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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.
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.
Stories of Lexington's history told through the Kentucky Room archives.
All databases are available from this page.
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.
Start your genealogy search with billions of records including census data, vital records, directories, photos and more. Available only to customers inside Lexington Public Library locations. Provided by the Kentucky Virtual Library.
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.
The Central Library Gallery opens its new exhibit, "Stories Told: Mixed Media by Raymond Papka," featuring shadow box assemblages using found and repurposed objects by this modern surrealist. Plus music by Jonathan and Jessica Carlisle.
Watercolor painting club with a lesson each month suitable for beginners, dilettantes, and anyone who just wants to hang out and paint with us. We will be following a series of tutorials that start with the basics at our first meeting and build on those skills with each class that follows. Registration required so I will be able to purchase enough supplies for everyone.
Join the Lexington Theatre Company for the perfect introduction to a musical theatre journey! Pre-Schoolers will explore music, movement, and storytelling. Introduce your littlest ones to the start of their creative journey.
Join Sunday Classic Movies for another year of great movies!
For 2026, we'll start with the Academy Award Winning Braveheart!
Watercolor painting club with a lesson each month suitable for beginners, dilettantes, and anyone who just wants to hang out and paint with us. We will be following a series of tutorials that start with the basics at our first meeting and build on those skills with each class that follows. Registration required so I will be able to purchase enough supplies for everyone.
Come join the Horror Murder Movie Club for another year of great movies!
For January, we start with the classic The Shining. Based on the book by Stephen King, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.
Rated R.
What does it take to escape your destiny? Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Join us for a special musical journey led by our community's brightest young pianists!
Try It Yourself!
First, we'll have keyboards available so that school-age kids, teens, and adults can?try out the program for themselves! This is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience with music.
Student Performances
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.
Join us for an exciting introduction to Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games! Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, come learn and connect with a like-minded community. We will guide you through the basics and provide you with resources to keep the fun going. Come and discover a world of adventure! For teens & up.