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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.

Traveling While Black Virtual Reality Experience Comes to FCPL

February 16, 2022

Register Now Immerse yourself in living history. Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria is hosting the Traveling While Black interactive program from Feb. 22 to April 2, 2022. Visitors to this cinematic virtual reality exhibit experience lessons about restricted movement and race relations in the U.S. as shared by patrons around a booth in D.C.’s historic Ben's Chili Bowl. Hourlong slots are available to the public and advance registration is required. Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a Washington, D.C., mainstay of the African American community since 1958, bearing witness to significant Civil Rights milestones that are woven into the film in powerful snippets of footage. From the stirring memories of Civil Rights leader Courtland Cox to the heartbreaking words of Samaria Rice, whose young son Tamir was killed by police in 2014, virtual reality connects the parallels of the past to the present. Can’t make it to the Sherwood Regional branch or want more information about the history of traveling while Black? Join the Burke Historical Society virtually on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. for the presentation “You Will Find It Handy: Traveling Through the Old Dominion With the Green Book.” Refusal of service and other threats made automobile and other travel extremely difficult for Black travelers. The Negro Motorist Green Book, published from 1936 to 1967 and renamed The Negro Travelers’ Green Book in 1952, provided a trusted guidebook to ensure safe travels. This presentation highlights more than 300 Virginia sites advertised in The Green Book between 1938 and 1967. Registration is required.

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Staff Excellence Awards Nominations Now Open

Nominations Now Open for FCPL Staff Excellence Awards

February 14, 2022

Has a staff member at your local library branch recommended a new favorite book or helped you with a research project? Or maybe hosted a fantastic Fairfax County Public Library virtual program recently? Nominate them for a Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) Staff Excellence Award using this online form. Nominations can be submitted online or in person Feb. 14 to 28. The FCPL Board of Trustees will recognize winners during its March 9 virtual board meeting.

Libby Officially Replaces OverDrive App

February 9, 2022

Digital content distributor OverDrive is removing its legacy app "OverDrive" from the Apple App Store, Google Play and the Microsoft Store this month in preparation for the app’s full retirement. Libby, the OverDrive replacement app released several years ago, is now the primary mobile access. Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) cardholders who are using the OverDrive app can continue using the installed legacy version until its full retirement. FCPL recommends downloading Libby to ensure uninterrupted access to FCPL digital content. Both apps can run concurrently on one device. Libby offers several convenient features, elegantly handles multi-card households, includes easy navigation in ten different languages, and has more accessibility support than the OverDrive app. Amazon for Fire has not yet approved the Libby app for users; the OverDrive app remains in the Amazon Appstore for the short term. Read more about why they are making the change. Click here to watch FCPL's Library User's Guide to the Libby App how-to video

Celebrate Love Literacy at Your Local Library

February 4, 2022

This month, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is celebrating Love Literacy as part of its Year of Literacy. Looking for something new to read but not sure what to choose? Go on a Blind Date With a Book! Choose a book based on just a few details at the Great Falls branch through Feb. 14, at Sherwood Regional Library through Feb. 15, and at the George Mason Regional and Thomas Jefferson libraries all month. At the Tysons-Pimmit Regional branch, fall in love with a good book in the book displays for Chocolate Lovers’ Month and for Book Lovers. In the mood for romance? At the Patrick Henry branch, Kindle (or Rekindle) a Romance with Romances with a curated variety of romance titles wrapped to surprise you. At Chantilly Regional Library, explore the “What's Your Tropetonite?” book display to choose from a variety of romance books labeled with their main tropes. Check out a librarian-curated list of titles related to love! February is also Library Lovers’ Month! At the Reston Regional branch, library lovers of all ages can pen something for the branch’s Library Love Notes Tree through Feb. 18. Want to creatively express your love? At the Oakton branch, pick up Take & Make Valentine Love Bugs through Feb. 14, or register for City of Fairfax Regional Library’s Intergenerational Puzzle Piece Hearts activity taking place Feb. 12. Children can pick up a Take It and Make It Valentine Goody Bag at Reston Regional Library Feb. 8-12. Just pining for some “me” time? Pick up a Spa Day from Home handout from the Centreville Regional branch to get tips for pampering yourself.

