So much to do...
Take a look at the exciting tours and exhibits hosted by our D.C. library friends!

Registration is Closed for All Events.

Tours


Branch Obscura

Friday, June 24, 12:00PM - 4:00PM
Location: Offsite/ Branch Tour

Join a DC Public Library manager for a behind-the-scenes tour of two DCPL locations.

This program will look at how two DC Public Library branches serve the diverse needs of the District. This tour focuses on neighborhoods that serve predominantly non-white patrons. You'll be accompanied by a DCPL employee who has arranged for tours at each respective location. The tour will involve up to 30 minutes of walking as well as taking public transportation (Metro) which will be paid for by the DC Public Library Foundation. Masks are required in all public areas at DC Public Library locations. Advance registration is necessary.


Tour the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library
901 G St NW, Washington DC 20001

Guided tours of the MLK Library for ALA conference attendees. 

Photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (credit: Robert Benson Photography)

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the DC Public Library’s flagship library, reopened in 2020 following a three-year, $211 million modernization. The historically protected building, designed by modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, features a spectacular new entryway; sculptured monumental stairs; a large auditorium and conference center; creative spaces for fabrication, music production and art creation; a ground-level café with patio; a double-height reading room; newly designed special collections space, permanent and rotating art, and exhibits; and a rooftop event space with a reading terrace. Docent-guided tours are available for attendees throughout the ALA conference. Sign up for a free, one-hour tour

Masks are required in all public areas at DC Public Library locations.


Date: Saturday, June 25
Times: 11:00AM - 12:00PM, 1:00PM - 2:00PM, 3:00PM - 4:00PM


Date: Saturday, June 26
Times: 1:30PM - 2:30PM, 3:45PM - 4:45PM


Date: Monday, June 27
Times: 12:00PM - 1:00PM, 3:00PM - 4:00PM


Date: Tuesday, June 28
Times: 1:00PM - 2:00PM, 6:00PM - 7:00PM


Smithsonian Institution Archives

600 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20024
Thursday, June 23, 2022, 4:00PM

The Smithsonian Institution Archives captures, preserves, and shares with the public the history of our extraordinary Institution. The Archives holds approximately 44,000 cubic feet of archival records and nearly 3 million photographic images. The collections include official records of the Smithsonian, personal papers of individuals associated with the Smithsonian, and oral and video histories. The collections provide primary research resources for anyone interested in Smithsonian history and the history of American museums, science, technology, art, and cultural development.
Guests will be met in the building lobby and escorted to Suite 3000.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Tour Registration: Register


American Art/Portrait Gallery Library

Victor Building, 750 9th Street, NW#2100

Friday, June 24, 2022, 10:00AM

Our newly renovated American Art/Portrait Gallery Library supports the research of two museums, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Its collection includes 180,000 books, exhibition catalogs, catalogues raisonnes, serials and dissertations concentrated in the area of American art, history, and biography with supportive materials on European art. The library also contains rare books, artists’ books, ephemeral materials, auction catalogs, scrapbooks, and more.

Guests should enter through the 9th Street Lobby of the Victor Building (750 9th Street, NW), where they will be met by staff. Note that this tour is a block away from the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery.

American Art/Portrait Gallery Library Tour: Register


Music HerStory: Women and the Music of Social Change Exhibition

National Museum of American History
Constitution Ave., NW, Between 12th and 14th Street
Monday, June 27, 2022, 9:00AM and 10:00AM

A collaboration between the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, this brand new exhibition explores the rich contributions of American women across a wide range of musical roles and genres. Tours will be led by exhibition curator Meredith Holmgren, the Smithsonian’s first Curator of American Women’s Music.
Guests should enter the building from the Constitution Ave entrance and budget time to get through security. Guests will be met by staff in the Constitution Ave Lobby.

Music HerStory Tour Registration:
Register for 9:00AM 
Register for 10:00AM


Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History

National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Ave, NW
Monday, June 27, 2022, 1:30 pm

The Cullman Library holds the Smithsonian's collection of rare books in anthropology and the natural sciences. Its world-class collection contains approximately 20,000 volumes published before 1840. The publications of seventeenth- through nineteenth-century voyages of exploration are a special strength, as is the history of museums and scientific collecting.

