Library

CONTACT INFORMATION: Office: 8:00–4:30 M–F, Branch: hours vary. Please call your branch's direct line with account and eBook questions.
703-324-3100 TTY 711
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324
Fairfax, VA 22035
Christine Jones
Director (Acting)

Library News

Department Resources


Ribbon cutting at Community Services Room at Tysons Corner Center

FCPL Celebrates the Reopening of the Community Services Room at Tysons Corner Center
August 4, 2023
Members of Fairfax County Public Library’s staff joined county officials and community partners Saturday, July 29 to mark the reopening of the Community Services Room located at Tysons Corner Center. The multi-use space is run in partnership between the library, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS), Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Providence District Supervisor Dalia A. Palchik and Edu-Futuro, a local nonprofit organization assisting underserved youth and families. Each partner will utilize the space to offer visitors expanded access to several government- and community-based services they might not have been able to before, all in one location.   “We’ve been moving to more co-located services, so that if you’re a resident, you don’t have to schlep yourself back and forth to find what you need from county services” explained FCPL Director Jessica Hudson. “And this place is an amazing example of that.”  Beginning in September 2023, FCPL’s School-Age and Teen Services Outreach team will utilize the room to provide programming opportunities on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Programs held in the space will cater specifically to teens ages 12-18 and include STEM learning opportunities, arts and crafts, gaming, and more, completely free of charge. The space will also feature a pop-up library to provide access to a curated collection of popular library materials for teens and to accept library returns.  “We’ll be doing amazing onsite programs to draw those youth back into what the county has to offer them,” said Hudson. “Hopefully, we can instill in them a love, not only for county services and the county they live in, but they community members they live in it with.”  The Fairfax County Community Services Room is located on the 2nd floor of Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA) outside of Nordstrom. To learn more about the space and upcoming library programing sessions, visit bit.ly/FCPL_TeenOutreach.  
Library Board of Trustee Chair Brian Engler and Friends Choice Award Recipient
FCPL Honors Friends Group Members with 2023 Friends Choice Awards 
October 24, 2023
The Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees and community members gathered on Wednesday, Oct. 11 to celebrate the library’s Friends groups and recognize members nominated by their peers for their service. This year’s Friends Choice Awards were held at Chantilly Regional Library and featured a program honoring 22 awardees.   Board of Trustees Chair Brian Engler led the program, praising the Friends groups for their contributions to the library over the last year and honoring each recipient for their contributions. Reading a summary of their nominations, he welcomed each honoree, presenting them with a certificate, gift card and pin as a token of the library’s appreciation.  This year’s list of honorees include:  Gaylene Arnista, Friends of Burke Centre Library  Mary Hubbard, Friends of Burke Centre Library  Dennie Knox, Friends of Centreville Regional Library  Dora Martinez, Friends of Centreville Regional Library   Rose Berteotti, Friends of Chantilly Regional Library  Kathy Olcus, Friends of Chantilly Regional Library   Lois Price, Friends of Chantilly Regional Library   Dawn Keene, Friends of City of Fairfax Regional Library  Grover Dunn, Friends of George Mason Regional Library  Karen Dunn, Friends of George Mason Regional Library  Cathy Schagh, Friends of George Mason Regional Library  Judith Chamot, Friends of Kings Park Library  Faith Chang, Friends of Kingstowne Library  Kate Crawford, Friends of Oakton Library  Jonathan Gressel, Friends of Pohick Regional Library  Carol Henning, Friends of Pohick Regional Library  Dan Neckel, Friends of Pohick Regional Library  Joanne Neckel, Friends of Pohick Regional Library  Barbara Zenker, Friends of Richard Byrd Library   Pam Hall, Friends of Thomas Jefferson Library  Kelley Gillespie, Friends of Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library   Mary Vavrina, Friends of Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library  Community members wishing to become part of a Friends groups can find out more information on the library’s website. This page includes a list of the different Friends groups throughout Fairfax County as well as details on membership and how to join.  Click here to view our gallery of photos from this year's Friends Choice Award. 
FCPL To Resume Normal Operating Hours Aug. 28
FCPL To Resume Normal Operating Hours on August 28
August 2, 2023
Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) will resume normal operating hours effective Monday, Aug. 28. With this change, the library will be open longer, offering library visitors more time to check out books, attend programs and utilize the many resources available at each of their 23 branches. Under the updated hours, regional branches will now be open: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday while community branches will be open: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and Closed on Sunday. The Access Services branch, located at the Fairfax County Government Center, will remain open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to the extended branches hours, the library is always available online through its many digital offerings. Cardholders can search the digital collection on Overdrive and its mobile application Libby, stream tv shows, movies and documentaries on Kanopy and access a vast array of research databases. FCPL would like to thank the people of Fairfax County for their patience and understanding as it navigated the effects of the pandemic and staffing difficulties. FCPL is excited to once again be able to offer everyone a greater opportunity to visit its branches and enjoy its array of services.
FCPL Celebrates 20 Million All-Time Digital Loans
FCPL Celebrates 20 Million All-Time Digital Loans
July 10, 2023
FAIRFAX, VA – On Friday, July 7, 2023, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) officially reach 20 million all-time digital checkouts. The 20 millionth checkout came at approximately 11:02 a.m., when a library cardholder borrowed “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner. Just a few seconds later, the library had already secured loan number 20,000,001.   “We are excited to kick off summer with our 20 millionth digital checkout,” said Dianne Coan, FCPL’s Director of Technical Operations, who oversees the development of both the digital and physical collections. “With more people on the go, we are now serving around 60,000 unique digital users each month and our circulation reflects that.”  FCPL has offered a digital catalog to its cardholders for about 18 years and reached its one millionth checkout in 2015. The library utilizes Overdrive and its mobile application Libby to provide 24/7 access to their digital collection, which includes eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines. Readers can now access titles whenever and wherever they want using any major device, making digital materials more popular than ever.   While reader interest in digital materials has been increasing steadily over the years, FCPL has seen exponential growth since 2019, with circulation more than doubling in the three-and-a-half-year period. To meet this demand, FCPL collections staff has been hard at work expanding the digital collection to include more titles, as well as additional licenses for popular titles, with the goal of reducing long wait times. This work has been supported in recent years by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, who recently approved a $300,000 increase to the library’s collection budget, as well as the Friends of Reston Regional Library, who donated $200,000 to the library in June of 2022 to support the development of both the digital and physical collections.  FCPL’s digital collection is available for free to anyone who has a Fairfax County Public Library card. More information about the collection and how to access it can be found here. 
Family enjoys FCPL's Fandomania on Saturday, May 20.
FCPL Hosts Sixth Annual Fandomania 
May 24, 2023
Fans of comic books, graphic novels, superheroes and more gathered together Saturday, May 20 to celebrate during Fairfax County Public Library’s Fandomania at Providence Community Center. This year marked the sixth time FCPL held the event, which brings together community members, small business owners and library and community center staff over a love of all things geeky, and the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the fans were able to gather in person.    “A huge part of the library’s mission is building a community that values and celebrates freedom of expression,” said Marisa Rodriguez, FCPL’s school-age and teen services outreach coordinator. “And Fandomania does just that. We are bringing together a diverse group of people to celebrate a shared interest and allow everyone to express that interest in a like-minded and fun setting.”    The day was full of events designed for people of all ages to enjoy. A vendor hall featuring 18 small businesses allowed visitors to peruse wares including gaming supplies, art and figurines. Superfans showed off their best costumes in a cosplay contest, learned how to paint miniatures for tabletop gaming, tested their fandom food trivia and participated in a superhero training camp.     Award-winning author and illustrator Ben Hatke also joined the event. Hatke, whose works include the Zita the Spacegirl, Mighty Jack and Julia’s House series, discussed his writing process and demonstrated how he uses art to enhance the stories he tells. He followed his presentation with a reading of his book, Nobody Likes a Goblin, a Q&A session and a book signing.   While Fandomania is by far one of the library’s biggest events celebrating geek culture, it isn't the only way library visitors can enjoy all things nerdy. Check out the library’s events calendar for programming dedicated to anime and manga, sci-fi and fantasy series, and gaming opportunities happening throughout the year. Also, be sure to visit the online catalog for a complete list of available titles, including a wide selection of graphic novels, comic books and more.  
