Search Our Website
Displaying results 1 - 35 of 52
Subtitle
New Versailles Road Library Branch to be named Marksbury Family Branch
Lexington, Kentucky (March 9, 2022) – Lexington Public Library and Lexington Public Library Foundation are honored to announce that the Marksbury Family Foundation has committed the lead gift for the capital campaign to rebuild the library branch at the corner of Versailles Road and Village Drive. In recognition of their generosity, the new facility will be named the Marksbury Family Branch when it opens in 2024.
Lexington, Kentucky (March 9, 2022) – Lexington Public Library and Lexington Public Library Foundation are honored to announce that the Marksbury Family Foundation has committed the lead gift for the capital campaign to rebuild the library branch at the corner of Versailles Road and Village Drive. In recognition of their generosity, the new facility will be named the Marksbury Family Branch when it opens in 2024.
The Library purchased the site in late 2020 after leasing the facility for 15 years, with plans to demolish the current building. A new two-story facility will replace it with nearly triple the amount of space available for library services. The new building will include community and study rooms, a dedicated classroom, makerspace, outdoor reading area, expanded adult and children’s areas, and a drive-thru window where customers can pick up and return borrowed materials. The Library estimates that it will serve approximately 1 million visitors per year at this location. The Library Foundation has committed to raising $5.3 million in support of this $17 million project through a public-private partnership.
The Marksbury Family Foundation, founded by Davis Marksbury, invests in innovative projects that provide sustainable, life-changing opportunities for individuals and communities. “We are excited to invest in this community-wide resource, which offers countless educational resources to everyone in the greater Lexington area,” said Logan Marksbury, President of the Marksbury Family Foundation. “Our family has been very fortunate, and we love to provide new opportunities for others to succeed through our Foundation.” The Marksbury Family Foundation has supported the University of Kentucky, Lexington Leadership Foundation’s Woodhill Community Center, Blue Grass Community Foundation’s Good Giving Challenge, and many other projects in the educational and entrepreneurial spaces.
This donation is the single largest commitment in the history of the Lexington Public Library Foundation, which has supported our public library system since 1997. “The fundraising success of the Library Foundation speaks to the commitment of our donors and the impact of the Lexington Public Library system,” said Erin Serrate, Chair of the Library Foundation Board. “Like the individuals it serves, the Library has unlimited potential, and our role is to ensure that the Library has the financial resources it needs to meet our community’s educational needs.”
The Library Foundation supports new projects, capital needs, and specialty programs. Recent investments include Destination Kindergarten (with the PNC Foundation’s signature Grow Up Great initiative), the Eastside Branch (contributing $1.3M for the project), and the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab, which will open later this month.
“Our Library system thrives when our community comes together,” said Executive Director Heather Dieffenbach. “We are grateful for the support of the Marksbury Family Foundation and the leadership of the Lexington Public Library Foundation. Together, we will accomplish great things to support the citizens of Central Kentucky.” For more information about the project or to get involved, please visit www.lexpublib.org/village.
For general information on Lexington Public Library, their programs, and their partners, please visit www.lexpublib.org and their social media pages @lexpublib. Follow the Library Foundation on Facebook at @lexingtonpubliclibraryfoundation or visit www.lexpublib.org/foundation.
New Versailles Road Library Branch to be named Marksbury Family Branch
Located on the fourth floor of the Central Library, this space invites children and students to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math through hands-on experiences. Programming events targeted toward upper elementary and middle-school aged students include circuits, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, coding, 3D printing, recording in the audio booth, and so much more.
Destination Kindergarten is the library’s program aimed at preschoolers and their caregivers- trying to help them practice the skills they need to be ready for Kindergarten. During each Destination Kindergarten event, preschoolers and their caregivers can find a specalized area in the library with fun books, take-home activities, and information about development milestones and school readiness.
See below for more information on upcoming events and take-home packets and activities.
Secondary Page
Find out what's happening at our locations. Browse upcoming events and discover our dedicated learning spaces. Reserve a meeting room. Explore our galleries and special collections.
