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Alert: Central Library surface parking lots closed from midnight to noon on Saturday, May 30. More Info

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Arlington Public Library

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Coming Soon: New Evening Hours Starting Jan. 12

Starting January 12, 2026, evening hours on Monday and Wednesday are changing at the following library locations: Aurora Hills, Cherrydale, Courthouse and Glencarlyn libraries. The new hours will affect the Teleconnect Space at Courthouse Library.

Collage of four photos of different libraries.

The new hours will be:

Monday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.  

(Previous hours 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.)

Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. 

(Previous hours 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

There are no changes in hours at Central, Columbia Pike, Westover and Shirlington libraries; these locations will remain open until 8 p.m. on Monday.

The number of open hours for all libraries will remain unchanged while allowing the Library to serve more patrons.  The Library evaluated door count data and checkout information to make this decision.

Thank you for your continued support of Arlington Public Library and your participation in our programs and services. For questions or feedback, please contact the Library online.

Too Cool For Yule #18

As we (finally) reach the home stretch of 2025, it is time for the annual release of Arlington Public Library’s “Too Cool for Yule” playlist. Take a beat, press pause and reset. Whatever reflection and chill look like to you, let Arlington Public Library provide the score.

A couple of musical notes about the selections we’ve included.

Tom Lehrer, the brilliant satirist died this year at the age of 97. Those of us of a certain age will remember his ingenious topical takes on full display in songs like “Vatican Rag,” “Hanukkah in Santa Monica,” and many others. Pure genius.

Since I began this list 18 years ago, I never fail to include a cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” first introduced by the incomparable Judy Garland in the 1944 cinematic classic “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Frank Sinatra serves it up here with his impeccable phrasing and rhythm. Sublime.

We close the playlist with the Staple Singers’ version of “Will the Circle be Unbroken.” A tune first penned in 1907, and later popularized by the Carter Family and the 1960’s Nitty Gritty Dirt Band--when I first heard the tune as a tribute. The lyrics speak to our fractured times and the promise of better days. And don’t we all need a little hope for better days right now.

So, brew a cup, raise a glass, relax with loved ones and hit play. Let this playlist serve as a reminder that Arlington Public Library is always free. Always open. Always listening.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

New November Releases

We're grateful for authors and stories.

This November, we express our gratitude for the imagination and dedication of authors who give us stories to enjoy.

Marisa Kashino’s "Best Offer Wins" skewers the local real estate market in a twisted and darkly humorous novel of domestic suspense. After being outbid 11 times in 18 months for various houses in the D.C. area suburbs, Margo’s getting desperate. When she hears of a wonderful house that will soon hit the market, she’ll stop at nothing to get it.

Nils knows today is his last day on earth, but still goes to work as a ferry operator. As the passengers embark, he sees they are all ghosts from his past. Sailing his route through the Norwegian fjords for the final time, he waits for the ghost of his recently deceased wife in the wistful and quiet story "The Ferryman and His Wife" by Frode Grytten and translated by Alison McCullough.

While trying to negotiate a lighter sentence by returning stolen art from previous heists, an officer tells thief Myles Conner that only a Rembrandt would save him. So, while out on parole, Conner steals a Rembrandt in an audacious daytime theft from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Anthony M. Amore’s "The Rembrandt Heist" gets into all the action and intrigue of a story that’s stranger than fiction.

In 1834, David Ruggles opened the first Black bookstore in the U.S., selling abolitionist literature and creating a place for Black people to gather and learn. It’s a template many Black bookstores to come would follow, despite harassment from the FBI and IRS, racism, gentrification and a shifting publishing marketplace. "Black-Owned" by Char Adams traces the history of the Black bookstore and the role those bookstores have played in their communities.

Middle grade readers will want to check out "How to Free a Jinn" by Raidah Shah Idil. When Insyirah and her mother move from Australia to Malaysia to take care of her ailing grandmother, Insyirah learns the women in her family can see jinn. As she gets used to life in a new place, she must also confront an evil spirit haunting her new school in this energetic adventure that blends family, mythology and faith.

