Libraries provide a safe space and “third place” for community members to engage in meaningful programs, access vital information, and connect with their neighbors. Each day, we see the real impact that the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has across the county. The Library Check-In is a seasonal newsletter that tells the stories of that impact.
On this page, you will read about news, events, and happenings from across the library system over the last several months. These feature stories highlight the ways in which PGCMLS serves the entirety of Prince George’s County. Click here to read stories tailored to individual communities and neighborhoods served by PGCMLS’ 19 branch libraries.
To stay up to date on all things PGCMLS, be sure to follow us on social media (@PGCMLS) by clicking the icons at the bottom of this newsletter.
Thank you for being a part of our Library story — dive in and enjoy!
This February, PGCMLS was proud to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Black History Month by hosting more than 70 engaging library programs throughout the month that celebrated Black culture, heritage, and history in Prince George’s County and beyond. The Library is pleased to report that program attendance was up in 2026 compared to each of the last two years, with a total of 588 program attendees at this year’s programs.
Front Row (L-R): Krystina Tucker, Diane Teichert, Mark Docken, Pat Neal, Crystal Carpenter, Congressman Glenn Ivey (District 4)
Back Row (L-R): Sarahita Wyatt-Paige (Democratic Central Committee), Maya Davis, County Council Member (At-Large) Jolene Ivey, JP Williams, Karen Scrivo, Diane Thompkins, Pat McCartney, Katie Pugliese, Sharon Kniss (partially obscured), Melanie Townsend Diggs (South Area Director, PGCMLS) , Bill Gilcher (partially obscured)
Unless specified otherwise, the person is a member of PGCLMP.
Among the highlights of PGCMLS’ Black History Month programming this year were two lectures and performances from local trumpeter Muneer Nasser in celebration of the 100th birthdays of Miles Davis and John Coltrane; “Craft and Create” programs inspired by artists like Alma Thomas, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Laolu Senbanjo; a presentation on the art and science of caring for curly hair with B'WARE Cosmetology; a series of jump-rope performances by the Greenbelt SITY Stars honoring the spirit and endurance of Black history through rhythm and motion; and, both at the Oxon Hill Branch Library, a one-day exhibit featuring a community member’s personal collection of vintage Black magazines, and a presentation from the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project (PGCLMP) about the untold story of John Henry Scott and the history of racial terror lynching in Prince George’s County.
Throughout the month, PGCMLS customers traveled from across the county to take advantage of the access to learning, connection, and cultural programming provided for free by their local library system. “I am so pleased to be able to bring my little ones to the library for programs like this!” shared one parent at the South Bowie Branch Library’s Davis and Coltrane jazz event. A local grandmother there with her three teenage grandkids also shared how valuable it was for them to have access to such cultural programs, after having retired from her career as a historian at George Mason University’s Paul Robeson Room.
At the “Pages of History: A Vintage Black Magazine Exhibit” program at the Oxon Hill Branch Library, community members were just as gratified. A one-day exhibition featuring the personal collection of Prince George’s County resident Gayle Taylor, who started collecting magazines when she was a teenager in 1973, this program literally stopped customers in their tracks as they caught sight of photos and cover designs that brought them back to memories of their youth.
“This is incredible!” exclaimed one customer, Wanda Davis, who had come by the branch to pick up her holds and got sidetracked by the exhibit on her way inside. “Oh I am so impressed — this shows all the facets of Black history!”
You are also invited to visit the PGCMLS Black Heritage Hub, a cultural resource for upcoming library events, research databases, book recommendations, and much more that is available 24/7 at pgcmls.info/black-heritage.
If you’ve been out at branches or community events over the last several months, you might have seen one of the Library’s newest initiatives, the Library2Go: Career Connector*! This roaming career and job readiness community resource is staffed by a bilingual team of experts who deliver both traditional Library services, and tailored career counseling directly to the community.