The most exhaustive and up-to-date knowledge and insight on the social sector to fuel any fundraising mission. Expanded, in-depth profiles of each Grantmaker plus inside looks at the grants they've actually made to keep your organization operating at peak effectiveness. Available only to customers inside the Central Library.
While the focus of content in the digital archive is Fayette County, many other counties are represented. This list is in alphabetical order by county name for non-Fayette County content.
Anderson County
- History of the Lawrenceburg Fair by Lydia Kennedy Bond, 1956
Bath County
- Bath County Memorial Library Albert Young WWII letter Collection, 1944-45
- Bath County Memorial Library Diary Collection of Etta Evans Gilmore, 1944-1955
Boone County
- Florence Baptist Church Dedication Service, October 9, 1967
Bourbon County
- Millersburg Female College Announcement, 1895-96
- Hopewell (Paris) Historical Scrapbook, 150th Anniversary, Sept 1939
- History of the Church of the Annunciation of Paris, Kentucky by Mary T. Kelly, 1958
- Millersburg Military Institute playbill for Inherit the Wind, 6 May 1960
- Paris Historical Scrapbook, 175th Anniversary, 13 May 1961
Boyd County
- The Hi-Life Gazette, Ashland High School, 5 March 1954
Boyle County
- Catalogue, Danville Classical and Military Academy, 1877-78
- The Danville Literary and Social Club (The Anaconda), 1839-1889 by Ormond Beatty
- Fourth Reunion, Kentucky Association of the Deaf, 3-5 September 1907
- A Centennial History of the Kentucky School for the Deaf, Danville, Kentucky, 1823-1923 by Charles Fosdick
Breathitt County
- Stories of Kentucky Feuds: the Terror of Suspense by Harold Wilson Coates, 1924
Bullitt County
- United Stares Army Armor School, Fort Knox, 1959-72
Caldwell County
Calloway County
- History of Calloway County, Kentucky by E. A. Johnson, 1931
Christian County
- The Scroll: Bethel Woman's College Yearbook, 1929
Clark County
- Kentucky Wesleyan College graduates, 1906
- The Beacon: Kentucky Bible College (later Southeastern Christian College), 1955
- The Beacon: Kentucky Bible College, Winchester, Kentucky, 1960
- Southern Bell Telephone Directory for Richmond, Ky., Ford, Kirksville, Waco, Including Listings of Berea, Paint Lick, May 1966
- Kentucky Telephone Company Directory for Lancaster, Berea, Bryantsville, Paint Lick, Including Listings of Ford, Kirksville, Richmond, and Waco, Kentucky, June 1966
Clay County
- Stories of Kentucky Feuds: the Great Truce of Clay by Harold Wilson Coates, 1923
- Telephone Directory; Barbourville, Brodhead, East Bernstadt, Eubank, Faubush, Flat Lick, Livingston, London, Manchester, Mt. Vernon, Oneida, Science Hill, Shopville, White Lily, Kentucky, 1974
Floyd County
- The Pre-1800 Kentucky Tax Lists for the Counties of Fayette - 1788; Mason (later Floyd) - 1790; Mercer - 1789; Washington - 1792, compiled by Levi Todd, 1790
Franklin County
- The Fourth Annual Report of the Kentucky Colonization Society, with an Address (Delivered at the Request of the Society,) by Rev. John C. Young, 1833
- Historic Frankfort Kentucky pamphlet by Nell Whaley and Bayless Hardin, 1947
- Good Shepherd Catholic School senior class play "No Homework," 1961
- Souvenir Program, March on Frankfort, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 5 March 1964
Garrard County
- Lancaster High School Graduation Program, 1952
- Southern Bell Telephone Directory for Richmond, Ky., Ford, Kirksville, Waco, Including Listings of Berea, Paint Lick, May 1966
- Kentucky Telephone Company Directory for Lancaster, Berea, Bryantsville, Paint Lick, Including Listings of Ford, Kirksville, Richmond, and Waco, Kentucky, June 1966
