Website Search
Discover unique resources in our Digital Archives that tell the story of Fayette County. Visit cemeteries throughout Central Kentucky using our cemetery maps. Contact our resident experts in the Central Library's Kentucky Room with questions. The Lexington Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library.
All databases are available from this page.
Description coming soon.
Lexington Public Library is proud to host the 2026 Kentucky History and Genealogy Conference. This conference brings together historians, genealogists, researchers, and enthusiasts to explore the rich history and genealogical heritage of Kentucky.
Description coming soon.
The Kentucky Pioneer Genealogy and Records Magazine published various articles about early Kentucky history as a quarterly publication from 1979-1985, then annually 1986-1988.
Description coming soon.
Please register ahead of the program as laptops will be limited.
Please feel free to bring your research questions and documentation. IF you have a laptop please bring it. A limited number of laptops will be provided. Please feel free to bring your research questions and documentation.
Are you a Hamilfan?
Want to sing along to your favorite musical with other Hamilnerds? Want to challenge someone to a Guns and Ships rap duel? Want to show off a period costume?
Read articles from magazines and journals, learn a new language, or locate a newspaper article. These resources can't be found with a search engine but are available for free with your library card.
This is your gateway to our most popular resources. Search for books and eBooks, access tools for research and learning, and discover our unique collection of genealogy and local history materials.
The Lexington Public Library’s Digital Archives provide open access to researchers and students to learn more about the rich history of Lexington and Fayette County. It contains a fraction of the Library’s physical holdings, which are housed and available for reference in the Kentucky Room at the Central Library. New material is being digitized and added constantly, so there's always something new to find.
The archives have a simple keyword search, and it is possible to browse the collections by subject, area, or decade. The Lexington Public Library actively reviews and labels materials in our archives with statements that indicate how you may reuse the images, and what sort of permission, if any, you need to do so. Please check the information for each image to determine its legal status.
The Lexington Public Library’s Digital Archives provide open access to researchers and students to learn more about the rich history of Lexington and Fayette County. It contains a fraction of the Library’s physical holdings, which are housed and available for reference in the Kentucky Room at the Central Library. New material is being digitized and added constantly, so there's always something new to find.
The archives have a simple keyword search, and it is possible to browse the collections by subject, area, or decade. The Lexington Public Library actively reviews and labels materials in our archives with statements that indicate how you may reuse the images, and what sort of permission, if any, you need to do so. Please check the information for each image to determine its legal status.
With your free library card, gain access to a diverse collection of print books, ebooks, audiobooks, online classes and databases, and more. You can apply for a traditional, wallet-sized card and key chain tag or a digital library card to add to your smartphone’s digital wallet (iOS and Android compatible).
These tours are guided audio walking tours with a variety of topics focused on Downtown Lexington, KY. Music will play in between each stop, and the listener can pause the track while walking between stops.
Want to learn about new tours as they become available? Subscribe to our Genealogy & Local History newsletter.
741.5 is written and designed by Lexington Public Library staff member Bill Widener. The inaugural issue came out in January 2017. Sub-titled The Comics & Graphic Novel Bulletin of the Lexington Public Library, its intent is to promote new arrivals to the Library's comics collections. 741.5 takes its name from the numeral designation within the Dewey Decimal System that covers comics and cartooning.
Please join us from 5:30-7 for a reception celebrating the Faulkner Morgan Archive's traveling exhibit Queer, Here, & Everywhere: The Roots of Kentucky's LGBTQ History at the Eastside Branch.
The reception will also include a short history presentation by Josh Porter from the Faulkner Morgan Archive.
In Herrington Lake—Kentucky’s Marvel of Architecture, Waterpower & Nature, author Mike Holdren provides a detailed look at the creation of the Dix Dam as well as the surrounding bridges, camps, villages, and activities that have made Herrington Lake a wonderful recreational destination for 100 years.
Search for obituaries and death notices from newspapers around the country.
Library meeting rooms are available for individuals, non-profit, for profit, study groups, and community organizations seeking to hold meetings, trainings, and workshops. Meeting rooms are free of charge. Sterno and other tools/equipment that have an open flame are prohibited.
Meet with a librarian for one-on-one consultation. Please submit the Book a Librarian Appointment Request Form or call 859-231-5500 during business hours to schedule an appointment. Appointments are scheduled Monday-Friday during Library business hours and typically last 30 to 45 minutes.
Lexington’s Kentucky Association racetrack operated from 1828 through 1933. During its heyday, it witnessed the skills of many African American horsemen, four of whom have been inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
