmes Library separately, rather than as part of an effort to integrate the County library system.

In February 1944, members of the Holmes Library Association met with Mildred Blattner, the County Librarian. By this point, the Holmes Library had surpassed the American Library Association’s requirement of 1,500 books, and offered to turn over its collection of 2,500 books to the County. In March 23 letters to County Board Chair Leo Lloyd and County Manager Frank Hanrahan, the Holmes Association asked to be included in the July 1944 County library budget. On March 25, Lloyd replied that their request had been received favorably, and on April 5, 1944, Holmes Library Association President Kitty Bruce appeared before the County Board to formally appeal for inclusion of the Holmes as a County branch.

img013 (2)
img014

Letters exchanged between Kitty Bruce and Leo Lloyd in March 1944
signal the incorporation of the Holmes Library into the County Library system.

Bruce and the Holmes Library Association were successful. The Holmes Library – now the Holmes Branch – was eventually bequeathed $2,100 from the County Board to open its new branch location, which would formally be a part of the County library system. This site would be the library’s first independent and freestanding building. The County also established a deposit station in the Hoffman-Boston School library in 1945.

Holmes’ Home in the Carver Homes

The Holmes Branch’s final location was in an administrative building in the George Washington Carver Homes complex at 13th Street South and South Queen Streets. The Carver Homes had begun as a Federal Public Housing Authority project in 1943 to house displaced families and individuals largely from East Arlington and Queen City whose homes had been razed during the construction of the Pentagon. By 1944, the housing complex consisted of 270 trailers and 100 temporary public-financed housing units. The same year, after a visit from first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the government commissioned the George Washington Carver Homes, a permanent, 8-building apartment complex in Arlington View. This, along with the Dunbar Homes, a similar permanent housing complex, was completed in 1944.

img011

The County eventually set aside $2,100 for the Holmes Branch upon its incorporation into the County Library System. The budget allocated funds for the purchase of books, supplies, and the hiring of a part-time librarian.

The Holmes Branch opened on the Carver Homes land on June 25, 1944, and was led by branch assistant Constance (Connie) Spencer. The occasion was marked by a robust celebration, featuring a speech by longtime association member Nora Drew, and an address by Howard University Library’s Dorothy McAllister. Branch librarian Madge Sydnor and branch assistant Rosaline Brooks joined the staff the following year.

img007 (2)
img008 (3)

Program from the June 25, 1944, opening of the Holmes Library.

At this point, the activities of the Holmes Library Association largely slowed, as their efforts in fundraising and staffing the library were absorbed by the County. Upon absorbing the Holmes collections into the wider County system, about 1,200 volumes were discarded after being labeled as not meeting branch standards, and 250 books were added from books gifted to the County and other copies.

In some ways, while County aid expanded the scope of the Holmes Library, inequalities and still persisted in how the County operated the branch. In an initial letter from Mildred Blattner to County Manager Frank Hanrahan, she wrote that “Since the reading habits of the colored population are not established I think it advisable to go rather slowly, providing popular books for the adult and standards for the children, until we can create reading habits that warrant a wider scope.”

A librarian and two children inside the Holmes Branch of the Arlington Public Library 1946, 1 print, b&w, 8 x 10 in..

A librarian and two children inside the Holmes Library Branch, 1946.

In some of the earliest aggregate circulation statistics between the branches in annual reports, the Holmes Branch consistently had the lowest number of total books. In the 1946-1947 annual reports, the Holmes had about half of the collection of the next lowest-stocked branch, Glencarlyn. From 1948-1949, only 113 additions were made to the Holmes’ collection, while the other branches received additions of anywhere between 500-1,482 books.

1946-1947 Total Book Collection:

Screen Shot 2022-02-15 at 2.04.07 PM

Forced Closure

The Holmes Branch remained open until 1949, when the branch was shuttered along with the sale of the Carver Homes property. After the end of World War II, Congress directed the Public Housing Authority to dispose of the Carver Homes and the Dunbar Homes. The properties were offered to the County for sale, which initially rejected the offers. In response, Black residents founded two cooperatives to purchase the former wartime housing - the Paul Lawrence Dunbar and George Washing Carver Mutual Associations.

The cooperatives’ bids were accepted, and the groups became the first two Black-owned cooperatives in the United States. The cooperatives sought to keep affordable housing options open, as other property developers could have excluded Black residents. Restrictive covenants and other segregated housing laws made purchasing homes and property exceedingly difficult for Black Arlingtonians, along with a general lack of available affordable housing.