To celebrate and spread the word about the Library2Go: Career Connector, its team members and other PGCMLS staff gathered at the Largo-Kettering Branch Library in mid-February to film a local media marketing campaign with a crew from NBCUniversal. The final ad spot can be viewed on Vimeo here.
But the Library2Go: Career Connector is even more fun to find out in the wider world! There, it is already inspiring poetry like this limerick posted in response to Community Forklift’s announcement of the vehicle’s appearance at their annual “Garden Supply Pop-Up Shop”:
This Friday will not be a spoofer!
In fact, it could be a nice twofer.
Besides tools for garden care,
A library will be there.
Will you research being a roofer?
– by Community Forklift's own "Limerick Laureate," Earl Shoop
If you missed the Library2Go: Career Connector at Community Forklift, the vehicle will be on the move throughout the year! Visit pgcmls.info/library2go for more information and to view a calendar of the team’s upcoming events.
*The total cost of the Library2Go: Career Connector program is $2,200,000. $2,200,000 (100%) is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor – Employment and Training Administration grant.
In early March, Library staff joined Council Chair Oriadha in a ribbon-cutting event for her “Play and Learn” program series.
This spring, the Library has been proud to work on two early childhood resource initiatives with Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
In early March, Library staff joined Council Chair Oriadha in a ribbon-cutting event for her “Play and Learn” program series. Geared towards families of children ages 1-4 with self-identified speech delays and led by local childcare organization Unleashed Joy, LLC, the program is designed to help with expanding speech by promoting learning through interactive play. Photos from the event can be found at the PGCMLS Flickr page and upcoming program dates can be found on the Library’s events calendar.
In April, as part of the new “Early Connections” campaign led by County Executive Braveboy and County Council Chair Oriadha, PGCMLS co-hosted three resource fairs aimed at increasing local families’ access to autism resources.
Held at the South Bowie, Spauldings, and Hyattsville branch libraries, these fairs were designed to serve families with children up to age 5. Speaking at the County’s April 1 press conference launching the initiative, PGCMLS CEO Dr. Mark Winston shared his enthusiasm for how these fairs will supplement services and resources already available through PGCMLS for neurodivergent Prince Georgians of all ages. These Library services include programs like:
Video of Dr. Winston’s press conference remarks can be viewed on YouTube. More information about the “Early Connections” initiative, including a video featuring the first resource fair hosted at the South Bowie Branch Library, can be found on the Prince George’s County Council website.
The Library is excited to welcome to the team Amy Gardner, the new Executive Director of Advancement. In this role, Amy will be responsible for fundraising, donor engagement and relations, as well as management of the PGCMLS Development and Communications Departments.
Additionally, Amy will serve as the Executive Director of the PGCMLS Foundation, which provides critical philanthropic support to the Library system.
“As a nonprofit leader and lifelong learner who believes deeply in the power of access and community, I’m delighted to step into this role with the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System.” Amy says. “It's a privilege to partner with staff, board members, and supporters to champion the Library’s mission and help write its next chapter of impact.”
Already, Amy has already facilitated two successful philanthropic initiatives. First, she led a fundraiser with Libro.fm for “Library Lovers Month,” where a $15 donation earned donors a free audiobook — an effort that raised $2,118.55. Most recently, she managed the 2026 Library Giving Day campaign, which brought in $25,344.59 in unrestricted giving — far ahead of the Foundation’s campaign goal of $20,000!
The funds raised by the PGCMLS Foundation help the Library expand the ways it serves the community. From Summer Prince George’s T-shirts to makerspace equipment to a substantial order of fun new STEM kits, gifts made to the Library through campaigns like Library Giving Day make your library stronger.
To contribute to the PGCMLS Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support the work of the Library, you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.
In this section of the Library Check-In, we shine a light into the Library’s wider community. These profiles spotlight people whose work inspires and supports the PGCMLS mission.
