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Arlington Public Library

Director's Blog

A Change is Gonna Come: A Playlist for Black Lives Matter

From the Library Director

Sign photographed on the wall surrounding the White House at Black Lives Matter Plaza.

When I was attending Arlington Public Schools in the 1960s and early 1970s (Yorktown High School Class of 1972), I didn’t learn about Juneteenth, the date commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. I didn’t learn about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, either. And the study of literature by African-American authors had only just begun with works like “Blues for Mister Charlie” by James Baldwin.

As Director of Arlington Public Library, I have an opportunity each day to ensure dates in our history like those cited above are recognized and understood through our collections and programs and through modeling the Library’s values of acceptance and inclusion.

From time to time, we have created music playlists to capture a moment. Many of you are familiar with my annual holiday playlist. When the pandemic hit, we created “Dancing with Myself: Playlist for a Pandemic.”

Now, with conversations about race front and center across the nation, we turn again to music.

Music heals, music unites, and music can change minds.

Black Lives Matter Plaza, June 7.

Protesters gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, June 6.

The late great First Lady of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who knew something about music, once said, “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It's transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it's encouraging, it's strengthening.”

So with those words in mind ... press play and play it loud and proud.

Open playlist in Spotify

Diane K.

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Happy Pride…

We Have Work To Do

Happy Pride. Or not really.

In one of those simple twists of fate, we celebrate the start of Pride Month as the nation-wide, largely peaceful assemblies against racial inequity enter their third week, in the midst of a global pandemic that has already claimed more than 400,000 lives, including more than 100 in Arlington.

And as if that were not enough, the forcible removal of a Pride flag from the DHS building at Sequoia last week by a visitor to that building is a reminder that we have work to do — as individuals, as a community, and as a nation — to promote and visibly demonstrate understanding and acceptance.

During my tenure as Library Director, I have been accused of promoting the “gay agenda” and “deviant sex” when our buildings have flown the Pride flag. We have been threatened with the destruction of Library property. And, perhaps saddest of all, we have discovered the defacing of library books - books acquired to explain to our young people that there are many kinds of families, and there is not one right way to love another person.

Being gay is not “a thing” to be derided and disrespected, any more than being black or brown or Muslim or female is a thing. It is who we are: as we are also parents, sports figures, artists, educators, law enforcement, elected leaders, citizens. Each of us has and will continue to make important contributions to our communities and to our nation. And we deserve to do so openly and without fear.

That is my wish for this month and every month.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Public Libraries Stand For Liberty, Tolerance And Acceptance

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I have spent the last several days feeling conflicted: alternately saddened and outraged by the death of George Floyd. Buoyed by the peaceful demonstrations that ensued in the wake of his cruel death and frustrated by the acts of violence. Our country is torn and this current state is, sadly, not a new experience. As someone who was living in Arlington in 1968 and witnessed the burning of our nation’s capital, I can say, with regret, I’ve seen this movie, too.

Now what?

  • It is not enough to share a social media post describing racial injustice or to add an emoji.
  • It is not enough to wait for others to decide what to do to address structural racism.
  • It is not enough to remain silent because conversations about race in America are difficult.

It is enough to look within ourselves and take an action —any action — that says to oneself and others: the disparate treatment of black people, brown people, other people, must not stand.

Today, the public library inhabits a unique role in American society. It stands for liberty, tolerance and acceptance.

It says believe what you will and your beliefs will not be judged. It says come as you are and you will be embraced as you are. And it says that if you are comfortable and secure or in need and uncertain, the library will be your refuge. A pretty tall order but one we signed onto when we entered this field — in my case, more than 40 years ago this week.

In this unprecedented time of crisis and chaos, we have a rare opportunity to revisit and reaffirm both our library and our personal values, beliefs and commitments to everyone in our community, especially those whom neither history nor prosperity has favored.

If not now, when? If not us, who?

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

Changes Ahead: A Message from the Library Director

Dear Friends,

For the past few weeks, staff of Arlington Public Library have been preparing for reopening. We have missed being at the Library and know you have, too.

As we move forward, all of us remain committed to our mission and to the health and safety of our library patrons, staff and volunteers. We will strive to bring you the best Library service possible, while limiting physical access.

