Note: The Anacostia Interim Library offers interim library services for customers who visit the Anacostia neighborhood library location. Plans and designs for the construction of the new Anacostia Neighborhood Library are underway.

The Anacostia Branch Library offers various services and programs, including exercise classes, homework assistance for children, and a meeting room open for community gatherings.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

Note: The Benning Interim Library offers interim library services for customers who visit the Benning neighborhood library location. Plans and designs for the construction of the new Benning Neighborhood Library are underway.

The Benning Branch Library offers expanded services that include special events and programs such as the Umoja Reading Club, pre-school films, and computer classes.

Story times for children ages two to five are offered on Mondays and most Fridays at 10:30am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Bethesda Library hosts occasional children's programs; the schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Bowie Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs (a caregiver must be present for these), including daytime storytimes for ages newborn to 12 months, 12 to 23 months, two-year olds, and three- to five-year olds, and evening storytimes for four- to six-year olds and seven- to nine-year olds. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Broadneck Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs; the schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Capitol View Branch Library circulates over 32,000 books and offers an extensive video library. The library sponsors special events and programs that include tutoring for children, toy lending for disabled children, and a research center for writing papers. The branch also provides space for community organizations in its meeting room.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Chevy Chase Regional Library's special collections include foreign language, career, consumer, investment, travel, and plays. It also has compact disc and video collections.

Story Time - stories plus arts and crafts - for ages six months to four years, is held on most Thursdays at 9:45am and Saturdays at 10:30am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

Special collections at the Cleveland Park Branch include college guides, a "Great Books" collection, classics in paperback, and a Cleveland Park Neighborhood History File. Programs and services include a symphony talk, a Wednesday morning book club, the Cleveland Park Film Club, and four meeting rooms.

Preschool Films are shown on Thursdays at 11am and 4pm. A Neighborhood Morning Storytime, featuring songs, stories, and flannel boards for children ages one to three, is held on Wednesday at 10am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Adaptive Services Division of the DC Public Library, a Network Library of the National Library Service (NLS), provides free access to library materials especially designed for those with low vision, blindness, or any type of physical disability which prevents them from reading normal printed materials.

Through the DC Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), books and magazines on cassette and in Braille, as well as audio equipment, are mailed straight to participants' doors, at no cost. Also available to eligible LBPH members are Print/Braille books, downloadable Web-Braille, downloadable digital audiobooks, and audio-described videos and DVDs. Together with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the LBPH offers a monthly Braille Book Club for Girls, in grades one through six.

Library Services to the Deaf Community offers a free American Sign Language program at beginning, intermediate, and conversational levels. American Sign Language storyhours for kids and their families are held monthly in the Children's Room, Room 200.

Please call Adaptive Services at 202.727.2142 for more information about exact times and dates for book clubs, storytimes, and classes.

The Adaptive Technology Training Center (ATTC) has computers equipped with screen reader, screen magnifier, scanner/reader, and other accessible software, as well as CCTVs and a demonstration collection of adaptive equipment. The ATTC offers basic tutoring on use of adaptive softwares through volunteer adaptive technology trainers. Saturday Technology Training Sessions provide an opportunity for those who use adaptive technology to share information and enjoy demonstrations of a variety of new adaptive equipment and websites.

Don't forget to check out the downloadable audiobooks, videos, and classical music available online through the DC Public Library website. Of special interest to kids is Tumblebooks, animated audio books with pictures that you can listen to online with your DC Public Library card.

The Adaptive Services Division is located on the 2nd Floor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. To find more information on the website, click on "Library Services" and then click on "Adaptive Services."

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days.

The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library established by founders Henry Clay Folger and his wife, Emily Jordan Folger, in 1932 as a gift to the American people.

A magnet for scholars from around the globe, the Folger is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, as well as magnificent collections of other rare Renaissance books and manuscripts on all disciplines - history and politics, theology and exploration, law and the arts. Included in the collections are over 310,000 books and manuscripts; 250,000 playbills; 27,000 paintings, drawings, engravings, and prints; and musical instruments, costumes, and films.