This time, we are highlighting Patrick Washington, poet and founder of Dialect of Prince George’s County, a local poetry and civic engagement organization for young people that collaborates regularly with PGCMLS.
“A poem is always happening to you, no matter what, no matter what you’re doing,”
Patrick Washington likes to tell the young poets who participate with Dialect.
When Patrick Washington was ready to retire from his 30-year career as a Prince George’s County 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher, he knew that he wanted to step into the teaching realm. He had spent twenty odd years touring the DMV region as a teaching artist — essentially a “hired pen” who would go into various schools and organizations to help elevate young folks in finding their voice — and he was ready to make that work more central to his daily creative practice.
Inspired by the performance of a youth poet at New York Mayor Bill DiBlasio’s 2014 inauguration, Washington ended up launching Dialect of Prince George’s in 2015 — and alongside it, the Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) program, which he describes as the “leadership wing” of the project. Through the YPL program, Washington works with local teens to help them find their voice and get involved in their community.
“Dialect is my baby,” says Washington. “Almost every state created a Youth Poet Laureate program around the same time, but the difference here is that we are a county. I saw there was so much talent here, I knew we could get the same amount of energy [in Prince George’s County] as well.”
All of the students who go through Dialect share similar goals: to learn to take accountability in their artwork, to create a network amongst their peers, to heal through their poetry, to reflect on experiences that happened to them, and to find different ways to express themselves. Basically — to learn to be more comfortable with themselves and make their voices stronger.
“I wanted to make it comprehensive enough that we would find someone who can deal with adults and speak truth to power — someone who knows how to express themselves,” Washington says. “As talented as these young people are, they are really civic minded. They care about what’s happening in the world, they come with ideas, their poetry speaks to everybody. They want to represent their generation in a positive light.”
As a distinct initiative within Dialect, the Youth Poet Laureate program is structured to function more like a traditional “job.” To win the title of YPL, each young poet must complete three scored application phases, the last of which is a slam poetry performance at the annual YPL naming ceremony. (This year's event was held at the Oxon Hill Branch Library on April 22.) Once appointed, the YPL then has a year of service touring around the county — including, over the past three years, to branches throughout the library system, in a series of “Fresh Voices” open mic nights for teens and young adults.
“The goal is for the Youth Poet Laureate to spend a year spreading the good word of poetry, having them perform at ribbon cuttings, town hall events, and organizations such as the Library,” Washington says. “That’s one thing I’m really proud of; [PGCMLS] has been really great about setting our YPL up with a performance tour where they get to engage with the public, perform, and host writing workshops. You just make them feel valuable. So often, young people are told to be seen and not heard; this is a chance for them to stand up and speak for themselves.”
For his own part, Washington describes himself as a lifelong library lover.
“I’m a PG County boy, and have been in and out of the libraries my entire adult life — I have my library card right here!” he says. “I love working with all the wonderful people at [PGCMLS], obviously because these are people who are great servants to the county, but also because they are people who really care, and who really love the written word. They love the spoken word! And they love the creative spirit that comes out of these kids.”
Washington is particularly proud of the opportunity that the 2021 Youth Poet Laureate, Sainey Ceesay, was given to perform an ode to libraries at the grand opening of the new Hyattsville Branch Library in 2022.
“Every time I hear that poem, I realize that is what the Youth Poet Laureate program is all about — that idea of spreading literacy, making a personal connection that really resonates with everyone, and making it part of a well written, well performed piece, that will live for a long time,” Washington says. “Moments like that really make me so proud of the connection we’ve built with the Library. I love the idea of creating something that is going to continue on even after I stop. This is something I hope will sustain and be sustainable, no matter who takes the helm.”
As part of their Black History Month observance, Employ Prince George’s honored PGCMLS CEO Mark Winston as a notable leader in the Prince George’s County community.
From Employ Prince George’s:
“Today, we honor Dr. Mark Winston, Chief Executive Officer of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, whose appointment marked a historic milestone as the system’s first African American CEO in its 78-year history. His leadership advances equity, access, and opportunity across the county.