Changes to our service are on the way:

  1. Holds - Starting mid-June, Arlington Public Library will offer a walk-in/walk-out service for hold pickups and book bundles in the auditorium at Central Library. Operating hours for the holds pickup service are being decided and we will communicate details as we have them. Computers, self-check stations, and meeting rooms will not be available for use. All branch locations will remain closed at this time; starting in mid-June returns will also be accepted via book drop at all branches.
  2. Masks - In accordance with Governor Ralph S. Northam's Executive Order Number 63, both patrons and staff are required to wear masks and observe social distancing at all times when in a library building.
  3. Account System - We are upgrading the Library’s account system. This change has been long-planned and will enable us to serve you more effectively.
  4. Summer Reading - The Library’s annual Summer Reading Challenge will start June 1, and this year we’re going digital. Stay tuned for more details next week.
  5. Arlington READS - Continues virtually: In June, we will host a conversation with Brooke Gladstone, journalist, author, media analyst, and co-host and managing editor of the WNYC radio program “On the Media.” And in October, we are thrilled to present Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Colson Whitehead (“The Underground Railroad”and “The Nickel Boys”). Stay tuned for details; both programs promise to be lively and engaging.

We recognize there is no replacement for an in-person, full-service library experience. Over the years, the staff and I have been honored to serve the community of Arlington and have always tried to strike a balance between the high tech of our digital content and the high touch of our popular story times and author events. We cherish the relationships we have developed with each one of you and look forward to better times. Please know that we are thinking of all of you and that together, we will get through this.

We ask that you check our website and social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

We are living in unprecedented times. Please send materials documenting your experience to the COVID-19 Archives Project and help tell Arlington's story of the pandemic.

And we urge you to contribute to “Quaranzine,” our weekly Zine of poetry, photography, prose and drawings. We have been inspired by the creativity and artistry expressed in each issue.

Stay well and hopeful, we are here for you.

Signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh

Director, Arlington Public Library

 

Please Note: a previous version of this post incorrectly advertised the Colson Whitehead event for July; the event will be held in October. We regret the error.

Serving Arlington During the COVID-19 Pandemic

National Library Week: April 19-25, 2020

Three months ago, we could not have guessed at the nationwide changes now affecting the way we live and work.

Today, the long-term effects of this global pandemic on our community can only be imagined. Libraries, parks and schools are closed, restaurants have shut down and many of us are stuck at home or caring for loved ones.

Yet this crisis has also shown our strength. Arlington residents, community organizations, and County departments have joined forces in an outpouring of love, care and dedication to tackle the issues that result from these challenging times.

At Arlington Public Library, our dedicated staff are no different.

This week we join libraries around the country for National Library Week, to celebrate the many ways in which libraries and librarians strengthen our communities — with commitment, heart, and goodwill.

Here are just a few of the many ways in which Library staff are responding to Arlington’s evolving needs:

While we all our facing a “new normal” our hope is that all our collaborative efforts will make life a little easier.

Stay safe, stay well, and stay hopeful.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Introducing Quaranzine

When the Going gets Tough, the Tough get Arty...

On Monday, April 3, 2006, I began working for Arlington County as Director of Libraries. The difference between that day and this one could not be more stark. Back then, I had just retired from the Library of Congress and was looking forward to serving the community I grew up in. Today, our community is in the grip of a global pandemic, the long term effects of which can only be guessed at. Libraries and parks are closed, schools are empty as parents juggle home schooling and careers. Church services are virtual, theaters dark. Graduations are cancelled; birthday parties Zoomed. And Metro stations are shuttered as phrases like social distancing and acronyms like PPE enter the vernacular.

But when the going gets tough, the tough get arty and Arlington Public Library is pleased to present the inaugural issue of “Quaranzine,” a weekly magazine of art, poetry, comics, photos, short fiction, even tutorials and “how-tos.” The zine is headed by a staff editorial board of Katelyn Attanasio, Brit Austin, Hannah Axt, Ruth Compton, Clea Counts, Deborah Khuanghlawn, Liz Laribee, Janelle Ortiz, Peg Owen, and Alex Zealand.

Zines, popular from the 1980’s through the early 1990’s, are small publications created by an individual or group. Handwritten, photocopied, hand-drawn, collaged, they can boast a DIY aesthetic or be highly stylized and released digitally. “Quaranzine” will likely be a mix of both. This first issue is comprised of submissions from County staff; hereafter we invite submissions from the community.

Artists get active in times of turmoil. Think Picasso’s “Guernica” or Brecht’s “Mother Courage.” (Okay, those examples may be a bit dark.) But we look to artists to make sense of the senseless, to be beacons of light in dark times, to document our days to keep us from forgetting. Not all submissions to “Quaranzine” need be deep or heady. They just need to be and to be shared with others. To sustain our community and bolster our connections to one another when we need them most.

I hate to use phrases like the “new normal” because there is nothing about this situation that is normal. It just is. Our hope is that “Quaranzine” will make what “is” a little easier. For all of us.

