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The Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab, located on the fourth floor of Central Library at 140 East Main Street, is a space for youth and families to explore and create using resources and programs related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). Customers ages 7 and under must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver. Planning to bring a group of 10 or more? Please contact us by calling 859-231-5500 ext.1147 or using the link below.
Recurring programs
Lego Club, Maker Station, and Open STEAM Play sessions are available for children and families. The STEAM Lab also hosts weekly drop-in events, Homeschool STEAM activities, and special programming during school breaks. Check out the upcoming events listed below.
The Marksbury Family Branch Makerspace, located at 2197 Versailles Road, is an inclusive space where customers of all ages can come to learn, create, and explore together, free of charge. Outfitted with current high-tech and low-tech tools, the Makerspace is designed to promote education and cultivate a do-it-yourself spirit for the whole family. Customers ages 7 and under must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver. Planning to bring a group of 10 or more? Please contact us by calling 859-231-5500 ext.2822 or using the link below.
Sample projects
Engrave a bookmark for your next read, design matching t-shirts for your family vacation, personalize a coffee mug, embroider a t-shirt, or print fun stickers for your new business.
Celebrate Black History Month at LPL
Throughout February, join us as we celebrate Black history with programs, materials, podcasts, and more.
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.
The Eastside Makerspace and Marksbury Family Branch Makerspace offer a collaborative workspace where individuals can learn, create, and explore together free of charge through special events, programs, equipment, and staff support.
Stories of Lexington's history told through the Kentucky Room archives.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at LPL
Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 through October 15. Discover reading recommendations, special free events, the Latino Art BLEND exhibit, and more!
Discover everything that's happening this summer at the library!
Join us for Kentucky Legends: a series of programs exploring Kentucky culture, history, and lore. Programs include author visits, Chautauqua performances, live music, activities and crafts, and more.
Celebrate Lexington, Kentucky’s 250th anniversary all year long. Join us for programs, galleries, podcasts, and more highlighting our city’s history, heritage, and legacy.
Junior League of Lexington Collection
The Junior League of Lexington (JLL) is a local nonprofit organization of women committed to improving community through volunteerism. The first Junior League was established in 1901 in New York, and Lexington followed in 1924. Lexington’s chapter began with ten women, whose numbers grew to build the foundation of community service for which today's League is known. Its first years established the Junior League as a founding contributor for Baby Health Services in 1938 and the Lexington Children's Theatre in 1939, nonprofits which both still exist today. In the 1960’s, the JLL also founded the Opportunity Workshop of Lexington (OWL) and the Living Arts and Science Center, which are also both still in operation serving the Lexington community. The also contributed support to many local organizations, with everything from community revitalization to crisis intervention.
The event most closely associated with the Junior League is the annual Junior League Horse Show each July, which began in 1937 and was the organization’s only fundraiser for 70 years. It is the first leg of the Saddlebred Triple Crown, and attracts international attention. The event is still volunteer run and generates enormous local impact. In 2007, the JLL began its annual Holly Day Market as well, which runs in November as another fundraiser.
JLL currently resides in the historic Bodley-Bullock House downtown, and continues its tradition of community support and engagement.
All Digital Archives Collections
The first Kentucky almanacs were printed by John Bradford, on the same printing press that published the Kentucky Gazette. The Kentucky almanacs in the library's…
Fayette County's buildings contain a great deal of history about the region and its inhabitants. The earliest structure in Lexington was built in 1779, the Blockhouse. Lexington currently has over…
The collection consists of an image, homemade brochures, flyers, pamphlets, and programs covering LGBTQ+ events and places from 1983 to 1999 in both Lexington and Louisville. Subjects include…
The Bath County Memorial Library was founded in 1949 by the Owingsville Women’s Club, and opened in January, 1950. It expanded into a bookmobile in 1953, and in 1963 moved into the old Farmer’s…
The Black Community News Collection compiles searchable newspaper articles and ads for local Black community events, schools, social gatherings, church events, obituaries, and wedding…
The Brown-Hocker Collection is a community collection of photos and realia from African American events and people in Lexington and Kentucky history.
The objects in the collection are…
This collection contains materials from Lexington and Fayette County religious groups.
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…
The Daily Lexington Atlas ran from December 11, 1847 through November 20, 1848 and was Lexington’s first daily paper, and the first to publish information from the telegraph lines. It was…
The library has a variety of directories and yearbooks with local information. In the library's current digital collection, there is a selection of residential and street directories, yearbooks,…
Various objects found in our Duncan-Goff scrapbook collection.
