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Heather McMordie: Providence Community Herbarium

Shirlington Library, May 7 - August 12, 2025

Heather McMordie:

This exhibition includes a selection of prints from the The Providence Community Herbarium, a collaborative project conducted by Heather McMordie and twelve Providence, Rhode Island residents. While a traditional herbarium is a collection of dried, labeled, and organized plant specimens collected for scientific and academic use, this collection uses printmaking to create a creative, relational, and accessible record of the plants that fill our lives.

These prints were completed in March 2024, just a few months before McMordie relocated to Arlington, Virginia, and over the past six months, McMordie has frequently looked for—and found—evidence of these plant species in her new home. This exhibition invites residents of Arlington to explore the stories of plant species from a state 350 miles away that can also be found in their own parks and backyards. From native plants like Skunk Cabbage, to non-native plants such as Queen Anne’s Lace, these prints map out the stories of plants we encounter in the city around us, and the spaces and purposes they occupy in our lives.

Learn More About Art Exhibits at the Library

Sharing the Love: Edmond and Alice Fleet

This year’s theme for Arlington Reads is love—feeling it, sharing it, and reading about it. We thought it was a good opportunity to share some of our favorite Arlington power couples who worked together to share their love for the whole community. This is part two of an ongoing series of blog posts, each featuring a different couple.

Alice and Edmond Fleet with hearts in the background.

Alice and Edmond Fleet. From RG 11: The Papers of Edmond C. Fleet, Collector, 1812-1984.

The lives of Edmond and Alice Fleet can be summed up as a series of fearless firsts. Despite the barriers they faced under Jim Crow segregation, they forged successful careers while generously donating their time and leadership to the church, social organizations and local politics. During their 46 years of marriage, Alice and Edmond uplifted one another and served as an inspiration to their community.

Alice Fleet playing croquet.

Alice Fleet playing croquet. From RG 11.

Alice West Fleet (1909-2000) was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, on a former plantation estate called Prestwould Farm. Her father, William West, was a farm caretaker and respected stone mason. Her mother, Rose Skipwith, was a housewife whose parents had been enslaved.

Alice knew at an early age that her dream was to be a teacher. After graduating from Thyne Institute, a prestigious, historically Black Presbyterian boarding school, Alice became a public school teacher while earning a degree in elementary education from Virginia State College.

In 1937, Alice married Edmond Claudius Fleet (1902-1983), a widower with three children, and moved to Arlington with her new family. Edmond worked as a civilian pastry chef for the United States Navy at the National Naval Medical Center. Throughout his career, he won many awards recognizing his culinary skills.

Edmond Fleet in chef attire holding silverware in both hands.

Edmond Fleet in chef attire, holding silver set won as first prize in a bake contest at Sheraton Park. From RG 11.

A Beloved Educator

After teaching for two years in Fairfax County, Alice was hired at Hoffman-Boston, which opened in 1915 as Arlington’s first junior high school for Black students. She continued to earn her master's degree in reading from the University of Pennsylvania during the summers between teaching and, later, pursued a PhD at George Washington University.

When Alice was appointed to fill a vacancy as reading specialist, she became the first Black reading teacher in Arlington County.

Alice Fleet at a Delta Sigma Theta gathering.

Alice Fleet at a gathering of Delta Sigma Theta, an organization of college-educated women committed to public service with a focus on the Black community. From RG 11.

On February 2, 1959, Arlington’s Stratford Junior High became the first school in Virginia to desegregate. Soon, other schools followed suit, and Alice was reassigned to Woodmont Elementary on North Fillmore Street. Alice became the first Black teacher in the county to teach at a previously all-white school.

Alice served as an Arlington County educator for over three decades, holding additional posts at Drew Elementary in Green Valley and Reed Elementary in Westover. She retired from teaching in 1971.

After Alice retired, she drew upon her expertise as an educator to spearhead the Educational Guild at Mount Zion Baptist Church, which provided scholarships to high school and college students. After Edmond’s death in 1983, she also established a scholarship fund in his name for disadvantaged college students.

In 2019, Arlington County opened Alice West Fleet Elementary School, named in her honor as a beloved teacher and educational pioneer.

Meeting Community Needs

Edmond and Alice were pivotal in founding the first YMCA in Arlington to serve Black community members. Seeing a desperate need for Black children to have an opportunity to socialize and participate in sports, a group of neighbors came together in 1946 to provide recreational programming specifically for people of color.