Graves County
- The Mayfield Bar, by R. G. Robbins, 1911
Grayson County
- Dock Brown: the Outlaw of Grayson County by Colonel William R. Haynes, 1876
Hardin County
- United Stares Army Armor School, Fort Knox, 1959-72
Harlan County
- Harlan County, Kentucky by Elmon Middleton, 1934
- The Pine Mountain Story, 1913-1980 by Mary Rogers and the Pine Mountain Settlement School, 1980
Hopkins County
Jackson County
- Telephone Directory; McKee, Annville, Booneville, Sand Gap Ky, 1960
- Directory; McKee, Annville, Sand Gap, Booneville, 1964
- Telephone Directory; McKee, Annville, Sand Gap, Booneville, 1976
Jefferson County
- The Cadet Adjustant magazine of the Kentucky Military Institute, 1909-1918
- Photograph of Rev. James Cronin, Diocese of Louisville, circa 1920
- Charter, By-Laws and Amendments of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Widows' and Orphans' Home in the State of Kentucky, 1938
- My Memoirs of Army Nurse Corps World War II, 1943-1945 by Martha Ueltschi Penn, 1946
- Poems of Consolation: Book II by Geneva Maxey Cooper Tilford, 1947
- The Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star in Kentucky Golden Key Session 1948
- Zion Baptist Church, 1878-1953, 75th Anniversary, August 1953
- duPont Manual High School 1967 10-year reunion, class of 1957
- A New Look for Kentucky Breathitt for Governor newspaper, February 1963
- Sallie Phillips Durrett High School 1967–1968 composite class photograph
- The Louisville Community presents a Memorial Service Honoring the Late Whitney M. Young, Jr., 10 March 1974
- Handbills for Mr. Gay Kentucky, January 1983 and March 1983
Jessamine County
- Assortment of Elmer L. Foote lantern slides, including Court Day and the construction of High Bridge, circa 1900s
- Bluegrass Houses and Their Traditions by Elizabeth M. Simpson, 1932
- Union Lodge No. 10, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Nicholasville, Kentucky, by Robert M. Suell, 1970
Johnson County
- Kentucky Mountain Club (Membership includes the following counties: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, McCreary, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Monroe, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe)
Knox County
- Telephone Directory; Barbourville, Brodhead, East Bernstadt, Eubank, Faubush, Flat Lick, Livingston, London, Manchester, Mt. Vernon, Oneida, Science Hill, Shopville, White Lily, Kentucky, 1974
Laurel County
- The Birth of a Church: 1st Presbyterian Church, London, Ky., 1959
- Telephone Directory; Barbourville, Brodhead, East Bernstadt, Eubank, Faubush, Flat Lick, Livingston, London, Manchester, Mt. Vernon, Oneida, Science Hill, Shopville, White Lily, Kentucky, 1974
Leslie County
Livingston County
- Lucy Jefferson Lewis, Sister of President Thomas Jefferson, Virginia 1752 - Kentucky 1811 by Martha Grassham Purcell
Madison County
- Mountain Ballads for Social Singing, by James Watt Rayne, Berea College, 1923
- Life at Eastern: Eastern Kentucky Review, Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College, May 1944
- Program Celebrating the Opening of the New Free Bridge at Clay’s Ferry, Cleveland, 17 August 1946
- Southern Bell Telephone Directory for Richmond, Ky., Ford, Kirksville, Waco, Including Listings of Berea, Paint Lick, May 1966
- Kentucky Telephone Company Directory for Lancaster, Berea, Bryantsville, Paint Lick, Including Listings of Ford, Kirksville, Richmond, and Waco, Kentucky, June 1966
- First Baptist Church Directory, Richmond, 1975
Mason County
- The Pre-1800 Kentucky Tax Lists for the Counties of Fayette - 1788; Mason (later Floyd) - 1790; Mercer - 1789; Washington - 1792, compiled by Levi Todd, 1789
