Alert

Holiday: All library locations will be closed Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 for Presidents Day. More Info

Alert

Alert: Courthouse Library temporarily closed for repairs More Info

Alert

Update: Elevator outages, maintenance and upgrades at Central Library More Info

Arlington Public Library

News

New Exhibition Features Work of Former Voting Rights Activists

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Arlington Public Library has partnered with community organizations for the exhibition “From Barriers to Ballots—The Fight for Equal Voting Rights in Virginia,” to tell the stories of activists in Arlington and Northern Virginia who fought for voting rights.

At six locations in Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax, visitors can discover the stories of Annie E. Harper who hailed from the historic Black community of Gum Springs, VA; Hall’s Hill (now High View Park) activist Portia A. Haskins; and former Green Valley resident and community organizer John Robinson. Their tireless work impacted local communities in Northern Virginia and had vast implications for voting rights nationally, resulting in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on March 24, 1966, that ended the Jim Crow era poll tax in Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.

The exhibitions will be on view during regular opening hours from Aug. 1 to Nov. 4, 2025, at Bozman Government Center, Arlington Central Library, Arlington Historical Museum, Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, Sherwood Regional Library (Aug. 1-31), and City of Fairfax Regional Library (Sept. 1-Nov. 4).

Exhibition partners include the Arlington Historical Society, the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City and the NAACP Arlington Branch.

Funding for “From Barriers to Ballots” has generously been provided by the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL).

Content for this exhibition has been provided by the Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH) and the following media contributors: Arlington County Department of Voter Registration and Elections; Bethlehem Baptist Church, Gum Springs, Virginia; City of Fairfax Regional Library, Fairfax County Public Library; Library of Congress; Library of Virginia; Norman Rockwell Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.

Join the library and community partners at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at Central Library for the opening reception of the exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Find more events featuring voting rights history.

New July Releases

July's turning up the heat and so are these new releases!

The long, hot days of summer are perfect for cooling off into a great book, and there are excellent new releases to choose from.

The Rashomon-esque thriller, Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke, looks at Katie, a 22-year-old murder suspect, through the eyes of five men—her father, her ex-lover, her friend, her lawyer and a journalist. They all know a different side of her and have differing feelings about her guilt. Told in alternating perspectives, the reader gets several versions of truth as they piece together who Katie is and what really happened.

Fans of comforting, cozy reads will want to pick up Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida, translated from Japanese by Bruno Navasky. The lives of the employees and customers at a local convenience store intertwine and come together under the watchful eye of the store’s manager, Mr. Shiba, who takes the store’s motto, “Caring for people, caring for you,” very seriously.

During the early days of the pandemic, four true-crime-obsessed friends decided to try and solve a local cold case. The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan details their success in finding enough information to get the case officially reopened, only for the women to find themselves in real danger from those who wanted the case to stay cold.

It’s not just middle grade readers who will enjoy looking over Rachel Lancashire’s The Atlas of Languages. Beautifully illustrated, it has everything from the source of the word “banana” to Manx language revival and a chapter on different sign languages around the world.

Every year, Dulce’s school puts on a murder mystery game to test their criminology students, and this year she’s determined to win. But there’s more than her grade on the line when the victim ends up actually murdered and the body count keeps rising. The snappy teen mystery Very Dangerous Things by Lauren Muñoz is full of twists and turns for a satisfyingly chilling read.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Celebrate Disability Pride Month with excellent reads that champion inclusion.

Disability Pride 2025

Check out these romance novels featuring characters living with mental illness.

Romance w/ Mental Illness

The Library Wedding Approaches!

Love is in the air at Arlington Public Library.

Romance is the theme for the 2025 series of Arlington Reads. To share the love, the library picked one very special couple to win a free wedding hosted by Arlington Public Library and sponsored by the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.

Katie and Vincent, the library’s winning wedding couple, smile while standing arm in arm between bookshelves at Arlington Public Library.

On July 12, Arlington Public Library hosts the wedding of Katie Lettie and Vincent Bauer—also available to watch on the Library's YouTube channel. Katie and Vincent’s story is one for the books!

After more than a decade together (sometimes on opposite coasts, sometimes an ocean apart), these two built a life full of love, literature and culinary adventures! But when it came to choosing a wedding venue, nothing felt quite right… until now.

Arlington is where they finally put down roots together, where they found their community, and now, where they’ll say “I do.” This couple were the winners selected in the library’s first and only public library wedding contest. Katie and Vincent will be married by our Library Director, Diane Kresh, who will officiate their ceremony on the first-floor lobby of Central Library. The ceremony, beginning at 4 p.m., will have seats reserved for the couple’s guests, but the public is invited to stand and witness the nuptials. The public ceremony will be followed by a private reception for their closest friends and family.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, patrons will find a guest book in the lobby of Central Library, where they can leave their well wishes and advice for the couple. They can also dive into Katie and Vincent’s favorite books with a book display or online booklist. Patrons are also invited to help in the preparation of the wedding with two special events.