Annie Fairfax has been cursed by the finfolk—vengeful creatures that live beneath the waves and were responsible for the shipwreck that killed her parents. Annie is a young female head of the whaling company that her village depends on for survival. Responsibility weighs heavily on her shoulders while the curse is getting worse. There might be a cure, but the cost may be too high in "Break Wide the Sea" by Sara Holland. Teen readers will be drawn in by this roiling and atmospheric tale blending horror, folklore and love.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Indigenous Peoples Month Guest List
Veterans Guest List

Director’s Message: We’re Not Going Anywhere

Library Director Diane Kresh talking to a FOAL book sale customer.
Library Director Diane Kresh talking to a FOAL book sale customer.

Friday, Oct. 24, was the first full day of our twice-yearly Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL) used book sale, and Arlington’s longest running "recycling" program. I just ended my morning shift having rung up scores of shoppers who exited the library garage, weighted down by bags of books. I met young adults, older adults, retirees, babies, teachers, librarians and some furloughed federal employees who found themselves, sadly, with time on their hands.

FOAL book sale shoppers browsing the used books collection.
FOAL book sale shoppers browsing the used books collection.

All of them united by a love of books and reading.

The book sale is one of my favorite library events. A chance for me and the staff to engage with residents and patrons we might not usually see and whose generosity we depend on. Every penny that is earned by the book sales goes back to the library to pay for author talks, game nights, summer and winter reading challenges, equipment for The Shop and more.

Everything you can think of to keep our community educated, entertained and engaged.

Volunteer signaling to a book sale customer to check out.
Volunteer signaling to a book sale customer to check out.
Shoppers can find unbeatable deals on books, games, puzzles and more.
Shoppers can find unbeatable deals on books, games, puzzles and more.

As I worked the sale I talked with job seekers, home schoolers, young families and students. Many in our community are struggling. Costs of goods and unemployment are rising. Businesses are closing including Pirouette, across the street from Central Library and a warm and welcoming place to gather after a library event. There is no end in sight for the government shutdown and there is a lot of uncertainty and fears of what might come next.

One thing you can be sure of: Arlington Public Library is not going anywhere. Our doors are still open for reference help, quiet study, meeting friends or making new ones at our jigsaw puzzle tables.

If you haven’t stepped through our doors in a while, please do. If you’re a regular, thank you. We are all in this together.

Always Free. Always Open. Always Dependable.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

MUSICAL CODA

New October Releases

The Spooky Season Is Here 👻

The nights are getting longer and whether you’re celebrating spooky season or the start of cozy season, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a blanket and a good book. 

Set in 2075 New York, the queer cyberpunk dystopian thriller "Local Heavens" by K. M. Fajardo retells "The Great Gatsby," showing the timelessness of its themes of wealth, class, loss and the damage careless people can cause while going after their desires.

You’d think that bargaining with a shadowy figure for a promotion would be standard at a workplace like Dark Enterprises, but while Colin does get promoted, he also unleashes an ancient evil. Mark Waddell’s "Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World" sees Colin trying to save the world because there are a few things he likes about it—his best friend, the new guy he’s been seeing, and of course, his new job. Welcome to Night Vale meets The Office in this darkly humorous horror satire that doesn’t skimp on the romance or action.

The college years often include bad grades, worse boyfriends, questionable fashion choices, late-night parties and learning who you really are. All of this is further complicated if you’ve already won the Nobel Peace Prize and are a global figure for surviving the death threats that haven’t gone away. "Finding My Way" by Malala Yousafzai is a candid and dynamic memoir as she confronts a public image that’s impossible to live up to and learns who she actually is, on her own terms.

November 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes shipwreck immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot. "Gales of November" by John U. Bacon is an absorbing and in-depth look at the wreck, as well as the importance and dangers of sailing on the Great Lakes. Most importantly, he introduces readers to the 29 men lost when she went down, their lives on board and on shore and the loved ones they left behind.

Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta’s middle grade novel, "Vanishing of Lake Peigneur" tells the dramatic story of when a routine drilling operation on Louisiana’s Lake Peigneur went very, very wrong, creating a giant whirlpool and draining the entire lake away into the salt mines underneath. Narrated by the lake itself and detailing the lives of the people caught in the chaos, this is a gripping introduction to a little-known environmental disaster.

Beauty content creator Lyric plans to spend the holiday season continuing to build her platform and get the most out of her latest brand collaboration. When a spur-of-the-moment photo with new classmate, Juniper, goes viral, the girls decide to make the most of the moment and start fake dating for the clicks (and the accompanying money, which will fund their respective post-high school plans). But the line between reality and social media blurs quickly in "I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," Mariama J. Lockington’s slow-burn teen Christmas romance.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Best Recent Latine Fiction
Latine Horror

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

New September Releases

New Stories to Carry You Through the Fall Season

School has started and the weather has gotten cooler. These new titles are made for cozy evenings, your favorite pumpkin spice treat and getting lost in a page.

