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Arlington Public Library is preparing a year of events marking the nation’s 250th anniversary while confronting an uncertain budget climate and broader concerns about efforts to reshape public narratives.

Director Diane Kresh said one of the library’s first priorities for 2026 is creating its budget. The library receives all of its funding from Arlington County, while the Friends of the Arlington Public Library separately supports public programming costs.

Despite those financial pressures, Kresh said she remains enthusiastic about the work after 20 years and believes the library can navigate difficult circumstances.

The library’s 2026 theme, “Libraries, Liberties and the Pursuit of Happiness,” will examine the anniversary from multiple perspectives, including the community’s identity and future. In an unusual move, the library plans to release a full yearlong schedule built around the single theme.

Arlington Reads will continue as part of the celebration. Kresh established the program when she arrived two decades ago, and it has explored subjects including climate change, the Constitution and immigration.

This year’s Arlington Reads theme will connect cooking, food and culture as ways of understanding people and their experiences. Plans include a pie contest that links food with cultural traditions.

On June 18, every Arlington library will participate in an all-day anniversary event featuring music, food and games. One activity will invite visitors to add memories and reflections to a map of the United States, including what they thought about, did or ate in different parts of the country.

Kresh described 2025 as a year in which challenges and achievements were closely connected. She raised concerns about the new administration seeking to change narratives by identifying content for revision, warning that giving in could exclude people from the historical record. At the same time, she said the pressure gave librarians and other public employees an opportunity to defend their principles and institutional values.

The library held 4,200 programs and 400 outreach events last year, reaching 95,000 patrons. Kresh said those figures matter less to her than the library’s underlying mission: protecting truth, standing by its values and ensuring that everyone feels welcome.

Looking ahead, she also wants Arlington to create more opportunities for meaningful public discussion. Kresh said people often lack enough information to participate constructively and end up talking past one another. She hopes to find a way to change that.