Two women holding a shovel with others behind them smiling.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Veteran’s Memorial YMCA swimming pool. Photo from RG 11. Learn more about the Veterans Memorial YMCA here. 

By 1953, they had gathered enough funds to build the Veteran’s Memorial YMCA, a permanent home in Green Valley for their activities. It included a community room where dances and movie screenings were held. Located near Drew School, it naturally had a strong bond with neighborhood children, since the county’s Parks and Recreation system was still segregated.

In the late 1950s, this YMCA branch started a campaign to build a swimming pool to serve Black residents who were barred from using the county’s public swimming pools.

Edmond was a tireless fundraiser for the Veteran’s Memorial YMCA, serving on its management committee for 27 years. Alice served on the Board of Directors through the 1990s.

Civic Engagement

After retiring from their careers, the Fleets became involved in local politics. In 1977, they hosted Lady Bird Johnson at their home for a Chuck Robb campaign event. Chuck Robb—who was the husband of Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, daughter of President Lyndon B. and Lady Bird Johnson—ran as a Democrat for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and won the election in 1977.

Alice Fleet was later appointed by Chuck Robb to serve two terms on the Virginia State Commission on the Status of Women. Alice also served as President-at-Large of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

a man and three women dressed professionally at a fundraiser.

Lady Bird Johnson, second from left. Pictured with Edmond Fleet on the left, an unnamed woman to the right, and Alice Fleet on the far right at a fundraiser for Chuck Robb during his campaign for lieutenant governor. From RG 11.

“Let nothing and no one stop you.”

Alice was known among her students for a powerful motto that she taught them: “Let nothing and no one stop you.” In their commitment to equal rights and dedication to family and community, Alice and Edmond Fleet lived this motto every day of their lives.

Sources:

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH) 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.

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

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

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New April Releases

It’s time to pack your books for spring break! 📗🌸🌷

Peak bloom has officially ended, baseball is underway and whether you’re going to the beach or staying on your couch, it’s time to pack your books for spring break. Luckily, there are some great books out this month to choose from!

Picture it: Miami, 1980s. Four beloved sitcom characters have to solve a murder after Dorothy’s date is found face-down in cheesecake. "Murder by Cheesecake" by Rachel Ekstrom Courage captures the beloved Golden Girls in this cozy mystery series opener.

"The Amalfi Curse" by Sarah Penner features a coven of witches who protect the coast from pirates. When one tries to run away with a sailor, she’s kidnapped by a shipping magnate who wants her power. Two hundred years later, an underwater archaeologist searching for treasure instead finds family secrets and deep magic in this lush and atmospheric tale.

Parenting is hard, even more so when you’re disabled. "Unfit Parent" by Jessica Slice exposes the challenges from trying to find accessible baby equipment to fighting a system that sees disabled parents as fundamentally "unfit." Slice's own experiences and those from other disabled parents demonstrate how the creativity and skill needed to navigate an unjust system can make everyone a better parent.

In early 1944, the German Army marched on Budapest, by summer, they were being bombed by Allied forces, and at the end of the year, the Red Army had the city under siege. The city swirled with spies and refugees, soldiers, everyday people, aristocrats and cabaret singers, before descending into unimaginable carnage, destruction, hate and anarchy. With newly uncovered sources and survivor interviews, "The Last Days of Budapest" by Adam LeBor recreates life in the city during the war.

In "The Pecan Sheller" by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Petra dreams of college, but after her father suddenly dies, the thirteen-year-old drops out of school and gets a job shelling pecans to make enough money for her family to survive. Faced with terrible conditions and threatened cuts to already meager wages, Petra must decide if she wants to risk her job to join a strike in this middle grade novel based on the 1937’s six-week pecan sheller's strike in San Antonio.

Candace Fleming’s gripping and immersive "Death in the Jungle" introduces teen readers to Jim Jones, the People’s Temple and the tragic murder-suicide of 918 people in the Guyanese jungle. This deeply researched and thoughtful account not only shows what happened, but how and pays particular attention to the stories of the victims and survivors of the families.

Place Your Holds Now!

Celebrate Earth Day With These Great Book Lists.

Find practical guides to living with less waste, sewing techniques for transforming old clothes and how to reduce chemical pollution.

