A District of Columbia Public Library Card can be a powerful tool that does far more than grant you access to the books shared across the DC Library System’s 25 locations. Did you know that you can stream digital media, join a book club, or even have your taxes prepared? Read below to see what your DC Public Library has to offer!
Stream and Download Free Audiobooks, Movies, Music, E-Books and More!
Watch! Stream and download documentaries, feature films, musical performances, and more through nearly twenty streaming services including OverDrive, TrueFlix , PBS Video Collection, FreedomFlix, Classical Music in Video and more.
Read! Enjoy access to digital copies of e-Books, magazines, newspapers, and journals through dozens of content providers like Tumblebooks for Children, NewsBank, Learning Express Library, RBdigital Magazines, Safari Books Online, and more.
Listen! Download music, audiobooks, podcasts, and other recordings through content providers like Opera in Video, Jazz Music Library, Freegal Music, Mango Languages and more.
Create Your Own Art, Music, Crafts and More!
Create your own photography, videography and music recordings through the Studio Lab Express. Located at the Shepherd Park branch, Studio Lab Express is an appointment-only audiovisual lab that fosters creation from an idea through post-production.
Build creations through computer-assisted technology. The Fabrication Lab, or “Fab Lab,” offers members use of fabrication equipment including laser cutters, 3-D printers, soldering tools, and computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines.
Digitize your home movies, photos, and slides. The Memory Lab at the Northeast Neighborhood Branch offers equipment for digitizing your home media.
Explore Public Records or the History of DC Through Digital Resources!
Explore a selection of digital collections. Dig DC is the Library’s digital portal that provides access to historical photos, maps, and oral histories documenting the history of our nation’s capital.
Search official government documents. The DC Public Library is an official Federal Depository Library and also provides access to all District of Columbia government documents.
Learn and Enjoy With These Resources!
Have your tax returns prepared. Nine of the Library’s branches offer income tax return preparation services to residents that meet certain income requirements.
Obtain adult literacy services at the DC Public Library through the Adult Literary Resource Center. The Adult Resource Center also offers services including a GED Skills Assessment, GED Tutoring Help, English classes, and more.
DC Residents with disabilities can get improved access to programs and resources through the Library’s Center for Accessibility. The Center offers the DC Talking Book and Braille Library which provides audio and braille books to eligible card holders with physical impairments. The Center also serves the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities by providing programming and interpreters upon request. The Library even offers the L-Star Library Service, a program that mails library materials to members who are temporarily or permanently unable to leave their homes.
Learn new computer skills with hands-on classes. Adults can attend classes on a walk-in basis at the Library Express. These classes cover a wide range of issues including computer basics, MS Excel, MS Word, and much more.
The Library also offers the opportunity to participate in the NorthStar Digital Literacy Assessments and Certificates program which awards workforce credentials in basic areas of computer literacy.
Additionally, your membership grants you access to more in-depth digital literacy classes through ByteBack.
Join a book club to share a new book with new friends. The DC Library offers card holders a large variety of book clubs for adults that meet regularly across all 25 library branches. The book clubs cover topics from George R.R. Martin novels to the classics and everything in between. The library system maintains a helpful event calendar that lists the meeting times of each group. The DC Library also offers online book clubs through their Read Feed program.
Find Activities for the Whole Family With These Resources for Teens and Children!
Get help with college financial aid. The DC Public Library offers programs to help students plan for college, learn about financial aid, research aid and scholarship opportunities, and prepare for entrance exam testing.
Get help with your children’s homework. The library has staff and resources that can help with their homework.
Explore opportunities for your teen to work or volunteer. The DC Public Library offers a number of volunteer opportunities for teenagers including the Teen Council and Teen Library Volunteers.
Take your children to story time. Each week you and your children can listen to storytellers at various library branches. Story time is divided into six separate groups based on your child’s age, starting with infants and going up to children of all ages. The DC Library even offers Pajama Story Time, an evening story for children of all ages where pajamas are encouraged but not required. You can find story time events near you on the event calendar.