The library team is always so positive and helpful. I always have a wonderful experience!read more

I used to love visiting the library when I was a kid. Now I enjoy it as an adult. The location is…read moreconvenient. It isn't as pretty as the renovated MLK library but it is useful. DC residents can print 20 copies a day. There is a computer room. You can sign up for multiple 15 minute sessions or one 70 minute session. The room is mostly quiet and students aren't allowed inside. The monthly events are varied and interesting. Authors participate in Q&As about their book. The library sets up displays with a featured author, including books you can borrow before the event. There are story readings for kids. There is a self book checkout scanner by the copy machine, but I like chatting with the librarians. Street parking is available. The library is attached to Walker Jones school. You may bump into students outside the library entrance, in the early afternoon.

The Eric Friedheim Library (EFL) provides specialized research and education services for…read morereporters, editors and other members of the news media. The library lives inside the National Press Club (NPC). But even though it is in the club, it is not of the club. The library is located on the 13th floor of the National Press Building, just inside the entrance to the press club proper. But it is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with its own legal identity. The library provides its research and education services to the general public at modest prices. I have used it fom time to time for decades in my work as a reporter, researcher and author. I have always found the information resources to be helpful, and sometimes to be almost priceless. Frequently, the library resources and staff have been able to advance a story or a research project dramatically or to quash a doomed project very quickly and cheaply. This library's advantages arise partly because its resources have been customized for journalists' needs, in contrast to those of general public libraries. Also, the library staff has an extremely useful knowledge of the other specialist libraries in Washington and the region. That's important because most of the important technical and scientific trade associations and professional societies in this city include specialist libraries with tightly focused resources. Those resources sometimes can be very expensive and not available elsewhere. For example, subscriptions to some specialist periodicals and databases can cost many thousands of dollars annually. On a similar note, visiting the Library O'Congress can be an exercise in futility unless you know which of that organization's many divisions to approach. The EFL staff typically knows the ins and outs of the Library O'Congress and can provide very useful advice. This library avoids the vices of university libraries and the Library O'Congress. Both of those cultures sometimes come across as hidebound, bureaucratic and self-consciously "scholastic" (rather than scholarly). The EFL charges $89.00 for an annual membership. Users can buy a one-day library pass for $5.00. Day-trippers get access to the reading room, computer facilities and limited research services. Press club membership dues include membership in the EFL. Membership in the press club is open to bona fide journalists, who join as "active members" and can vote in club elections. Public relations workers join as "associate members.' They can't vote in NPC elections. Their proportion of the total NPC membership is limited, so as not to dilute the club's mission of service to the news media. Some members qualify because they are nominated as particularly prized sources for reporters. Additional membership categories cover students, spouses and non-residents. There may be a membership category for retired persons.....go check at www.press.org. "There are no office or corporate memberships [in the EFL], and memberships cannot be transferred," according to library rules. In addition to print and online services, the library research staff's focus on journalism issues has created a deep expertise on evolving news media technologies such as Web 2.0 tools. As part of its mission to support the work of NPC members and other media workers, the library offers journalism-related training classes. The classes include hands-on training in tools such as blogging, podcasts, really simple syndication and the like. NPC members receive discounts on the class fees. But the fees for members of the general public are modest, typically $15 for an hour-long class. For NPC and library members, most "research services are completely free, including commercial databases such as NexisLexis. Each member can order four such searches per month (with up to five articles returned per search)," according to the library's Web site. Library membership does not afford access to press club facilities that are reserved for member use only. Note that members of the general public can use the club's Fourth Estate restaurant without joining either the library or the NPC. Many of the club's other events, such as press conferences, are accessible either by bona fide journalists who aren't NPC members or by the general public as well, on a case-by-case basis. Check the calendar at press.org, the club's Web site, for upcoming news events as well as access to additional information about the library.

This is one of the most beautiful DC Public Libraries, right across from Dumbarton Oaks. The…read morebuilding is beautiful inside out, and the staff were welcoming and very friendly. The children's corner has tiger and lion plushes on top of the bookshelves!

I attended an outstanding Washing D.C. African American genaeology event. I was excited to check…read moreout a book by a local author that has been on my list. Not only did they have it but I was allowed to take it as part of their regular programming of giving away books from local authors I believe.

I love Westover Library! It is the absolute best. The Hold book feature is so helpful, and all…read morethe activities/programs truly support the community.

This is a great library right in the heart of Westover. Very clean and very bustling, even on…read moreweekday afternoons, especially in the summer. Super family friendly without being very noisy. (I often see elementary and middle school aged kids here, whereas the Ballston branch skews slightly younger.) It's close to a ton of nice restaurants and shops, as well as a post office. The neighborhood is extremely walkable, so it's a great place to spend an afternoon. I'm a big fan of the Arlington public library system and its holdings. It's always a good day to stop by and support your local library!

