One of the recurring obligations about living in Arlington is the need to play tour guide to family and friends when they visit. I appreciate the challenge, as it has helped me to look at life in Arlington with fresh eyes. Lately I feel like I am learning something new nearly every day. My most recent revelation occurred last month, when my sister visited from out-of-town.  A quick trip to the Central Library revealed a host of unexpected wonders.  

The basic purpose of the visit was to show my sister the Charlie Clark Center for Local History, where I spend a lot of time researching Arlington history. The Charlie Clark Center contains many resources, with one of my favorites being the transcribed interviews of more than 1,000  Arlingtonians.  After I took a quick peek at some old maps of the County, my patient sister and I walked around the first floor, where I was amazed to see a display of DIY offerings, with a variety of materials waiting to be checked out. There were building tools, bike repair tools, and even binoculars for your next camping trip.  

There also was a display of board games that you can take home. I was intrigued by the game of Arlingtonopoly, which was created by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce as a 2024 commemoration of its 100th anniversary. Looking at the various landmarks and institutions on the board, I wonder which of them might still be around for the 200th anniversary of the Chamber. I suspect the Air Force Memorial will still be around, but I have some doubts about the Crystal City Sports Pub (one can always hope — this month they just celebrated their 31st anniversary).  

We then headed to the children’s section in search of some books for my grandchildren. My four-year-old grandson is fascinated by birds (recently he said, with such sweet sincerity, “I know all about birds”). So I thought I would see if the librarians could find some good children’s books on birds for me. I discovered that the library has special book collections for all kinds of topics. There was an entire bag of books about bugs, and another one about oceans. I was told there is a collection of books about birds, but sadly, that bag had been checked out. Better luck next time.  

Libraries in Arlington have come a long way. At first, small community libraries were formed by private organizations, beginning with a book collection in the 1890s stored in Carlin Hall in the Glencarlyn community. In 1923, a Cherrydale library was formed to operate in the Cherrydale School. The library was created by the Cherrydale League of Women’s Voters and the Patrons League (the forerunner of PTA’s). Other community-initiated libraries were quickly formed, and in 1928 an alliance of 20 local organizations created the Arlington District Library Association. By 1936, a Department of Libraries was established by the County Board.  

By custom, these libraries were available only to Arlington’s White citizens. The Black community, in this era of segregation both by law and custom, organized the Henry Holmes Library in the basement of Mount Olive Baptist Church in 1940.  At the opening, Reverend J. Francis Gregory delivered a speech, stating that “the library in any community should be a center of activity, serving as a social, cultural, ethical and spiritual, as well as intellectual, recreational center.”   

Eventually, the Holmes Library was incorporated into the Arlington County system. The story of library desegregation can be found in a terrific book you can get at the County Library: “Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries,” by Chris Barbuschak and Suzanne LaPierre.  

Yes, you can find so much at your local library! I have more to discover; I need to get up to the second floor of Central Library to see their makerspace room that enables “makers and crafters” to build, create, craft, and tinker.  In 1940, when Rev. Gregory was giving his speech at the Holmes Library, no one was envisioning DIY bags and makerspaces. The Arlington County library has certainly evolved with the times, and continues to be a “center of activity,” serving those needs as defined by Rev. Gregory.