Stephanie Land’s bestselling debut memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive” recounts her harrowing saga as a single mom navigating the poverty trap. Her unflinching and inspiring testimony exposes the physical, economic, and social brutality that domestic workers face, all while radiating a parent’s hope and resilience.
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Arlington Public Library announces the return of thousands of historic materials from the Library of Virginia.
Some of these repatriated records date back to the late 1840’s, which make these the oldest records in the Center for Local History’s collection. A goldmine for genealogical research, these documents provide a window into Arlington’s social, economic and agricultural history.
Boxes, housed at the Archives, containing thousands of historic materials from the Library of Virginia.
“These early records represent a snapshot of a time in Arlington we know little about,” said Library Director Diane Kresh. “We are excited to learn more as we begin to examine these records.”
The acquisition includes:
Page detail of a voter registration book from the Library of Virginia acquisition.
Years ago, a large quantity of historic documents was transferred to the Library of Virginia for storage and safe-keeping. The transfer included a small number of non-Circuit Court records. With the recent renovation of the Community Archives, Arlington Public Library is now able to provide space to house and catalog these historic documents.
A sample of the collection will be on display during two public viewings on October 16, 7-8:30 p.m. and October 23, 2-3:30 p.m. at the newly remodeled Community Archives.
The Center for Local History's Community Archives is an off-site storage facility which collects and preserves materials that illustrate the history and culture of Arlington County. The facility is located at the Woodmont Community Center on 2422 N. Fillmore St. in Arlington, VA 22207.
Once the records are processed, they will be made available to the public. Over time, records will be digitized as part of an ongoing effort to increase public access to government records and archival materials.
Cover image: Personal property interrogatories from the Library of Virginia acquisition.
American Archives Month, which takes places each October, raises awareness about the value of archives and archivists.
Arlington Reads Signature Author
On October 10, 2019, join us for Tommy Orange, acclaimed author of the New York Times bestselling novel “There There.”
Orange grapples with the history of a nation while showcasing a side of America few of us have ever seen: the lives of urban Native Americans who have inherited a profound spirituality but who are also plagued by addiction, abuse and suicide.
It’s back-to-school season, so we're sharing a segment from a recent oral history recorded with Ray Anderson, former principal of the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program.
H-B, as it’s commonly known, started in 1971 and spent almost fifty years on Vacation Lane in Cherrydale. This year the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program moved to an entirely new building in Rosslyn to accommodate the growing number of students who want to attend the school.
The photo caption from the 1996 H-B Woodlawn yearbook reads, "It provides a good place to experiment and grow. It is a place where being different is not only accepted, but is the norm."
We wish all Arlington students and teachers a good start to the school year!
1996 H.B. Woodlawn yearbook, page 1.
Narrator: Ray Anderson
Interviewer: Emily Curley
Date: January 23, 2019
RA: I decided I—conventional school was too conventional for me and I was lucky enough to write up an idea, after two years, for a separate school. And in fact, I have the memo I wrote with me and in January of 1971, I commented on the racial, economic and social diversity of Arlington [0:07:00] and conditions in the schools and particularly at Wakefield. I made some recommendations about Wakefield and the last half of my memo started, “I recommend a system of rigid and closely supervised discipline.” Wow. Okay? “Since many of our present students and faculty will find that such system inhibits the learning process for them, I further recommend the establishment of a new high school in Arlington.” And then I go on for a couple of pages on what that would be.
It got passed around in Arlington, people wrote me notes and stuff like that. By March of ’71—because this is all reflecting the times, right?—the school board was having a hearing because they had three elementary schools they were closing to open the new Glebe School and they were closing Woodlawn, Langston, and Lee. Lee is now an art center on Lee Highway. Langston is still in the school system and used for educational purposes and a community center as well. And Woodlawn is now the hospice.
So I went to the school board and I gave them this memo, which is entitled, “A Proposal for an Experimental Free High School to be Created by the Arlington County School Board.” And it’s three pages long. That was kind of interesting but I didn’t expect anything to happen.
You can find Ray Anderson's interview in its entirety in the Center for Local History - VA 975.5295 A7243oh ser.3 no.425. Photo: 1996 H.B. Woodlawn yearbook, page 1. Call number: VA/X371.805 H431y 1996. Cover photo: Community Archives, Arlington Structures and Places, 1996-2006, H.B. Woodlawn, 1996, Object 933.
You can learn more about the history of H-B Woodlawn, including the new building in Rosslyn, on the H-B Woodlawn Secondary School website.
We had an incredible 129 entries into this summer's Everyone Has a Story short story contest.
