Etta Evans Gilmore was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, on February 4, 1885, to Robert Evans and Matilda Fawns. She married Henry Steele Gilmore, a Bath County physician, around 1906. Their son Robert was born in 1906 and daughter…
Instantly borrow eBooks and audiobooks free with your library card — anytime, anywhere. Use the Libby app to create wish lists, get notified of new releases, and send eBooks straight to your tablet or Kindle.
Hit record in the new podcast studio — now open at the Northside Digital Studio! Whether you're just starting or leveling up, the space is ready for your voice.
Everyone deserves a place to discover something new. The Lexington Public Library champions free and open access to information, offering a safe and welcoming space where neighbors can learn, create, and connect. Your support empowers a community engaged in lifelong discovery.
Whether you’re into mysteries, memoirs, cookbooks, classics, or something in between, we’ve got a club for you. Choose from a variety of book clubs for different ages and interests or join us for a readers and writers event.
Schedule a one-on-one consultation to learn library skills, get help with research and job searches, have a test proctored by one of our librarians, and more.
Discover your voice and express yourself through words and music. Learn how to write lyrics, craft poems, and rap with confidence. Explore studio basics, from recording and mixing to sharing your tracks. Build performance skills and stage presence to showcase your art. Dive into the business side of music, including registering your songs with BMI and uploading them online.
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
The weekly classes will be informal and guided by a moderator. EVERYONE is welcome - ANY native language, ANY English level. No registration needed. Practica ingles y conoce gente nueva. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! ¡Todos los idiomas, todos los niveles de ingles. Jifunze Kiingereza na kukutana na watu wapya. Kila mtu anakaribishwa!
When Texas lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.
Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.
As part of the Central Kentucky Concert Band's celebration of its first fifty years, a saxophone trio, composed of CKCB members, will present an hour-long program at the Tates Creek Branch Library at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 25, 2026. The ensemble has a large repertoire of classical and traditional tunes, most of which were custom-arranged or composed specifically for this trio.
Lexington native Freddie Dunn (1930-2012) was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, veteran, East End resident, original Lyric Theatre employee, construction worker, Phoenix Hotel dining room mainstay, Dupree Catering bartending legend, and all-around city of Lexington factotum.
Check for current job openings and apply to work at the Lexington Public Library.
The governance of Lexington Public Library is under the direction of 7 Trustees and up to 10 Advisors who guide the long-term strategies for the Lexington Public Library, including the long range plan, annual budget cycle, advocating for the library and for library customers, and policy recommendations.
Join authors Marie Mitchell & Mason Smith as they discuss and read from their new title Paranormal Kentucky: An Uncommon Wealth of Close Encounters with Aliens, Ghosts, and Cryptids.
Compiled by Cyrus Parker Jones, a man formerly enslaved by the Parker family, these funeral notices cover 667 funerals of individuals in Lexington, including seven free blacks. The funeral notices cover the years 1806-1886. Jones donated his collection to a trustee of the Lexington Public Library prior to his death in 1887, who then added some notices and donated the collection to the Lexington Public Library in 1900.
Etta Evans Gilmore was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, on February 4, 1885, to Robert Evans and Matilda Fawns. She married Henry Steele Gilmore, a Bath County physician, around 1906. Their son Robert was born in 1906 and daughter…
Program features the activities and accomplishments of the previous year’s Empress and Emperor while providing the layout of the current year’s coronation proceedings. Features advertisements for local businesses and photographs of the…
The Independent Gazetteer was founded and printed by James Charless in 1803, with ads appearing in the Kentucky Gazette about its upcoming publication. The first issue was printed March 29, 1803. The paper was later sold to Robert Kay…
The Kentucky Leader was published from 1888 until the name changed in 1895 to the Daily Leader. They focused on local and national news. The Daily Leader was published from 1895-1901 until the name was changed to the Lexington Leader.…
The Daily Argonaut began in 1895 and seems to have ceased publication in 1899. This collection includes scattered issues from 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1898.
This collection consists of Black community news published under the headline “Colored Churches,” “In Colored Circles,” or “Colored Notes”; and other articles of social interest, including marriages, public events, and obituaries.
The Kentucky Gazette was the first paper established west of the Allegheny Mountains. The frontier paper focused on East Coast and International news, though some local announcements can be found. Later, the paper focused on…
The diary (ca. 1899) of Katherine Pettit, details her settlement work for the Kentucky Confederation of Women's Clubs, made yearly trips to Hazard during this period and was a central figure in establishing the Hindman (Kentucky)…
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 at court injunction was issued…
Compiled by Cyrus Parker Jones, a man formerly enslaved by the Parker family, these funeral notices cover 667 funerals of individuals in Lexington, including seven free blacks. The funeral notices cover the years 1806-1886. Jones…
This work contains information about French Emigrants to America over the years 1789-1799, and provides a history of the French Revolution. The work was originally in French, and was translated into English by an anonymous translator…
This is a handwritten series of lectures detailing Samuel D. McCullough's memories of his childhood and life in Lexington, Kentucky, accompanied by letters and a photograph of his house.
The Eastern Kentucky Review contains articles about Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College. This particular issue contains photos of buildings, graduating seniors, students, clubs, and activities, and includes photos and information…
The Kentucky Reporter is the weekly continuation of The Reporter, which changed names in October 1817. It reports on local and national news. 1827 is the only semi-weekly run of this newspaper.
The Reporter was a weekly Republican paper, occasionally semi-weekly when Congress was in session. Continued publication throughout the War of 1812.
