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A DC Public Library card is your ticket to endless possibilities—in real life. Yes, it’s a great way to get a good book, but today’s library is also a gateway to experiences that spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and bring people together. Your card connects you to welcoming spaces designed for discovery, support, and connection: places where you can explore new skills, take meaningful steps in your career, meet neighbors, preserve memories, and enjoy moments of delight that strengthen our city’s social fabric.
During National Library Card Month, sign up for a library card or renew your card and explore everything your neighborhood library has to offer. Read on to discover all the ways DC Public Library helps residents grow, connect, and thrive—right here, in real life.
Sign Up for a DC Public Library Card
...A Community of Readers
Join a Book Club
A book club is a great way to build your library community as you read through hand-selected titles in your favorite genre or branch out to try something completely new! Browse the library's book clubs and sign-up today.
Attend an Author Talk
Read between the lines of some of your favorite creators and get your hands on some of the newest titles to hit the shelves at library author talks! DC Public Library hosts a variety of authors who write for all ages and genres. Click the button below to see upcoming talks at a library near you!
Take Your Reads on the Go
Have all of your eBooks, eAudiobooks and digital magazines right at your fingertips with the Libby App by Overdrive. Download the Libby App today to browse Overdrive and check out titles.
Get Hand-Picked Recommendations
Not sure what to read next? Thinking about dipping your toe into a new genre? Want to go deep on a particular topic? Get hand-picked recommendations from library staff with Staff Picks! Each Staff Picks article is chock full of books we love for readers of all ages and interests.
...An Open Studio for Creation
Music Afficionados
DC Public Library has great resources for music lovers!
Unlimited Streaming Music
Stream unlimited music, commercial-free with your library card and Freegal! Freegal includes millions of songs from over 200 genres from popular labels, including Sony Music.
Get Loud at Library Concerts
DC Public Library is full of great live music featuring local groups! Groove to Go-Go music at MLK Library, enjoy a picnic at Northeast's Garden Concert Series and more.
See Upcoming Musical Performances
Sheet Music Library
Create your own music with sheet music! Check out everything from classical choral arrangements and symphonies to jazz music, musicals, pop and rock!
Immerse Yourself in Local Music Culture
DC Public Library is home to the DC Punk Archive and the Go-Go Archive. Visit the People's Archive at MLK Library to see the permanent exhibitions featuring highlights from this most special of collections and view digitized photos, concert posters, ticket stubs and even recorded performances on DigDC!
Artists and Makers
Take Online Craft Classes
Access unlimited craft classes where you can learn to paint, draw, sew, knit, bake, and design with Creativebug. Experience the joy of making with thousands of award-winning video classes taught by top designers and artists.
Start Creating with Creativebug
Visit the Labs
The Labs at MLK Library is D.C.'s free creative space to learn, make and collaborate! Attend a Maker Talk and hear from incredible local artists, use Adobe Creative Suite on the creative computers, record your podcast in the Studio Lab, learn how to use a 3D printer and so much more.
Immerse Yourself in Local Art and Culture
Public art installations and local history and culture exhibits can be found at the MLK Library and at libraries throughout the system, including permanent works and rotating displays of artwork from District government and private collections.
Writers
Meet with Writers at Your Neighborhood Library
Meet with your fellow writers at neighborhood libraries across D.C. Work on your memoir, get your work critiqued to get constructive feedback or draft the script you have been dreaming about!
See Upcoming Events for Writers
Take Online Writing Courses
Enroll in self-paced, non-credit personal and professional development classes are led by real instructors who will give you continuous feedback on your progress. Courses are available to help you learn how to craft novels, romance, mysteries and more.
Stream The Great Courses
The Great Courses are engaging lecture series accessible via Kanopy created by college professors that go in-depth on a variety of topics, including literature and writing. Learn about how to grow as a writer and how to go about publishing your work.
...Unlocking Every Story
Your library card is your ticket to trustworthy news and rich historical perspective—a steady source of clarity in an era of misinformation and digital noise. Access to current and archival newspapers helps residents navigate the world with confidence, grounding civic engagement in reliable information. Whether you’re checking the latest headlines or exploring D.C.’s past, the library supports informed, active participation in community life.
The Washington Post
Get your daily national and local news with unlimited access to The Washinton Post website and app. Simply visit The Washington Post website while visiting the library or authenticate your access using your library card and your Washington Post account from any device.
New York Times
Enjoy unlimited access, both onsite and remote, to The New York Times website and app. For in library access, simply visit the New York Times site and click "Register." When outside of a library you can create an account and activate a 1-day pass. You can renew the pass each day though the library website.
PressReader
Stay connected with the world with unlimited access to more than 7,000 publications from over 120 countries, in 60 different languages. Popular titles include The Economist, The Guardian, Newsweek, Der Tagesspiegel, El Razon and China Daily. There are no limits on downloads and they're yours to keep forever. Please note issues for The Economist are limited to a 7 day checkout period and can be checked out again once the 7 days is over.
Washington Business Journal
The Washington Business Journal provides comprehensive business coverage of Washington, D.C., and neighboring cities and counties in Virginia and Maryland.
...Boundless Personal Growth
Pre-K and Elementary School Students
Your child starts learning the day they are born! From free books delivered right to your home through the Books from Birth program, to story times at your neighborhood library to homework help once they start school, DC Public Library has a variety of resources, services and events that can support you and your child as they grow.
Browse Services and Resources for Kids
Middle and High School Students
Entering Middle or High School? In addition to regular homework, you may need to tackle longer research projects, write papers and study for tests. But that doesn't mean that you have to stop reading for fun or exploring what you are passionate about! The Library is here for you to ensure you feel confident as a learner, both in school and in life.
