DC Public Library Foundation

05/09/2026

DC Public Library's Beyond the Book program has a new featured title for Spring 2026: a gently illustrated picture book about slowing down, noticing the world, and finding joy in the small things.

This beautiful book, Blue Sky Morning, gives young readers permission to breathe.

As always, Beyond the Book members receive a free copy of the seasonal featured title, plus activities designed to build emerging reading skills. And this season, there's something extra special: a story time series with the Washington Ballet.

Company members will lead interactive dance classes exploring storytelling through movement inspired by the book, offered at libraries across the DC system for readers ages 5–9.

Not yet a member? Families can register online or at their neighborhood DC Public Library branch. Caregivers who sign up a child can also receive a DCPL library card.

Early readers. Free books. Dance. This is what a library can do.

Learn more and register: https://www.dclibrary.org/using-the-library/beyond-book

05/06/2026

Deadline extended to May 11 - please spread the word and encourage your teens to submit their artwork!

Pepco, the DC Public Library Foundation and DC Public Library invite you to find your power and use it to creatively address a topic that is important to you.

05/03/2026

Every May, DC Public Library takes to the streets, and this year's 🚲 ride is nearly full.

Only 13 spaces remain for Tour de DCPL XVII on Saturday, May 9th — the seventeenth year of this beloved free community bike ride through the city.

This year's route covers about 7 miles through some of the city's most vibrant neighborhoods, with stops at four DC Public Library locations and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site — plus a stretch along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.

Here's what riders can look forward to:

📍 Parklands-Turner Library (start) 📍 Francis A. Gregory Library 📍 Anacostia Library 📍 Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 📍 Southwest Library (finish — Metro accessible!)

No-drop ride. Refreshments. DCPL swag. Marshals on the route to make sure no one gets left behind. Open to riders ages 13 & up — beginners welcome, though some riding experience will make the hills a little friendlier.

Check-in starts at 10 a.m. Ride rolls at 10:30 a.m.

👉 Reserve your spot before they're gone: https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16105153

Rain date: Sunday, May 10th at 1 p.m.

Get ready to roll!. Event starts at May 9, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

04/28/2026

A poem. A short story. A photo series. A song. A video. A drawing. DC teens have until May 3 to submit original work to the Know Your Power contest.

Winners walk away with tools to keep creating: a laptop, a Canon camera, a Wacom drawing tablet, and a Fender electric guitar.

If you know a teen with something to say about the world around them, now is the time to remind them. Writing, photography, video, visual art, music — all categories are open, and teens can submit in multiple categories.

And there's still time to participate in person this week:

🔹 April 28 | 4pm Art on the Fly | Capitol View Neighborhood Library

🔹 April 29 | 4:30pm Creativity is Power | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

Both events are open to teens ages 13–19.

The deadline is May 3. Share this with the teens in your life and let's see what DC's young creators have to say.

A special thank you to our partner PepcoConnect for making Know Your Power possible.

Learn more and submit:

Pepco, the DC Public Library Foundation and DC Public Library invite you to find your power and use it to creatively address a topic that is important to you.

04/22/2026

Every volunteer hour, every Friends meeting, every donation — it adds up to a library system that works for everyone in DC.

It's National Library Week (April 19–25), and there's a place for you at your neighborhood library.

(And many ways for you to get involved!)

📚 Join your local Friends group → https://www.dclibrary.org/get-involved/friends-library

🙋 Sign up to volunteer → https://www.dclibrary.org/get-involved/volunteer-library

💙 Make a donation to DC Public Library Foundation → https://www.dcplfoundation.org/donate?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic

04/21/2026

Our library is only as strong as the people who bring it to life every day.

They're educators, guides, community anchors (and so much more!).

They help job seekers polish résumés and prepare for interviews. They guide students through research that shapes their futures. They create safe, welcoming spaces for community members who need them most.

They show up every day, for every person who walks through the door.

