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DC locals Cigarette play on the Woodridge rooftop on July 12, 2017

Summer of Punk Reads!

History in the Making with the DC Punk Archive

After the closure of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library for renovation earlier this year, we wondered how to continue the joy and community built around the DC Punk Archive Basement shows hosted there since October 2014 to promote the DC Punk Archive collection. Why not start with our newest DC Public Library building?

AIA Guide to Architecture DC

District of Construction

You've seen them in photos, books, and movies. Have you wondered about how they came to be built? Washington, D.C. features a variety of architectural designs in homes, public buildings, and monuments. With building as the theme for this year's summer reading, below are a selection of books about building and architecture in the District. 

Washington Blade 1980s cover, December 29, 1989

Welcome to the '80s!

Washington Blade digitized archives 1969-1989 online

We've got the '80s covered -- The Washington Blade newspaper 1969 to 1989 is all now online! Work to digitize all of the nation's oldest still-publishing LGBT newspaper's archives by DC Public Library, Special Collections are ongoing.

Images from Picturing America Series

Coffee + Conversation Summer Sessions

Exploring Visual Thinking Strategies with the Art of "Picturing America"

PLEASE NOTE: all Coffee + Conversation sessions scheduled after July 26 have been canceled.

Queer Capital _ cover

Capital Pride

Books about LGBTQ Life and Experience in Washington, D.C.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Although New York City is often associated with the birth of the Gay Rights Movement there is a considerable resonance of LGBT advocacy and history right here in our city.   

Marvin Jones photo

Dunbar High School's Classic Age 1870-1957

Documentary Screening

Local film producer Marvin T. Jones will screen his documentary "Dunbar High School's Classic Age: 1870-1957", telling the story of the first public high school for African-Americans in Washington, D.C.  Named for the poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the school was noted for its outstanding education and the success of its alumni. Famous Dunbar graduates include General Benjamin Davis, Sr., Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Charles Hamilton Houston. After the film, Mr. Jones will lead a discussion about the legacy of Dunbar High School.

city of light city of poison

Sepia-toned Scandal

Infamy is Timeless

Are the news cycles causing intrigue fatigue? It may be a little (cold) comfort to know that constant tumult is not unique to our time. In fact, the outrageous and the shocking have always peppered human history. Plus, reading disreputable stories about long-dead people can be more palatable than continually processing the 24-hour news cycle. Some titles for those with an interest in the bad old days.

Fort Davis Community Map

Fort Davis Neighborhood Photo Scavenger Hunt

Explore Your Neighborhood to Win Summer Reading Prizes!

Explore your neighborhood AND win Summer Reading prizes this July when you stop by the Francis A. Gregory Library to participate in the Fort Davis Neighborhood Photo Scavenger Hunt!

United States National Park Service

National Park Week

April 15 to 23, 2017

Did you know: National Park Week is April 15 to 23, 2017! Plan your visit by what you want to do or where you want to go. Here are some highlights during National Park Week:  

Potomac River cover

Outdoors Mid-Atlantic

Enjoy exploring the outdoors in the mid-Atlantic region!  Whether you go by foot, bike, canoe, or car, you'll have lots of fun and see fantastic views. The featured books below are available from the library system.

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