Virginia: Arlington County Public Library Begins Lending American Girl Dolls
From The Washington Post:
Saving for an American Girl doll might take months or even a year. But now there’s a way for local kids to bring one home without paying the $110 price tag. Beginning this month, anyone with an Arlington County library card can sign up to borrow one of eight dolls for a week.
“They’re really expensive,” said Julia Karell, branch manager at the Cherrydale Library. “I hear kids talking about the dolls, and the parents say, ‘No way.’ ”
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The Friends of the Arlington Public Library bought eight dolls: Josefina (whose character is from 1824), Marie-Grace and Cecile (1853), Addy (1864), Rebecca (1914), Molly (1944), and Julie and Ivy (1974). Librarians then created a kit that would accompany each doll: an American Girl book, a card with Arlington history related to the time period and a borrowers’ journal.
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News of the lending program has prompted some library patrons to check out the books, which the library has had in its collection for years.
“Our whole goal is to get people into the library,” Karell said. “This is a way to connect kids with books and with history.”
Read the Complete Article, Learn About Future Plans
Read the NY Times Article About a Branch of the NYPL That Lends American Girl Dolls (via NY Times; January 22, 2013)
This article is referenced in the Washington Post report.
See Also: Arlington County, VA Library American Girl Doll Info Page
See Also: American Girl Doll Lending Program FAQ
Filed under: Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, School Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.