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Library-related news and special events for you and your family to enjoy. For a full list of events at your library visit our Library Calendar. Stay connected to your library by following us on social media: Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram.

For media queries, contact Marketing & Communications Director Sara Prohaska at sara.prohaska@fairfaxcounty.gov.

28,000 eAudiobook Titles Ready for Listening

May 15, 2019

According to a consumer survey, 74 percent of audiobook consumers listen in their car. Residents know what traffic can be like around the county and, though the library cannot do much about that, we can certainly help on the audiobook front. RBdigital Unlimited On May 1, Fairfax County Public Library introduced RBdigital Unlimited—its new instant access eAudiobook collection. This acquisition includes more than 28,000 always available, no waiting eAudiobooks for readers of all ages. You can find the new titles mixed in with all the other material available from RBdigital. Last year, Fairfax County readers checked out more than 1.7 million eBooks/eAudiobooks from the library. Readers also placed over 790,000 holds for digital copies. The library recognized waiting for eAudiobooks was a growing pain point and continued to look for ways to add to the collection while staying within the system’s budget for materials. Enter RBdigital Unlimited. This new offering provides instant access to eAudiobooks—no holds, no waiting. This acquisition is made up entirely of eAudiobooks from five publishers (Recorded Books, Tantor Media, Christian Audio, Gildan Media, and HighBridge Audio) and are twelve months old or more. So, while waiting on hold for a library eAudiobook released last week, you can find something of interest available right now. Sample titles from the new collection include: An American Marriage (Tayari Jones), The Overstory (Richard Powers, 2019 Pulitzer), Outlander (Diana Gabaldon), Night (Elie Wiesel), Prey / Lucas Davenport series (John Sandford), Alex Rider series (Anthony Horowitz), As well as many titles by authors like Garrison Keillor, Harry Turtledove, Walter Dean Meyers, Mercedes Lackey, Meg Cabot, Avi, Beverly Jenkins, Joanne Fluke, and so many others. The library works with multiple vendors for books and audiobooks, both print and digital. Many Fairfax County Public Library card holders are already familiar with OverDrive, and RBdigital is another digital vendor. Content in the RBdigital app comes from both the Library of Virginia and selections by Fairfax County library staff. It includes eMagazines, digital Great Courses, eBooks, eAudiobooks, and now also the instant access eAudiobooks. See all 28,000 newly added eAudiobooks on the RBdigital app, and start enjoying wait-free reading today! Loading...

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Fairfax County Public Library Acquires Read-Along Books to Encourage Early Literacy

April 1, 2019

More Than 1,000 Books Available for Check-Out In March, Fairfax County Public Library introduced a collection of more than 1,000 all-in-one read-along books aimed at developing reading skills in children. The books are available at all 23 branches of the library in Fairfax County, which will be the first system in Virginia to have the all-in-one read-alongs. “Read-along books bring the words on the page to life for children,” says Tina Mraz, early literacy outreach manager for Fairfax County Public Library. “They give children the opportunity to observe the narrative structure of stories, understand language and learn new and rich vocabulary. It also gives them the opportunity to hear their favorite books multiple times, fostering a love of reading.” Called VOX™ Books, the read-along books are part audio book and part print book. Each book has a permanently attached reader with simple controls that plays an audio recording of the corresponding book with the push of a button. There’s no need for computers, tablets or CDs. The all-in-one read-along books are ready to be distributed to branches around the county. The library has purchased 1,158 of the read-along books, including 64 different titles—22 of which are nonfiction and five of which are in Spanish. Each branch of the library will initially have 50 to 60 copies of these readers available to customers. The collection includes popular children’s picture book titles like Goodnight Moon, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. There are also Spanish language versions of five titles, including Nancy La Elegante (Fancy Nancy) and Si Llevas un Ratón a la Escuela (If You Take a Mouse to School). Early reader nonfiction books are also available on subjects like airplanes, diggers, frogs, butterflies, chocolate and crayons. View all VOX™ Books in the library’s online catalog. The library offers additional digital read-along resources through its subscriptions to two online databases. Early World of Learning offers read-along stories in English and Spanish. Overdrive also offers more than 100 read-along titles as eBooks. Additional Resources on Early Literacy from Fairfax County Public Library: Early literacy resources, including Ready to Read Newsletter, What’s New in Children’s Picture Books, and Run with Reading publications. Online databases for young children. 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, designed to prepare children for success in school. Library events for young children.

