Arlington Public Library

2018 Impact Report

Using a Library Card Saved Patrons an Average of $380 a Year

3,000,000 Library Items Were Borrowed and Returned...

...by 150,000 Library Card Holders

Readers Downloaded 450,000 Free eBooks

121,000 People Attended Library Programs ...

... at 3,000 Free Library Events

7 Stories of Influential Arlington Women Were Revealed

Friends of the Library Donated $5,369 to a Puerto Rico Library

12th Arlington Reads Sparked Community-Wide Dialogue

3 Prestigious Authors Discussed Housing, Poverty & Injustice

4,400 Pounds of Food Were Donated to AFAC

We Welcomed 55 Newly Naturalized Americans

57,000 Children & Caregivers Attended Storytimes

10,500 People Took the Summer Reading Challenge

14,500 Patrons Responded to the Library Collections Survey

2 Library Facilities Were Renovated

1,200 Items Were Borrowed by Homebound Patrons

"Paws to Read" Connected 900 Readers and Animals

Librarians Visited 23,000 Students in Classrooms

3,500 People Attended English Conversation Classes

We Do All Of This With Good Will, Humor and Kindness

Through Books and Community Programs

Within Our Walls and Outside In the Community

We Are Here For You!

What is it about a library that keeps its patrons coming back for more, year after year?

I can think of a few reasons.

Portrait of Library Director Diane Kresh

Libraries increase our understanding of the world we live in: whether it’s the 26 square miles of our community or the nations beyond our borders, libraries keep us informed and curious.

Libraries champion all points of view and accept people as they are.

Libraries call out the unjust through community-wide dialogues and offer comfort for those in need.

Libraries celebrate history and culture and honor the personal stories of those who came before.

Libraries help teens find their way and those who are alone find connection and companionship.

Libraries deliver all of these services through books and exhibits, gardening tools and American Girl Dolls, board games and jigsaw puzzles, music and dance, maker labs and computer classes, podcasts and pumpkins, in traditional ways and in new ways yet to come.

Libraries do what they do with compassion, generosity, creativity and a sense of fun.

And best of all, use of the library is FREE. In the words of British novelist and essayist Zadie Smith, our guest for 2018 Arlington READS, “… what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.”

These are a few of our reasons; I’ll bet you can name others.

Thank you for giving Arlington Public Library a reason to be.
Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library

Scrawled DK signature
Read the Complete 2018 Impact Report (pdf)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I love the Arlington library system, and especially the Westover branch. It is wonderful to have such a rich resource in our neighborhood. I enjoy it when I am in the area and when I am away, and I am grateful for all the e- and audiobooks in the collection when I am not able to peruse the aisles physically. I know communities where their libraries are not supported, how unsettling. Thank you, Arlington County libraries!

  2. We love Arlington Library, our favorite branch is Columbia Pike. Great people are helping us find books. Interesting events for kids and adults are happening there too.

  3. We loved Arlington County Public Library. There is always a person who can answer your E book questions . How to access the references and use the system.

  4. Arlington Public Library is one of the county’s very best resources! We love the entire system, especially our neighborhood branch here in Glencarlyn. My son has made many friends there!

  5. Thank you for publishing this report! I love my Arlington libraries and am glad to see so many new developments!

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