Stay safe, stay well and stay hopeful.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Dancing with Myself: Playlist for a Pandemic

Tunes from the Library Director

The Library may be physically closed during the COVID-19 outbreak, but we are here for you!

We promise to continue to be an essential link to information you can trust. You can find updates on COVID-19 on the Arlington County website and to resources to help keep you going on the Library website and our social media accounts.

We also want to provide our neighbors with some respite and rejuvenation through one of our favorite virtual offerings, the Director’s Playlist.

While some of the songs are... a little on the nose... many serve a functional purpose: the CDC has directed us to scrub our hands for at least 20 seconds each time we wash, which is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Don’t have a timer? Tired of humming the “Happy Birthday” song? No problem!

man damcig alone in his apartment

The first three tracks on this playlist have a chorus/pre-chorus of at least 20 seconds - sing or hum along (at the top of your lungs or in your head) while washing your hands, and you'll meet the CDC’s hand washing guidelines.

Open playlist in Spotify

Whether you are waiting in the lobby of your Microsoft Team's meeting, planning fun and educational projects for your kids, starting that side-hustle, taking the dog out for her fifth walk, finally reading that book that has been on your nightstand for the last 6 months, or whiling away the hours on a Netflix binge, we hope that these songs can lift your spirits, give you a valuable break, or at the very least, remind you that we are all workin' together (track 20).

We know that Arlington Public Library is a valued resource for many in our community, and we look forward to when we can resume full, safe operations. To that end, we are in constant communication with the County Manager’s Office and the Public Health Department and look forward to welcoming you back when we can reopen.

But until then, join me as I dance on my own to Robyn (track 5).

Stay safe and stay home!

Diane K.

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

The Library Director’s 2020 Book List

Looking for Winter Reading inspiration? Diane shares her list for the New Year:

“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa (1940–1993), American multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, bandleader and reader.

That about sums it up. No matter how many books I read, there are still more … too many more. And to compound the misery, I work in a library where browsable book stacks are steps from my office, where I can place an infinite number of holds, where colleagues tell me what their book clubs are reading or give me books as presents. And I am not even talking about the stacks of books on my nightstand at home, awaiting my attention, recommended by the book review podcasts I listen to while walking the treadmill.

In the spirit of new year’s resolutions, I created a “to do” list of books I hope to complete by the end of the calendar year. The list is my own and covers a range from the truly random to guilty pleasures.

All of my picks are available at Arlington Public, your favorite local library. Now to start turning some pages …

Minding the Gap

James Baldwin.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have not read anything by Baldwin … an oversight I must correct as we draw closer to 2024, the centenary of his birth.  The two I have elected to start with “Giovanni’s Room” and “The Fire Next Time”

Fyodor Dostoevsky.  “Oh Boy, Tolstoy!” APL’s adult reading venture of a couple of years ago, got me thinking about Russian tomes.  A wise friend told me that if I want to understand Russian aspirations, read Tolstoy, to understand the Russian soul, read Dostoevsky.  So “Crime and Punishment” it is.  And if I can’t make it through, I’ll tackle the novella, “Notes from the Underground.”

Guilty Pleasures

“The Chestnut Man,” by Soren Sveistrup.  A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. Can’t wait.

“Disappearing Earth,” by Julia Phillips. A debut novel, two young sisters disappear on the Kamchatka peninsula, the northeastern edge of Russia.  It appeared on many “best of” lists at year end.

Dusting off Classics

John Steinbeck.  “East of Eden,” sometimes you just need a big sprawling morality tale.

Hot Issues

Ralph Thaler/Cass Sunstein, “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.” From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Richard H. Thaler, and Cass R. Sunstein: a look at how people make decisions.

Bina Venkataraman “The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” How to mitigate loss based on short-sightedness and think more strategically about the future.

Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, “Scarcity” How to manage with less than one needs.

An Author I Haven’t Read

Ocean Vuong, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,“ by Ocean Vuong.  A son writes to his mother who cannot read. Viet Nam, finding one’s voice, race, class, and the love between a mother and son.

Bernardine Evaristo, “Girl, Woman, Other.” Modern Britain and womanhood, a novel about the lives of black British families, “struggles, pains, longings and loves.” I’ve already started this one --- the writing is lively, fresh, funny. Reminds me a bit of Zadie Smith’s “White Teeth.”

Memoirs

I’ve been working through the NYT’s fantastic list of “50 Best Memoirs of the last 50 years and plucked Annie Dillard’s “An American Childhood.”

Samantha Powers, “The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir.” Political memoir; on the front lines of   American foreign policy.  From 2013 to 2017, Power served in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama and as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Powers modeled her memoir on Andre Agassi’s “Open” which was an amazing book.

