DC Public Library Foundation

10/15/2026

Curiosity can take you a long way. For Lea Korsgaard, it led to a year spent crossing Denmark in search of every butterfly species. Tonight, it brings her to DC.

Her new book, The Butterfly Season, tells the story of that year. It was published in the U.S. the same week The Concopian Chamber of Wonders opened at MLK Library, and Lea is making a special detour from her New York book tour to join us for this conversation salon.

Join us for:
• Intimate conversations inside The Concopian Chamber of Wonders
• Lea's story of her butterfly quest
• A conversation between Lea and Concopia creator Nadja Pass on curiosity and nature connectedness

📍 MLK Library, West Storefront
🕠 Tonight, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Registration is required and seats are limited:

Join us for an evening of wonders, wondering, and butterfly effects.. Event starts at October 15, 2026 5:30 PM EDT

10/10/2026

Not every kid loves a scare. From A Not So Spooky Storytime to pumpkin crafts and costume parties, DC Public Library has a way for everyone to enjoy the season, at whatever level of spooky they like. 🎃

In-person events throughout the District include:

🎬 Tuesday Night Movies, Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., MLK Library

🎃 Palisades Pumpkin Festival: The Pumpkin Lab, Oct. 22, Palisades Library

🍂 Fall Festival: Under the Loggia, Oct. 24, MLK Library

📖 A Not So Spooky Storytime, Oct. 27, Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library

🚗 Trunk-or-Treat, Oct. 28, Benning/Dorothy I. Height Library

🦇 All About Bats in the District, Oct. 31, MLK Library

🎥 District Horror Creatives Short Film Showcase, Oct. 31, Northeast Library

Plus your neighborhood library has everything you need for nights at home: a spine tingling read, a haunting playlist for your costume party, or a classic horror movie for your next get together.

Find every event, plus books, movies, and music for the season:

This October, celebrate spooky season at your neighborhood library! Check out spine-tingling reads, stream haunting playlists at your pumpkin carving party and attend fun seasonal events at a library near you.

10/06/2026

📚 Three events this week bring the freedom to read to life at DC Public Library, from a dance premiere at MLK Library to a conversation about Judy Blume at Cleveland Park.

As a First Amendment institution, DC Public Library is dedicated to safeguarding freedom of speech, assembly, and association.

Banned Books Week runs through October 10, and this year's national theme is "Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read." It celebrates the joy, creativity, and resilience libraries bring to communities.

Stop by your neighborhood library to check out a banned book, or join one of these special events:

📖 An Evening with Mark Oppenheimer and Stefan Fatsis

Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. | Cleveland Park Library

A double feature with Loyalty Bookstores on two icons of American letters, Judy Blume and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and why free expression matters.

💃 Unbound: A Mother's Love

Thursday, Oct. 8 at 1 and 7 p.m. | MLK Library

The first dance work in a series inspired by banned books, choreographed by native Washingtonian Brandye Lee and drawn from Toni Morrison's Beloved.

🎸 Take It Back: Life, Anxiety, and Gray Matter

Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. | MLK Library

The story of beloved DC band Gray Matter, told as a graphic novel and set in the city's Revolution Summer music scene.

Learn more:

The DC Public Library, as a First Amendment institution, is dedicated to safeguarding freedom of speech, assembly, and association. From Oct. 5-11, DC Public Library is celebrating your freedom to read with Banned Books Week.

10/04/2026

Evelyn, 17, is this year's photography winner in the Know Your Power Teen Arts Contest. She took this series at a student-organized walkout and protest at the Lincoln Memorial, where by her count more than 4,000 students turned out.

Evelyn went in not knowing what to expect. What she found was a crowd of young people from across the DMV, posters in hand, drawing attention from local press. She wanted her photos to capture that scale and energy.

"The whole experience captured the two sides of teenage life, especially living in DC," she says. "I feel obligated to participate in active movements in DC... all teenagers around the world want to feel a part of a community of strong young people who really are the future."

See all of Evelyn's photos and this year's other winners: https://www.dclibrary.org/news/congratulations-winners-2026-know-your-power-teen-arts-contest

Thank you to PepcoConnect for their continued partnership and support of the Know Your Power Teen Arts Contest.

Stay tuned: we'll be spotlighting the rest of this year's Know Your Power winners and runners-up over the coming weeks.

09/30/2026

Three days until Power the Dream: The IRL Experience. Here's your last chance to grab a seat.

Join DC Public Library Foundation for an unforgettable evening celebrating the people, stories, and possibilities that make DC Public Library essential to our city.

