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When You See a Problem, Do You Turn it into an Opportunity?

The year is 1954.

Margarite sees that Black families are denied fair housing because of segregation, so she starts a successful real estate company that will serve everyone.

The White House recognizes her as an entrepreneurial pioneer.

Build a multimillion-dollar firm: That’s Women’s Work.

Read Margarite Syphax’s Story

Two years in the making, Arlington Public Library's Women's Work exhibit presents the stories of women trailblazers and their far-reaching impact on politics, education, business, social activism and public libraries.

The curated digital collection contains stories, photographs, letters and memorabilia and spotlights both individuals and groups of Arlington women who dedicated their work to improve the lives of others.

Because there are always more layers of history to find and examine, the Center for Local History continually seeks community donations and oral histories. Contact us at 703-228-5966 or by email.

Everyone Has a Story: Short Story Writing Contest

Summer Reading 2019

Submission Dates: June 15 - August 18

Everyone has a story, and we want to read yours!

Colorful pencil dissolves into letters

Adults age 18 and up are invited to submit a work of short fiction for consideration in Arlington Public Library’s short story writing contest.

Entries will be judged by a committee of Arlington Public Library staff.

Prizes:

Prizes will be awarded for the top three entries, and the winning stories will be published on the Library website.

  • First place: $200 Visa Gift Card
  • Second place: $100 Visa Gift Card
  • Third place: $50 Visa Gift Card

Rules and Submission Guidelines:

  • Participants must be at least 18 years of age and eligible for an Arlington Public Library card.
  • All entries must be submitted online using the Library submission form.
  • Submissions must be received between June 15 and August 18, 2019.
  • Stories must be 2,500 words or less.
  • Only one story may be submitted per writer.
  • The submitted document should include a title page containing:
    • Story title
    • Author’s name
    • Address
    • Phone number
    • Email address
  • All stories must be original and previously unpublished.
  • Story content should be appropriate for a wide audience.

Entries that do not meet the above guidelines will be disqualified from judging.

In addition, winning entrants agree to have their story published on the Arlington Public Library website.

Submissions Open June 15 - August 18

Short story contest

Everyone Has a Story Short Story Writing Contest June 1 – August 1, 2019 Everyone has a story, and we want to read yours! Adults age 18 and up are invited to submit a work of short fiction for consideration in Arlington Public Library’s short story writing contest. Prizes will be awarded for the top three entries, and the winning stories will be published on the Library website.

What Would You Give Up Your Freedom For?

The year is 1917.

33-year old Gertrude becomes a 3-time political prisoner for the right to vote.

Through her participation in the national suffrage movement, over 83 million women are registered to vote in the United States.

Go to jail for the vote: That’s Women’s Work.

Read Gertrude Crocker's Story

Two years in the making, Arlington Public Library's Women's Work exhibit presents the stories of women trailblazers and their far-reaching impact on politics, education, business, social activism and public libraries.

The curated digital collection contains stories, photographs, letters and memorabilia and spotlights both individuals and groups of Arlington women who dedicated their work to improve the lives of others.

Because there are always more layers of history to find and examine, the Center for Local History continually seeks community donations and oral histories. Contact us at 703-228-5966 or by email.

Library Catalog Alert

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We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience.

 

 

Swing for the Fences with Summer Reading

Join the Arlington Public Library’s 2019 Summer Reading Challenge in partnership with the Washington Nationals. Attend fun events and read your way to cool prizes, including tickets to a Nationals game!

How Summer Reading Works

Important Dates

3 Ways to Participate

Choose one of these options to track your reading:

  • Printer Reading Log
  • Library App
  • Online Beanstack website

Learn more on the Library website.

On This Day in LGBTQIA+ History

Pride Month is celebrated each year in June, to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on our history - locally, nationally, and internationally. 

Learn more from the Library of Congress.

June 1

On this day in 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world (after the Netherlands) to legalize gay marriage. In the Belgian House of Representatives, the bill prevailed in a 91-22 vote with nine abstentions. The bill passed in January 2003 and took effect on June 1.

two men holding hands in front of the belgian flag

Read a significant milestone for each day in June on our On This Day in LGBTQIA+ History page of the Library website.

Progress is not always simple, and often the same battles must be revisited again and again. In 2019, ongoing legal cases continue to inform evolving equal rights legislation that currently affect the LGBTQIA+ community. In reflection of this month's celebration, we remember how far we've come in the 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, confident that we will keep moving forward.