Guests should enter the building from the Constitution Ave entrance and budget time to get through security. Guests will be met by staff in the Constitution Ave Lobby.

Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History Tour: Register


National Museum of Natural History Library

National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Ave, NW
Monday, June 27, 2022, 3:00 pm

The National Museum of Natural History Library collects scholarly, highly technical and research-oriented materials in cross-disciplinary topics within the general areas of interest to the museum it serves. It contains about 120,000 items on general science, biodiversity, biology, ecology, evolution, genomics, geology, oceanography, (invertebrate) paleontology, and wildlife conservation. This tour will include the main branch and one or two specialized collections within the building.

Guests should enter the building from the Constitution Ave entrance and budget time to get through security. Guests will be met by staff in the Constitution Ave Lobby.

National Museum of Natural History Library Tour: Register 

Activities


2022​ Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ and Symposium

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW – Auditorium

Thursday, June 23, 10:30AM – 12:30PM

The Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way. The symposium, “Open Books, Open Minds,” features the Walter Honorees, moderated by youth librarian and literacy advocate Deborah D. Taylor, and will highlight the recent bans and challenges on diverse books across the country. The Awards ceremony emcee is lauded author-illustrator Grace Lin. The event will be live-streamed and held in person at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC. Masks are required in all public areas at the MLK Library.

Symposium: 10:30 AM - Awards Ceremony: 11:30 AM

Register


DC Queer Flix - District of Pride

Marie Reed Recreation Center, 2200 Champlain St. NW

Friday, June 24, 7:00PM  – 900PM

DC Public Library presents a special outdoor DC Queer Flix event for Pride Month.

For Pride month, join the Library and the D.C. Mayor's Office on LGBTQ Affairs for a special screening of Homo Promo: Vintage LGBT Movie Trailers. Starting at sundown at Marie Reed Field in Adams Morgan, we'll watch this fabulous collection of vintage queer movie trailers with live commentary from the Rewind Project podcast team. Bring a blanket or chair and refreshments and celebrate Pride with some vintage cinema! DC Queer Flix is a monthly viewing and discussion of LGBTQ cinema from the DC Public Library's online Kanopy collection.

Registration optional at https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/6739419.

Marie Reed Recreation Center, Located at 2200 Champlain St. NW in the Adams Morgan Neighborhood, the film will be shown outdoors at the Rec Center's outdoor sports field.


The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening

Panel Discussion and Networking Reception

Sunday, Jun 26, 3:00PM - 5:00PM

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW - Auditorium

Join the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) as we commemorate two important milestones-- the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of BCALA (in-person) and the first publication of the Black Librarian in America. Hear from the authors and editors on the rich heritage honoring Black library history, celebrating the individual identity of trailblazers and pioneers, to moving forward in advocacy for diversity in the library profession. Sponsored by the New York Public Library's Center for Educators and Schools. This event can be attended either in-person or virtually. Advance registration is necessary to attend. 

Register for the in-person or virtual event.


Welcome to ALA 2022 Happy Hour: Hosted by DCLA, MLA, and VLA

Thursday, June 23, 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Mission Dupont Circle
1606 20th Street Northwest

Getting into town early? Join your colleagues and meet new people as we all gather in Washington, DC for the 2022 ALA Annual Conference! This event is FREE to attend and happy hour food and drink deals will be available to attendees from 5PM-8PM. We will meet in the back room of Mission Dupont restaurant which is only steps from the Dupont Circle Metro station. This event is hosted by District of Columbia Library Association, Maryland Library Association, and Virginia Library Association.

Please complete a FREE RSVP so we can estimate attendance. 


2022 DCLA Annual Banquet

Saturday, June 25, 2022, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Convivial Restaurant

CELEBRATE WITH US! Join your library colleagues for a festive event! We will enjoy a delicious brunch, toast our 2022 DCLA board, and celebrate this year's service award winners! $45 per person includes a three-course brunch and two alcoholic beverages. Register to attend.