Unfortunately, this housing victory came at the expense of the Holmes Branch. In July 1949, in a letter to County Manager A.T. Lundberg, the general housing manager of the Carver Homes reported that the library building was to be demolished to make room for further development.

08-12-1949-NVS

Article from the Northern Virginia Sun on August 12, 1949, detailing the sale of the Carver Homes. Image courtesy of Virginia Chronicle.

In response, the Holmes Library Association reactivated in an attempt to save the branch. Mildred Blattner, who had corresponded with the housing manager and the Association, had suggested that continuation of the branch would be possible if a suitable new location was found. The Association swiftly located a new site, near the John H. Langston School, of which the group wrote “we feel that a branch would meet with the enthusiastic response of people in the area.” However, this option never came to fruition.

The children’s book collections – amounting to about 2,000 books – of the Holmes Library were subsequently moved to the library at the Hoffman-Boston School, where they continued to be circulated as public library holdings until 1960. At this point, the 1,617 volumes were likely absorbed by the Hoffman-Boston library, which continued to operate until its final class graduated in 1964.

In library reports, the only staff member listed for Hoffman-Boston was a “Custodian” whose name was not given and was referred to as a “Teacher at the School.” However, Hoffman-Boston in fact had a longtime school librarian whose name was Mildred Johnson.

The rest of the books from the Holmes collection were put into a storage shed behind the Clarendon Branch and used on occasion to replace copies or books or as duplicates if needed in the main library system.

Screen Shot 2022-02-15 at 2.28.27 PM

Mildred Johnson, librarian at the Hoffman-Boston School library,
from its 1962 yearbook.

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Members of the Library Club in the Hoffman-Boston Library, from the 1953 yearbook.

A Quiet Desegregation

In 1950, Arlington quietly reported that it had desegregated its libraries following the 1949 closure of the Holmes branch. The first mention of desegregation appears in the Library Department Annual Report for 1949-1950. Under the heading “Library Service for Colored Citizens,” it reported “In January 1950, lacking a branch library for the colored citizens, the County Manager approved the use of all branches by all residents of the County.” This was also listed as the date of desegregation in a 1964 report from the Community Council for Social Progress, and mention of library service for colored citizens does not appear in any subsequent annual reports, beyond mention of circulation statistics for the Hoffman-Boston library deposit station.

Annual report-1

Page from the 1949-1950 annual report that details the approval of “the use of all branches by all residents of the County” by the County Manager.

While Arlington’s libraries reported themselves as being open to all residents in 1950, the precise catalyst for desegregation is unclear. Beyond the pragmatic and economic implications of the branch’s closure, this decision may have also been influenced by a 1946 law passed within the Virginia Code, as Chapter 170 of the Laws of Assembly, requiring that libraries receiving state aid would serve all residents. Many library systems used this language to interpret separate but equal services permissible under this stipulation, as Arlington also had done within its system. Previously, the law surrounding libraries had stipulated that “The service of books in County library systems receiving state aid shall be free and given to all parts of the county, region, city or town.” This added specificity in the 1946 law may have prompted the library to integrate rather than continue to maintain separate facilities for Black residents.

The timeline of desegregation has also been historically misreported in library accounts. Research initiated by the Fairfax County Public Library's Virginia Room found that in a 1963 unpublished thesis titled "Integration in Public Library Service in Thirteen Southern States," written by Bernice Lloyd Bell, surveys were sent out to municipal branches across the South regarding desegregation progress. In its response, Arlington indicated that “the library has always been open to all races.” The survey respondent (who is unknown) also suggested that neither the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision nor economic factors influenced the decision to integrate.

Screen Shot 2022-02-15 at 11.42.54 PM

Survey results from Bernice Lloyd Bell’s unpublished 1963 thesis “Integration in Public Library Service in Thirteen Southern States.”

While the 1954 Brown vs. Board response aligns with the timeline of the 1950 decision, the statement that the libraries had “always” been open to all residents was not true. This response was directly contradictory to another survey completed in 1944-1945 by Mildred Blattner for a Virginia State Library report, in which she acknowledges that service to Black residents was only available at a designated branch, not in the main library. Additionally, an undated constitution from the Cherrydale Library Association, a section was amended to change its wording on membership from “Any white person living in the county who pays the annual dues may qualify as a member” to “Any person living in the county can become as a [sic] member.” This change may have reflected the 1950 County desegregation policy, and signals that the library had clearly not always served all residents.

Screen Shot 2022-02-15 at 10.29.33 PM

Cherrydale Library Association and Bylaws, no date. From RG 29.