Now that our committee of readers has had a chance to review each one, we're excited to present the winners:
We hope that you enjoy reading them!
Play the audio version of the News to Use Talking Book Newsletter
Welcome to the first edition of News to Use, the Arlington Public Library Talking Book Newsletter, produced by the Talking Book Staff at Arlington Public Library.
The Accessibility and Collection Team is led by librarian Jennifer Lewis. Jennifer Odlum, who also manages the Books by Mail service for homebound patrons, supports the team. We apologize for the confusion of having two Jennifers on staff - it confuses our colleagues as well!
New to the team are Bridgette Wisdom and Brittany Ham. Bridgette also manages our periodical subscriptions at Central Library while Brittany is in charge of our Interlibrary Loan service. Meanwhile, Daniel Ramos, who has been helping us for over a decade, has just retired. We will greatly miss his experience, energy, patience and good cheer. Many of you will surely miss him as well. Look for staff and volunteer spotlights in future editions of the newsletter.
We're happy to announce the new Blind and Low Vision Resource Group. This is our first recurring program for our Talking Book patrons and for the wider blind and low-vision community. This program will meet approximately one time per month and will feature an invited topic expert. We hope you will be able to attend on a regular basis, both to learn something new and also to connect with fellow patrons. The Talking Book staff plans to attend and we’re looking forward to meeting you in person. Light snacks will be provided.
Our first meeting will take place on Friday, October 11 at 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 pm., at Central Library.
The guest speaker will be Alex Castillo from the Department of the Blind and Visually Impaired in Fairfax. Mr. Castillo is a rehabilitation teacher and will be speaking about navigating life with a vision impairment. He will also share information on resources available both at DBVI and throughout this area.
This should be a very interesting and useful presentation and we really hope to see you there! Feel free to invite friends who are interested in learning more about this topic.
Thank you to everyone who completed and returned the survey. We had an approximately 24% return rate. We’d love to increase the participation rate next time. If you have suggestions for how we can encourage a more vigorous response, please let us know.
Results included the following:
We responded to this feedback and hope that you will be able to attend our new Blind and Low-Vision Resource Group.
Reading Recommendations from Staff & Patrons
We’re excited to tell you what we’re reading, and we’d love to hear what you’d recommend.
I recently read "Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah (DB 86608), narrated by Trevor Noah. The popular host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Trevor Noah tells the story of his South African upbringing.
Under apartheid, interracial relationships were prohibited and with a black South African mother and a white German father, Trevor Noah was quite literally the product of a crime. He tells the story of how he was affected by his circumstances and overcame these challenges to become a highly successful comedian, social commentator and talk show host. His narration is authentic and engaging and his story is a unique and fascinating window into life under apartheid. Be aware that there is some profanity.
Do you have a book you’d like to recommend? Please call or email us with a brief description of the book and why you liked it.
The Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) is a way to access Talking Books immediately online. BARD gives you digital access to the complete and vast Talking Book collection. You can use BARD Express to download books using your computer and a cartridge, or you can use the BARD Mobile app to download books directly to your digital device. Talking Book staff use BARD on our iPhones to read books in the car or while taking a walk.
The BARD Website can be found at nlsbard.loc.gov/FAQ.html
If you need help, you can also call our staff at 703-228-6333. We can try to walk you through the process by phone or email. If that doesn’t help, we’ll be happy to meet you one-on-one at the library.
Some of you may not have an Arlington Public Library card. If you don’t read printed material, you might wonder why you would want one. When you sign up for a library card and add your email address to your account, you automatically receive the Arlington Public Library’s monthly eNewsletter, which highlights special programs taking place that month. So, if you don’t have a regular library card, consider getting one! Also remember to check the online Arlington Public Library calendar which can be found at library.arlingtonva.us/calendar
Arlington Public Library offers programs this Fall on a wide range of topics that may be of interest to you including movement classes and Aging Well workshops. Health-related programs include presentations about hearing aids, how to use digital tools to improve your health, and highlights from the latest Alzheimer’s International Research Conference.
Upcoming financial programs include topics on retirement planning and reverse mortgages. The Library offers lots of arts and crafts and maker programs year-round. Knitting and sewing are just a couple of programs in this category.
We also offer day-time movies, garden talks, and a huge number of book clubs. If you miss being around small children, there’s a Seniors and Kids Together Storytime on Tuesday evenings.
Upcoming lectures include speakers such as author Tommy Orange and political commentator Chuck Rosenberg; we also have upcoming lectures on Voting and Elections.
From Microsoft Basics to Introductory coding, technology and computer classes are a mainstay of the library, but did you know that we also offer 30-minute, one-on-one tutorials by appointment?
