For tax preparation info, please call 919-695-7548. More info >
Behind-the-scenes software update - you can now log in to the online catalog, view your account, and place holds. Phone renewals are not available yet - for now, you can renew online or by contacting us.

Major programs

Join us for our major programs. Some of them are ongoing and some are annual events! The program details can change from year to year, but there’s always fun to be had.

Library Fest

Library Fest is a community celebration and showcase of the many diverse ways the library can be a part of your life. The week includes a community reading program, with selected reads for every age and the chance to directly engage with authors and illustrators. But there’s more to it than just books. Join us for programs highlighting our STEAM and business offerings, humanities programming, local history collection, and much more.

Enjoy the Durham County Library Community Cookbook Zine, a project of Library Fest: The Food Edition.

Innovation League

Innovation League provides a targeted cohort for the expression and cultivation of skills of underserved youth related to a variety of themes and many aspects of life. Join us to experience the benefits of a welcoming environment, collaboration with community, exploration of ideas, and integration of physical and digital resources to learn, be, and create whatever you put your mind to.

Durham Comics Fest

An annual, all-ages celebration of comics and graphic novels, with an emphasis on supporting a community of comics readers and creators. Our main event each year is a multi-day festival with talks, workshops, swaps, and more. Past guests include Keith Knight (K Chronicles and Hulu’s Woke), Jen Wang (The Prince and the Dressmaker), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Nate Powell (March), and many more awesome folks. Throughout the year, we also offer meetups and resources for comic readers, creators, and librarians.

Teen Book Fest

Join us each year for author talks and writing workshops with awesome YA authors. Teen Book Fest also includes books for sale, book signings, and time to chat with the authors. There is usually pizza. 🙂 For teens, tweens, and YA readers of all ages.

Día

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), known as Día for short, is a national celebration of reading and families. Every year, we celebrate Día with free books and fun activities for kids on April 30th or on the Saturday closest to April 30th. For past Día events, library staff have worked together with community volunteers and partner organization Book Harvest to provide thousands of books to hundreds of Durham kids and teens. We have also collaborated with other community partners such as the Multilingual Resource Office of Durham Public Schools, NC Science Festival, PhD students from UNC, and more. Check our library events calendar every April to find out more about our next Día celebration!

NaNoWriMo

November is officially National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the goal of which is to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. But NaNoWriMo has come to be much more than this encapsulated struggle, and we support our Wrimos with events throughout the year. Join us for preparation workshops in October, write-ins throughout November, and monthly workshops on various writing and publishing topics from February – August. Other special events include field days, parties to celebrate the beginning and end of each year’s NaNoWriMo, an annual visit from the Piedmont Laureate, and a Local Author Showcase in September to give Wrimos the opportunity to share the books they’ve written with the community. We all have to begin somewhere, so if you’ve ever felt like you had a story you want to tell, come join us and see what NaNoWriMo can do for you!