Follow the lives of the workers at a nail salon in "Pick a Color" by Souvankham Thammavongsa. To the customers, they have the same uniform and haircut and have nametags that say "Susan." They spend the day bantering and telling jokes in their unnamed mother language, showing their distinct lives and personalities. Told in the owner’s observant and dry-humored voice, it’s a funny and moving exploration of class, identity and work.

Steph wants to be the first Cherokee astronaut, an ambition that drives her life and tests her familial and romantic relationships. Through Steph and the women in her life, Eliana Ramage explores a wide range of Native American history and identity. In "To the Moon and Back," multiple narrators explore family, identity, ambition and space. In the hands of a lesser novelist, the result would be overstuffed, but this epic debut is instead absorbing and thought-provoking.

Growing up in a cult and struggling with addiction, chess was a lifeline and outlet for Danny Rensch. An International Master by the age of 19, he helped elevate the level of play at Chess.com and has become the face of the website, which was caught up in a massive cheating scandal. "Dark Squares" combines a poignant story of overcoming adversity with a history and examination of the game.

In "Humanish," Justin Gregg examines how our peculiar tendency to humanize the nonhuman helps us socially connect and make sense of the world. At the same time, humanizing mundane objects makes it easier to dehumanize large groups of people. Full of research and illuminating anecdotes, this informative and astute exploration of anthropomorphism is a delightful and engaging read.

Gail Jarrow’s latest medical history book for middle grade readers, "White House Secrets," looks at nine presidents whose health information was concealed from the public. From Garfield up through Biden, it examines the history and the ethical issues surrounding presidential health. Intriguing and accessible, it’s also great conversation fodder.

Teen readers will learn all about the radical Emma Goldman in "Loudmouth" by Deborah Heiligman. Born in Lithuania in 1869, Goldman was forced to leave school at 13 to help support her family. At 16, she immigrated to America where she faced discrimination for being Jewish, an immigrant and a woman. This engrossing tale of a fierce and influential figure has many contemporary parallels, but Heiligman keeps her meticulous research and absorbing prose on Goldman herself.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

For those who are awaiting new seasons of Only Murders in the Building and Slow Horses, explore these book lists inspired by both series.

Only Murders in Building
Slow Horses

Make the Most of Libby: Tips for Every Reader

If you love reading with Libby, you're not alone! It's one of the best ways to access eBooks and audiobooks for free with your Arlington Public Library card. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re already a digital borrowing pro, these helpful tips can make your experience smoother, faster and more enjoyable.

Keep Track of Your Holds

Did a book you were waiting for disappear? Occasionally, titles are removed from the digital collection while you're in line. Unfortunately, Libby doesn’t notify you—it simply vanishes from your Holds list. 

To stay ahead: 

  • Check your Holds regularly to make sure everything’s still there. 
  • Use Tags to mark books you really want, so you can find them again if they’re removed. 
  • Explore your Timeline (under the Shelf tab) to review your reading history, including old or canceled holds. 

Get Books Faster with Smart Browsing

Looking for something to read right now?  If the wait feels long, you’re not imagining it. Digital licenses are shared across all library users and popular titles can have long queues.  

Luckily, there are ways to skip the line: 

  • Use the “Available Now” filter to find titles ready to borrow immediately. 
  • Tap “Read Sample” or “Play Sample” while waiting for a hold to preview the book. 
  • Check other formats. If the audiobook is checked out, the eBook might be available (and vice versa). 

Help the Hold Line Move Faster

Feel like you’re stuck in the same spot in the holds queue forever? A few small actions can help everyone get their books a little quicker.  

  • Cancel holds you’re no longer interested in to shorten wait times for others. 
  • Return books early if you finish before the due date. This sends them straight to the next person in line. 
  • When a hold becomes available, check it out promptly or choose “Deliver Later” if you’re not ready. This keeps the line moving smoothly for everyone. 

Free Up Space for More Reading

Can’t borrow any more titles? Libby lets you borrow up to 20 titles at a time. But even if you’re done with a book, it still counts toward your limit until it’s returned. 

To make space: 

  • Go to Shelf > Loans > Manage Loan > Return Early. 
  • For Kindle books, return them from your Amazon account, Kindle app or Kindle device. 

