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New: stream films and TV free with Kanopy!

Just added: Kanopy offers streaming films and TV with a free, constantly updated library!

Using your Arlington Public Library card, you can now access Kanopy—a new-to-Arlington streaming service offering an extensive collection of narrative and documentary films, TV series, kids content and digital courses.

Getting started

Step 1. Sign up for a Kanopy account using your library card number, accessible on your physical cards or your account profile in the Arlington Library website or app.

Step 2. Find and download the Kanopy app for your television or mobile devices. Streaming in a web browser does not require an app.

Step 3. Explore the Kanopy library, select your film or series  and start streaming!

Play credits and viewing periods

Every library card is granted 10 play credits each month, which are redeemed when viewing a film or episode. Many offerings on Kanopy have a 48 or 72 hour viewing period, and patrons can watch their selection as many times as desired during this time without using another credit.

Kanopy Kids content does not deplete play credits, and content from The Great Courses learning catalog may be viewed at a rate of 2 courses per month with a 30-day viewing period for each.

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Big Book Podcast: Things Fall Apart

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

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.

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Learn Something New With O’Reilly

Enjoy  24/7 free access to every O’Reilly animal book ever published (including exclusive early releases), plus content from nearly 200 top technology and business publishers.

Access over 60,000 eBooks and 30,000 hours of training videos on technology, programming and business.

Features include:

  • O’Reilly Answers – search across the thousands of O’Reilly eBooks to find answers to your tech problems.
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  • Learning Paths – focus on in-demand areas for IT and business from publishers like Cisco, O´Reilly, Packt, Pearson and Prentice Hall.
  • Case Studies – find solutions to the problems you are trying to solve by reading about success stories and lessons learned from companies you are familiar with.
O’Reilly

Funeral Programs: A Genealogical Treasure

Newly Digitized Resource for Historians and Researchers

The Center for Local History’s online collection now includes over 100 documents from funerals of Black community members, donated by Arlington residents Birdie and Mable Alston. These materials will be an important resource for historians and genealogical researchers.

FUNERAL PROGRAMS FROM THE BIRDIE AND MABLE ALSTON COLLECTION

Using Funeral Programs

For African-Americans doing genealogical research, information such as exact dates of birth and death, past residences, place of burial, and maiden names are often difficult to find in the South due to slavery and segregation laws.

According to the Georgia Public Library Service, “The records of many in these communities were often either destroyed, kept in private hands, or never created in the first place.”

These gaps in information can often be found in funeral programs. They may often give valuable personal information about the deceased’s life including hobbies, friends, relatives, and community involvement.

Funeral Program for Evelyn Syphax, 2000, CLH Collections

Obituaries can also give context to a person’s life beyond genealogical information and provide insight to researchers that might not be available elsewhere.

In addition, large groups of obituaries give a broader view of a community's makeup and show larger local historical trends.

Funeral Program for Dr. Nathaniel R. Richardson, 1966, CLH Collections

Funeral Program for Mrs. Viola P. Chase, 1968, CLH Collections

Funeral Program for Lillian Brooks Williams, 1973, CLH Collections

Birdie and Mable Alston

Birdie (1919-2020) and Mable (née Shirley) Alston (1920-2017) were married neighborhood activists and prominent community members in the Halls Hill/Highview Park area. The Alston’s came to Arlington in 1944 and settled in Halls Hill in 1947. Both were heavily involved with the Langston Civic Association and the NAACP.

CLH Staff recently finished digitizing Series 1: Funeral Programs of RG338, Birdie and Mable Alston Collection. This includes over 100 programs from funerals of the area’s Black community members spanning from 1961-2011. Each program contains information about the deceased’s life and family, with many including photographs.

Funeral Program for Clifton Randolph Brown, 1993, CLH Collections

Obituary for Clifton Randolph Brown, 1993, CLH Collections

About the Birdie and Mable Alston Collection

Upon Birdie Alston’s death in 2017, his estate donated much of his personal files, photographs, and other materials to the Center for Local History. The materials relate to the various community organizations that the Alston’s were involved with, such as the NAACP, Langston Civic Association, Halls Hill (High View Park) Neighborhood Preservation Plan, and Calloway United Methodist Church. The material dates from 1905-2019, making it an important resource for documenting the changes in Arlington’s Black community.