- Centennial of St. Patrick’s Parish, Maysville, 1847-1947
Meade County
- United Stares Army Armor School, Fort Knox, 1959-72
Mercer County
- The Pre-1800 Kentucky Tax Lists for the Counties of Fayette - 1788; Mason (later Floyd) - 1790; Mercer - 1789; Washington - 1792, compiled by Levi Todd, 1789
- Education in Harrodsburg and Neighborhood Since 1775 by Martha Stephenson, 1910
- Shakertown by Dorothy Embry Cross, 1921
- Old Roads in Kentucky by Cecil Brown, 1929
- Old Shakertown and the Shakers by Daniel Mac-Hir Hutton, 1936
- The History of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Harrodsburg by Neva L. Williams, April 1948
- Old Taverns by Grace Stephenson Linney Hutton, 1957
Muhlenberg County
- Gibraltar Coal Mining Company Scrip, Brownie, Ky., undated
- The Oriole: Central City High School Yearbook, 1927
Nelson County
- A Chapter of Trappist History in Kentucky by Young E. Allison, 1926
- The Barton Museum of Whiskey History Brochure, 1961
Owsley County
- Telephone Directory; McKee, Annville, Booneville, Sand Gap Ky, 1960
- Directory; McKee, Annville, Sand Gap, Booneville, 1964
Pulaski County
- Telephone Directory; Barbourville, Brodhead, East Bernstadt, Eubank, Faubush, Flat Lick, Livingston, London, Manchester, Mt. Vernon, Oneida, Science Hill, Shopville, White Lily, Kentucky, 1974
Robertson County
- Echoes from the Century, Robertson County 1867-1967 by T. Ross Moore
Rockcastle County
- Telephone Directory; Barbourville, Brodhead, East Bernstadt, Eubank, Faubush, Flat Lick, Livingston, London, Manchester, Mt. Vernon, Oneida, Science Hill, Shopville, White Lily, Kentucky, 1974
Scott County
- The Co-Ed: Georgetown College, 1901
- Historical Pageant of Scott County, Kentucky 1774-1924, 31 May 1924
- Directory and History: Georgetown Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1932-1933
- Georgetown Grows: Georgetown College, 1960
- Stamping Ground’s 180th Birthday Celebration, 15-17 October 1970
Shelby County
- Science Hill School College Preparatory School for Girls, Shelbyville, 1930-1931
- Science Hill School College Preparatory School for Girls, Shelbyville, 1937-1938
- History, Old Masons’ Home of Kentucky, Incorporated, 2nd Edition, by Alpheus E. Orton and Charles A. Keith, 1960
- Dedication Whitney M. Young, Jr., Residential Manpower Center program, 16 June 1972
Warren County
Washington County
- The Pre-1800 Kentucky Tax Lists for the Counties of Fayette - 1788; Mason (later Floyd) - 1790; Mercer - 1789; Washington - 1792, compiled by Levi Todd, 1792
Wolfe County
- Wolfe County Centennial Celebration 1860-1960, 2 Sept 1960
Woodford County
- Kentucky Female Orphan School: A History by Harry Giovannoli, 1930
- St. Leo’s Parish, Versailles 1924-1965
- Woodford County Farm Directory, circa 1971
- A History of Troy Presbyterian Church, 1875-1975 by J. R. Wilson, Jr.
- St. Leo Catholic Church Directory, Versailles, 1979
Secondary Page
All the Library Can Be
The library is essential to a thriving community, ensuring equitable access to information, education, and technology for all. We raise funds to support Lexington Public Library programs, services, and special projects that go beyond what public dollars alone can support.
Located on the second floor of the Eastside Branch, the Makerspace is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring, and sharing. Through the intersections of technology, science, art, and culture, the space encourages entrepreneurship, personal growth, and artistic expression.
Thursday, December 07 2023 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to create a holiday card that lights up!
For Grades 3-12.