Sustainable Living

Learn about migratory birds, animals from the Kalahari Desert and the geological foundations of the earth with these audio books.

Listening to Nature

Director’s Message: To Daffodils!*

Spring is springing and signs are everywhere. The cherry blossom trees outside my office windows bloomed pink, turned brown and now are on their way to green.

The Central Library tennis courts are packed each afternoon with student players, the gardens have been mulched (like old books, a smell I love), and daffodils, from Lady Bird Johnson Park off the George Washington Parkway to my backyard, are standing tall, trumpeting renewal and rebirth.

A cluster of white daffodils with bright yellow and orange centers in full bloom outside Central Library. The flowers are framed by fresh green leaves, with the library building and budding spring trees visible in the background.
A cluster of daffodils in front of Central Library.

April is one of the Library’s busiest months. The Friends of the Arlington Public Library's Spring Book Sale starts today through April 6.

We celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month with books sharing the rich heritage and culture of many of our Arlington coworkers, neighbors and friends. A favorite author of mine is Moroccan American novelist Laila Lalami whose latest book “Dream Hotel” I am in the middle of reading. I interviewed Lalami a few years ago about her mystery/thriller “The Other Americans,” a National Book Award finalist.

Arlington Reads with Laila Lalami presented April 22, 2021.

April is National Poetry Month, and we are taking a moment to salute outgoing poet laureate Courtney LeBlanc who has been a faithful and inspiring friend of the library during her tenure. Courtney’s latest book, “Her Dark Everything’ comes out this month.

Earth Day turns 55 on April 22 and we will host a series of programs including “Fix Nearly Anything,” making mini terrariums and garden talks. And The Truck will be on the road again joining Langston Boulevard Alliance's Earth Day Every Day celebration.

Arlington Public Library’s turquoise and white library truck parked at National Night Out in Green Valley. A group of library staff and community members chat and smile at a table covered with library materials and giveaway items. The tablecloth displays the Arlington Public Library logo and the slogan "Everyone Has a Story."
The Truck at National Night Out in Green Valley on August 1, 2023.

National Library Week is April 6-12 and we cap off the week with the Human Library. Check out a human book and learn what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. This is our third time hosting this event and our book collection offers varied and compelling “reads.”

A Human Library patron speaks with a "book" at Central Library on April 13, 2024.

The FY26 Budget for Arlington County is adopted this month. Thank you to the many patrons of the Library who contacted the County Board during the budget process.

We are humbled by the many kind comments we received and by the love you give us each day by checking out books, attending one or more of the 5000+ programs we offer annually, booking rooms for scout meetings, tax assistance, and book clubs, transferring family photographs to digital media in the Shop, volunteering and helping us make Arlington the community we are proud to call home.

A smiling librarian offers assistance at Central Library's upstairs information desk.
A librarian offers assistance at Central Library's upstairs information desk.

There is a lot happening in our community and in our world and much of it is stressful. With wellness programs, resume writing and budgeting workshops and many others, we have devoted space, time and resources to assist federal employees who either have lost, or are concerned about losing, their jobs. For however long we are needed, we will be there to support federal workers and their families.

A Federal Employee & Contractor Town Hall at Central Library on March 6, 2025.

You can count on us to present facts and multiple perspectives, preserve your stories, be an active third place where everyone is welcome and can be in community with one another. And stand tall.

Like the daffodils.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

*In celebration of National Poetry Month, enjoy my inspiration for this message: Robert Herrick’s poem “To Daffodils.” 

Help for federal workers & contractors

If you are a federal employee or contractor and are facing layoffs, experiencing work-related stress or find yourself in a career transition, the library is here to help.

A modern office setting with multiple employees working at their desks. In the foreground, a person with dark, curly hair tied back sits in a black mesh office chair, facing a computer screen with their hands resting on the back of their head.

Join our free programs and workshops designed to help job seekers, ease stress and foster a supportive community with others in similar situations.

Upcoming events

More Workforce Support Events

Online resource guide

For those impacted by federal workforce actions, our librarians have assembled an online guide to services and programs that features career development resources, library and Arlington County programs and mental health support.

Check back for updates as we continue to add to these offerings.

Workforce Support Resources

Ideas for the future

If you have relevant expertise and could lead a program for this community, submit our program proposals form and include "Workforce Support" in your event description.