On National Library Workers Day, we're celebrating the staff at DC Public Library who make it all possible.

Your knowledge, patience, and dedication are the foundation this community builds on.

Thank you ❤️

04/20/2026

National Library Week is April 19–25, and this year's theme, Find Your Joy, is an invitation to pause and remember why the library matters to you.

Maybe it's the moment a book cracked something open in you. The quiet of a reading corner that felt like it was made for you. The safe space it provided. The energy of a room full of neighbors gathered around a shared idea. Whatever it is, DC Public Library wants to hear about it.

This week, stop by any DCPL branch to share your story on a special I Love My Library card — cards will be displayed for the whole community to see.

You can also celebrate by sharing what the library means to you on social media, attending an event, or getting involved through volunteering, donating, or becoming a Friend of the Library.

Every story is part of something larger: a community that keeps showing up for each other and for the library that shows up for all of us.

🔗 Find events and ways to celebrate:

What sparks joy for you at the library? Let us know during National Library Week, Apr. 19 - 25, 2026!

04/17/2026

✨BLACK(ER) is on view at MLK Library ✨

Presented by Black Artists of DC and curated by Gia Harewood, this powerful fifth-floor exhibition revisits BADC’s landmark 2009 show BLACK — and expands it.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary amid active attempts to narrow or suppress Black history, BLACK(ER) brings together six new voices and select original artists to affirm what no political moment can erase: the continuity, presence, and generational resilience of Black culture.

Join us Wednesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library for an opening reception and artist talk. Meet curator Gia Harewood, hear directly from the artists, and experience the work in person.

Registration:

Join us for a reception and artist talk to celebrate the exhibition BLACK(ER), on view on the fifth floor of the MLK Library through June 14.. Event starts at April 29, 2026 6:00 PM EDT

04/14/2026

DC is home to one of the most vibrant Arab American communities in the country — and this month, DC Public Library is celebrating with the Arab American Heritage Festival!

📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
🗓️ Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m.

Join us for:
-- Live music from Muath Edriss and Band
-- A traditional Arab souq hosted by Bayt Vienna
-- Hands-on workshops for all ages
-- Fashion, food, and a children's story time and craft with author Carrie Maslen featuring her book Baking with Jiddo

Free. Open to all. Right in the heart of DC.

All month long, DCPL has curated reads, films, and online resources to help you explore Arab American voices and perspectives wherever you are.

🔗

04/10/2026

DC residents of all ages are invited to enter the 2026 Haiku Contest now through April 30.

Submit up to two haikus for a chance to win library swag and see your poem featured in the library and online.

Winners recognized in three age categories: Children (6–12), Teen (13–19), and Adult (20+).

Plus, join us on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. on the rooftop of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library for a live spoken word evening with acclaimed poet Jasmine Mans, joined by local and emerging poets.

Write. Listen. Be inspired.

🔗 dclibrary.org/poetry-month

04/07/2026

A child’s brain develops faster in the first five years than at any other point in their life.

What happens during that window matters, and DC Public Library is here to make sure every family has support.

April is Month of the Young Child, and all month long, DCPL branches across the city are hosting story times, hands-on activities, and early literacy programming designed for children and their grown-ups. Resources, reading recommendations, and digital tools are also available on the Month of the Young Child webpage.

The STAR framework — Sing, Talk, and Read — turns everyday moments into early learning opportunities that build joyful, confident readers.

Don’t miss STAR Fest 2026, a FREE family festival at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Themed activity stations, live music, imaginative play, special story times, and community partners — all in one place, all for your family.

Because the library isn’t just for school-age kids. It’s where learning begins.

🔗 Explore Month of the Young Child events and resources:

Month of the Young Child is a fun-filled month that emphasizes our littlest readers, children ages birth to five. Throughout the month, DC Public Library invites you to learn more about early literacy practices, check out great books to read with your child, stop by your neighborhood library for sto...