Lexington Public Library

Search Our Website

Search Website
Displaying results 1 - 35 of 44
Walking Tour

Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s African American Heritage Sites. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops. You can pause the track while you walk between stops.

This tour covers a walking distance of 1.7 miles.

The music clips used in this tour are from “Walking Barefoot on Grass” by Kai Engel, and are used with a CCBY license. It is available here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/

Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s African American Heritage Sites. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops.

The Luna Library, a program of Believing in Forever, collects and distributes children's books with an African American history or Black character focus. It is an alternative for African American parents looking for books that provide context and knowledge to understand the stories of the African American experience in this country for their children. Believing in Forever is a champion of diversity and inclusion, and the positive impact books have on children of all races.

Digital Archives - Collection

The True American was an anti-slavery newspaper started by Cassius Marcellus Clay in June 1845. He ran the paper in Lexington until August of 1845, when he published an article deemed so incendiary that a court injunction was issued against his printing, and his press shipped to Cincinnati. An advocate of the right to a free press, and his right of free speech, Clay continued printing the paper through 1847 in Cincinnati. The paper was distributed in Lexington. While focused on advancing the cause of emancipation, Clay also published poetry, agriculture, labor, and commercial news. There are also marriage and death notices from the surrounding area, some national.

Cassius Marcellus Clay was a fiery figure in Kentucky history. He often fought in duels and in street fights, generally in response to arguments against his emancipationist views. Later in life, he often had shootouts with the Madison County Sheriff at his home, Whitehall.

After the publication of his incendiary editorial (August 12, 1845, page 3 columns 1-4), he is said to have armed his printing shop with two brass cannons and myriad other weapons to fend off any attacks. The committee charged with removing his press did so while Clay was incapacitated with a fever, avoiding what surely would have been a deadly counterattack from Clay. In the March 18, 1846 paper, Clay addresses the attack, and continues his fiery rhetoric, finally offering a discount to non-slaveholders in slave states.

Clay is featured in an episode of the Library’s podcast "Tales from the Kentucky Room", which is linked below.

The Library only has a short run of The True American. It has been digitized from the microfilm, which can be accessed in the Kentucky Room. Several issues have significant mildew damage, so in some cases the OCR quality may be poor, though the print itself is still legible.
 

Highlight

Celebrate Black History Month at LPL

Throughout February, join us as we celebrate Black history with programs, materials, podcasts, and more.

Primary Page

Download eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more – free with your library card.

Primary Page

Wonderful podcasts and walking tours have been created by our staff. Please enjoy!

Whether you're just starting out, changing careers, or returning to the workforce, finding a job can be tough.  We can help you land the right position and answer your questions along the way.

The Materials Selection Policy was initially adopted February 25, 1987 by the Lexington Public Library Board of Trustees and was revised March 24, 1993. The Materials Selection Policy was updated and renamed the Collection Development Policy which was approved by the Board on January 14, 2009. The Board of Trustees assumes full responsibility for all legal actions which may result from the implementation of any policies stated herein.

Walking Tour

Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s historic sites. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops. You can pause the track while you walk between stops.

This tour covers a walking distance of 1.1 miles.

The music clips used in this tour are from “Walking Barefoot on Grass” by Kai Engel, and are used with a CCBY license. It is available here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/

Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s historic sites. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops.

Digital Archives - Collection - Group
Kentucky Progress magazine

The Publications Collection contains runs of historical Kentucky newspapers, almanacs, and magazines. 

Are you just starting your family tree, or have you run into a brick wall tracing a distant ancestor? Join us to share tips and learn new research strategies. All levels of experience are welcome!

Board Member
Board of Trustees

Casandra Hockenberry is a Program Manager with The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation, where she works across a broad number of initiatives at the crossroads of data, technology and improved outcomes for citizens. She manages the Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, which is dedicated to assisting states to improve their data collection on apprentices in order to support successful programs throughout the country, the Overseas Voting Initiative, which researches ways to improve the voting process for military and overseas citizens.

Prior to joining The Council of State Governments, she worked for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy as a public defender representing indigent clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors. Casandra received her degree in Political Science from Clarion University and her Juris Doctor from Case Western University. Casandra always enjoys a good book, heated debates about music, and time with her sausage dog, Remington.