An Unclear Reality of Desegregation

It is also unclear the degree to which desegregation became publicized, or how Black residents came to use the integrated facilities. No local newspapers reported the desegregation, and though the 1963 survey reported that it was generally known that Black residents could access the main library, there is no quantitative evidence of this.

In a 1986 interview with local civil rights activist Dorothy Hamm, who came to Arlington in 1950, she suggested that at this time the libraries were still unavailable to Black residents, either by law or by the de facto practices of segregation.

Narrator: Dorothy M. Hamm

Interviewer: Edmund Campbell and Cas Cocklin

Date: February 21, 1986

Edmund Campbell: Dorothy, let's look at the conditions you found in Arlington in 1950 as far as the relationship between the races is concerned. Were there legal restrictions that were repugnant to members of the Black race at that time?

Dorothy Hamm: Yes, there were. At that time, the schools were segregated. The libraries did not permit Blacks.

EC: You mean you could not come in and get a book in the library?

DH: No, we did not, the children could not. In fact, we could not.

EC: You're speaking of the public library?

DH: As far as I can recall, the Arlington County Libraries were. The children obtained their information from the school libraries.

EC: Was there any way adult Blacks could obtain books from the library?

DH: I do not believe it was [possible] after so many years I cannot really say.

Continued Inequality Across the County

Even once the libraries had been reported as desegregated, rampant inequalities across the County made access to resources still more difficult for Black residents. In a 1959 speech delivered by an unknown speaker to the local Community Council for Social Progress, it notes that:

“[Black Arlingtonian] children have attended Arl[ington’s] separate and unequal colored schools. Near them is a meagerly equipped playground too small for a ball diamond. They are excluded from nearby white parks and playgrounds where there are ball fields and tennis courts. No Arlington movie will admit them and no Arl[ington] restaurant will serve them. They may use the Arl[ington] public libraries on an unsegregated basis. As the result of an NAACP suit segregation on busses serving Arl[ington] ended about ten years ago.”

So while Arlington’s libraries were eventually open to Black residents, it was in a larger context of a deeply segregated system in which the white majority of the County sought to prevent Black people from accessing resources. As referenced in the above speech, Arlington's public school system did not desegregate until 1959, following an extended legal and bureaucratic battle. The County's parks and recreation system did not desegregate until 1962, when the Negro Recreation Section, which had been designated for Black residents, was absorbed into the main County department.

No records have been found reflecting circulation statistics of Black residents in the integrated system, or how new patrons used the facilities. None of the affiliated librarians or volunteers at the Holmes Branch were later listed as being hired by or on the staff of the main County branches.

Conclusion

While the story of Arlington’s library desegregation is at times murky, the story of the resilience and dedication of the Holmes Library Association is undeniable. Faced with a persistent and systemic denial of resources, this group created a haven for books, learning, and discussion for members of their community at a time when the County would not do so.

This article is based on primary source documents found in the Community Archives at the Center for Local History. Documents regarding the Holmes Library can be found in Record Group 29.

This article was also heavily influenced by research conducted by Fairfax County Public Libraries regarding the desegregation of libraries across Northern Virginia. For a more in-depth look at how other library systems desegregated in Northern Virginia, see this report prepared by Fairfax County Public Libraries – Unequal Access: The Desegregation of Public Libraries in Virginia. FCPL also created a detailed video presentation on the topic, which is available on YouTube: Unequal Access: The Desegregation of Public Libraries in Virginia.

This article was authored by Camryn Bell, who is part of the County's management intern training program and has assisted in the collections of the Center for Local History since 2019. 

We hope this article adds to the conversation about segregation in its many forms, and about the history of race in Arlington County more broadly.

And we want to know: How does this story relate to your story? Do you have memories about the Holmes Library, or about segregation in Arlington's library system? Use the form below to send a message to the Center for Local History.

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February 17, 2022 by Web Editor Filed Under: Center for Local History, Homepage, Throwback Thursday

Library News

September 25, 2023

Stream Author Talk With Art Spiegelman

Available until Oct. 21.

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September 22, 2023

Meescan: The Free Self-Checkout App Makes Borrowing Books Easier!

A new way to check out items.

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September 12, 2023

New September Releases

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September 7, 2023

Help Someone You Know Get a Library Card for Library Card Sign-up Month!

Help someone you know get a library card for Library Card Sign-up Month!

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August 25, 2023

Director’s Message: Libraries for All

They celebrate our collective and varied cultures.