Library Awarded Two National Awards

March 26, 2019

Fairfax County Public Library and its award-winning staff were recently recognized for their work in library services. Allie Beth Martin Award Sondra Eklund, youth services manager at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, has been awarded the Allie Beth Martin Award. This award recognizes a public librarian for demonstrating a range and depth of knowledge about books and other library materials, as well as the distinguished ability to share that knowledge. Eklund maintains a book review blog and has personally reviewed more than 3,000 titles. She recently completed her work as part of the 2019 Newbery Award Selection Committee. The Newbery committee selects the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” each year. She also started a Newbery Book Club for young readers at her library. (This club will start up again October.) The 2018 Newbery Medal went to Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. Gordon M. Conable Award Fairfax County Public Library was awarded the Gordon M. Conable Award, which honors a public library staff member, a library trustee or a public library that has “demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights.” The award includes $1,500. Fairfax County Public Library partnered with the George Mason University School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution to develop and present a series of public workshops around media literacy and civil communication, aimed at decreasing political polarization. The popular workshops, called “News, Blues and How to Defuse,” launched in 2017 and continue to teach media literacy skills and respectful dialogue techniques to encourage civil discussions of hot-button issues. The library would like to recognize the committee for all its work on these community workshops: FCPL JJ Dickinson Sarah Souther Rebecca Wolff Lorri Culhane (former employee) Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution Julie Shedd Samantha Borders Read the full news release online

Grow with Google Comes to Herndon Fortnightly Library

February 13, 2019

Earlier this month, Google and the American Library Association (ALA) announced that Herndon Fortnightly Library would be one of three sites in Virginia to host free workshops aimed at creating economic opportunities through improving digital skills. These workshops will take place March 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the branch located at 768 Center Street in the Town of Herndon. “We’re proud to be part of this workforce development initiative between Google and the American Library Association,” said Fairfax County Public Library Director Jessica Hudson. “It’s a valuable opportunity for job seekers, small business owners and community members to enhance their digital literacy skills with a day of hands-on workshops at our Herndon Fortnightly branch.” The initiative, called Grow with Google, recognizes the critical role that libraries play in supporting workforce development. They are kicking off the effort with free, one-day events hosted at libraries, where Grow with Google staff will lead workshops for job seekers and small business owners, as well as library staff members. “Virginia is a center for innovation, entrepreneurship and manufacturing. By bringing the ‘Grow with Google’ tour to the state, we are making a commitment to help develop a skilled workforce that can meet the needs of Virginia’s growing economy,” said Erica Swanson, Google’s Head of Community Engagement. There will be four different in-person workshops held: Digital Skills for Your Community: Learn about free tools and resources that you can use to assist job seekers in conducting an online job search and learning new digital skills, and help small businesses learn how to reach customers online. This workshop includes curriculum that you can tailor for your own community needs. Note: This session is for library, education and nonprofit professionals only. Reach Customers Online with Google: Anyone who wants to learn new marketing skills or reach potential customers online will learn about search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, and social media marketing. The result? A strategy that can get your organization, business or event in from of your target audience. Get Found on Google Search and Maps: Explore Google My Business, a free tool for local businesses who want to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps. Get hands-on help creating or updating your listing, and learn how to make a free website. Get Started with Email, Spreadsheets and Presentations: Do your best work from wherever you are. In this interactive workshop for beginners, anyone interested in learning more about Gmail, spreadsheets, and presentations will gain first-hand experience using these products and learn helpful tips on how to collaborate and stay organized. You must register in advance at g.co/GrowVirginia. Space will be limited.

Fairfax Library Foundation Announces New Executive Director

February 13, 2019

Library Director Jessica Hudson welcomes Lisa Bryant as Executive Director of the Fairfax Library Foundation, now in its 25th year of providing critical supplemental funding to the library. “The Fairfax Library Foundation is an extraordinary partner of the library. We welcome Lisa Bryant and look forward to working with her to continue our work providing modern library services to the residents of Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax,” said Hudson. Bryant starts her new position February 19. Read the full release online.