Employ Prince George’s is proud to partner with PGCMLS to connect residents with vital resources and pathways to success.”
The Maryland Library Association (MLA) has awarded three PGCMLS initiatives with statewide recognitions of excellence:
An evolution of a project originally started by Spanish-speaking PGCMLS staff during the pandemic, Biblio Consulta enhances PGCMLS’ ability to provide the Prince George’s County community with friendly service, relevant information, and equitable access to core Library resources. The 2026 MLA Libraries Change Communities Award recognizes a “successful collaborative effort to promote innovative library-based initiatives involving the community.”
Running weekly through July and August of 2025 and presented by Upper Marlboro-based Olympic artist Jesse Raudales, the “Therapy Through Art” program was crafted to provide professional training to artistic emerging adults (aged 16-22), and to foster a welcoming space where participants could feel safe expressing their emotions. The 2026 MLA Project of the Year Award “honors a team project exemplifying the highest level of achievement and professional standards.”
A targeted communication initiative that publishes every few months, “The Library Check-In” allows PGCMLS to share news, event highlights, and happenings from across the Library system with customers, staff, elected Prince George’s officials, and other community stakeholders. The 2026 MLA Excellence in Marketing Award recognizes “outstanding achievement in library marketing, innovation, and community engagement.”
Two exciting arrivals showed up in branch libraries across the county in later winter: print copies of the PGCMLS 2025 Annual Report, and posters bearing the message “Libraries are for Everyone,” both of which celebrate the broad reach of PGCMLS in the Prince George’s County community.
Read more about PGCMLS’ recent accomplishments in the 2025 Annual Report here.
With Reference Solutions, small business owners in Prince George’s County have free access to the information they need to be both responsive to their community’s needs, and competitive in their respective industries. It is an excellent way for business owners to conduct market research, target new customers, locate suppliers, and analyze competitors, using data that is reviewed and updated every 6 months.
The funds raised by the PGCMLS Foundation help the Library expand the ways it serves the community. From Summer Prince George’s T-shirts to makerspace equipment to a substantial order of fun new STEM kits, gifts made through the PGCMLS Foundation make your Library stronger!
As one of PGCMLS’ smallest locations, the Mount Rainier Branch Library puts a special focus on building relationships and creating programs with organizations directly in the community. In April, this included hosting a seed- and garden-themed storytime and craft program as part of the Mount Rainier Nature Center’s annual Seed Swap Festival.
“As a small neighborhood library, building partnerships with organizations like the Mount Rainier Nature Center is a great way to increase our reach and take our library services outside of the building,” says Mount Rainier Branch Librarian Caitlin Clark, who has been representing the Library at the Seed Swap Festival for a number of years. “Every year, I meet new people and new families there that I can tell about our programs and encourage to come into PGCMLS branches to get connected to the library.”
Photo by: M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George's County
Caitlin saw a full house for the storytime part of this year’s program, where she read “Are You a Cheeseburger?” by Monica Arnaldo, “Here are the Seeds” by JaNay Brown Wood, and “Up Down & Around” by Katherine Ayres. A number of families stayed after for the papercraft, while others moved outside to engage with local environmental organizations and take advantage of the native seed and plant seedling giveaway. As Caitlin reports, more than 2,000 baby plants found new homes!
“The Mount Rainier Nature Center is such a wonderful community partner for us,” Caitlins says. “They welcome our library programs whenever we need a space that is larger than our building will allow, and invite us to participate in programs and festivities year round to bring [PGCMLS] out into the community.”
In addition to the version that goes out to all PGCMLS cardholders (linked in PDF form above), the Library Check-In is further tailored to reflect "local look-back" stories within the specific geographies of the nine County Council and eight Maryland General Assembly Districts that cover Prince George's County. PDF versions of those targeted newsletters can be found below.