Tuesday, December 05 2023 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to create a holiday card that lights up!
For Grades 3-12.
Tuesday, December 12 2023 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to learn more about science, technology, engineering, arts and math, with hands-on monthly activities! For Grades 3-12.
Tuesday, December 12 2023 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to learn about snowflakes and make an art piece!
For Grades 3-12.
Thursday, December 14 2023 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to learn about snowflakes and make an art piece!
For Grades 3-12.
Saturday, December 09 2023 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to create lego robotics and experiment with block coding!
For Grades 3-12. Registration is Required.
Wednesday, December 20 2023 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to create a structure that will keep an egg from breaking when dropped from the fifth floor of the library!
For Grades 3-12. Registration is required.
Thursday, December 21 2023 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Join us in the Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab to make winter creations with Minecraft!
For Grades 3-12. Registration is Required.
The William Stamps Farish Fund Theater is a state-of-the-art facility in one of Main Street’s busiest places.
Fully renovated and updated, the theater on the Central Library’s first floor is home to theater, dance, live music, film, community events, and meetings. The Lexington Public Library makes the facility available at some of the city’s best prices, with affordable business, nonprofit, and government rates.
Primary Page
Learn by doing. Get hands-on practice with cutting edge technology at our Digital Studio, Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab, and Makerspace on your own or learn from our expert staff during structured programs.
Primary Page
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.
Secondary Page
If books are your thing, this is your place. Browse the newest titles in our collection, take a deep dive into comics and graphic novels with the 741.5 bulletin, request a personalized "bag of books," and more.
Mariam interviews Trevor Claiborn, co-founder of Black Soil: Our Better Nature, about the organization and the history of African American farmers in Kentucky. Trevor also performs as “Farmer Brown tha MC” to attract young people to farming.
The Kentucky History collection contains Kentucky-related documents not specifically related to Fayette County.
The Publications Collection contains runs of historical Kentucky newspapers, almanacs, and magazines.
Board of Trustees
Secretary
Yajaira Aich West is a Vice President at PNC Bank and serves as the Director of Client and Community Relations for central and southeast Kentucky. In this role she manages the philanthropic investments in the thirteen counties where PNC has a presence, coordinates the client events produced by the bank and leads employee initiatives around health and wellness. Yajaira graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Transylvania University in 2004 and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Business and Economics in 2011. Yajaira is an active member of the community via volunteerism and board service. She is currently is a Lexington Public Library Trustee, an Executive Committee member of the board of directors for the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County and LexArts, on the Policy Council for Bluegrass Community Action Partnership, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals advisory committee and the Fayette County Public School's First 5 Lex Committee. She is a graduate of the Commerce Lexington’s Leadership Lexington and Leadership Central Kentucky and the Leadership Kentucky programs.
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!
New to the U.S. and Lexington community? Check out these programs for English language learners.
Fayette County, Kentucky, has changed enormously since it was created in 1792. This collection contains government documents for the city of Lexington, for Fayette County, and for the merged Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, as well as funeral notices, club directories, scrapbooks, image collections and a history of Lexington Public Library.
LPL After School is a FREE afterschool drop-in program at the Northside and Village Branches for kids aged 5-12 and a caregiver that takes place 4 pm - 6 pm Monday through Friday. Join us for snacks, STEAM and enrichment activities, and homework help from one of our volunteers. No need for children and caregivers to register - just show up! Activities provided courtesy of CHI St. Joseph Health. Snacks will be provided to youth age 18 and younger courtesy of God's Pantry.
On Saturdays, snacks with enrichment activites are offered from 3pm-5pm.
In the fourth and final installment of our virtual bookclub, we'll talk about how the author wraps up, or doesn't wrap up the events in the book. Where are our favorite characters headed? What do we know for sure about Tariq's death? Are we left with more
Mariam interviews Wayne Johnson, librarian and local historian about the murder of Transylvania University student Betty Gail Brown in October 1961. In the first episode, Wayne and Mariam discuss the events leading up to the crime.