Elmer L. Foote served as official photographer of the Cincinnati Public Library for many years, and produced photographs that appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune …
Letters from and/or about Father William T. Punch and the Punch family. Donated by a Lexington resident to Lexington Public Library. Father Punch was instrumental in building…
Until 1974, Lexington and Fayette County had two separate governing bodies. Lexington itself was founded in 1775 and chartered in 1782 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly,…
The St. Paul Catholic Church Collection includes materials from the Church's archive. The Roman Catholic church is over 150 years old, and is located on West Short Street, in downtown Lexington.…
Founded in 1982 by Gigi Galore (Greg Butler) and Blanche Pink (Marlon Austin), the Imperial Court of Kentucky, Inc., is a nonprofit charity that supports the LGBTQ+ community of…
The Judge Kenneth Lyons collection consists of an atlas, a journal, and letters. The atlas features copies of letters written on the blank pages of the atlas. The journal contains family and local…
The Junior League of Lexington (JLL) is a local nonprofit organization of women committed to improving community through volunteerism. The first Junior League was established in 1901…
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…
The Dunn Photograph Collection contains images of Lexington, KY taken in the 1960s and 1980s. Keller J. Dunn (1917-2000) born in Lexington, KY, shot hundreds of pictures of…
The library's collection contains many event pamphlets for Lexington and Kentucky counties, including county anniversary celebrations, suffragette songs, chautauquas, and community events and…
The photographs in the library's collection are donated from a variety of individuals.
The Ashland-McDowell Collection shows an unknown gathering of friends and…
The Kentucky Progress Commission was formed in 1928 in order to draw tourism and business to Kentucky. It was formed by the Kentucky Legislature, and was a 12 person board. The “Kentucky…
The League of Women Voters of Lexington, Kentucky, was established in 1920. It is the local chapter of a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization that encourages informed and…
The Lexington History Museum began in 1998, and opened its doors in the Old Courthouse in 2003. Its purpose is to educate Fayette County about its rich history, and preserve pieces of that history…
The Lexington Public Library opened a Carnegie library in 1905. It incorporated the collections of the former subscription Lexington Library Company (est.1801) and the former…
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,…
The military history collection contains relevant histories and records that focus on Kentuckians involved at home and abroad, and includes a collection of United States Army Training Center…
The Micellaneous Newspaper collection combines scattered issues of various historic newspapers in our archive collection.
Scans of the Black Marriage records from the Courthouse in Greenville, Kentucky.
The collection contains various postcards featuring places in and around Kentucky and includes a selection donated by the Knowles family. The postcards in the library's collection were donated by…
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…
The Schools and Yearbooks collection contains historical and modern yearbooks and other school documents owned by and donated to the Lexington Public Library.
The Daily Argonaut began in 1895 and seems to have ceased publication in 1899. This collection includes scattered issues from 1896, 1897 and 1898. The paper focuses more on sensational news and…
The Independent Gazetteer was founded and printed by James Charless in 1803, with ads appearing in the Kentucky Gazette about its upcoming…
The Kentucky Gazette was the first paper established west of the Allegheny Mountains, founded by John and Fielding Bradford. The frontier paper focused on East Coast and International news,…
The Kentucky Reporter was published from October 1817-April 1832, by William W. Worsley and Thomas Smith. It is the direct continuation of the The Reporter. Politically, it was a…
The Reporter was published from March 1808-September 1817, by William W. Worsley. It was a Republican paper (Jeffersonian Democratic Republican - liberal at the time). The paper was published…
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…
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…
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.
Throughout June, join us as we celebrate Pride Month with programs, books, podcasts, and more.
Este es un ambiente divertido e informal para practicar y mejorar tu inglés. Participantes de todos los niveles de inglés, son bienvenidos. Tenemos un nuevo tema para cada reunión. Para hispanohablantes.
Join Northside staff and learn to make a simple, traditional Cathedral Windows quilt. Make one block each month and you will make a finished small quilt or throw by the end of 12 months! Fabric and sewing tools provided while supplies last. Prerequisites: you must already be able to thread a needle and hand sew a straight stitch and a slip stitch. Please register if you plan to attend.
Are you interested in enhancing your Spanish speaking abilities? If so, we would like to invite you to our weekly group meeting. Our friendly group is open to everyone who wants to practice speaking Spanish in a supportive and welcoming environment. You will have the opportunity to meet new people who share your interest in the language and culture.
Practice your English speaking skills in a group meeting every week. In this casual class we will practice & improve your English. Intermediate English listening comprehension, reading practice & conversation with an emphasis on cultural topics. For adults. Registration is not required. FALL CLASSES BEGIN AUGUST 11.
Join representatives from the UK Horticulture Dept. Extension Office for this fun and creative workshop. Registration requested. CLASS WILL MEET IN THE LARGE MEETING ROOM.
Practice your English speaking skills in a group meeting every week. In this casual class we will practice & improve your English. Intermediate English listening comprehension, reading practice & conversation with an emphasis on cultural topics. For adults. Registration is not required. FALL CLASSES BEGIN AUGUST 11.