If you have a more general suggestion or request for a future program, email LibraryPrograms@arlingtonva.us with the subject line "Workforce Support."

Please note: inquiries may not receive a response unless further information is required.

Lead a Program

Glencarlyn Library’s 101st Birthday

Opened in the fall of 1923, Glencarlyn Library celebrated its 101st birthday with a rededication and all-ages celebration on September 21, 2024.

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, Arlington Public Library Deputy Director Anne Gable, Glencarlyn Civic Association President Brandon Hemel and Glencarlyn Library Centennial Celebration Chair Julie Lee all celebrated the library's storied century as a hub for nearby communities.

Patrons shared heartfelt stories—sometimes spanning generations—of what this library, community and milestone mean to them.

Willa

"I've never seen so many books before in my life!"

Glencarlyn's first page

"I think that the love of the library is so important to an individual, and particularly to young people and to children, that I would hope that all of them could have that close experience that I did."

Julie Lee

"Glencarlyn Library is so very important to me because it has been a part of my family for generations."

Colleen Lunsford and Órla Lunsford

"Thank you to the librarians who keep those books on the shelves and give us suggestions about what to read."

"Thank you, library, for all the books you let me borrow!"

Adriana & Maxine Backus

"Everywhere you look in the community, you realize that Glencarlyn is what it is because, at some point, somebody cared a lot."

Barbara McMichael

"Back then, in the middle of the library, they had these big boxes that stuck out, and they were full of cards. And they held something that we learned was called the Dewey Decimal System."

Lynn Green Robinson

"We moved into this neighborhood in 1958, and this library was a little white house. It was my favorite place on the face of the earth."

Marie Wilson

"As a child, our family came to the library once a week at least. And sometimes, if we were really bored, we asked to come more than once a week because we would have read all the books that we took home the weekend before."

J Vic Funderburk

Infamous FBI agent-turned-Russian asset Robert Hanssen "would come in and pick up a post and sit at one of the tables, holding the newspaper in such a way that it appeared that he was reading it... It became increasingly obvious that he was not reading it!"

Susan Walsh

"Our experience of this library really shaped who we became. We love books, and we want to share that."

New March Releases

March is here and that means another month of new book 📖 releases!

Find out how a teen discovers that her family is in the mafia, get inside the brains of four senior assassins who solve a murder and learn how the community of Batavia, New York fought corporate greed to save their minor league baseball team.

Good Stab is a Blackfeet vampire seeking revenge for the atrocities committed against his people. "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones layers narratives over a century, combining historical events with chilling horror while examining themes of identity, guilt and survival.

Retired assassins Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie are once again pulled back into the game. "Kills Well with Others," Deanna Raybourn’s exhilarating and darkly funny sequel to "Killers of a Certain Age," uncovers a revenge plot tied to a decades-old mission stretching back to WWII.

When Major League Baseball eliminated 42 minor league teams in 2020, the community of Batavia, New York didn’t let go of their beloved Muckdogs without a fight. They revived the team as a summer league for college players and in "Homestand," journalist Will Bardenwerper captures the eccentric fans, passionate locals and the bittersweet clash between corporate greed and grassroots love for the game in small town America.

Historian and herbalist Charlotte Taylor Fryar uses the Potomac River as a lens to explore America’s racial and colonial past, highlighting gentrification, environmental degradation and systemic inequality. "Potomac Fever" is both a love letter to the river and a sharp critique of American myth.

Middle-grade readers will be drawn to "Whale Eyes," a memoir by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea. The interactive visuals and imaginative design—with changing fonts and words traveling across the page requiring the book to be physically turned on its side and upside down—portray Robinson’s life with strabismus, a condition that affects eye alignment and perception.

Teen readers will be swept up in the action-packed enemies-to-lovers mafia romance, "In the Company of Killers" by Elora Cook. When Tasha’s father and sister are murdered, she discovers that she’s inherited control of New York’s most powerful mob family, but to find the killer, she must team up with Leo, her former best friend and heir to a rival family.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Diane's 2025 Picks
Recent Irish Fiction

The Friendly Cab Company

In 1947, Ralph Collins started a cab company to help his neighbors get around under Jim Crow segregation. It was one of the longest-running businesses in Green Valley.

Ralph Collins walking with his wife, Cornelia in the 1940s.