In addition to its scholarly mission, the Folger serves as a museum devoted to Shakespeare's life and times. Visitors may view changing exhibitions, which feature items from the collections, or take a guided tour of the building. The striking architecture has earned the Folger a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Rooms are also available for entertaining at the Folger.

A lively center for literary and performing arts, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs, from poetry readings and theatrical productions to early-music concerts and family activities. The Folger is also a renowned center for the revitalization of humanities education through pre-college programs for students and teachers.

The Francis A. Gregory Branch provides such community services as a film series, story times, computer classes, lectures, and meeting rooms.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged fines for late books.

Note: The Georgetown Neighborhood Library is currently closed due to fire damage. In the interim, the Georgetown Hi-Tech Bookmobile is located at 3265 S Street, NW (parked in front of the Jelleff Boys and Girls Club), and is open Mon-Fri 1:30pm-5:30pm. Call 202.409.9346 for more information.

The Georgetown branch of the DC Public Library circulates over 72,000 books annually. The Peabody Room serves as the city's only special collection of Georgetown history. The branch also offers services that include a community meeting room, children's programs, and a monthly book discussion group.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 28 days. Children are charged a nickel ($.05) per day per book fine for books brought back late. No fine, however, is more than $1 per book.

The Great Falls Library is part of the Fairfax County Library System, and hosts a variety of children's programs. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings and registration information.

A Fairfax County Public Library card gives access to many services both inside any of the 21 library branches and remotely via the Internet. Apply for a card online or visit the branch.

From Civil War generals to Abraham Lincoln's former landlady to the designer of the Washington Monument, the Congressional Cemetery is a treasure trove of history.

Visit if your children have a serious interest in history, and won't be spooked by the miles of graves (students can also check out the library or the web site for tons of historical documentation). The cemetery also offers a nice stroll with a baby carriage or stroller, if you're of the mind to walk somewhere a little...different!

The Hyattsville Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs, including daytime storytimes for ages nine to 23 months, two- to three-year olds, and three- to five-year olds, an evening storytime for three- to six-year olds, and an English/Spanish storytime for three- to six-year olds. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Branch Library serves its community with a wide range of reference and reader's advisory services, community meeting spaces, over five hundred musical compact discs, three hundred Books-On-Tape, and over three hundred videotapes. Over 36,000 books were circulated by the library in 1996.

Supplementary public programs include a book club, authors' talks, and children's story hours.

Story Time for preschoolers featuring stories, songs, filmstrips, and flannel board, is held on Tuesdays at 10am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Kensington Park Library hosts a variety of children's programs, including Preschool Storytime, Time for Twos Storytime, Small One-ders Storytime, plus movie and craft events. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Lamond-Riggs Branch Library offers preschool programs for both preschool classes and individuals, and a summer reading program which enrolls over one hundred children up to age 14. The library uses its exhibit space for art shows, primarily displaying the work of neighborhood artists and photographers.

Preschool Mornings are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am and 11am, and include picture books, games, movies, flannelboard, and puppets. Advance registration is required.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Langston Community Library ranks first in circulation among the four community library branches. In addition, the library offers film and story hours for preschool children and a variety of programs for school-age children.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Library of Congress, the US's oldest cultural institution, is arguably the greatest hidden gem for family excursions. Sure, it is the largest library in the world, with an astronomical number of books, recordings, maps, photos, and manuscripts. But the Library is also host to concerts and poetry readings as well as a number of exhibitions on topics as varied as historic documents and comic strips.

Free public tours are offered Mon-Fri at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm, and Sat at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm in the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Public users of the Library's public reading rooms, the Computer Catalog Center, and Copyright Office public service areas where copyright resources are used are each required to have a Reader Identification card issued by the Library. The cards are free and can be obtained by presenting a valid driver's license, state-issued identification card, or passport at the Reader Registration Station in Room LM 140, on the first floor of the Madison Building near the Independence Avenue entrance. Kids must be at least 16 to get a Reader Identification card.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library is the main building of the District of Columbia Public Library.

The Children's Division has over 90,000 books and is still growing! The room also has its own rest rooms and water fountain.

The collection features resources to help children do all sorts of homework assignments, including materials for book reports, subject reports, science projects, essays, history projects, and more. Books for kids are available in an astonishing array of different languages; Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, and German.