Related Collections in the CLH

For other collections of active Black citizens in Arlington, see RG 11, Papers of Edmond C. Fleet, and see RG 349, Dorothy Hamm Personal Papers. There are also several oral history interviews detailing life in the Halls Hill/Highview Park neighborhood, including one from Birdie Alston in 1991. RG 48, Records of the NAACP, Arlington Branch, has more detail on this group where the Alston’s were members.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Download Your Next Great Read with Libby

Never be without something to read or listen to again! With the Libby app from OverDrive, you can put the Library in your pocket.

Libby gives you access to thousands of popular eBooks, Digital Magazines and audiobooks for kids, teens, and adults - read or listen from your tablet or phone.

  • Borrow up to 20 eAudiobook / eBook titles at one time.
  • Place holds on up to 20 eAudiobook / eBook titles at one time.
  • Borrow up to 20 Digital Magazines at one time.
Libby

Big Book Podcast: Pride & Prejudice

Back to High School with Jane Austen

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. 

Season 4, Ep.1: "Pride & Prejudice"

For season four we're going back to school with books we read - or didn't read - in high school. We started with "Pride & Prejudice," by Jane Austen. Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, read the text first and come back later.

Episode Links

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

Great Books You Might Have Missed in 2022

Looking for a Great Book? We're Here to Help!

2022 saw many new exciting books being published. Colleen Hoover’s books have been everywhere, as well as great memoirs by stars like Jeanette McCurdy and Matthew Perry – even one by Michelle Obama!

With so much information around us it’s easy to miss a new release. We have put together a curated list from our 2022 catalog of gems we believe should be on everybody’s reading list. All of these books received rave reviews, but flew beneath Arlington’s radar.

These books are sorted into five subcategories: fiction, nonfiction, teen, elementary/middle grade, and picture books/early readers. And much like browsing the library’s shelves in person, you're sure to find something unexpected and delightful here!

To see which books Arlington readers checked out the most this year, click here.

Browse Full Lists in the Library Catalog

Complete List
Fiction List
Nonfiction List
Picture Books / Early Readers List
Elementary / Middle Grade List
Teen List

Arlington’s Top 25 Reads in 2022

Composite of 8 book covers with the top Arlington reads of 2022.

Are you curious what books our Arlington readers checked out the most this year?

It’s no secret that Arlington is a community of readers. Here is a breakdown of combined adult eBook, eAudiobooks and print checkouts that made the top 25 list this year.

In 2022, we saw six titles rising above the 2,000-checkout mark starting with “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr; “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid; "The Paris Apartment" by Lucy Foley; "Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid; “The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave; and our most in-demand title, "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles.

Arlington loves books by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emily Henry and both adults and teens can’t get enough of Sarah J. Maas.

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins made our young adult readers #1 spot for the most checked-out book in 2022 and our young readers continued to get mesmerized by J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

As we look forward to many new, wonderful releases in 2023, from big titles like Prince Harry’s “Spare” to exciting debuts like “Moonlight Over New Jessup” by Jamila Minnicks, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve you — with our exciting book services, programs and diverse collections.

Curious which releases you might have missed this year? We have put together a curated list from our 2022 catalog of gems we believe should be on everybody’s reading list.

Always free. Always open. Always books!

Books You Might Have Missed

Adult Top 2022 Circulated Titles (eBook, eAudiobooks, print)

  1. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
  2. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  4. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
  5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  6. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
  7. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
  8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
  9. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
  10. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  11. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
  12. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
  13. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  14. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  15. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  16. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
  17. The Maid by Nita Prose
  18. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
  19. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  20. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
  21. Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
  22. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  23. Verity by Colleen Hoover
  24. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
  25. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Young Adult, ages 11-18, Top 2022 Circulated Titles (all formats)

  1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
  2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
  3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Children, ages 2-10, Top 2022 Circulated Titles (all formats) 

  1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
  2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
  3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
  4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
  5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

 

Big Book Podcast: Holmes Trio

Revisting Sherlock Holmes with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Sherry Thomas

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, read the books first and come back later.

Ep.9: "Holmes Trio"

For this episode we read both Maria Headley’s translation of the Old English epic poem "Beowulf" and “The Mere Wife,” Headley's 2015 retelling of Beowulf, which is set in present-day New York.

Share your thoughts about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our Facebook group, or 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.

Episode Links

We're Reading

Big Book Podcast: Beowulf / The Mere Wife

Revisting Beowulf with Maria Headley

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, read the books first and come back later.

Ep.8: "Beowulf & The Mere Wife"

For this episode we read both Maria Headley’s translation of the Old English epic poem "Beowulf" and “The Mere Wife,” Headley's 2015 retelling of Beowulf, which is set in present-day New York.

Share your thoughts about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our Facebook group, or 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.

Episode Links

We're Reading

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