Inspired by the Library's new IRL (In Real Life) strategic vision, we'll come together around joy, belonging, and resilience while honoring Jason Reynolds, Dr. Carla Hayden, and DC Central Kitchen for their extraordinary contributions to our community.

Bring a friend, invite a colleague, and join us this Friday, October 2 at MLK Central Library.

Get your tickets:

Power The DreamThe IRL ExperienceFriday, October 2, 20266:00pm to 9:00 pmHosted by the DC Public Library Foundation Sponsor Now Join us at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6:00pm Power The Dream: The IRL Experience Every day, DC Public Library welcomes thousands of p...

09/23/2026

Back to school isn't just for kids. This Saturday, MLK Library is hosting an Adult Back to School celebration with a screening of Spike Lee's School Daze and a live concert from D.C.'s go-go legends, E.U.

Join us Saturday, September 26 at 4 p.m. and wear your school colors, whether it's your high school, college, or alma mater, as we celebrate the creativity that makes the District shine.

Event details: https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17304272

Learning doesn't stop at graduation. Your DC Public Library card also unlocks online courses through LinkedIn Learning and Universal Class, plus local history collections like The GoGo Archive and DigDC.

Explore adult learning resources: https://www.dclibrary.org/research-learn?combine=&field_audience_target_id=3

Find trustworthy information, explore history, or learn a new skill. We have dozens of online resources to help.

09/20/2026

DC Public Library is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15 with this year's theme, Together We Are More. Unidos, Somos Más., honoring family, resilience, creativity, faith, and service.

On Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m., Mt. Pleasant Library hosts Jared Lemus, winner of the 2026 PEN America/Robert W. Bingham Prize, for a talk on his debut short story collection, Guatemalan Rhapsody. He'll also share details on his upcoming novel, Magic in the Land of Eternal Spring.

Throughout the month, neighborhood libraries across DC are hosting author talks, film and music from Hispanic artists, and programs for all ages.

Learn more and find events near you:

The DC Public Library proudly celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15 with this year's theme "Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future."

09/17/2026

DC Public Library's new strategic plan, IRL, has a pillar built for how uncertain and demanding things can feel right now: resilience.

As DC residents deal with digital overload, job instability, rapid technological change, and an overwhelming flow of information online, the library is expanding its role as a trusted resource for lifelong learning, digital confidence, workforce development, and civic engagement.

Under this pillar, DCPL will roll out:

- A new digital wellness initiative helping residents understand technology's impact on their lives and build healthier digital habits

- Expanded workforce support, including digital and AI upskilling, résumé help, certifications, and small business resources

- Strengthened voter education, in partnership with the DC Board of Elections, so every voter can navigate evolving processes with confidence

- More wellness programs supporting physical, mental, and emotional health

Read the full IRL strategic plan:

We are proud to introduce IRL, our new multi‑year strategic plan that centers everything we do around three essential pillars of community well‑being: Joy, Belonging, and Resilience.

09/12/2026

Tonight: the 6th Annual Block Party at MLK Library takes over the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library from 6 p.m. to 11:55 p.m. as part of Art All Night 2026.

On tap: live sets from the Chuck Brown Band, The Kim Michelle Experience, and Vybe Band, a rooftop silent disco, interactive art and vendor tables, poetry and jazz in the Vinyl Village, and bites inspired by DC and global flavors from local vendors.

You can even sign up for a DC Public Library card while you're there.

Rain or shine. Full lineup and details:

Get ready for the 6th Annual Block Party @ MLK featuring live performances, a silent disco, interactive art, local vendors & DC‑inspired bites. The ultimate Art All Night party starts at MLK Library! . Event starts at September 12, 2026 6:00 PM EDT

09/10/2026

In an increasingly online world, DC Public Library is doubling down on something simple: showing up in real life.

That's the idea behind IRL, DC Public Library's new strategic vision, and the inspiration for Power the Dream: The IRL Experience, a special evening on October 2, 2026 at MLK Central Library.

We'll honor three people and organizations building that kind of real life connection every day: Jason Reynolds, Dr. Carla Hayden, and DC Central Kitchen. The evening also raises support for DC Public Library's future.

Want to sponsor? Email [email protected] to talk partnership opportunities.

Learn more and get involved:

Power The DreamThe IRL ExperienceFriday, October 2, 20246:00pm to 9:00 pmHosted by the DC Public Library Foundation Sponsor Now Join us at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:00pm Power The Dream: The IRL Experience Every day, DC Public Library welcomes thousands of p...