Short Stories

I got hooked on short stories in 8th grade. Classics like “Under the Lion’s Paw” by Hamlin Garland, “Silent Snow, Secret Snow,” by Conrad Aiken (now out of print), and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”

Lucia Berlin, ed. Stephen Emerson, “A Manual for Cleaning Women.” Alice Munro and Raymond Carver territory.

Nancy Hale, “Where the Light Falls.” A rediscovery of a mid-century master storyteller.  Noir-ish, taboo subjects; subversive and mature.

Fun for Theater and Film Geeks

Ash Carter and Sam Kashner “Life Isn't Everything: Mike Nichols, as Remembered by 150 of His Closest Friends.”

Alexandra Jacobs, “Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.”

Re-Visits

Erich Maria Remarque, “All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel.” I first read this more than 20 years ago and there are scenes I can’t forget.

Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women.”  A coming of age story, nascent feminism, in praise of individuality.

Geraldine Brooks, “March.” Historical fiction, the father of the girls in “Little Women” goes off to aid the Union cause in the Civil War.

And finally...

Arlington Reads Spring 2020 Authors

Sponsored by the Friends of the Arlington Public Library, Arlington Reads has grown from one book in the fall of a given year to close to a dozen annual events centralized around a theme and including both fiction and nonfiction.  It goes without saying that I will read each of the selected books and that I will likely read more by the author in preparation for each event.  So right off the bat, I have added exponentially to the task ahead. There’s something for everyone in this year’s themed program, “We the People.”

First up, on Tuesday, March 10, is Roxanne Gay, culture critic and author of “Hunger,” and “Bad Feminist,” among other works of fiction and nonfiction. I hope to see you there!

Browse Diane's 2020 Book List

The Library Director’s 2019 Playlist

Forever "Too Cool for Yule"

Years ago I began creating a holiday playlist each November, known variously as “Don’t Touch that Dial,” the “Too Cool for Yule” blog, and more simply, the Director’s Playlist.

Each playlist is a collection of seasonal tunes -- from schlock (hopefully not too much of that) to rock and everything in between. By now we have managed to amass quite an eclectic set of “mix tapes.” This year is no exception.

Before you start clicking and singing along, however, a couple of explanatory notes (pun intended) are in order:

Peter Tork (born Torkelson in 1942 in Washington, DC) died earlier this year.  Known as the keyboardist and bass player of The Monkees, Tork, along with Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones, formed the mid-sixties American answer to the Beatles and over the course of their career sold over 75 million records worldwide.  Not bad for a made for TV band (track 5).

Soul singer Roberta Flack (track 13) was raised in Arlington, and rose to prominence singing upstairs at Mr. Henry’s, the Capitol Hill bar and restaurant.  Established in 1966 by Henry Jaffe, within two years Jaffe hired a local school teacher to sing in the pub. “She told me that if I could give her work three nights a week, she could quit teaching,” Jaffe later recalled.  The singer, none other than Roberta Flack, would go on to win four Grammys for the songs “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”

I’ve closed this playlist as I did last year’s list with a song by Bob Dylan whose lyrics are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them. Released as the title track of his 1964 album of the same name, “The Times they are a Changin'” was Dylan’s attempt to create an anthem of change. Read through the lyrics and see if you agree.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Open playlist in Spotify

Whether you eat Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Day, attend a church, binge watch “Mindhunter,” curl up with a good book or board game you borrowed from the library, or sit quietly with your thoughts, all of us at Arlington Public Library wish you and yours the very best.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Taking it Personally: National Coming Out Day

Friday, October 11, marks the 31st anniversary of National Coming Out Day, an annual observance to raise awareness of the interests and rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Arlington Public Library is honoring this date by displaying Pride flags at all of our locations.

As a gay person, National Coming Out Day holds personal significance.

I take it personally when we discover pages in our Library’s children’s books about gay moms and dads have been deliberately torn or defaced.

I take it personally when a patron writes me and tells me that the Library’s Pride Month book displays promote sexually deviant behavior.

And I take it personally when a patron threatens to trash a branch library because it has displayed the Pride flag.

As an Arlington County leader, my support of National Coming Out Day means that I encourage Library staff to show up at work as they truly are — proudly and without fear of consequence.

As a public library director, National Coming Out Day reminds me that each day in a library is coming out day. Libraries are judgement free zones – safe spaces that welcome all who enter their doors, regardless of beliefs, preferences, country of origin, age, income status or appearance.

And as a gay person, National Coming Out Day affirms a commitment I made to myself: to respect and honor my choices and to be who I am, this day and every day.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

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