Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library

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Glowing 3D printer with a printed traffic cone

What is 3D Printing? (Online)

Tuesday, October 12, 2021, 3:00 pm

One of the technologies offered by the Labs at MLK is 3D printing. Are you curious about how 3D printing works? Join us for a virtual program discussing the basics of how it works, what materials are used and what kinds of machines are at the Labs.

American Sign Language Beginning Level

Tuesday, October 12, 2021, 7:00 pm

Our ever-popular series of Beginning and Intermediate level American Sign Language (ASL) classes will be starting up again at the end of September 2021! Details on how to join virtually will be available soon. IMPORTANT! Please make sure you have a working webcam on your computer before you sign in to the class. In order to get the most out of learning ASL, the instructor needs to be able to see the participants and the participants need to be able to see each other as well as see the instructor.

Memory Lab Orientation and Transfer Session

Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 10:30 am

Schedule your Memory Lab Orientation and Transfer Session appointment at bit.ly/labsclasses. Memory Lab Orientation and Transfer Session appointments are individualized do-it-yourself (DIY) appointments. Completing a Labs Participant Release Form and a short orientation at the beginning of your appointment is required. A photo ID is required to complete the Labs Participant Release Form, and a library card is required to book a Memory Lab session appointment.

3D Printer Orientation - Ultimakers

Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 11:00 am

Welcome back! Your first session with these machines will include a safety orientation, a waiver, and a brief introduction to the machines. The rest of the time during your first session and following sessions will be for your own use. These appointments are 1-on-1 and will require you to wear a mask to ensure staff and patron safety. Active certification for reservation is required. To ensure equitable use of library facilities each user is limited to one machine for three (3) consecutive hours per day and no more than three (3) reservations per thirty (30) day period.

Memory Lab Orientation and Transfer Session

Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 2:00 pm

3D Printer Orientation - Ultimakers

Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 2:30 pm

Memory Lab Orientation and Transfer Session

Thursday, October 14, 2021, 2:00 pm

Maker Kits

Thursday, October 14, 2021, 4:00 pm

Need something fun to do at home? Check out our Maker Kits! These Maker Kits have the supplies for different kinds of experiments - from week to week, you may encounter activities like making a recyclable bird feeder, a LEGO duck, and more. Find us on the 5th floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and pick yours up on Thursday evenings, starting September 2nd. We'll look forward to seeing you!

Safety Orientation

Thursday, October 14, 2021, 6:00 pm

This orientation is required to participate in any activity, event, or workshop at the Fabrication Lab. The first step before using any Fab Lab equipment. The Fab Lab is designated for use by persons aged 13 and older. Children between 6-12 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times. During the brief orientation, you'll be introduced to the Fabrication Lab's policies and procedures. Labs staff will check your ID and give you an electronic Participant Release Form to sign.

¡Hola Papi! - A Conversation with JP Brammer

Thursday, October 14, 2021, 6:30 pm

For Hispanic Heritage Month, join us for a conversation with writer JP Brammer for his new book ¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons his story of growing up biracial and in the closet in America's heartland, while

Pages

The Shaed Sisters of Washington, D.C.

Elementary School Educators

The Shaeds were a prominent family of educators and professionals in Washington, D.C. Gregory and Cenos Shaed moved from Florida to Washington, D.C. after their marriage in 1900, where Mr. Shaed became a printer with the Government Printing Office.

D.C. History

African American History Culture Museum cover

Staff Pick: National Museum of African American Museum & Culture

New in the collection

The Smithsonian's newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, is now open to the public!

I Want a President...

A collective reading - DC

Visit the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Library and let your voice be heard. Grab a sticky note and share your vision. Submissions will be read aloud in front of the White House on October 16.

From London into the Past

Over the summer, I joined a small group tour of Great Britain that started in London. It was a great two weeks! I enjoyed exploring the cities and towns where we stopped along the way. Below is a selection of books I read before I went on the tour. Copies are available from the library system.

Market Selects for September 20

Seasonal, Fresh Titles for Your Consumption

On the third Tuesday of each month, library staff set up shop at the FRESHFARM

Library Takeout

The Fossil Fuel Age and After

If a future historian were to map out the great expanse of human history over thousands of years, the fossil fuel age will have occupied a relatively small blip of time. During just several hundred years, humans will have squandered much of the fossil fuels formed over half a billion years. Yet, however brief this era we currently live in will be, many of us consider its way of life to be normal.

Rebel Readers

Uncensored books for the uncensored mind

Explicit language, homosexuality, politics, violence. Just a few reasons why certain books are deemed unsuitable for society by the "conservative" reader. Imagine what our world be like if we did not have those who dared to push the envelope? As Banned Books Week approaches, let us take some time out of our busy day to honor those authors who not only crossed the line, but erased it. But let's not limit that acknowledgement to authors in the United States. Let's cross our borders and look at writers around the world who shook things up in their homeland. Enjoy!

Tuesday Night Movies

A weekly film series for adults at 6 p.m. in Auditorium A-5.

Don't miss these Tuesday Night Movies! September 6 Money Monster After losing his life savings to bad investment advice from a TV guru, a young man threatens the host and the studio with explosives! Starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Directed by Jodie Foster. 98 mins, 2016. R September 13 Captain America: Civil War

Films

U Street Oral History Project now online

Interviews tell the story of DC's cultural corridor

Now online: our U Street Oral History Project, which gathers first-hand accounts of the historic U Street Corridor neighborhood from its heyday as “Black Broadway” in the 1920s and 1930s through the riots that devastated the area following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the present renewal.

D.C. History

Suicide and Depression in Young Adult Literature

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds and 90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness such as depression. Suicide and depression can be difficult subjects to approach, but fortunately, many young adult novels dealing these topics have been written in recent years. Books may provide an excellent way to reach out to teens struggling with depression or dealing with it in their family or friends.