Have you ever imagined what goes into the library's decision to buy a book? Collection Services is the department at Fairfax County Public Library that selects and orders library materials. Selectors watch upcoming book lists, read professional reviews, listen to staff and customer input, and determine what quantities are needed for our branches.

The goal is to maintain a collection with a depth and breadth of titles reflecting our communities’ varied interests. If it’s a controversial topic, purchases are made to provide information on the many sides of an argument. If it’s a genre such as fiction, the focus is following popular authors as well as developing writers while maintaining a core of classics. If you’d like to recommend a title the library does not own, fill out the Suggest-A-Title form at fairfaxcounty.gov/library/suggest-a-title.