Many thanks are offered to the following local community vendors involved in the production and decoration of the wedding—donating their time and expertise to this unique community event.

See LOVE at the library.

LOVE-at-Reston-Town-Center-Virginia.jpg

In partnership with the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the library will showcase a large outdoor LOVEwork sculpture on the grounds at Central Library July 10-16, 2025. Visitors and Arlington residents will be able to enjoy and take photos with the iconic sculpture, which is part of the Commonwealth’s "Virginia is for Lovers" brand.

Director’s Message: Collections Updates

A woman browses books in a brightly lit aisle at Arlington Public Library, pulling a hardcover from the shelf while reading the back cover. Books fill the shelves around her in a well-organized collection.

Arlington Public Library’s collections budget is decreasing 21% in Fiscal Year 2026. The library will continue to build and sustain a collection that fully serves the reading and educational needs of Arlington residents. However, patrons may notice some changes starting July 1 including:

  • An increase in wait times on the most popular titles, both for print and digital collections.
  • For digital collections, wait times will increase to up to 35 weeks or longer.
  • The library’s eBook “Grab and Go” collection will be discontinued for FY 2026. The print “Grab and Go” collection will still be available.

Changes to Streaming Services

A person wearing headphones sits at a table in Arlington Public Library, browsing the Biblio+ streaming service on a laptop. The screen displays the homepage featuring the film The Bookshop and a tagline that reads “a library of entertainment at your fingertips.”

Starting July 1, Arlington Public Library is moving to two new streaming services. To provide similar breadth and quality of content while offering better value and long-term sustainability, the Library is discontinuing Kanopy and adding two new streaming options:

Biblio+

  • Curated and growing selection of independent films, documentaries, TV series (including BBC content) and children’s programming
  • Accessible on all devices; unlimited, ad-free access

Access Video

  • Over 30,000 educational and entertainment videos
  • Content providers include PBS, HBO, National Geographic, TED Talks and more
  • Unlimited, ad-free access for patrons; accessible on all devices
Screenshot of the Access Video streaming service homepage, featuring a banner for the show “Brain Games” and logos of featured producers including ABC, Green Planet Films, National Geographic, A&E Networks, PBS, and HBO. Below are carousels of Staff Picks and AVOD exclusives with program thumbnails such as The Weight of the Nation, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, and Years of Living Dangerously.

The staff of Arlington Public Library remains committed to providing the highest levels of library service to ensure patrons can read what they want, when they want and however they want. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us over the next year as we manage these changes to our collection.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

New June Releases

Kick off your Summer Reading with these new books.

June is here. With the end of school and the start of summer, this month gives us a great selection of books to kick off Summer Reading.

In "Making Friends Can Be Murder" by Kathleen West, six Minneapolis women, all named Sarah Jones, connect via Instagram and become friends. When a Sarah Jones who isn’t in the group turns up dead and one of their own is the prime suspect, they band together to investigate in this playful and quirky mystery.

The "Phoenix Pencil Company" by Allison King explores memory and story when a college freshman tries to reunite her grandmother with her long-lost cousin. In dual timelines, Monica journals in an online app while caring for her ailing grandparents. Meanwhile, her grandmother tells her story of espionage and betrayal when she was young in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A luminous family saga awaits.

People often wonder at the point of studying such “silly” things as the tubercles on humpback whales, Yellowstone’s bacteria, or Gila monster venom. In "The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog," Carly Anne York explains how discoveries build on discoveries and lead to important breakthroughs, such as more efficient wind turbines (the humpback whales) COVID-19 PCR testing (Yellowstone’s bacteria) and Ozempic (Gila monster venom).

From a carpet woven in the 3rd or 4th century BCE and discovered during an archaeological dig effected by the Russian Revolution, to one woven in 21st century Pakistan for commercial export, "Threads of Empire" by Dorothy Armstrong examines the conditions in which these objects were made, moved and found, and the people’s lives they touched along the way. An intriguing look at history that might literally be beneath our feet.

When Esme’s friend says she’s "too intense" from chasing after her mother’s approval, Esme vows a chill summer at the pool with her swim team. But a growth spurt has made Esme really fast this season, so her mother has started to take an interest. Unfortunately, her focus on winning and being the best feels unsportsmanlike to Esme. In Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s middle-grade book "The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun," Esme must learn to listen to her inner voice as she balances her mother's approval with being a good teammate in this heartwarming story.

Last summer, Mandy’s best friend was killed in an accident. This summer, her family is back at the same vacation spot while Mandy, a true-crime podcaster, and the police start looking back into the case. Was it really that accidental? And how much fault does Mandy have? "Now She’s Dead" by Roselyn Clarke is a dark, twisty mystery that will keep teen readers guessing right to the end.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Library Director Diane Kresh shares her book recommendations to celebrate Pride.

