Library Alert:
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FCPL Introduces Meters and Readers to the Library of Things |
Library cardholders in Fairfax County can now borrow a variety of testing devices from their neighborhood branches. As of Nov. 27, nine types of meters and readers are available for check out at Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) 23 locations as part of its Library of Things, adding to the growing collection of non-traditional items visitors can borrow for use in their own homes. The introduction of these devices aligns with the library’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, which places emphasis on, among many other things, expanding the community’s access to innovative technology and resources. The initial batch of meters and readers available to check out include:
Each device is available to check out for three weeks at a time and, if not immediately available, can be put on hold online or by visiting the information desk at any FCPL branch. More information about each of these devices can be found here. After all, why buy it when you can borrow it! Along with the meters and readers, the Library of Things is home to many other borrowable items that go beyond the bounds of traditional library materials, such as artwork, binoculars, board games, book discussion kits, Connect Chromebook Kits, Conserve Energy Kits, Hands-On History kits, Launchpad tablets, nature backpacks and thermal cameras. To learn more about the materials available through the Library of Things, visit our Library of Things LibGuide. |
Read full article | November 27, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/hero-slideshow/LoT_Meters_HeroCarousel.png | 1 | Bottom | |
FCPL Takes on the 2023 VLA Annual Conference | More than 160 Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) employees joined their peers from around the state this week as part of the 2023 Virginia Library Association’s (VLA) Annual Conference. Held at the Westfields Marriot in Chantilly, the conference provided attendees the opportunity to participate in educational presentations, make connections and celebrate the achievements of the past year. The conference began on Sunday, Oct. 22 with the annual awards banquet where two of FCPL’s own staff members were among the honorees. Gary Goodson and Atnaf Ameha won the Public Library Innovator Award, which “recognizes public librarians or public library project teams who have made an outstanding contribution to advance the mission of a public library in Virginia through an innovative project, program or service during the nomination period.” Goodson and Ameha received the award for their development of various Microsoft Power applications used by library staff. Sunday also featured the conference’s poster exhibition, where an FCPL staff member was among the exhibitors. Dianne Coan, FCPL’s Division Director of Technical Operations, presented “Set Overdrive on Cruise Control: More Circulation, Same Holds." The remaining two days of the conference were dedicated to informational presentations and panel discussions on industry-related topics. Of the 70 different programs offered to attendees, FCPL staff led, co-led or participated in eight presentations and discussions. These included:
Check out our gallery of photos from the conference here. |
Read full article | October 26, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/1023_VLAConference-086.jpg | 1 | ||
FCPL Celebrates the Reopening of the Community Services Room at Tysons Corner Center |
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. |
Read full article | August 4, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/TYTeenSpace-03.jpg | 1 | ||
FCPL To Resume Normal Operating Hours on August 28 |
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:
while community branches will be open:
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. |
Read full article | August 2, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/FCPLNormalHours_Twitter.png | 1 | ||
FCPL Celebrates 20 Million All-Time Digital Loans |
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. |
Read full article | July 10, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/20%20million%20checkouts.png | 1 | ||
FCPL Hosts Sixth Annual Fandomania |
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. 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. |
Read full article | May 24, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/Fandomania23-64.jpg | 1 | ||
FCPL and Fairfax Library Foundation Recognize Scholarship Recipients |
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:
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Read full article | May 16, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/Foundation%20Scholarships%202023-4.jpg | 1 | ||
John Marshall Library Celebrates 60th Anniversary |
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.” |
Read full article | April 27, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/JM60-18.jpg | 1 | ||
Celebrate National Library Week by Supporting Your Local Library |
National Library Week is April 23 through 29 this year. We are often asked how Fairfax residents can best support their library system. If you’d like to celebrate National Library Week this year, here are some ways to support Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL): The Fairfax Library Foundation's Amazon Wish List is a quick way to make a difference! Purchasing a book from the Wish List helps fill FCPL's shelves with the books the library staff know we need most. With this contribution option, you can even be the first to read the book through the foundation’s First Loan Program and provide opportunities for other library cardholders to read it as well. All books purchased will be marked with a general bookplate to commemorate your generosity. For a limited time (through May 2023), FCPL is accepting like-new condition copies of the following in-demand and hard-to-find titles. Please take them to the front desk (where you would check out books) if you have a copy to donate. Books for adults:
Books for kids:
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Read full article | April 24, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/NatLibWeek_TW.png | 1 | ||
Help Address Increased Hunger in Fairfax County |
Since moving to a fine-free model last year, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) has replaced its popular annual “Food for Fines” drive with “Read and Feed.” This April, simply drop off food items at any branch to contribute. Donations will go to Food for Others (FFO) for distribution throughout Fairfax County. Experts say donations are needed now more than ever. Inflation means a double-hit for organizations like FFO, said Anna Slaten, FFO’s director of development & outreach. Last summer, donations were down 30% from summer 2021. “With inflation, not just our clients are feeling the effects, but our donors are also,” she said. At the same time, demand is increasing. FFO provides for about 3,000 families each week and that number is rising, Slaten said. In fiscal year 2022, which ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, FFO met community need at over 233,000 distribution points, which include Power Packs with weekend meals for Fairfax County Public Schools students. That number indicated a 28% increase in need from the year prior, Slaten said. FFO is serving 44 Fairfax County Public Schools by providing Power Packs to students in need. A total of 3,500 students a week currently receive Power Packs, and FFO has another 13 schools on the waitlist for similar help, Slaten said. This January, FFO opened its Choice Marketplace, which allows its clients to select their food items in a grocery store setting. When the marketplace opened on Jan. 23, 330 families came through, Slaten said. With pandemic-era SNAP benefits ending, organizations are trying to be as prepared as possible, she said. “Change is constant, so that’s the one thing we are always prepared for. With the uptick we’re expecting in clients, we’re trying to stay prepared,” Slaten said. Throughout the month of April, FCPL will be collecting donations of food at all its branches for donation to FFO and other local partners. During the food drive, community members can drop off unexpired, commercially produced food items, new and clean reusable grocery bags and simple kitchen tools, like can openers, to any FCPL branch during regular hours. Donors will receive reusable food tote bags. Most needed items include:
Food for Others is unable to accept donations of: Items that are more than three years expired, opened items, food that is not labeled, homemade items, or cooked food. |
Read full article | March 28, 2023 | /library/sites/library/files/Assets/images/news/RnF_tw.jpg | 1 |