Adult Learners
The Library is here to help you as you think about your next steps, whether you are planning to go to college or are starting your career path! With your Library Card, you can find resources to help prepare for the GED, expand your skillset with online classes, learn about financial aid options for college and much more.
...Professional Success
Your library card is your ticket to spaces and resources that help residents navigate an uncertain job landscape with real-world support. Whether you’re exploring a new career, building a business, or seeking a welcoming place to work, the library provides practical tools, knowledgeable guidance, and community connections. These offerings help residents adapt, skill up, and feel more secure in the face of ongoing economic change.
Cowork at the Library
DC Public Library is your neighborhood coworking destination. From supporting your day-to-day work with flexible workspaces to growing your skillset to get that promotion to striking out on your own and starting your first business, the library has the spaces, services and resources for all the ways you work.
Start or Build Your Business
DC Public Library offers a suite of online business resources to help you achieve all of your work-related goals, including:
- Entrepreneurship | Do you own a small business or are you considering starting one? Learn about how to start a business and create a business plan with your library card.
- Business and Market Research | Analyze business trends, do a deep dive on your customer demographics, keep up with current events in the business world, keep abreast of new best practices in management and more with a variety of databases and news publications.
Access Business and Finance Resources
Take Your Career to the Next Level
Looking for a new job? Starting to think about a career change? Grow your skillset with online courses, explore new career paths, draft a stellar resume or prepare for your big interview!
Attend Job Readiness Courses
Sign up for job readiness courses, work with career coaches through the DC Workforce Investment Council and more at a library near you!
...Everyday Convenience
Your library card connects you to services that make life’s transitions a little smoother. From voter registration and legal guidance to passports, notary services, and citizenship support, the library offers trusted, in-person help—especially important in a time when navigating complex systems online can feel overwhelming. These services affirm dignity, reduce stress, and keep residents connected to the city’s civic life.
Register to Vote and Exercise Your Right to Vote
If you are a D.C. resident and you stop into a DC Public Library location you can register to vote right there! As an official voter registration agency, District residents can visit any DC Public Library location and request to register to vote without applying for a new library card or being an existing customer. Many DC Public Library locations also operate as polling locations and have Ballot Drop-Boxes where you can drop off your mailed ballot during election cycles.
Learn More About Voter Registration and Voting at the Library
Get Legal Support
In partnership with the Neighborhood Legal Services Program and Legal Counsel for the Elderly, DC Public Library is happy to provide legal assistance services.
- Neighborhood Legal Services Program attorneys can help with debt collection protection, criminal records sealing, disability and other public benefits, student loans, unemployment, and wrongful placement on the child protection registry.
- Legal Counsel for the Elderly's Self-Help Office Legal Associates aid seniors with a variety of brief services such as getting answers to legal questions, completing small claims complaints, writing consumer complaint letters, assisting with small estate probate paperwork, obtaining a DC Real ID, checking for public benefits, requesting DC services, assisting with legal forms, and much more.
- Legal Aid DC hosts a self-advocacy series where you can learn from Legal Aid attorneys and advocates about your legal rights, how to navigate the legal system, and how to advocate for yourself and your community.
Apply For Your Passport
The Passport Acceptance Office, located on the 2nd floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, is happy to help you apply for a new passport or renew your current one.
Meet with a Peer Support Specialist
The Peer Outreach Program at DC Public Library engages with library customers experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Meet with a DC Public Library Certified Peer Specialist if you need:
- Help with an ID and other critical documents
- Assistance with finding medical care
- Ideas for housing or locating employment
- Help with returning to the community after time in jail or prison
- Support while experiencing homelessness
Prepare to Become a US Citizen
Join us for a 13-week class to prepare you for the United States Naturalization Exam (which you must take to become a United States citizen), offered by the Adult Learning Department of the DC Public Library. This class is taught in English for those with intermediate English language proficiency.
...Your Community's Evolving Story
Your library card is your ticket to exploring D.C.’s history—and adding your own chapter. Through the People’s Archive, genealogy tools, and the Memory Lab, residents can discover neighborhood heritage, preserve family memories, and better understand how personal stories fit into the larger fabric of the city. These resources deepen community connection and celebrate what makes D.C.’s identity so distinctive and resilient.
Dive Into Local History
Dig DC is your web portal for selected digitized and born-digital items from The People's Archive at DC Public Library. Collections include oral histories, selections from the DC Punk Archive, the Go-Go Archive, photo collections, publications like The Washington Blade and more.
Visit the People's Archive
The People’s Archive is the DC Public Library’s local history center and has been collecting materials that document the social, cultural, and political life of the District since 1905. You can view highlights from the collection in the library's permanent exhibition Up From the People, located outside of The People's Archive on the 4th Floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
Learn More about The People's Archive
Capture Your Story
Archive your own history with the Memory Lab at the Labs at MLK Library. The lab provides equipment and step-by-step instructions for the personal archiving of documents, home movies and photographs.
Explore Your Family's Story
Explore the amazing history of you. Answers await everyone—whether professional or hobbyist, expert or novice, genealogist or historian—inside the more than 7,000 available databases. Here, you can unlock the story of you with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps and more.
Your Ticket to DCPL’s Future: IRL (In Real Life)
As you sign up for or renew your library card during National Library Card Sign‑Up Month, you’re joining us in shaping what comes next—investing in spaces that spark curiosity, programs that bring people together, and services that help Washingtonians thrive.
Your ticket opens doors today, and IRL ensures those doors lead to meaningful, joyful, and community-centered experiences tomorrow.