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August 18, 2023

Parkington

Parkington was the largest shopping center on the East Coast and one of the first major shopping malls in the...

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August 3, 2023

New August Releases

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July 25, 2023

Alert: Heatwave Advisory Starting July 26.

Arlington County is forecasted to experience a heatwave starting tomorrow, July 26, with heat indices as high as 110 degrees....

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July 12, 2023

Director’s Message: Summer is a Time to Read for Fun. Seriously.

Let’s read, share, and then read some more.

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July 7, 2023

New July Releases

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July 6, 2023

Airport and A Movie

The “Airport Drive-In” operated from 1947-1963 just behind National Airport.

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June 23, 2023

Big Book Podcast: Johnny Got His Gun

S4, Ep.3: Going back to High School with Dalton Trumbo.

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June 21, 2023

Oral History: Anhthu Lu

Interview with Anthu Lu.

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June 13, 2023

Video: Author Talk with Mike Curato

Author of “Little Elliot” and “Flamer.”

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June 12, 2023

Limited Parking at Columbia Pike Library.

Starting June 20.

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June 9, 2023

Plane Crash at Bishop O’Connell High School

“A plane has just crashed on the football field…”

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June 8, 2023

Learn About Summer Reading 2023

Find Your Voice

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June 8, 2023

New June Releases

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June 2, 2023

Local Author Fair: Call for Entries

Saturday, Nov. 4 and Sunday, Nov 5, 2023

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May 31, 2023

Celebrate Pride with crafts, authors, films and more!

Uplifting LGBTQIA+ stories

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May 31, 2023

Log in and Manage Your Account in the App

If you install or update the Library App on a mobile device, you may see the JOIN OR LOGIN button...

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May 30, 2023

Explore Your Updated Library App!

The New Arlington Public Library App is Here Now available for iOS and Android devices, the updated Library App provides...

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May 30, 2023

Updated Library App Increases Access to Library Collections, Services, Events and More

Available in the Apple App and Google Play Stores.

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May 24, 2023

Union Army Balloon Corp

Learn how hot air balloon reconnaissance began in Arlington.

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May 18, 2023

New May Releases

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May 4, 2023

New Library App Arrives in May!

Available in May on Google Play and Apple App Store!

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May 1, 2023

Director’s Message: Reflections on the Human Library

A promise of increased understanding and mutual respect

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April 27, 2023

For National Library Week the Human Library Comes to Arlington Public Library on Sat., Apr. 29

A global initiative to increase understanding and empathy.

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April 26, 2023

Orville Wright Takes Flight at Ft. Myer

Orville Wright conducted flight tests for the Army at Ft. Myer in 1908 and 1909.

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April 26, 2023

Director’s Message for National Library Week

There’s more to our story.

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April 24, 2023

New: stream films and TV free with Kanopy!

Watch amazing titles from anywhere.

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April 14, 2023

Arlington Reads: Get Graphic

Two authors in one week!

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April 13, 2023

Our shelves are blooming with fresh new reads.

Place your holds now!

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April 4, 2023

Spring brings playspaces and tool lending!

Now open: Arlingtown playspaces and The Shed

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April 1, 2023

Library Qualifies for Regional Book Cart Racing Championships!

April 1 Breaking News

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March 29, 2023

Dawson House

The Dawson House is the only surviving stone structure in the county dating to the 18th or 19th century

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March 23, 2023

Fire Battalion Chief Judith Brewer

Arlington’s First Female Firefighter

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March 22, 2023

Exhibition: “Power in the Public” at Shirlington Library

The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Campbell.

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March 17, 2023

Exhibition: “Arlington Volunteers” at Central Library

Mac Cosgrove-Davies, April 1 – May 31.

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March 14, 2023

New March Releases

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March 7, 2023

Arlington Reads: Get Graphic

In 2023, Arlington Reads turned the page to the next thematic chapter: “Get Graphic.” The yearlong series featured a diverse...

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March 1, 2023

Big Book Podcast: Things Fall Apart

S4, Ep.2: Going back to High School with Chinua Achebe.

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February 28, 2023

Pelham Town

One of Arlington’s lesser known Black communities founded by the Pelham Family

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February 21, 2023

Learn Something New With O’Reilly

From our eCollection

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February 21, 2023

New February Releases

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February 15, 2023

Funeral Programs: A Genealogical Treasure

A newly digitized resource for historians and researchers.

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February 8, 2023

Download Your Next Great Read with Libby

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January 30, 2023

Amina Luqman-Dawson Wins Two Prestigious National Awards

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January 26, 2023

Digital Subscription of “The Economist” Discontinued

Starting February 1.

