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Fairfax Library Foundation Awards 2025 Scholarships

May 16, 2025

At its meeting Wednesday, May 14, the Fairfax County Board of Trustees honored the 2025 Fairfax Library Foundation Scholarship Recipients. This year’s awardees included 16 undergraduate recipients, 7 graduate, and 9 recipients of scholarships for staff development. Congratulations to all the recipients! Graduate Scholarship Recipients Raven Anderson Kathleen Cheon Rebecca Herrera Rebecca Kurylo Laura Odegard Sahadev Poudel Larissa Yates Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients Temni Afework Karsten Anderer Alice Cao-Dao Krishna Chaduruvelly Zayan Meah, Savkar-Loser R.E.A.D. Scholarship Liyana Mohammed, Pohick Friends Joan & Richard Vaaler Scholarship Ibrahim Mujahid, Myra “Micky” Shulman New American Initiative Scholarship Susan Pirnat, Friends of the Centreville Library Scholarship Cory Potter Daniel Purvis, Pohick Friends Dan & Joanne Neckel Scholarship Alicia Rebello, Pohick Friends Andrew Pendergrass Scholarship Ella Ridgway, Friends of the Burke Centre Library Scholarship Amery Stapleton, Pohick Friends Rita Hoskins Scholarship Eleanor VanDuyne, Pohick Friends Nancy Vandel Scholarship Victoria Wood, Christine Chambers-Chun Scholarship Claire Yan, Pohick Friends Mary Storch Scholarship Staff Development Luis Aponte Mona Chandan Logan Counard Sondra Eklund Nancy Klein David M. Mercer Pamela Murrell Sara Prohaska Jennifer Tchida Award totals for this year include $22,500 for undergraduate, $24,000 for graduate, and $4,877 for staff development scholarships. To date, the Foundation has awarded a total of $585,000 in scholarships. A full photo gallery celebrating our scholarship winners can be viewed here: 2025_FLFScholarshipAwardees - Fairfax County Public Library.

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Decorative items surround text that reads Fairfax County Public Library Celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month May 2025

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month with FCPL

May 1, 2025

Following a proclamation in 2006 by President George W. Bush, Jewish American Heritage Month has been celebrated during the month of May to honor Jewish American culture and the many contributions the community has made in our country. To honor the occasion, Fairfax County Public Library is hosting presentations, storytimes, crafts, an innovative virtual reality exhibit and more throughout the month, highlighting members of the Jewish American community and their heritage. Check out a small sample of what we have planned at a library near you: *Please note that dates/times of the following events are subject to change. Check the event listing for the latest information. Jewish American Heritage Month Scavenger Hunt! - Kings Park Library – All Month Long Locate 12 famous Jewish Americans among the Children’s section of the library to win a prize. The Journey Back: A Virtual Reality Experience from the Illinois Holocaust Museum – Centreville Regional Library – May 5-15 (no session on May 9) Travel through a concentration camp with a Holocaust survivor in this first-in-the-world virtual reality exhibition. Learn About Shabbat, A Holiday that Comes Every Week – Lorton Library – Wednesday, May 7 Learn about and celebrate Shabbat with a Jewish Family Ambassador from the JCC of Northern Virginia. Jewish American Heritage Month Art Party: Celebrating Jewish Artists of the WPA – Richard Byrd Library – Wednesday, May 14 Be inspired by muralists, printmakers and rising artists who worked for the WPA during the Great Depression in this presentation and craft program. An Afternoon with Susan Gaeta: The Life and Music of Flory Jagoda – Pohick Regional Library – Sunday, May 18 Join master vocalist and guitarist Susan Gaeta as she celebrates the rich traditions of Sephardic music though the inspiring life of her mentor, Flory Jagoda. Explore Jewish Paper Cutting – John Marshall Library – Monday, May 19 Learn about Jewish folk art paper cutting and make your own papercut. We All Dance the Hora – Dolley Madison Library – Friday, May 23 Sing and dance during this Jewish American Heritage Month dance party for all ages! American Girl Book Club: Jewish American Heritage Month Edition – Sherwood Regional Library – Sunday, May 25 Talk about American Girl Rebecca – a Russian-Jewish immigrant living in early twentieth-century New York City in this special edition of The American Girl Book Club. For a complete list of Jewish American Heritage-related events, visit bit.ly/FCPL_JewishAmericanHeritage. You can also celebrate by selecting a new read from our specially curated Jewish American Heritage Month booklist found here.