If you're a Maryland resident, you're able to get a free DC library card to access any of their…read morepublic libraries! Located in a quieter part of town right off MacArthur Blvd NW with a large parking lot in the back, Palisades Neighborhood Library is one of the smaller ones with a limited selection of books. They have quiet individual study rooms in the rear and plenty of comfortable seating. It's ideal if you want quiet time and avoid being disturbed by noise and people. I found the two nonfiction books I was looking for and a third, so I achieved my needs. I'd be back!

I really enjoy this place. I picked up my book on reserve and it was super easy. Plenty of space to…read moreget work down and kind of a hidden gem to be honest. I love spending time and read. Check is super easy and the people behind the desk are super helpful. Dis you know you can also rent digital audio books and you can access them thru their app? Just a vibe here when the sun comes in during the am.

A lovely little local library branch! Conveniently located in Virginia Highlands Park, there is a…read morefree parking lot right outside. Also, this library is right by a fenced in playground and a sprayground that is super fun in the summer. A one stop shop! There is a kids section here with some toys for the kids to play and plenty of books. Also, they have crayons and paper available and several kid size tables and even a tiny couch- very cute. There is one designated kids computer as well with headphones! Ms. Karen does the children's programming and hosts a great story time on Thursday mornings from 10:30-11. If you have a little one you should check it out! Stories and songs for kids. Best for the preschool and under crowd. The librarians here are all kind and very helpful. Stop by the front desk for a stamp on your kid's hand! Don't forget about summer reading too. There is a bathroom located in the lobby as well as a vending machine. Highly recommend you check out the Aurora Hills Library if you are in town!

This library closed in March 2020 and never reopened. As of January 2021, there's still been no…read morepublic discussion of reopening it in the future, and the county library system hasn't responded to any of the people in the the local community about when or whether it might reopen someday. The only emails we've received from the county library director have been about her favorite Christmas songs and her pet political causes, so she doesn't seem to know or care that people in the community want access to books. The hours for this closed location should be removed because anyone showing up and expecting to use a library will be disappointed. It's just an abandoned building where the county keeps a large container to drop off glass for recycling. (Arlington discontinued curbside recycling pickup of glass in April 2019, so the abandoned library is being used as one of the dropoff sites. Recyclable glass of any color can be dropped off 24/7 in the dumpster-sized bin.)

Great for free printing and copies. They have computers you can use and a copier with a free 20…read morepages. It fit the bill.

This library is located off of Benning Road, in a shared plaza with Safeway. When you enter, there…read moreare some conference rooms that you can reserve, a bathroom (you will need to go upstairs to circulation to request a key, as they are locked at all times), a community bulletin board with local events, and an elevator. When you make your way up the stairs, you have young adult, large-print, audio/dvds, as well as fiction books. If you continue to walk ahead, it is the children's section, with books for toddlers and more for young adult readers. The selection of books are quite limited, so I am wondering if there will ever be more added to the collection anytime soon. There are several computers you can also use with an ID, either to check your email or to play online games. Some study rooms are also upstairs that you can also reserve, but there were plenty of tables and individual desks that were available. The library was overall not too quiet, but the patrons seem to be overall respectful of others. +limited selection of books +locked restrooms (need to request key from circulation) +in the Safeway plaza +plenty of parking

I was pleasantly surprised by stopping in here. This is more of a show yourself kind of place…read morerather than a place where you follow a route. It is honestly the best thing to do here. Go at it on your own. You walk in and are greeted at a small desk, you sign in, are given a brief synopsis of the space and then are handed off to what is a guide for the space. They offer to show you about and guide you through the space, but I declined and wanted to do it on my own. I'd say downloading the app they suggested would be beneficial, but it wasn't. It all depends on how much the museum puts into the app. If I scan the QR code and it tells me basically what is already on the card next to it, it's not helpful and I immediately stop using the app. I started out in the true museum rooms. Lots of history, artifacts, and portraits to look at in here. Take it at your own pace. You can go as fast or slow in here as you like. I breezed through some sections and took my time in others. I didn't want to sale myself short in any area. I then started my way onto the rooms. There are a ton of rooms here and each one is interesting in its own right. Take a map when you get here, trust me, it'll help when you are attempting to make it to all the rooms. Each of the rooms were funded by states, which you will notice when you get to the room and the name plate is outside of each room. Honestly, prepare yourself for a lot of walking and up and down stairs. There is an elevator, it is small, and it does work. But if you are claustrophobic, bypass the elevator. Yes, I did use the elevator, after going from the bottom to the top, I was over the stairs. As I said, each room is unique. And it all depends on your likes for the rooms that will dictate the amount of time you spend in the room. Some are really intricate and have a lot of thought put into them and others are simplistic and get their point across without anything extra. Overall, this was a great way to spend a good portion of a day. It kept me out of the outside elements and I got to see some pretty interesting things I never knew existed. Take a peek if you are in the area. You might surprise yourself.

This is the nice library/museum/concert hall right beside the White House. The library is never…read morevery crowded if you want to go work or study. Occasionally have cultural events, but they're typically on the smaller side. The concert hall is decently sized and good for smaller performances such as Marine Corps annual winter performance. The museum is small but free so it's a good pitstop if you're walking around the national mall and need a bathroom or airconditioning break.