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January 24, 2023

Arlington’s Autorailer Experiment

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January 18, 2023

New January Releases

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January 17, 2023

Two Laser Cutters, Twice the Power

Reserve up to two hours per day!

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January 11, 2023

The Library Director’s 2022 Reading List.

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January 10, 2023

Westover Library Has Sunday Hours.

Westover Library began Sunday hours, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., on Jan. 15, 2023. Find more information on library hours...

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January 4, 2023

Big Book Podcast: Pride & Prejudice

S4, Ep.1: Going back to High School with Jane Austen.

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December 28, 2022

Great Books You Might Have Missed in 2022

Books that flew under the radar.

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December 28, 2022

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December 19, 2022

The USS Arlington

Arlington’s Naval Voyage Through the 20th Century.

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December 16, 2022

You Brought Holiday Joy to Arlington.

Thank You!

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December 13, 2022

Season’s Greetings From Arlington Public Library

Always free. Always open.

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December 9, 2022

Lustron Steel Homes in Arlington

A Slice of American Architectural History

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December 7, 2022

New December Releases

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December 6, 2022

Director’s Message

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November 22, 2022

Marking Arlington’s Border in Stone

Some of the country’s oldest federal monuments.

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November 22, 2022

Too Cool for Yule: #15

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November 21, 2022

Video: Authenticity in Native Literature and Film

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November 16, 2022

Read Outside the Lines

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November 14, 2022

New November Releases

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November 3, 2022

Video: History of the American Nazi Party in Arlington

With Local Author and Historian Charlie Clark.

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October 28, 2022

Arlington Reads Engages Arlington And Beyond

RSVP for Andrea Elliott on Nov. 17

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October 25, 2022

Join Us for a 4-Part Graphic Novel Workshop Series

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October 24, 2022

Attention History Buffs

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October 20, 2022

New October Releases

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October 17, 2022

2022 Fall Book Sale

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October 17, 2022

Big Book Podcast: Holmes Trio

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October 14, 2022

Trick? Or, Treat 🎃 Yourself At The Library

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October 10, 2022

Taking it Personally: National Coming Out Day

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October 7, 2022

Sing With Us, Have Fun And Learn About Fire Prevention

Join us for storytime!

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September 29, 2022

Accepting Holiday Gift Nook Donations

Deadline: Nov. 2

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September 21, 2022

Potomac Conservancy Receives 2022 Summer Reading Program Donation

Aiding local conservation efforts.

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September 15, 2022

Our New Fall Releases Are Here

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September 9, 2022

Celebrate the New Teleconnect Space at Columbia Pike Library With Us

Monday, September 19, 4:30-6 p.m.

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September 9, 2022

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library

September 15 – October 15

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September 7, 2022

Welcoming Week is September 9-18

All are Welcome!

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September 7, 2022

Stand Up for Books

Banned Books Week (September 18-24, 2022) promotes free and open access to ideas and information.

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September 6, 2022

New Teleconnect Space Available at Columbia Pike Library

Join us for a ribbon cutting on Monday, Sept. 19.

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August 31, 2022

Artistic Book Nooks Scavenger Hunt at Central Library

Tag us on Instagram @apl.theshop

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August 22, 2022

It’s not too late to register for Summer Reading

Sign up by Sept. 1.

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August 18, 2022

You’re Invited: Four Fall Author Events

Featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Marlon James and more!

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August 8, 2022

School Supply Drive to Support Local Refugee Children

Drop off supplies at Columbia Pike Library through Tuesday, Aug.16

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August 8, 2022

Big Book Podcast: Beowulf / The Mere Wife

Ep. 8: Revisting Beowulf with Maria Headley

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August 5, 2022

Back to School Events At The Library

Get ready for Kindergarten!

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August 3, 2022

New Books for August

New reads to round out your summer.

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August 1, 2022

Video: Melissa Márquez, Shark Scientist

Author of the “Wild Survival” Kids’ Adventure Series.

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July 28, 2022

Video: Celebrate Pride with Author Alex Myers

Author and transgender advocate Alex Myers on how to help communities become more gender inclusive.

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July 24, 2022

Read Over 3000 Magazines on Libby

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July 11, 2022

Introducing VOX Books for Kids

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July 9, 2022

Some Areas of Central Library Unavailable Due to Water Leak

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July 6, 2022

New Books for July

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July 1, 2022

Book List: Independence Day for Kids

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In the News: The Washington Post Visits the Library's Lit Up Team

Post Published: February 25, 2015

Writer Bettina Lanyi hangs out with the Library’s ambassadors to the 20- and 30-somethings of Arlington.