All books-on-tape (BOT), films, and videos for children are located in the Audiovisual Division (Room 226).

Programs for children from preschool through sixth grade are held during the school week. Programs can feature books, songs, storytelling, filmstrips, films, fingerplays, and more, all designed to encourage reading and book sharing. The Young Adult Services Division serves the needs of young adults, ages 12-19.

Preschool Story Time, offered every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30am for ages three to five, features children's stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and flannel boards. A Toddler Story Time, for children ages one to two, is offered every Wednesday at 10:30am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 28 days. Children are charged a nickel ($.05) per day per book fine for books brought back late. No fine, however, is more than $1 per book.

The Mt. Pleasant Branch circulates approximately 50,000 books annually, and offers public services that include a children's story hour and access to a public meeting room.

Preschool Films and Stories are offered on Wednesdays (for school groups only) and Thursdays (for children and their parents and/or caregivers only) at 10:15am.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Mt. Rainier Branch Library offers a daytime storytime for children ages three to five. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

Among the treasures available at the National Archives are the cornerstone documents of our Government: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights.
Explore the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, where you can simultaneously view all four pages of the Constitution. New cases have made the Charters more accessible for younger visitors and those using wheelchairs. The fading murals of the signers of the Charters have been restored.

In the Public Vaults, a permanent exhibit, you can experience the feeling of going beyond the walls of the Rotunda into the stacks and vaults of the National Archives. Here you encounter fascinating original records (including Abraham Lincoln's telegrams to his generals and audio recordings from the Oval Office) and interactive exhibits that allow you to "touch" and explore some of the most interesting documents, photos, and films on site.

During the day, the 290-seat William G. McGowan Theater continuously shows a short film on the work done on the Charters of Freedom and the Rotunda. In the evenings the theater shows a variety of documentary films. And visit the Archives Shop so you can take home some treasures of your own.

The National Archives are also an extremely valuable reseach tool. There are two requirements to use the Research Room: there must be records or other materials on your topic among National Archives holdings; and you must be at least 14 years old. Children under 14 can be admitted under limited circumstances and only with the prior approval of research room management. Call 866.325.7208 for additional information.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides free access to library materials especially designed for those with low vision or blindness or any type of physical disability.

Through NLS' national network of regional libraries, books and magazines on cassettes and in braille, as well as audio equipment, are mailed straight to participants' doors, at no cost.

The New Carrollton Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs, including daytime storytimes for ages newborn to 11 months, 12 to 24 months, 18 to 35 months, two- to three-year olds, and three- to five-year olds, three- to seven-year olds, and six- to nine-year olds, plus an evening storytime for three- to seven-year olds. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The North County Area Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs; the schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

Programs and services at the Northeast Branch include a preschool story hour. Other special services provided are computers for children, Books-On-Tape, and a community meeting room.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The charming one-room Noyes Library for Young Children, Montgomery County's oldest, is an historic landmark. Once inside, children immediately sense the intimacy of this library, which is just for them. There are programs for babies and toddlers, two and three year olds, preschoolers, and other special events.

The Oxon Hill Branch Library hosts a variety of children's programs, including daytime storytimes for ages newborn to 12 months, 12 to 23 months, two- to three-year olds, and three- to five-year olds, plus an evening storytime for two- to seven-year olds and an afterschool book club for children ages six to nine. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.

The Palisades Branch's programs include films and storytimes for children. Its meeting rooms are heavily booked in evening hours for community groups including a book club, writers' group, investment group, stamp club and an alumni organization of the Western-Duke Ellington High School.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

Special community programs offered by Petworth Library include storytimes and films for children, and a community meeting room with a capacity of one hundred persons.

A child may get a library card when he or she is able to write his or her name on the library card application. Parents may check children's books out on their own cards. Books may be borrowed for up to 21 days. Children are not charged for books brought back late.

The Pohick Regional Library is Fairfax County library system's busiest branch, with an annual circulation of more than one million items. A full range of library services are offered at the branch, with emphasis on providing materials and programs for children and for students of all ages. Seating is available for approximately 20 in the children's picture book area.

The Silver Spring Library hosts a variety of children's programs. The schedule varies, so please check the library's website for current offerings.