Due to a water line bursting, our North Avenue Branch is closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience.

I was made for the library, not the classroom... The library was open, unending, free.
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Broad Rock Now Open Sundays



Broad Rock Branch

Have you heard? Our Broad Rock Branch is once again open on Sundays from 1:00 - 5:00 PM. Please visit them for all your library-related needs.

Black History Month 2023 @ RPL


February 1 - March 1

February is Black History Month during which we pay tribute to the generations of both struggle and achievement African Americans have experienced in our country. At Richmond Public Library we take pride in honoring our Black community every month of the year. But, in celebration of this month we have several exciting events planned. Visit our Black History Month 2023 page for all the details!

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Teens, Apply to be a YAVA Award Judge!


January 1 - February 28, 2023

We are now accepting applications for a panel of teen judges for the 2024 YAVA Award. Selected teens will participate in a year-long judging process during which they will read the nominated books, evaluate and rate the works, and ultimately determine our next Award winner. Teen judges will receive copies of all the nominated titles as well as meet with the nominated authors in advance of the event. This is a great opportunity to participate in a program that will look wonderful on school applications and resumes! Teens must be between the ages of 12-18 and live in Virginia.

Now Accepting Nominations for the 2024 YAVA Award!


January 1 - February 28, 2023

We are now accepting book and author nominations for the 2024 YAVA Award! If you read a young adult book published in 2022 by a Virginia author, please nominate it! The winning author will be recognized and receive a cash prize at the 2024 YAVA Award Celebration at Richmond Public Library on April 20, 2024.

Book Launch: “The House of Eve” with author Sadeqa Johnson


February 7, 2023
Main Library

Celebrate the release of Richmond-based author Sadeqa Johnson's new book, The House of Eve, with the author at Richmond Public Library! Ms. Johnson will talk about the new work, answer questions and sign copies for attendees. Copies will be available for sale from the Fountain Bookstore. The event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed on the Library's YouTube channel.

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Latest from the Blog

25 Jan
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26 Dec
16 Dec

Cozy Reads for these Long Winter Nights

Lindy Gellings
January 25, 2023
#bookrecommendations
#bookrecs
book recommendations
health and wellness
nonfiction
reading suggestions
adult
crafts-and-hobbies
health-and-wellness
inform-enrich-empower
nonfiction
reading-recommendations
reading-suggestions

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In these darkest and coldest days of the year, when I fear I may never feel the warmth of summer again, I find comfort in the cozy. In the flickering glow of soft candlelight. The gentle embrace of a favorite sweater. The calming warmth in my palms while holding a steaming cup of tea. And, of course, deeply lost in the pages of a favorite story. The Danish have a word for this cozy feeling. Hygge (pronounced "hoo-gah") doesn’t directly translate into English. The word describes a mood of coziness...

RPL Staff's Most Anticipated Reads of 2023

Jennifer Deuell
January 16, 2023
#2023books
#mostanticipated
book recommendations
newyearnewbooks
reading suggestions
readingrecommendations
rplreads
staff picks
adult
diverse-reads
fiction
nonfiction
reading-recommendations
reading-suggestions
teens

With a new year brings lots of excitement surrounding the release of new books. And, no one is more excited for these than our staff here at Richmond Public Library. We polled staff on what books they're most excited to read in 2023 and here are a few of the titles they named. Summer Michau, Broad Rock Branch The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag by Sasha Velour (Release date: April 4, 2023) Sasha Velour won season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has transcended from being a reality competition show to an international...

January Book Chat with the Youth Services Team

Louis Maranski
January 13, 2023
#bookchat
#bookrecs
#childrensbooks
#kidsbooks
#rplrecommends
#youthservices
childrens
families
reading-recommendations

Happy New Year, Readers! Welcome to the next installment in our series of blog posts featuring children's books we're currently loving! "Book Chat with the Youth Services Team" features one book recommendation from each of our Youth Services team members. We cover a variety of books from fiction to non-fiction, picture books to chapter books, graphic novels and more! We hope that this month's reading recommendations get you excited about some awesome new books we've added to our collection as well as some oldies but goodies....

The Ultimate Annual Richmond Public Library Staff Pick List: 2022 Edition

Jennifer Deuell
December 26, 2022
#bookrecs
#rplrecommends
bestof2022
book recommendations
favoritebooks
reading suggestions
readingrecommendations
rplreads
staff picks
book-reviews
fiction
reading-recommendations

Here's to one more year in the books! We hope you've had as great a reading year as we've had. We love recommending great books all year long, but we especially love compiling this list for you. That's because it's full of our absolute favorites from the last year. With any luck, you'll find your next great read somewhere in this post. And, if not, reach out to us. You can call, stop in, or put in a special request via our Bookologist service, and we'll create an on demand, hand-crafted, "bespoke" book suggestion list just for you. Hayley...

December Book Chat with the Youth Services Team

Louis Maranski
December 16, 2022
#bookchat
#bookrecs
#childrensbooks
#kidsbooks
#rplrecommends
#youthservices
childrens
families
reading-recommendations

Happy Holidays, Readers! Welcome to the latest installment in our series of blog posts featuring children's books we're currently loving! "Book Chat with the Youth Services Team" features one book recommendation from each of our Youth Services team members. We cover a variety of books from fiction to non-fiction, picture books to chapter books, graphic novels and more! We hope that this month's reading recommendations get you excited about some awesome new books we've added to our collection as well as some oldies but goodies....