Plan Ahead for Your Reading Time

Life happens and sometimes a book becomes available when you’re too busy to read it. Libby gives you three days to borrow it, but if you miss the window twice, the hold is canceled. 

Good news: you have options! 

  • Tap “Deliver Later” to delay your loan (up to 180 days!) and keep your spot in line. 
  • Use “Suspend Hold” to pause your place in the queue before your book becomes available.

Read Your Way

Libby’s reading settings are totally customizable. For better comfort and accessibility: 

  • Adjust font size and style for easier reading. 
  • Choose from bright, sepia, or dark backgrounds to reduce eye strain. 
  • If your device uses dark mode, Libby will automatically apply a dark theme for nighttime reading. 

Make Kindle Your Default

Prefer reading on your Kindle? You can skip the extra steps and set it as your default reading method. 

Just go to:

  • Menu (Libby icon) > Settings > Read Books With… > Kindle
  • Once set, Libby will automatically send your borrowed eBooks to Kindle when available. 

Whether you're reading on your commute, listening during a walk or curled up with your Kindle, Libby has something for everyone. Try out these tips and enjoy smoother browsing, shorter waits and more personalized reading time.

Ready to explore more? Visit our Libby help page or stop by any Arlington Public Library location for assistance.

Happy reading!

New August Releases

Great Reads for the Final Weeks of Summer

We’re very studiously ignoring the pumpkin spice that has started appearing on the shelves and are trying to enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

Summer Reading goes until September 1 and if you need help finishing, try one of these great new releases.

Four robots open a noodle shop and need community support when robophobes try to shut them down in the heart-warming "Automatic Noodle" by Annalee Newitz.

R. F. Kuang is a favorite of literary genre fans and she’s back with "Katabasis." This dark academia enemies-to-lovers story features two grad students using Orpheus and Dante as travel guides as they venture into hell to retrieve their advisor so they can get the recommendations they need.

August 6 and 9 mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Garret M. Graff’s oral history, "The Devil Reached Toward the Sky" covers everything from the giddy science of splitting the atom to the haunting and tragic effects on the survivors.

In the 1970s, the Bronx was burning. While the fires were largely blamed on tenants, Bench Ansfield’s "Born in Flames" shows that the fires were actually set by landlords themselves in a massive case of insurance fraud.

There are two horror books set in Blitz-era London for young readers coming out this month!

Middle grade readers will be terrified by Ryan James Black’s "The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham" when a scavenging orphan sets loose a shadow monster. He’s always been a lone wolf, but now he has to band together with other street orphans to destroy the creature.

In "Death in the Dark" by Bryce Moore, teen readers will follow the sleuthing of the prime minister’s daughter, Mary, as she tries to catch a gruesome serial killer while dodging the falling bombs.

Place Your Holds Now!

More Book Lists to Explore

Atomic Bomb
The Voting Rights Act of 1965

Remembering Kitty Clark Stevenson

On June 4, 2025, Kitty Clark Stevenson, a native of Hall’s Hill and longtime community organizer, business owner and proud great-grandmother, passed away. Kitty’s friends describe her as a beloved storyteller and a brilliant public speaker who was never afraid to stand up for herself and her neighbors.

Kitty was born on August 1, 1949, to Jalorce M. Clark and Alfred W. Clark, Sr., the first Black firefighter to be paid by Arlington County. She attended Langston Elementary, Swanson Junior High and Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty). She was one of the first Black children to attend Swanson during integration.

Kitty discusses what it was like to grow up in Arlington County under segregation and the impacts of attending Swanson Junior High during integration.

In her professional life, Kitty built a legacy based on equal rights and public service. She was a human resources management professional for over 50 years and owned a consulting firm, ABLE’N Consulting, LLC. She worked for the Arlington County Personnel Department from 1983 until her retirement in 2000.

Kitty was Arlington’s first full-time Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer, also serving as Personnel EEO Specialist and Selective Placement Program Manager. She was a certified WINDMILLS trainer and trained people with disabilities, managers, employees and personnel specialists on disability awareness and sensitivity issues.

After her retirement, Kitty continued to challenge discrimination through community work. In 2007, she was appointed to the Arlington Human Rights Commission, chairing from 2011 to 2017.

Interview with Kitty Clark Stevenson in which she talks about her work with the Arlington Voting Office and the history of Fire Station No. 8.