Pride Guest List

Commemorate Juneteenth with these great reads.

Juneteenth

Parking Updates for Columbia Pike Library

The outside of the Columbia Pike Branch Library building, with its name spelled in metal lettering on the exterior wall.

The library remains open with its full array of services during ongoing construction and we look forward to seeing you!

Dedicated library parking spots will be relocated adjacent to the construction fence starting the week of August 18. These spots will be marked as library parking by stencils on the ground and by standing metal signs. Entrance to the parking lot remains through Highland Street only.

Consider walking, biking or taking the bus to Columbia Pike Library.

Phasing and logistics are subject to change due to design progression, contractor input, and unforeseen conditions.

For more information, visit Arlington Career Center Project - Arlington Public Schools (apsva.us).

Summer Reading 2025: Share the Love with Your Library

Arlington Public Library kicks off its annual Summer Reading program with fun events at select locations on June 6 and 7! Readers of all ages can complete the challenge to earn prizes and participate in dozens of free events all summer long.

Register in the Arlington Public Library app today or pick up a paper reading log at any library location to record your reading. Read for 30 days to earn terrific prizes, including:

📚 A free book OR a coupon for one free book from any Friends of the Library bookstore

⚾ A voucher for two free tickets to select Washington Nationals games

Read for an extra 10 days and fulfill one of the following challenges to become a Super Reader:

  • Visit the library to add the title of a book you read this summer to our "Heart Wall."
  • Do something helpful for your family member, neighbor, or community.
  • Write a letter to a family member, friend, neighbor or community helper to share your thoughts.

Super Readers are entered into a weekly prize drawing from July 11 – September 5. Win prizes featuring local sports teams, ice cream shops and more! The sooner you become a super reader, the sooner you become eligible to win weekly prizes!

For every person who completes Summer Reading, the Friends of Arlington Library will also donate $1 to Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Remember, you only need to read for any 30 days starting on June 1 to win prizes—even just a few minutes per day counts! You can also "backdate" in the app or reading log to give yourself credit for any days you might forget to mark.

Learn More about Summer Reading

Celebrate Summer Reading at Multiple Locations!

Three children at Glencarlyn Library playing with various balloons.

Share the Love of Summer Reading by joining us at our Summer Reading Kickoffs at multiple libraries on June 6 and 7!  Sign up for the program, enjoy crafts, games, prizes and frozen treats while supplies last.

Summer Reading Kickoffs

Summer Reading is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library and the Washington Nationals.

Director’s Message: Taking Pride in Stride

WorldPride 2025 is in full swing and Arlington County is all-in. Hosted by Washington, D.C.'s Capital Pride Alliance, WorldPride offers a gazillion opportunities from May 17 through June 8 to enjoy music, art and fellowship.

The event is expected to attract nearly 3 million visitors to our area—a great chance to showcase Arlington’s strong commitment to inclusivity.

A new Pride banner at Central Library's east entrance.

The County took the festival to the next level with its Show Your Pride events held May 16 and 17 with a Block Party celebrating an installation from projection artist Robin Bell and a forthcoming work from muralist Lisa Marie Thalhammer.

Left: installation by projection artist Robin Bell (Photo: Sora Yamahira / Bellvisuals.com). Right: digital artwork for a forthcoming mural by Lisa Marie Thalhammer (Lisa Marie Studio).

Arlington Public Library is hosting a range of Pride events culminating in the June 7 WorldPride Parade, where we will walk alongside colleagues from libraries in D.C., Prince William and Prince George's counties. And check out my Pride playlist and my book list curated for Pride Month—a list of LGBTQIA+ classics and titles new to me, and maybe to you, too.

"Trans Anthology Project" discussion and signing with authors Chrissy Boylan and Heather Kirby, presented May 14, 2025, at Central Library.

A resolution adopted by the County Board on May 13, 2025, reaffirmed a commitment to equity originally adopted in September 2019 and further emphasized the County’s aim to ensure Arlington is welcoming and inclusive of all, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and families.

Along with dozens of others, I was in attendance in the County Board room as the resolution was read by Board Member Maureen Coffey and passed unanimously. The spirit in the room was electric.

A large group of community members poses in the Arlington County Board meeting room on May 13, 2025, celebrating the passage of a Pride resolution. People of all ages hold rainbow, Progress Pride, and transgender flags, smiling in support of LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Behind them, a screen displays a heart graphic with rainbow stripes and the message “YOU ARE ALL WELCOME HERE,” alongside text affirming Arlington County’s support for WorldPride 2025 and the LGBTQIA+ community. The Arlington County seal and U.S. and Virginia flags are visible in the background.
The County Board and community members following the Pride resolution on May 13, 2025.

