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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.

Delegate Mark Sickles Honors Library Volunteers

April 12, 2018

Twenty-One of Your Neighbors Were Honored This Month At Fairfax County Public Library In addition to being celebrated for the number of hours given to the library, five volunteers were recognized for providing volunteer service that was deemed exceptional by library staff. The impact of volunteers on daily library services cannot be over emphasized. In calendar year 2017, 1,581 volunteers dedicated over 115,000 hours to the library. These treasured volunteers were publically recognized and applauded at the recent library board of trustees meeting by staff, trustees and Delegate Mark Sickles, who served as MC at the event. Sickles said, “Volunteers play a significant role in the library’s ability to provide the highest customer service to county residents.” Sharing a quote that he said “truly recognizes the spirit of volunteerism,” Sickles said: “‘Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.’” “‘Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.’” The following volunteers are helping build the community we all want to live in, with a strong and well-loved library that supports all residents. 2018 Volunteer Star Awardees: Exceptional Service Honorees Margaret Culyba, Burke Centre Library Jennifer Brooks, Herndon Fortnightly Library Jaimi Turgeon, Herndon Fortnightly Library Pauline Reid, Oakton Library Georgia Chirieleison, Patrick Henry Length of Service Volunteers 5,000 Hours Su Davis, Reston Regional Library 3,000 Hours Sandra Griffith, City of Fairfax Regional Library Juanita Broome, Kings Park Library 1,000 Hours John Florio, Burke Centre Library Caroline Wilkinson, Burke Centre Library Ronak Mohammed, Centreville Regional Library Diane Redmond, Centreville Regional Library Emmi Rose Ayo, Chantilly Regional Library Maggie Belsan, City of Fairfax Regional Library Anita Lopez, Kings Park Library Betty Mackenzie, Kings Park Library Yolanda Gaines, Kingstowne Library Dianne McCune, Kingstowne Library Susan Luvison, Oakton Library Leanna Bell, Patrick Henry Library Ro Hofford, Patrick Henry Library

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Library Week in Fairfax County, April 8-14

March 28, 2018

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized April 8-14 as Library Week in Fairfax County with a special proclamation during its March 20 meeting. Among other notable services, the proclamation lauded the public library for “supporting public safety, family services, mental and physical health, business development, information dissemination and child development and education.” In thanking the Board of Supervisors, Miriam Smolen, Vice Chairman of the Library Board of Trustees, also recognized the “high-quality staff of the library’s 23 branches, and the 1,581 volunteers who donated 115,486 hours to the library last year.” She also applauded the financial contributions from the different Friends’ of the library groups and from the Fairfax Library Foundation for helping to enhance the library’s services. The library is pleased to join libraries nationwide in celebrating the many ways libraries lead their communities through the transformative services, programs and expertise they offer. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. This year’s theme is “Libraries Lead.” It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.

Three New Appointees Named to Library Board of Trustees

February 22, 2018

Jane Miscavage of Vienna, Stella Pekarsky of Centreville and Philip Rosenthal of Fairfax Station have been appointed to the Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees. Miscavage is an at large delegate, while Pekarsky represents the Sully District and Rosenthal represents the Springfield District. Miscavage is an award-winning public affairs strategist who will serve on the library’s public relations committee. Currently she serves as vice president of outreach for the Fairfax County Council of PTAs supporting 175 local PTAs. She is a bookseller at Bards Alley Bookstore, an independent community bookstore in Vienna that she helped launch in 2017. Among her career accomplishments, she has: overseen grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of Fairfax County Public Schools, including the successful campaign that led to the first fully-funded schools budget (FY 2017) in 10 years; managed communications campaigns for non-profit, political, corporate and social service clients; been a substitute teacher; and served as President of the Thoreau Middle School PTA where she oversaw fundraising for a major school renovation. Miscavage has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. Pekarsky is a child advocate with extensive leadership experience, including managing programs, budgets and volunteers, and teaching and coordinating youth services for diverse populations. Currently she is co-owner of Skyway Air Taxi of Manassas where she manages strategic planning, marketing and customer relations. She serves as Secretary for the Fairfax Council of PTAs and is a member of the education committee of the Fairfax Chapter of the NAACP. Earlier, she served as president of the Greenbriar West Parent Teacher Association where she helped develop after school programs and coordinated all events; served as president of her Homeowners Association in Centreville; and advocated for students’ interests as an ESOL Teacher in Fairfax. She will serve on the library’s ad hoc policy committee. Pekarsky has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Mason University. Rosenthal is president of Nationwide Credit Corporation in Alexandria where he directs all management, personnel and overall operations. As part of that role, he oversaw the merging of National Capitol Adjustment Corp. with Nationwide Credit Corporation in 2000. He has advanced throughout the ranks of the American Collectors Association International, having held each executive officer position, culminating in serving as president in 1999-2000. He was twice awarded the Paul Bunyan Award, ACA’s highest honor. Currently he serves on ACA’s board of directors. He is a current member and past chairman of the Fairfax County Community Action Advisory Board and a member of the National Federation of Independent Business, among other business and civic organizations. Rosenthal will serve on the library’s finance committee. He has a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University.

