Join us all day for equipment demonstrations, speakers, and workshops for all ages.
Schedule:
Learn more on the Library calendar
We've redesigned our library card to match our updated logo and tagline, "Everyone Has A Story."
Stop in at any Arlington Public Library location to view our new library cards. You can exchange your current library card for one of the new designs at anytime!
Getting a new library card also means getting a new number barcode, or library card number. Therefore:
Mini-golf attracted visitors from across the region to Arlington for over 50 years.
In 1930, Robert P. Balinger opened a miniature golf course on Wilson Blvd. in Ballston. 30 years later, it was replaced by the 36-hole course pictured above.
When Putt-Putt Golf Courses closed for good in 1989, making way for Ballston’s rapid high-rise development, many mourned its loss as a fun, multi-generational activity and hoped it would relocate elsewhere in Arlington.
Unfortunately, the Putt-Putt Golf Courses never found a new home in Arlington, but its memory lives on. Now Arlington putt-putt lovers can sometimes find pop-up mini golf courses like the one in Rosslyn this summer.
Looking for an extra glimpse of Arlington history? In the background of the first image, you can catch a glimpse of Bob Peck Chevrolet, an iconic Arlington landmark from 1964-2008.
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.
On exhibit at the Shirlington Branch Library, July 1 - September 1, 2019.
Artist statement:
Nature—in the broadest sense—is the driving force behind this body of work. Part impulse and part calculation, each painting slowly evolves. At inception, I typically have an image at hand, but this is merely a place to start. The canvas quickly fills with patches of color, shapes, and distinctly textured areas. Then, the contemplation and editing begins. Lines form; marks disappear; pigments mix and change. Layering is where I discover those compositions that my imagination could never conjure up on its own—that is, without paint. As I account for balance and strive to create an engaging rhythm, there is often a sense of struggle, but eventually I am faced with a finished surface.
About the artist:
Rhys Conlon majored in fine art and creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and later earned an MA in art history at Hunter College, City University of New York. In addition to working as an artist, she has held positions at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Today, she serves as head of publications at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Rhys is an active member of the Columbia Pike Artist Studios in Arlington, Virginia.
Want to buy something you see on our walls?
Artists contribute 20% of sales made during their exhibit to the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, to help support Library programming.
The Library will create a pop-up space within Ballston Quarter for one month this summer, providing the community an innovative, non-traditional place in which to interact with the Arlington Public Library.
“Pop-ups allow libraries to innovate and engage with new users. We can experiment with different service models and add value to retail markets,” said Library Director Diane Kresh. “It’s a great partnership with Ballston BID and Ballston Quarter and our aim is to continue bringing innovative services to Arlington.”
Monday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The pop-up is in two adjoining spaces on the first floor of Ballston Quarter.
In the first space you can:
Charging station!
In the second space you can experience Alterspace, a immersive experience created by Harvard University's Library Innovation Lab, which gives visitors control over light, color, sound, and space. Pop through the curtains and use the app to create your ideal environment for meditating, reading, collaborating, playing - whatever brings you to the Library!
The Ballston Quarter Pop-up Library is made possible in partnership with Ballston Quarter and Ballston BID.
The year is 1967.
Phoebe sees that her high school students are disconnected from the natural world. So she founds The Outdoor Lab in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Now generations of urban Arlington students can study animals and plants in their natural ecosystems.
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.
Longtime Arlington resident Birdie Alston recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
Mr. Alston’s life has been marked by a commitment to community service, civil rights, and a love of photography and gardening.
Born in June 1919, Mr. Alston grew up in South Carolina. He came to Arlington as a young man in 1944, first settling in South Arlington and then moving to the Hall’s Hill/High View Park neighborhood with his wife, Mable Shirley Alston in 1947. He worked first as a short order cook and then at Olmstead Oldsmobile for forty years.
After the end of World War II, Mr. Alston became involved with civic and civil rights movements, as a member of the Langston Civic Association (and President of the organization in the 1960’s) and the NAACP of Arlington and Fairfax Counties. He was instrumental in growing the memberships of both groups and working alongside other well-known Arlingtonians such as Dorothy Hamm and Barbara Marx. In addition to these activities, Mr. Alston was on the Board of Directors at the Veteran’s YMCA and helped to found the North Arlington Child Care Centers, Inc.
Mr. Alston was also involved with the Neighborhood Conservation Plan, established in 1964 as a way for communities within Arlington to meet as neighbors and discuss ideas about improving their own neighborhoods. As an avid gardener, Mr. Alston was instrumental to the sustained improvement of the Hall’s Hill/High View Park neighborhood. Mr. Alston further supported the mission of the Neighborhood Conservation Plan by petitioning and working with the Arlington County Board for street improvements throughout High View Park. He has also been a longtime member of Calloway United Methodist Church.
As an enthusiastic photographer, he took pictures of family, friends, and everyday life in Arlington throughout the 1950’s, ‘60’s, and beyond, and was involved with local black heritage events such as Nauck Pride Day and Feel the Heritage Festival.
In an oral history conducted in 1991 with Mr. Alston, he remarked: “…I was just an average citizen in the community. I didn't wear no fancy clothes…I was a working man, I went to work.”
We think that Mr. Birdie Alston’s life and commitment to community involvement have been anything but average or ordinary and wish him a happy 100th birthday.
The Personal Papers of Birdie and Mable Alston (RG 338) were donated to the Center for Local History in October 2017. This collection includes photographs, physical objects, and materials from Mr. Alston’s involvement with various civil rights and community activities throughout the mid to late 20th century.
For more information, and to see items from the collection, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor at Central Library.
As of July 1, 2019, the Library will automatically renew eligible materials checked out to library cardholders.
Renewal limits for eligible items have also increased to three (3) renewals.
All patrons are automatically enrolled; there is no need to sign up for this new service.
How do Automatic Renewals work?
Items may not Auto-Renew if:
If items on your account cannot be renewed, you will receive a courtesy notice with due dates before those items are due.
The year is 1973.
Ellen is elected to the County Board.
She leads the transformation of a Metro corridor surrounded by parks, apartments, shopping and restaurants, where the community can flourish.
Lead this town: That's Women's Work.
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.
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.
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.