Recipients of the 2025 Star Volunteer Awards

FCPL Honors 19 with Annual Star Volunteer Awards

April 15, 2025

With 23 branches serving more than a million people, Fairfax County Public Library relies on many people to support the needs and interests of the community. In addition to the amazing staff who work tirelessly to provide services, programming and assistance to library visitors, there is another group whose contributions are vital to the success of FCPL’s mission. Last year, over 1,200 volunteers selflessly gave more than 78,000 hours of their time in service to our library. And beyond just the hours worked, they have served as ambassadors – reminding others of the importance of the public library within the community. To recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of library volunteers and community partners, FCPL annually hosts the Star Volunteer Awards. Employees nominate volunteers, who are honored for longevity and exceptional service. In honor of National Volunteer Month, the library and its Board of Trustees recognized 19 volunteers at its April Board meeting, held at George Mason Regional Library on Wednesday, April 9. A heartfelt congratulations to the 2025 awardees! Category: 1,000 Hours of Service Susan O’Boyle - Burke Centre Library Tarun Ramesh – City of Fairfax Regional Library, Patrick Henry Library, Technical Operations Elizabeth Adams – Richard Byrd Library Alison Duncan – Technical Operations Category: Exceptional Service Brandon Burrell – Burke Centre Library Anjali Ahuja – Chantilly Regional Library Claudia Johnston – City of Fairfax Regional Library Jacob Hallisey – Great Falls Library Elaine Michl – Kings Park Library Irene Marx – Lorton Library Peggy Jackson – Patrick Henry Library Anne Sween – Patrick Henry Library Samantha Goldberg – Pohick Regional Library Michael Carpenter – Reston Regional Library Ray Walser – Reston Regional Library Marion Glass – Thomas Jefferson Library Mathias Tsige – Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library Philip Zettle – Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library Steve Corley – Technical Operations More photos from the ceremony can be viewed here.

Text that reads It's Free at Your Fairfax County Public Library. Celebrate National Library Week April 6-12, 2025. Graphic elements include a bullhorn and iconography of different library resources.

It’s Free at Your Library - Celebrate National Library Week at FCPL!

April 2, 2025

Every year during the month of April, the American Library Association dedicates one week to honoring the important work of libraries and library staff around the country. Since its first official celebration in 1958, National Library Week has sought to highlight “the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” For its 2025 celebration, which runs April 6-12, Fairfax County Public Library wants to remind you of all the amazing things you can do FREE at your library. Beyond the countless books you can borrow, visitors to our branches (and website) can enjoy a plethora of resources including: Access to 60+ online databases to research a variety of topics Entertaining and educational programming for visitors of all ages A collection of non-traditional items to borrow including board games, binoculars, thermal cameras and countless other surprising items Space for meetings, study groups or gatherings for nonprofit organizations So much more! You can share with us what your favorite free library resource is, or simply what you love most about the library, by visiting any of our 23 branches throughout the week to fill out a notecard. Can’t make it to a branch? Submit your comment online. Looking for more reasons why libraries are so great? Check out this booklist all about the joy libraries, librarians and reading bring to our world.