Lit Up Button inner glowFrom Feb. 25, 2015 Washington Post: “Arlington Library’s Lit Up Programs Appeal to 20- and 30-Somethings”

February 25, 2015 by Web Editor Filed Under: Arlington Public Library in the News, News

Kids Create Cover Art at Central Library

Post Published: February 28, 2013

Painting and Perspective

As part of our celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Caldecott Medal, we invited artist Melanie Kehoss to visit Central Library’s after school Kids Club on Wednesday, February 20.

Kids Club painting

Inspired by previous Caldecott winner Flotsam by David Wiesner, the kids played with perspective, making small things huge and big things tiny  to design their own picture book covers. Then, using watercolors and black and white crayons, they made their creations come to life.

Check out their beautiful work!

 

Melanie Kehoss is an art instructor with Arlington Arts Center and has work featured in AAC’s INTERWOVEN. Art.Craft.Design., on exhibit January 18 – March 24, 2013.

 

Find more Kids Events, recommended books, reading tips, and more on our Kids Page.

 

 

 

February 28, 2013 by Web Editor Filed Under: News

Balancing Work, Family and Art: Library Staff are Just Like Us!

Post Published: October 17, 2011

Despite ever-advancing technology, the Library is still run by real human beings. And while some of those human beings do use advanced technology on behalf of the Library, they do other things after they punch out for the night.

Check out the story of Alex, one Arlington Public Library staff member who has followed an unexpected but joyful path, while balancing her love of art, family and your public library. 

We’re thankful to AVN for deciding to include this story as part of their 26sq series, on people in Arlington County.

October 17, 2011 by Web Editor Filed Under: News Archive

A Library Legend Checking Out

Post Published: July 25, 2011

Today marks the start of Maureen Karl Appreciation Week.

You may not know Maureen, our soon-to- be-retired Materials and Technology Division chief, but her effect on Arlington Public Library is everywhere. A person who has never sought the limelight deserves now to be celebrated for a record of accomplishment that has helped make Arlington Public Library the premier system it is.

So just who is Maureen Karl? The facts tell us something. Maureen arrived at APL in 1999 from by way of a small law firm in Washington D.C. following stints at Canton Public Library and Kent State in Ohio.

Her strengths in cataloging and technical services (including overseeing the implementation of large scale projects like online library catalogs) brought her to Arlington.Yet once here, she added responsibility for collections development to the aforementioned and here is where she truly shone brightest–advocating for the collection, watching closely the national trends in publishing and library circulation, pushing us to explore new media (such as downloadables) to meet patrons’ needs.

And she found time and energy to be the Library’s principal liaison with the Friends of the Arlington Public Library, helping them achieve their goal of the $1 million endowment initiated by my predecessor, Ann Friedman. The endowment will forever be the gift that keeps on giving, a legacy of Ann Friedman’s prescience and Maureen’s commitment to the residents of Arlington and the users of its libraries.
Still can’t place her? Maureen’s a doting grandmother, a deft writer, a champion of core library services, a patient mentor, a trusted colleague, an all-weather friend. She remembers birthdays and is good for a cake from Randolph’s. She hosted the most elegant staff holiday luncheons. She’s the one who sends the cards, remembers the welcome gift, brings the flowers and leaves a place better than when she arrived.

Is there anything else you should know? Her colleagues describe her variously as gracious and generous; smart and sensible. The linchpin, the glue, a roll-up-her-sleever, a consummate professional. And tall. All in all, a class act in spite of a predilection (which I share, in part) for some sketchy confections like Necco wafers, Valentine Conversation Hearts and candy corn.

The mark of a true talent is to make it look easy. And Maureen did. She made a lot happen, and shouldered a lot of responsibility in her own quiet way and with good cheer, doubtless buoyed by the many aphorisms handed down from her mother that surfaced in our conversations through the years. Sayings like “Can’t never did anything; try did it all.” And “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” The kinds of things people don’t say anymore but that are powerful in their understated effect. Like Maureen.


So, now that you know Maureen as we have come to know her, she must bid us “so long.” Off to reclaim her roots in Pittsburgh, home of Isaly’s Original Chipped Chopped Ham, Iron City Beer and the Klondike Bar. We will miss her–and we know you will, too.

And we’re glad you finally got to know her.

July 25, 2011 by Web Editor Filed Under: News Archive

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