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Monday-Thursday: 9:30am-7:00pm
Friday: 9:30am-6:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am-5:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm
1733 Russell Cave Road
Lexington, KY 40505
How can we help you? We've gathered a variety of resources for readers, students and educators, job seekers. entrepreneurs and nonprofits, and English language learners. Request items from other libraries through interlibrary loan.
The Marksbury Family Branch Makerspace 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.
Looking to get involved with the library, or want to earn volunteer credits in a safe, affirming space? Join our Teen Advisory Board, and you can contribute to the library! Help us design programs, choose books to purchase, and even pick this month's outfit for the goose.
Looking to get involved with the library, or want to earn volunteer credits in a safe, affirming space? Join our Teen Advisory Board, and you can contribute to the library! Help us design programs, choose books to purchase, and even pick this month's outfit for the goose.
Play Capture the Flag, Battle Royale, and more! After the library closes, the building will be a laser tag battleground. For ages 13+.
Participants must be in the library prior to closing at 7 PM.
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.
Queer, Here, & Everywhere: The Roots of Kentucky’s LGBTQ History is the first comprehensive exhibition of Lexington’s LGBTQ history, showcasing the importance of the queer community in this city
Highlighting key moments and figures in Lexington's LGBTQ history, from Sweet Evening Breeze's drag performances in the 1920s to the passage of the Fairness Ordinance in 1999, this exhibit celebrates the resilience and contributions of the queer community. By shedding light on these often overlooked narratives, we hope to foster a greater sense of belonging for LGBTQ individuals in Lexington while also promoting understanding and appreciation among the broader population.
Learn more about this exhibit here.
The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers traveling exhibit developed and shared by Keeneland Library, highlights the lives and careers of 100 African American horsemen and -women from the mid-1800s to the present. One-of-a-kind photographs from Keeneland Library collections capture moments across their varied careers, while biographical vignettes honor their lasting legacies.
From racetrack superstars to behind-the-scenes caretakers, The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers showcases select stories of the countless African Americans who forged their way in Lexington and beyond from the era of slavery to the present, making the racing industry what it is today.
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.
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 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.
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, school directories, and organizational directories. These are all fully word-searchable.
Join us for a walking tour of Lexington’s literary history!
Tour Length 1.05 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.
Check here for your school's list of summer assignments.
Trying to find a book and want to search libraries all over the world, all at once? WorldCat Discovery is the library catalog for you. Provided by the Kentucky Virtual Library.
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.