A note about LGBTQIA+ These letters stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual. The + sign in this context recognizes that our understanding of labels and vocabulary is personal, and continues to evolve.

On the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall

Vital Signs 2019

Several years ago, I was invited to mount a photo exhibit in Zagreb, Croatia. “Vital Signs” was a collection of photographs that chronicled several years in the LGBTQ Movement in the United States.

The show’s narrative arc began with images of quilts from the AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed on the National Mall in Washington, DC during July 2012, and ended with images of New York City’s Pride Parade of 2013, the victory “lap” following the U.S. Supreme Court’s findings on June 26 that both California’s Proposition 8 and Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were unconstitutional.

The final image in the show was of a plaque commemorating the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York City frequented by gays, which was the site of riots following a raid there by police the night of June 28, 1969. After Stonewall, the gay rights movement came “out of the closet and into the streets” and into the public consciousness where it has remained since. The first Pride Parade was held in New York City on Sunday, June 28, 1970, one year after the riot.

This year, Arlington County celebrates “50 Years Forward: from riots to rights” and cities across the country, in red states and in blue states, from San Francisco to Omaha and New York to Sioux Falls, will host Pride events to honor the achievements and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. Arlington County’s Pride Month Proclamation Ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 6 at noon in the County Board Room.

Each June, Arlington Public Library (APL) celebrates Pride, to honor LGBTQ+ Americans and their allies who have fought for and continue to fight for the right to be treated fairly, to be granted equal protection under the law and afforded the inalienable right to be happy. Gay rights are human rights, and libraries have a unique role in supporting the LGBTQI+ community: through our safe spaces where we foster inclusion, our collections which reflect diverse points of view, and our programs that educate and celebrate the differences among us that make Arlington a thriving community.

Two years ago, we signaled our embrace of inclusion with the addition of rainbow welcome signs posted on the entrances to each of our building locations. Last year we flew the pride flag at Central Library and displayed a Pride flag in each of our locations.

Throughout the month, we will be offering a range of Pride events throughout the library system.

And in keeping with our mission to educate, we have created a 2019 Pride booklist.

June is officially recognized as Pride month. Truthfully… every day is Pride month at APL.

For we are always:
Open to accepting others for who they are
Open to embracing diverse points of view
Open to protecting and nurturing those who are most vulnerable
Open to fulfilling hopes and dreams
Open to making Arlington the best it can be.

Our commitment to you.
Happy Pride
Diane

Scrawled DK signature

Preschool Storytime Break: June 1 – 22

We're Getting Ready for Summer Reading!

Pat and Kate book talking at Tuckahoe

Librarians Pat and Kate talk to students at Tuckahoe Elementary about Summer Reading and great books to read this summer.

For the next month, children's librarians are extra busy visiting all 22 Arlington elementary schools to talk about great new books, promote the value and fun of reading during the summer, and get kids excited about Summer Reading!

Need a good story to share with your child?

Summer Storytimes start Sunday, June 23.

 

Arlington Farms

By 1941, the last of the property where the USDA's Experimental Farm had been located (at the northeast tip of Arlington) was transferred to the War Department for use in the National Defense Program.

Arlington Farms recreation hall where Saturday night dances were held.  c. 1944.

The Palais Royal—Arlington Farms’ department store and beauty shop.  c. 1944.

A view of Arlington Farms from Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C. is visible in the background. c. 1944.

In 1943, the United States Government transformed that land into war residences for female civil servants and service members during World War II. Six of the ten dorms were reserved for civilians and government employees, while the remaining four were for military servicewomen.

Most of the women living at Arlington Farms worked at the Pentagon, the Navy Annex, or Arlington Hall Station, the headquarters of the Army’s Signal Intelligence Service. During World War II, women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers—accounting for approximately 40% of the workforce between 1940 and 1945.

Arlington Farms was nicknamed “Girl Town” and was a popular spot for soldiers and sailors stationed at nearby bases. In addition to the department store, beauty shop and recreation hall picture in the photographs above, Arlington Farms also had a chapel, a post office, and a cafeteria.

The complex’s buildings were demolished in the 1960s and today Arlington National Cemetery occupies the land.

To see more items like these, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? 

Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.

Center For Local History - Blog Post Message Form

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.

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