2023 Foundation Scholarship Recipients
FCPL and Fairfax Library Foundation Recognize Scholarship Recipients
May 16, 2023
At its meeting Wednesday, May 10, the Fairfax County Board of Trustees honored the 2023 Fairfax Library Foundation Scholarship Recipients. This year’s recipients included 17 undergraduate scholarship recipients and five recipients of scholarship for staff development.   Board of Trustees Chair Brian Engler congratulated each recipient individually and presented each with a plaque. Jennifer Disano of Fairfax Library Foundation Board of Directors and chair of its scholarship committee and Lisa Bryant, executive director of the foundation, were also on hand to congratulate recipients.   Congratulations to FCPL staff members Logan Counard, Erin Guyer, Shelley Levinson, Bethany Korenic and Carolyn Tirona on receiving staff development scholarships!  Congratulations to the students who received scholarships for their undergraduate studies:  Jocelyn Bliton, Virginia Tech   Sophia Brown, Dartmouth   Alice Cao-Dao, Virginia Tech   Katlyn Calustro, Pohick Friends’ Scholarship, George Mason University   Bhargav Garre Venkata   Calla Inman, Virginia Tech   Akale Kinfe, Myra “Micky” Shullman New American Initiative Scholarship    Zayan Meah, Christine Chambers-Chun Undergraduate Scholarship, University of Virginia   Liyanna Mohammed, College of William & Mary   Charan Narra, Pohick Friends’ Joan and Richard Vaaler Scholarship, Virginia Tech   Susan Pirnat, Burke Centre Friends’ Scholarship, Christopher Newport University                  Kaitlyn Purvis, George Mason University   Lor Ridgway, Pohick Friends’ Scholarship, College of William & Mary   Mia Simmons, George Mason University    Niamh Sosa, Columbia University    Danny Tran, University of Maryland, College Park   Lauren Tucker, University of San Diego 
Library Trustee Keith Foxx and John Marshall Branch Manager Ivelisse Figueroa-Gonzalez
John Marshall Library Celebrates 60th Anniversary
April 27, 2023
Residents of the Rose Hill community gathered on Saturday, April 22 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of John Marshall Library. Throughout the day, visitors were treated to presentations on the history of the library and surrounding community as well as a musical performance from Haywood Middle School students, accompanied by refreshments and giveaways commemorating the day.   The establishment of the library was a united community effort, one of the “fruits of what people can do when they put their shoulders to the wheel,” said Carl Sell, president of the Franconia Museum board of directors during a presentation about the early days of Rose Hill.   In the six decades since its founding, the library and its staff have returned the favor, providing resources and services to everyone who has walked through its doors.  “This library is a staple of the community,” said Keith Foxx, who represents the Franconia District in which the John Marshall branch is located on the FCPL Board of Trustees. “Having been here for 60 years, it is such an integral part of Rose Hill and I am happy it means so much to so many people.”   The day’s guests included community members of all ages, many of whom expressed their gratitude for the library. “We enjoy having a library so close to our house and having great programs for our kids to attend,” said Amy Yang, who attended the event with her young daughter. “The library has been around here for a long time, and this is a great event to celebrate that.”  Carol Falkofske, who joined her sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren at the event, applauded the library for growing with the changing times, yet remaining a haven for those still seeking out physical copies of books to read. “I think there was a great human cry that we were going to lose libraries when everything moved toward technology, but as you can see my grandkids are here reading so I am very happy to see there is still a great use for libraries and the written word. Even more so with the introduction of modern technology. It’s been a really good thing.”  In describing the joyous the atmosphere of the celebration, John Marshall Branch Manager Ivelisse Figueroa-Gonzales said that it all comes down to the relationship between the library and its community. “We have a strong bond with our patrons,” she said. “As we celebrate our past today, we also look forward to continuing serving and supporting our vibrant community for many years to come.” 
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