Four Ways to Celebrate Presidents Day with the Library

February 7, 2019

Did you know that John Tyler had 15 kids? Or that Warren Harding wore a size 14 shoe? Whether or not you’re a presidential history buff, the library has many resources for Presidents Day. The library will be closed on Monday, February 18, in honor of George Washington Day (which is what the Commonwealth of Virginia officially calls Presidents Day—Washington was born in Virginia, after all). But there are still ways you can celebrate the day with the library. 1. Read Up on Presidential History There’s no shortage of historical nonfiction about American presidents. The library has more than 2,800 books about American presidents in its catalog. Need to narrow it down? Here’s a suggested biography of every single U.S. president. From Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow to Lincoln by David Herbert Donald, many award-winning titles are represented. There are also several presidential biographies available as eBooks, from Calvin Coolidge to Ronald Reagan. Using your library card, you can check these eBooks out online at any time through the library’s digital collections on OverDrive. Prefer your presidents in fictional form? There’s also the themed book list of Fictitious Presidents and Events. You’ll find plenty of Tom Clancy presidential thrillers but also the Man Booker prize-winning novel, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. 2. Conduct Presidential Research of Your Own If all of the presidential books above have you inspired to launch your own research effort, the library offers access to online databases for all library card holders. Biography in Context offers resources for every American president, including websites, academic journal articles, news stories, videos, images, primary source documents and more. You can search several different online newspapers to read news accounts about presidential events and news. The Washington Post archives go back to 1987 and The New York Times dates back to 1980. An historical archive exists for both papers, with Post coverage back to 1877 and Times coverage dating back to 1851. 3. Attend an Event About Presidents from Virginia Don’t miss a chance to hear from a historian, archaeologist and author in person. Richard Byrd Library will be hosting Patrick O’Neill on Monday, February 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. He will be talking about the birthplaces and homes of the eight Virginia-born presidents at Virginia’s Presidential Homes. 4. Help the Kids with Their Presidents Day Homework Of course there are many Presidents Day resources available for kids, too. Many titles are available in the branches to teach children about the history behind the holiday and even more are available on George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Plus, kids can read more about their favorite presidents online through the library’s subscription to Scholastic Go! There, children can see articles, images and videos on American presidents. The Gale Virtual Reference Library also offers resources on American presidents.

Let the Library Help You Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions

January 10, 2019

The new year motivates many of us to make positive changes, but sometimes our enthusiasm begins to flag before Groundhog Day arrives. The Library can help you stay on track and achieve your goals. Start with the books (unless you aren’t a reader, then skip this part!): First of all, and this is the worst kept secret ever, but we have the best books! Maybe you are a reader and have read the latest John Grisham, but have you also browsed our nonfiction aisles? No matter what your 2019 goals include, library staff can connect you with the best books to help you achieve them. Do you want to get started on your memoir this year, get rid of your debt, buy a home or perhaps something less traditional like learn to make soap, or build a deck or train your misbehaving dog? We have just the book to keep you on track, and if we don’t, you can use interlibrary loan to find a library that does. Not a reader? How about videos or recorded books? If learning from a book isn’t the best method for you, let us introduce you to our DVDs and audio books. An often-overlooked resource at the library are the Great Courses audios and DVDs, in which experts in a field teach everything from art and music to history and literature. Lynda.com provides online training for everything from computer programming to photography to banjo playing. It’s a great way to learn (or improve) job skills. Speaking of Lynda.com … that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Lynda.com is just one of the library’s databaseswe have more than 100 databases for students, professionals, retirees and everyone in between. Find articles, data and more in biography, current events, health and wellness, finance and other topics. You can even learn a new language. Is this the year you are going to find a new, better or just plain different job? Or pass a test for certification? We have in-depth resources to help you every step of the way from refreshing your resume and interview skills to practicing for exams. The top two databases for job hunters are LearningExpress Library and Career Transitions. Stop by any library branch to get specific support for your dream career. Don’t forget the books about job hunting and career exploration! Last but not least: Library Events If you prefer to learn in person, or maybe your goal is to meet new people, then attend a library event. Browse the library’s calendar of events online or in print (hard copy available in branches) for programs of interest to you. There are opportunities each month to get better acquainted with technology, talk to others about books, discover a new a hobby, watch a movie, learn to play cards and more for all ages. Library staff are standing by to help you maintain your 2019 resolutions. It’s too early to give up!

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