Ralph Collins with his wife Cornelia, ca. 1940s. From WETA’s Boundary Stones.

There were plenty of ways to get around Arlington in the 1940s. By then, streetcars had given way to bus routes and taxi cabs. As automobile ownership increased, so did commuter culture and the rise of numerous highways such as Shirley Highway (I-395 today).

But it was not so easy for Black Arlingtonians to get where they needed to go. Under Jim Crow, they were discriminated against on public transit and barred from using white taxi services. Segregation ruled every aspect of public life, from restaurants to barber shops and recreation centers.

Even access to medical care was separate and unequal. Arlington Hospital (now Virginia Medical Center) had segregated wards, and services to Black patients were limited. The maternity ward would not offer care to Black mothers, who were expected to travel to hospitals in Washington, D.C., or Alexandria to give birth.

For Black Arlingtonians, traveling that far in a medical emergency was difficult, especially since many could not afford cars of their own.

In 1947, Ralph Delaware Collins (1896–1951) of Green Valley founded Friendly Cab Company to help address this urgent need. It began as a shuttle service, transporting neighbors to and from medical appointments. Over time, Friendly Cab expanded into a full-service taxicab company and a cherished community institution.

Friendly Cab driver Granderson O. Bollock.

Friendly Cab driver Granderson O. Bollock. From RG 338: The Personal Papers of Birdie and Mable Alston, 1905-2019.

The company’s first taxis were Chryslers and many of the drivers were off-duty Black firemen. One early driver for Friendly Cab was Granderson O. Bullock (1910-2003). He worked as a milkman before becoming a part-time driver. He also worked for The Peyton Funeral Home and later, the U.S. postal service.

Friendly Cab gained a reputation for going above and beyond in their service to the community. In a Northern Virginia Sun article from 1965, Alice Kennard, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, praised the drivers of Friendly Cab Company for always getting her to her treatments, even if that meant "the driver picked her up and carried her to the cab.”

A newspaper clip from the Northern Virginia Sun about the Friendly Cab Company.

“Life in a Wheelchair Temporary, She Says,” by Virginia Warren. Northern Virginia Sun, vol. 28, no. 207, June 4, 1965.

After Ralph Collins' death in 1951, his brother Doug took over the company. William Collins, Sr. inherited the business and ran it until the mid-1990s, when he passed it along to William Collins, Jr., who managed it with help from Charles Collins and, later, Darryl Collins.

A newspaper clip of Ralph D. Collins' obituary in 1951.

Ralph D. Collins’ obituary, 1951. Source.

In an interview, Darryl remembered the day he decided to take over the family business. At his father’s funeral, longtime community leader Dr. Alfred Taylor stood up to speak on the man’s life and legacy. He then looked directly at Darryl and his siblings and said, “Do not let this business go away.”

Darryl knew then and there that the Friendly Cab Company was too important to let go. He continued to run the business with his sister, Vicky. Over the years, they turned down multiple offers to purchase the company, resolving instead to help Friendly Cab meet the community’s changing needs.

Facing increasing competition from rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, the Friendly Cab Company recently ceased operations. According to the Arlington County Register of Historic Places, it was one of the longest-running businesses in Nauck history.

Sources:

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH) 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.

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

Use this form to send a message to the Charlie Clark 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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Director’s Message: Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights: A guide to resources

Library Director Diane Kresh and Takis Karantonis welcome a new citizen at the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony at Central Library, Aug. 24, 2023.

While writing this message, I am reminded of children's television icon Fred Rogers famously saying, "Look for the helpers." A comforting thought to offer young people in times of crisis and uncertainty. Mr. Rogers taught us there are always people who step up to help—whether they are first responders, volunteers or everyday people offering kindness and comfort and with that, a hope things will get better.

Libraries have a proud history of providing free resources and education to immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Arlington Public Library is committed to informing the community about individual rights and providing trustworthy and relevant resources when they are needed most.

50 people, representing over 30 countries, participated in the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony. 

Immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, have rights as cited in the U.S. Constitution.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has information about one's rights as an immigrant. United We Dream provides information about what to do if one has an encounter with an immigration official.

Resources to learn more about rights, the official path to citizenship and free legal and social services can be found on our website.

In addition, the library has eCollections for immigrants, refugees and new citizens.

Please share these resources within your networks and stay tuned for updates. Arlington Public Library is here to help.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library



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