Library Board of Trustees Approves Updated Memorandum of Understanding with Library Friends Groups

January 17, 2018

The Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees approved a revised Memorandum of Understanding between individual library Friends, the Library Board and the Fairfax County Public Library at its January 10, 2018, meeting, concluding more than nine months of work on the document. The library is fortunate to have more than 20 active Friends groups that support the library in numerous ways including donating funds raised through the sale of used books mainly provided by the library, sponsoring events such as the Summer Reading Adventure, and many other worthwhile projects. Miriam Smolen, Chair of the ad hoc MOU Committee of the Library Board shared that “The Friends members are passionate volunteers who provide invaluable services to the Library.” The new MOU, which replaces a prior 2006 version, provides additional clarity and details regarding the relationship and requirements among the three parties. Components of the document cover communication and coordination, use of the library resources and organization of the Friends groups. The document also details the responsibilities of the Board and the library towards their non-profit partners. Jessica Hudson, library director, stated that “The MOU offers a chance for the Board, the Friends and staff to recommit to the partnership. The MOU offers clarity in terms of steps to take in order to maintain transparency, public accountability and strong and productive relationships.” Members of the Library Board of Trustees expressed their appreciation for the Friends groups and the important work they do for the library and the staff during discussions at the January meeting. Over the next few months, library staff will work with the Friends groups on execution of the document. Once signed, the MOU will remain in effect for five years, with optional five year extensions.

Gaming at the Pohick Library Teen Center

How well do you know your Library?

December 15, 2017

Did you know that we have … 3-D printers? Yep! Teen gaming centers? Yep! eBooks? Yep! Items beyond books available for lending? Yep, including thermal cameras, nature backpacks and Civil War Education kits. (More items coming soon.) How can you stay on top of it all? It’s easy … Visit your local library branch regularly and ask what’s new. Pick up an events calendar while you’re there. Visit us online and spend some time browsing the website and LibGuides. Follow the library on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for the library newsletters including the weekly e-news, Family Fun, Ready to Read, Wowbrary and Loud and Clear for people with disabilities. Visit the library’s Flickr and YouTube pages. (They will make you smile; we guarantee it.) Watch the library’s quarterly cable show “Check it Out,” produced by the county’s own Channel 16 staff. Your library supports job seekers, career changers, students at every level, business owners, parents, teens, caregivers, new Americans, entrepreneurs, older adults, preschoolers, and those that just want a “third place” between work/school and home to hangout and access the Wi-Fi. And one last thing …. Check out our phenomenal online resources (we sometimes call them databases) … what a wealth of curated and authoritative information to meet your needs whether financial, health, academic, business, auto mechanics, studying for a test … (and more, more, more) don’t bypass this incredible portal to stats, articles, educational resources and fun ways to learn for all ages … discovered by you (not Google). If you like to be in the know and help others find what they need, browse the database collection today and help us spread the word!

The renovated Tysons-Pimmit library boasts a beautiful new interior.

Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library Reopens

October 30, 2017

New and improved features of the 24,521 square-foot building include: New exterior and interior design features Upgrades to building systems Energy efficiency improvements – the project is registered with the certification goal of LEED silver Upgrades to power and technology options such as more public access computers and wireless networking Also these enhancements: Double gaming console Early literacy station for preschoolers Quiet and group study rooms Large children’s area More community meeting space Coming soon- screen casting abilities in meeting spaces and kids iPad table

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