One section of the resolution resonated with me both personally and professionally:

“WHEREAS social acceptance and inclusion leads to better outcomes for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and helps ensure full participation in and enjoyment of communal life, which in turn enriches the cultural and social fabric of our community.”

Librarians bring The Truck to Arlington County's Pride Proclamation on June 5, 2024.

This statement mirrors a stated goal of Arlington Public Library, to be a third place where all belong. A place where continuous learning, discovery and self-fulfillment are limitless, and community connections broadened. A judgment-free zone where all who enter our doors, regardless of beliefs, gender preferences, country of origin, age, income status or appearance are welcome.

A place where you can come as you are and not as someone wants you to be. Your life, your choice.

Arlington Public Library: Always Free to Come as You Are.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

Celebrate WorldPride And Pride Month With Us

Share the Love

Come as you are to Arlington Public Library as we celebrate WorldPride and Pride Month with fun programs, creative book displays and our "Diverse Voices" book lists!

Discover Pride Programs

Pride Events

Queer Joy Art Party–Teen & Adult Edition

June 4, create hats, tote bags and fans in preparation for DC and WorldPride Fest and Parade. Grades 6-12 are welcome at 4:30 p.m., and adults can start their projects at 6 p.m.

RSVP

Take a Chance Book Club

June 9, join us to talk about "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston (Young Adult).

RSVP

Family Art Night: Pride Month

For children and their adults. June 9, experiment, problem-solve and use your creativity by making a work of process-oriented art.

Join Us

Pride Lecture

June 16, Dr. David Powers Corwin (they/them) from George Mason University will focus on how it is possible to support the elimination of discrimination of those who do not fit society's traditional view about gender and sexuality.

RSVP

Never Too Old Book Club

June 17, join us online on ZOOM to talk about "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. Because you're never too old to enjoy YA!

RSVP

Take-and-Make Rainbow Pride Bracelet

For children and teens. June 21, pick up a 'Take-And-Make bag' at Columbia Pike Library and make a rainbow Pride bracelet at home.

Join Us

Teen Pride Crafternoon

June 24, celebrate Pride Month by making keychains. Trace a pride design or draw your own design onto our special shrinky dink paper and shrink it into a fun new keychain!

Join Us

Glencarlyn Book Club: “Orlando”

June 24, join us at the library for a book discussion on "Orlando" by author Virginia Woolf.

RSVP

Teen Rock Painting at Glencarlyn

June 25, to commemorate Pride month, show your love of painting rocks with a Pride theme. All materials provided.

RSVP

Love is Love LGBTQIA+ Book Club

June 28, join us for a fun discussion of LGBTQIA+ themed books! Our monthly selection for June features "The Guncle Abroad" by Steven Rowley.

RSVP

Pride Guest List: Diane Kresh's 2025 Picks

Library Director Diane Kresh shares her book recommendations to celebrate Pride.

Diane Kresh's 2025 Picks

Learn About Arlington’s First Openly LGBTQIA+ Elected Official

In 1997, Jay Fisette became the first openly LGBTQIA+ person elected to office in the state of Virginia when he won a seat on the Arlington County Board. Listen to the oral history.

Oral History

Explore LGBTQIA+ Voices

The library maintains many Diverse Voices book lists for all ages, genres and interests designed to educate, raise awareness and entertain.

LGBTQIA+ Voices

Director’s Message: The Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden

The Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden: an appreciation

Dr. Carla Hayden was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress in 2016. Appointed by Barack Obama in the final days of his presidency, she was the first woman and first African American to lead this storied institution—which I was fortunate to call “home” for more than 30 years.

Arlington Public Library staff meeting with Dr. Hayden.
Arlington Public Library staff meet with Dr. Hayden in the Librarian's Ceremonial Office in the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress, November 2, 2022. (L-R): Katherine Chiriboga, Anneliesa Alprin, Brittany Veland, Jennifer Odlum, Diane Kresh, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

Carla Hayden is of the people and for the people. She has used her years of public librarianship in Chicago and Baltimore to open wide the doors of the “people’s library.” Her championing of literacy, popular culture and freedom of speech is her proud legacy.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden delivers the "Play Ball!" announcement for Library Night at Washington Nationals Park, August 20, 2024. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Short in stature, tall in spirit, she is unwavering in her belief that libraries are for everyone. She was President of the American Library Association (ALA) when the Patriot Act was moving through Congress and fought to preserve the sanctity of library borrowing records.

Dr. Carla Hayden in a purple jacket at the Library of Congress Main Reading Room.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in the Library's Main Reading Room, September 1, 2020. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Dr. Hayden was fired by the current administration via email on Thursday, May 8, one year before her 10-year term was to end.

Thank you for your service, Dr. Hayden. Our nation’s libraries owe you a debt of gratitude.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library



Download the Library App