Remember, everything we offer at the library is free.
Here are a few programs we want to highlight:
In Our Aging Well Series
We invite you to be participate in the production of this newsletter.
There are many ways you can contribute.
The Talking Book Staff is hear for you. We can help you select books, download books, register for library programs or connect you with other information you may be looking for.
You can reach us:
And that concludes the September 2019 edition of the News to Use newsletter. We hope you found it enjoyable and useful.
Join the Friends of Arlington Public Library and former Jeopardy! contestants for a night of fun and challenging trivia as we celebrate the 19th Amendment and women’s history. The top trivia teams will win prizes and all participants will learn a thing or two while enjoying friendly competition.
This special trivia event will be held on Friday October 18 from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St. Arlington, VA 22201.) Doors will open at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $30 for an individual, $160 for a table of 6, and sponsored tables are available for $350. Sponsors will receive premium seating, recognition during the event, and one free drink per person. Individuals who do not have a team will be assigned to a team prior to the event.
Beer and wine will be available for purchase from the Ballston Business Improvement District. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres are included with ticket price.
All proceeds from this event benefit the Friends of the Arlington Public Library in their mission to support Arlington Public Libraries and strengthen literacy in the community.
Eighteen years ago, children from around the country showed their support for Arlington's first responders with homemade cards filled with drawings and words of encouragement.
Drawing of a red firetruck with heart on the side; child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked a west coast-bound plane taking off from nearby Dulles Airport and crashed it into the Pentagon. Within minutes of the attack, firefighters and first responders from Arlington County, Fort Myer, and Reagan National Airport arrived at the scene. Arlington County Fire Department took the lead, establishing an Incident Command System (ICS) across the Washington-metro region to respond to the emergency. Firefighters managed to get the fire under control on the first day, but it took three days to fully extinguish the fire, and reach, as Arlington County Fire Chief Edward Plaugher described it, “the heart of the crash site.”
In total, 189 people died in the attack on the Pentagon, including the 64 passengers and crew on Flight 77.
These attacks devastated our community, but support flowed in to Arlington from around the nation. Children from across the country—from as far as Washington state to as close as Arlington, VA—sent homemade thank you cards to the Arlington County Fire Department in appreciation of their efforts to fight the fire and rescue survivors.
Drawing of firefighter using a water-hose from firetruck to put out a fire from a burning building; child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
The card pictured below, from a child not named, features an American flag and a firefighter putting out a fire. The child thanks the firefighters for saving lives and being there for the people at the Pentagon. This is a theme for almost all of the cards.
Child's card from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
Zack Barrett made a pop-up card thanking the firefighters for keeping our nation running.
5th grader Ryan drew a picture of a firefighter on top of a building, and thanked them for risking their lives.
Children's cards from the Center for Local History Community Archives.
These, and the hundreds of other unsolicited drawings and letters sent to the Arlington County Fire Department, are preserved in the Community Archive at the Center for Local History.
Some of the young artists and writers no doubt have children of their own today, but the emotions remain as fresh and powerful as the day they were put on paper and mailed from places like Renton, WA, Toledo, OH, Clarksdale, MS - and more locally Ashburn, VA and Washington DC.
Child's card with two yellow stars and an exclamation point that says "Stand tall America! Thank you for helping." From the Center for Local History Community Archives.
Read a detailed account of the Arlington County Fire Department emergency response to the attack on the Pentagon in the blog post, "Attack on the Pentagon - Sept. 11, 2001," published Friday, March 18, 2005 by Arlington Fire Journal & Metro D.C. Fire History.
Listen to oral history interviews with first responders and Arlingtonians about their experiences on Sept. 11, 2001, and the days that followed.
To see more of the Children's Cards, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
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.
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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We had another great summer of reading!
23% more readers complete Summer Reading in 2019 than in 2018!
Through your reading, combined with the generosity of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library, you raised $6,553 to provide books for the Arlington County Children's Advocacy Center, which promotes the safety and well-being of children in Arlington County.
More 2019 numbers:
Thanks to the Friends of the Arlington Public Library and the Washington Nationals for making Summer Rreading 2019 such a great success.
Join us after work to hang out with your friends and listen to passages from challenged and banned books, read by some of your favorite librarians. This year, Synetic Theater’s amazing performers will help us recreate scenes from banned books using movement and physicality.
Bring your blanket and a picnic dinner!
The Picnic will be held in Quincy Park, on the lawn between the Central Library Auditorium and the soccer field. In the event of rain, we will move to the Auditorium.
Please note: This event is for adults and mature teens only.
RSVP for an event reminder.