FCPL Celebrates National Arab American Heritage Month

April 1, 2025

Officially designated in 2022 by President Joe Biden, National Arab American Heritage Month honors people in the United States who are of Arab ancestry, as well as their history, culture and many contributions to our country. To celebrate, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is hosting presentations, workshops, storytimes, crafts and more throughout the month, highlighting members of the Arab American community and their heritage. Check out a small sample of what we have planned at a library near you: *Please note that dates/times of the following events are subject to change. Check the event listing for the latest information. Arab American Heritage Month Scavenger Hunt – Centreville Regional Library – All Month Learn to read the numbers 1-10 in Arabic script as you search the library for the hidden clues to match up the correct numbers. Once your scavenger hunt sheet is completed, turn it in at the Information Desk for a small prize. Coloring Arabesque and Geometric Patterns – John Marshall Library – Monday, April 7 Relax and listen to instrumental Middle Eastern music while coloring arabesque and geometric patterns. Family Storytime Extravaganza – Kingstowne Library – Saturday, April 12 Bring your family to learn about Eid al-Fitr, a celebration of the end of Ramadan, with books and crafts. Arabic Stories and Calligraphy for Kids – City of Fairfax Regional Library – Thursday, April 17 Enjoy a reading of The Proudest Blue by I. Muhammad, sing some songs and try your hand at Arabic calligraphy. Poetry Writing and Reading – Lorton Library – Tuesday, April 22 Celebrate National Poetry & Arab American Heritage Months by creating poetry. Prompts, writing materials, tea and poetry books by classic and contemporary Arab American writers will be provided. Arab American Cultural Open House – Chantilly Regional Library – Saturday, April 26 Learn about the rich and diverse cultures of Arab Americans in Fairfax County in this program for all ages. Moon Rock Painting – Sherwood Regional Library – Saturday, April 26 Celebrate and learn about Farouk El-Baz’s contributions to NASA and the Apollo missions by creating a moon with "moon rock" paint! For a complete list of Arab American Heritage-related events, visit bit.ly/FCPL_ArabAmericanHeritage. You can also celebrate by selecting a new read from our specially curated Arab American Heritage Month booklist found here.

FCPL Recognizes Outstanding Employees with Annual Staff Excellence Awards

March 18, 2025

During their monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 12, the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) Board of Trustees took time to honor several library employees with staff excellence awards. From Feb. 1-14, library users nominated staff members for recognition. A board committee reviewed submissions and selected 21 winners from more than 115 nominations. This year’s winners include: Luis Aponte, Information Services Librarian, Centerville Regional Library Sevil Atasoy, Circulation Manager, Culmore Library Melissa Casolini Dal Bo, Assistant Branch Manager, Great Falls Library Vicky Chu, Circulation Manager, Thomas Jefferson Library Talitha Cunio, Youth Services Assistant, Pohick Regional Library Randy Falkofske, Library Aide, John Marshall Library Sophia Fazel, Youth Services Manager, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library Ashton Fonville, Youth Services Librarian, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library Kendall Hall, Youth Services Assistant, Kings Park Library Margaret Kositch, Library Technology Director, Library Admin Chandra Krishnamoorthy, Library Aide, Herndon Fortnightly Library Margot Manburg, Youth Services Assistant, Sherwood Regional Library Lyn McKinney, Branch Manager, Sherwood Regional Library Tiana Page, Youth Services Manager, Herndon Fortnightly Library Sonia Sagar, Library Aide, Reston Regional Library David Shaffer, Branch Manager, Oakton Library Anne Simpson, Assistant Branch Manager, Culmore Library Suzanne Steward, Youth Services Manager, Culmore Library Anita Toth, Youth Services Manager, Oakton Library Letitia Van Campen, Assistant Branch Manager, Richard Byrd Library Rebecca Wolff, Branch Manger, Thomas Jefferson Library Kerri Zuiker, Youth Services Assistant, Centerville Regional Library Photos of the ceremony and the recognized staff can be found here.

FCPL Partners with 911 and GMU to Help Improve County Emergency Communications

March 7, 2025

Beginning Saturday, March 8, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) will be hosting several focus groups with the aim of improving the County's 911 responsiveness. In partnership with the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications and George Mason University, several of our branches will hold sessions to explore community relationships with first responders, including identifying challenges, needs, and opportunities for improvement. These discussions will help first responders to better understand and anticipate community needs as well as evaluate the community's current understanding of how AI tools are developed to support community. A schedule for sessions is as follows: Lorton Library - Saturday, March 15 - 4-7 p.m. Sherwood Regional Library - Sunday, March 16 - 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Culmore Library - Saturday, March 22 - 3-6 p.m. Richard Byrd Library - Saturday, April 5 - 3-6 p.m. Centreville Regional Library - Sunday, April 6 - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. NEW DATE! Richard Byrd Library - Thursday, April 24 - 4-5 p.m. Learn more about the project in this article from George Mason University.

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