Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library

The MLK Jr. Memorial Library closed on Saturday, March 4, 2017 for modernization: learn more at dclibrary.org/mlkfuture. Interim services for the MLK Library (including the Library Express location, Special Collections, and the Memory Lab) began on Monday, May 8, 2017. Please visit dclibrary.org/mlkinterim for more information on interim services.

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What's New for NaNoWriMo?

Space for writers during National Novel Writing Month

Want to dive into National Novel Writing Month, but don't know where to start? Not a fiction writer and feeling a little left out? Fear not, your favorite downtown library has got you covered. On Tuesdays, drop into our Connect & Share or The Writer's Den.

International Games Day @ MLK

Enjoy all day fun at your favorite downtown library!

Celebrate International Games Day with us on Saturday, November 21. Gamers of all ages are welcome to try their hand at our Wii Station and a variety of board games.

Podcast: District of Change

D.C. Utopia

Visionary Plans for the Future City This podcast was recorded at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Wednesday, October 21, 2015.

Adults

NEW Digitized Collection: Dr. Darrell Clayton Crain Jr. Photograph Collection

Local medical doctor captures pictures spanning four decades in DC and abroad

D.C. History

Silent Mission Shiloh Baptist Church 1910

Dr. Andrew Jackson Foster and the African-American Deaf Mission in Washington, DC

Oldest African-American Deaf Mission in the United States

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Week (January 17 – 23, 2016) The DC Public Library Presents Dr. Andrew Jackson Foster and the African-American Deaf Mission in Washington, DC Dr. Isaac O. Agboola Interim Dean, School of Education, Business, and Human Services, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. Judy C. Williams Historian, Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, D. C. Tuesday, January 19, 2016 6:00 – 8:30 PM

An Evening with Kevin Powell

Join us as Kevin Powell, activist, writer, and public speaker discusses his new book, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood.

Author Events

Cover of This Place Has No Atmosphere shows a girl wearing '80s fashion looking at the Earth from the moon.

Books for '80s Kids to Share With the Kids in Their Lives

Ah, the 1980s--era of Rainbow Brite, the Electric Company, and the after-school special. Ronald Reagan was our president, the Cold War was still on, and computers were just beginning to be more than a curiosity to the average person. In children's literature, the '80s sometimes get a bad rap for being the era of the "problem novel"; basically, an after-school special in book form. Still, some pretty great books were published during that decade.

October Is a Gamer's Holiday All Month Long

Celebrate Halloween on weekends in October!

We're celebrating Halloween (and gamers) at your favorite downtown library all month long: Make Your Own Cosplay Costume! Get ready for Halloween or your next Comic Con with something fresh and original. Film Showing: The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 & 2

Teens Visit National Portrait Gallery

Summary of Art Attack on August 20

On Thursday, Aug. 20, teens met at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in the Teen Space to walk over to the National Portrait Gallery and sketch portraits. Ms. Blair Kirkbaumer, teen programs coordinator at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, introduced the teens to the concepts of portraiture. One teen sketched the bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. by Joseph Stein in The Struggle for Justice exhibit on the second floor, and the other sketched the sculpture of George Bush by Patrick Oliphant in the America's Presidents exhibit on the second floor.

Teens

Camping in the Library

On September 27, as part of the fun programs we offer every Sunday in the Children's Department, we got to go on a camping adventure in the library. It's important to be prepared, so we started our adventure by gearing up. Each child wore a backpack full of the essentials - water, a snack, bug spray, matches and a flashlight. Then we were ready for a hike around the library. After our hike, we rested by our campsite and started building a "fire". We lit our matches and had a nice roaring fire in no time. Then came out the marshmallows.

Children