Kitty also had a passion for voting. She started working with the Arlington County Department of Voter Registration and Elections in 2002, first as an election officer, then as an Assistant Registrar. She was chief of Precinct 101 in the Douglas Park neighborhood.

As a young woman, Kitty had been instructed by her dad to save her money for the poll tax. When she came of age, around 1970, she went to register to vote. In her memory of that day, she came to the central registrar’s office and waited patiently at the counter to be acknowledged. The Registrar ignored her, continuing to sort papers at the counter.

Eventually, a man entered behind Kitty and the Registrar welcomed him. The man indicated that Kitty had been there first and that she needed to be served. These small acts of indifference and kindness stayed with her and inspired her.

Kitty was committed to ensuring that each person she interacted with on behalf of the Office of Voter Registration felt seen. Gretchen Reinemeyer, Arlington County’s General Registrar, remembers how Kitty endeavored to make voting accessible to all, assisting voters in understanding the law and their options to successfully cast their ballot.
“While there are countless lessons I learned from Kitty over the years, perhaps the greatest was to make the font size larger! A small act of kindness to anyone over the age of 40 who left their readers at home,” said Reinemeyer.

Kitty’s favorite story from the precinct on election day was when a young man came running in and asked for a curbside ballot on behalf of his wife, who was in labor. As Chief Election Officer, Kitty went into a frenzy to gather the necessary paperwork and get the woman voted and on her way to the hospital. Delivering babies wasn’t covered in election officer training.

Kitty Clark Stevenson (left) and Marguarite Gooden (right) in front of the old Fire Station No. 8 building in 2016.

Kitty Clark Stevenson (left) and Marguarite Gooden (right) in front of the old Fire Station No. 8 building in 2016. From ARLnow.

In 2015, Kitty became a leader in a community effort to preserve Fire Station No. 8, the County’s historically Black fire station, in its original location. In 2014, the Arlington Fire Chief had earmarked Station 8 for possible “relocation, consolidation, replacement or closure” based on the findings of traffic and response time studies conducted by the county.

Plans began to move the station north near Marymount University, with no notice or input from the Hall’s Hill community. When news reached the John M. Langston Citizens Association, they immediately began organizing to prevent the loss of their neighborhood’s historic firehouse.

The daughter of respected Station 8 captain Alfred W. Clark, Sr., Kitty had grown up in the station and understood how important it was to the community. At a time when Black Arlingtonians were barred from movie theaters, restaurants and recreational activities under Jim Crow segregation, Station 8 served as a vital community center. It brought people together from all three historic Black neighborhoods in Arlington, serving Green Valley, Johnson’s Hill and Hall’s Hill.

Firefighters would host movie nights for the neighborhood kids in the 1950s and the station was one of the first places in the area that had a telephone and a color television. Some of the firefighters had even set up their own golf course by the station on Culpeper Street. Neighbors knew they could always stop by to chat, play games and seek refuge.

A black and white photo of the old Fire Station No.8 in Arlington, Virginia.

Fire Station No. 8 at its previous 2209 Culpeper Street location, ca. 1934-1963. From PG 200

In September 2015, after pressure from both the John M. Langston and Old Dominion Citizens Associations, the County Board created a community task force to help determine how to move forward with Station 8.

As one of the five “Fire Station 8 Angels” — including her close friends Marguarite Gooden, Edith Gravely, Peggy Carter Jones and Rochelle Jones-Day — Kitty was integral in the fight to build the new Station 8 on its original site. She was known for being collected but forceful. Kitty spoke out at the county board meetings and made sure that the task force understood the station’s historical significance.

“She was like our spiritual glue, in a sense...the light of the Lord shone through her and helped our lights shine. And I think that’s why they called us the Station 8 Angels,” said Gooden. Jones-Day remembers Kitty as their “Big Sister in Christ,” guiding them with strength and prayer.

An updated photo of the new Station 8 fire station in Arlington, Virginia.

First day of operations at the new Station 8 building, June 25, 2024.

In the end, they successfully advocated for a new, larger Fire Station 8 to be built on its original site. As a member of the Fire Station No. 8 History & Legacy Working Group, Kitty helped choose the words that adorn the walls of the new building, including “Resilience,” “Service” and “Dedication.”

While she may not have fought fires like her father, Kitty fought for what she thought was right. Her legacy lives on in Arlington.

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.

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