The Lexington Weekly Press was published every Wednesday in Lexington, Kentucky, and contained local, state, and foreign news. The paper focused on Central Kentucky’s “agriculture, manufactures and fine stock”, as well as literary and…
The Daily Lexington Atlas ran from late 1847 through early 1849 and was Lexington’s first daily paper, and the first to publish information from the telegraph lines. It is described by William Perrin in his 1882 History of Fayette…
The Elmer L. Foote Collection is a group of 190 lantern slides. They were created by Elmer L. Foote, a Cincinnati photographer and library staff member whose pictures appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
This collection of letters to and from portrait artist Sudduth Goff (1887-1965) is part of the library's Duncan-Goff scrapbook collection.
This letter collection was collected by Judge Kenneth Lyons. The earliest date of the letters is 1862, from Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky. Some letters are fragments.
This half of the record book contains burial records for St. Paul Catholic Church parishioners.
The 1906-07 Lexington cross directory contains residential and business information for the city, arranged both alphabetically and by street, with a business listing by category. It also contains city officials and departments, and…
Scans of the Black Marriage records from the Courthouse in Greenville, Kentucky.
The city report covers the outline of a citizen participation work plan and its connection with neighborhood groups, as well as the results of those meetings and community concerns that took place throughout 1969. It contains…
Letters to and from Father William T. Punch (1874-1933). Father Punch was instrumental in building the 3rd St. Peter Catholic Church on Barr Street in Lexington, KY.
Etta Evans Gilmore was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, on February 4, 1885, to Robert Evans and Matilda Fawns. She married Henry Steele Gilmore, a Bath County physician, around 1906. Their son Robert was born in 1906 and daughter Lorena in 1910. She died on December 2, 1959, in Owingsville, Bath County, Kentucky, and was buried in the Hillsboro Cemetery in Fleming County.
She lived in Bath County for the last 51 years of her life, and was active in her churches and in her role as a doctor’s wife. The diaries that she wrote touched on the many people and activities in her life. After her death in 1959 and her husband’s death in 1973, the family donated the diaries to the Bath County Memorial Library’s local history collection.
Etta Evans Gilmore was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, on February 4, 1885, to Robert Evans and Matilda Fawns. She married Henry Steele Gilmore, a Bath County physician, around 1906. Their son Robert was born in 1906 and daughter…
Program features the activities and accomplishments of the previous year’s Empress and Emperor while providing the layout of the current year’s coronation proceedings. Features advertisements for local businesses and photographs of the…
The Independent Gazetteer was founded and printed by James Charless in 1803, with ads appearing in the Kentucky Gazette about its upcoming publication. The first issue was printed March 29, 1803. The paper was later sold to Robert Kay…
The Kentucky Leader was published from 1888 until the name changed in 1895 to the Daily Leader. They focused on local and national news. The Daily Leader was published from 1895-1901 until the name was changed to the Lexington Leader.…
The Daily Argonaut began in 1895 and seems to have ceased publication in 1899. This collection includes scattered issues from 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1898.
This collection consists of Black community news published under the headline “Colored Churches,” “In Colored Circles,” or “Colored Notes”; and other articles of social interest, including marriages, public events, and obituaries.
The Kentucky Gazette was the first paper established west of the Allegheny Mountains. The frontier paper focused on East Coast and International news, though some local announcements can be found. Later, the paper focused on…
The diary (ca. 1899) of Katherine Pettit, details her settlement work for the Kentucky Confederation of Women's Clubs, made yearly trips to Hazard during this period and was a central figure in establishing the Hindman (Kentucky)…
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 at court injunction was issued…
Compiled by Cyrus Parker Jones, a man formerly enslaved by the Parker family, these funeral notices cover 667 funerals of individuals in Lexington, including seven free blacks. The funeral notices cover the years 1806-1886. Jones…
This work contains information about French Emigrants to America over the years 1789-1799, and provides a history of the French Revolution. The work was originally in French, and was translated into English by an anonymous translator…
This is a handwritten series of lectures detailing Samuel D. McCullough's memories of his childhood and life in Lexington, Kentucky, accompanied by letters and a photograph of his house.
The Eastern Kentucky Review contains articles about Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College. This particular issue contains photos of buildings, graduating seniors, students, clubs, and activities, and includes photos and information…
The Kentucky Reporter is the weekly continuation of The Reporter, which changed names in October 1817. It reports on local and national news. 1827 is the only semi-weekly run of this newspaper.
The Reporter was a weekly Republican paper, occasionally semi-weekly when Congress was in session. Continued publication throughout the War of 1812.
The Lexington Weekly Press was published every Wednesday in Lexington, Kentucky, and contained local, state, and foreign news. The paper focused on Central Kentucky’s “agriculture, manufactures and fine stock”, as well as literary and…
The Daily Lexington Atlas ran from late 1847 through early 1849 and was Lexington’s first daily paper, and the first to publish information from the telegraph lines. It is described by William Perrin in his 1882 History of Fayette…
The Elmer L. Foote Collection is a group of 190 lantern slides. They were created by Elmer L. Foote, a Cincinnati photographer and library staff member whose pictures appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
This collection of letters to and from portrait artist Sudduth Goff (1887-1965) is part of the library's Duncan-Goff scrapbook collection.
This letter collection was collected by Judge Kenneth Lyons. The earliest date of the letters is 1862, from Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky. Some letters are fragments.
This half of the record book contains burial records for St. Paul Catholic Church parishioners.
The 1906-07 Lexington cross directory contains residential and business information for the city, arranged both alphabetically and by street, with a business listing by category. It also contains city officials and departments, and…
Scans of the Black Marriage records from the Courthouse in Greenville, Kentucky.
The city report covers the outline of a citizen participation work plan and its connection with neighborhood groups, as well as the results of those meetings and community concerns that took place throughout 1969. It contains…
Letters to and from Father William T. Punch (1874-1933). Father Punch was instrumental in building the 3rd St. Peter Catholic Church on Barr Street in Lexington, KY.