Kick Off FCPL's 2022 Year of Literacy With Book Clubs in January

January 11, 2022

The first month of Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) 2022 Year of Literacy is devoted to a celebration of general literacy. Book clubs are a wonderful way to share a love of literacy. This year, some new book clubs join the list of tried-and-true favorites. Browse the options; we have book clubs to appeal to all ages and interests, to those who are ready to make new friends in person, and those who prefer to meet virtually! For Adults The Point of View (P.O.V.) Book Club meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. Discover new points of view by reading authors from varying backgrounds and with varying perspectives. Selections include fiction and nonfiction. For adults. No registration required. The Nonfiction Book Club meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. This new group will discuss recent nonfiction books on various topics. Its first meeting will focus on The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business by Nelson Schwartz. Copies are available to pick up at Sherwood Regional Library on the events table, and this title is also available as an eAudiobook through Libby. Travel the world from your couch with the Read Global Book Group! Meet with fellow travelers virtually each month to discuss books set in various locales across the globe. The Sherwood Novel Book Group meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. This month, the group is reading The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis and in February will be reading The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Currently held virtually, the Book Talk for Book Lovers hosted by Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library promises lively discussion each month. The Online Classic Books Discussion meets on a Thursday afternoon once a month to join writer/scholar Amanda Holmes Duffy in discussion of a classic novel. For the Amateur Detective The Mystery Book Club meets in person at FCPL’s Chantilly Regional branch and delves into a different mystery novel each month. Join in the monthly unraveling of a whodunit or thriller one Wednesday afternoon each month with the Mystery Book Club at Oakton Library. Love mysteries but don’t want to venture out? We have an Online Mystery Book Club that meets monthly! For School-age Children The American Girl Book Club meets virtually each month to talk about the beloved history series. Dolls are invited, but not required! Don’t want to read solo? Children ages 6 to 12 can join the Read-Along Book Club to enjoy a live reading of that day’s chapters with Ms. Sara. This group is great for English Language Learning (ELL) students. For Teens Fairfax teens are invited to join us virtually for our Teen PRIDE Book Club, which meets each month to discuss a book with LGBTQA+ themes. Join other readers aged 12 to 18 each month at Herndon Fortnightly Library for its Teen Book Club. For English Language Learners Practice your English with other English Language Learners each month in Falls Church at Thomas Jefferson Library's ELL Book Club. Can’t make it to Falls Church? Join our virtual ELL Book Club once a month!

FCPL Announces Schedule Modification

January 10, 2022

Beginning Sunday, Jan. 16, and effective through April 1, all regional and community Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) branches will be closed every Sunday and Monday. These branches will open in keeping with their regularly scheduled hours Tuesday through Saturday. Regional libraries will be open Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Community libraries will be open Tuesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Access Services branch located at the Fairfax County Government Center will maintain its usual hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. View a system map and listing of regional and community branches. The current surge in COVID-19 cases and a high number of vacancies necessitated this change in hours. FCPL is always available online! Search our digital offerings via Libby, or explore ten other ways to enjoy your local library from home.

FCPL Board of Trustees Approves Move to Fine-Free Library Service Model

December 9, 2021

At its Dec. 8 virtual meeting, the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) Board of Trustees approved a new policy that ends the practice of charging overdue fines on most library materials. "The FCPL Board of Trustees has approved eliminating fines on most library materials and joins surrounding jurisdictions in removing this significant barrier to equitable access to information and library services," said FCPL Board of Trustees Chair Fran Millhouser. Library staff members are working to ensure the system is set to forgive fines already incurred and stop imposing most fines beginning around Jan. 1, 2022. Overdue fines remain in effect for some special collections and interlibrary loan materials. “Equity is driving our shift to a fine-free model of library services; we don’t want accrual of overdue fines to deter anyone who wants to use the library,” said FCPL Director Jessica Hudson. FCPL analysis showed that overdue fines disproportionately affected young people and those in low-income areas. Pre-pandemic, “blocked” cards (accounts not allowed to check out materials due to having more than $15 in fines) were about 17% of the total cardholder population. “Blocked” youth cards (accounts for users under the age of 18) were 23% of the youth cardholder population. “Blocked” card numbers are higher in areas served by Reston Regional Library (Hunter Mill District), City of Fairfax Regional Library, George Mason Regional Library (Mason District), Kingstowne Library (Mt. Vernon/Lee District) and Sherwood Regional Library (Mt. Vernon District). There appears to be a link between low-income communities and higher numbers of blocked library accounts. Library systems around the nation, including in all neighboring counties, have gone fine-free and experienced surges in returned materials. These systems have also found that their cardholders continue to return materials on time, even without the threat of fines, Hudson said. FCPL’s special collections that will continue to incur overdue fines include but are not limited to: interlibrary loan materials, Chromebooks and mobile hotspots.

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