E-mail Casandra Hockenberry

Digital Archives - Collection
St. Paul Catholic Church is one of the oldest existing churches in Lexington. The records for the parish go back to 1854. The ledgers are part of the church's historical archive, and contain unique records for Lexington's history. Bishop Stowe, the bishop of the Lexington diocese, has given permission for ledger records 100+ years old to be made public.
Board Member
Board of Trustees
Treasurer

Stephanie has been in the financial industry since 1993 and has a bachelor’s degree in finance is from the University of Kentucky.  She is passionate about community involvement and that includes current board positions on the Lexington Public Library and a member of the finance council of the Diocese of Lexington. She is a past board member of Surgery on Sunday, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, the Lexington Chapter of the American Red Cross and a past Trustee for Lexington Catholic High School, which she chaired for several years. She served on the Saint Paul Catholic Church finance council, which she also chaired for many years, and a past member of the formation committee.  She has been involved with Rotary and the Lexington Forum.  She has lived in Lexington since 1977 with her husband Joe.  They have two sons, Joseph III (Danielle) and Miles, both of Lexington.

E-mail Stephanie Nallia

Board Member
Advisory Board

DeLaine Bender, CAE, is the Vice President of AMR Management Services, a Lexington-based association management company serving national and international associations and professional societies. Her responsibilities include marketing and business development, support for new clients, and management of association staff. A career nonprofit executive, she served as Executive Director of several associations before joining the AMR executive team in 2017.

DeLaine is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives and earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional credential in the association industry, in 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. She lives in Lexington with her husband and together they have five adult children.

E-mail DeLaine Bender

Digital Archives - Collection
David Franklin “Frank” Milam (1918-2000) was born on January 9, 1918 in Charleston, West Virginia.  He married Zelda Bias in September of 1937.    
When the United States entered the war, Frank Milam was married with two preschool-aged children.  Since drafting was almost inevitable, he signed up in order to choose his preferred branch, the Navy. After the war, Frank farmed, and later worked for over 20 years for the Monsanto company in Nitro, WV, as an electrician. Frank and Zelda had six children together, five surviving to adulthood. Like many veterans of World War II, Frank rarely talked about his time on the Yorktown. After his death on June 25, 2000, he was buried in Cunningham Memorial Park, in Saint Albans, WV. His remaining family lives in West Virginia, Kentucky, and scattered through the U.S.
 
The Milam family has given permission for open viewing of the diary, but these images are not in the public domain. For Milam family permission to use images from the Milam diary, contact georgia111 at twc dot com.
 
Board Member
Board of Trustees

Jennifer Bird-Pollan is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Judge William T. Lafferty Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.  She has a B.A. from Penn State University, a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.  Jennifer moved to Lexington with her husband and their two children in 2010.  At UK Rosenberg Law she teaches a variety of courses in tax law and policy, and she practiced law as a tax attorney at a large law firm in Boston before moving to Lexington.  In addition to her service on the Lexington Public Library Board of Advisors, Jennifer serves as the Chair of the Board of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.  When not talking about tax policy or law school administration, Jennifer loves to read fiction, ride her electric bicycle, and play with her dog and her houseplants.

E-mail Jennifer Bird-Pollan

Location
Northside Branch Entrance
Location Hours

Monday-Thursday: 9:30am-7:00pm
Friday: 9:30am-6:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am-5:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm

Location Mailing Address

1733 Russell Cave Road
Lexington, KY 40505

We are working to raise $5 million to build the library our community deserves — and we are over 80% of the way there! We need you to help us cross the finish line. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a lasting positive impact on our community.  

 Your donation will support the spaces and programs the new library will bring to the community. Gifts are tax deductible and can be made over a five-year pledge period.  

Thank you for investing in your public library.

Board Member
Advisory Board

Daryl R. Privott, Ph.D. is a Kentucky Colonel, a member of the American Library Association and has been a fan of libraries since his youth growing up in Washington, DC. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Adult & Higher Education Graduate Program at Morehead State University. Prior to his faculty appointment at Morehead in 2013, he has experience managing higher education campuses, university libraries, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Washington, DC. and working as a Sign Language interpreter. Daryl moved to Lexington from Las Vegas, NV in 2009 with his wife and two children. Daryl enjoys learning, movement and music.

Podcast Episode
Mariam interviews Doug Tattershall, author of Belle Brezing: American Magdalene, about his book. They discuss Belle Brezing’s early life, her years as the nationally known brothel owner, and the generally unknown final years of her life in seclusion.