Arlington Public Library

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A Time Capsule for Westover

The Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division is sponsoring a time capsule for the Westover community, to be installed this fall for a 50-year slumber at the new Reed-Westover facility.

If you have photos, videos or documents related to Westover, or if you wish to contribute an interview or personal letter to the future, please email local historic preservationist Luke Idziak at lidziak@gmail.com.

The Great Outdoors

Swimming in Arlington

The young girls above are enjoying a rarity in Arlington County: swimming in an outdoor pool.

Although there are private swim clubs all over Northern Virginia, Arlington has only one outdoor public pool, at Upton Hill, which is part of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, not the county.

Young people in Arlington were still able to learn to swim. The county was unique in that by 1968, there were indoor pools and instruction at every public senior and junior high school. However, swimming outside during the summer could be more difficult. The Department of Parks and Recreation tried to help with their summer day camp program. New in the summer of 1953, campers went biweekly to “the Marine Corps pool” and “the Middleburg pool” according to the annual report. That report specifically stated “[b]ecause of lack of facilities, swimming and golf are not a part of the Department’s sports activities.” Today, classes are still offered through the county – year-round, inside.

What About You?

Where did you go swimming in Arlington? Did you attend the county’s day camp? Do you know anything about “the Marine Corps pool” and “the Middleburg pool”? Let us know what you remember!

 

Can You Help Me Track Down My Long Lost Friend?

You might want to try these library tools:

Reference USA
This online tool searches US Postal Service data, including the National Change of Address updates (NCOA). You can search by last name, first name, city or state to find addresses and phone numbers. It’s a lot like the “people search” sites you find on the web, except there are no advertisements and no fees. Note: Reference USA is a premium site available to all Arlington Public Library cardholders.

Haines Criss-Cross Directory
If you know your friend’s street address and are looking for a phone number, we can help you use the Haines Directory. This print reference book is shelved at the Central Library Reference Desk, and lists local addresses and their corresponding telephone numbers.

Keep in mind that cellphone numbers and unlisted numbers won’t appear in either resource.

Still no luck? Cast a wider net with these online sites:

WhoWhere.com
This people-finding site is free and easy to use, with minimal ads. Just enter a name to get address and phone number results.

Facebook.com
Facebook is a social utility that connects people with their friends. The site has 250 million members, and the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older. Facebook has decent privacy controls, so even if you find your friend listed you’ll need to join the site and have your “friend request” approved before you’ll be able to contact the person directly.

LinkedIn.com
An online networking tool for professionals, LinkedIn has 46 millions members and can be one way to locate classmates or colleagues. You’ll again need to join the site, but afterwards you can view resume-like contact information about other members.

Social Security Death Index from Ancestry.com
This searchable index is a copy of Social Security’s Death Master File, a record of deceased persons possessing social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA (so the absence of a particular person in the SSDI is not proof this person is alive).

Have a question you’d like to see answered in this space? Let us know.

The Arlington Years: OLD Westover Will Close Sept. 26 in Preparation for NEW Westover

The Arlington Years

Thoughts from County Native and Arlington Public Library Director, Diane Kresh

Greetings Readers,

We wanted to let users of the old Westover Branch Library know that public operations at the 1800 N. Lexington St. facility will end with the close of business–5 p.m.–on Saturday, Sept. 26. It’s been a great 47-year run but we’re all due for some extra elbow room–almost three times the amount.

The drop slots at the new Westover branch, 1644 N. McKinley Street, will begin accepting returns the evening of Sept. 26 and those materials will be checked back into the collection on a regular basis. The old drop slot at 1800 N. Lexington will be sealed. Of course, you can always return Arlington Public Library items at any of our locations regardless of where it was checked out originally.

From Sept. 27 to Oct. 30, Westover hold items will be relocated to Central Library hold shelves.

With the new Westover branch opening on Oct. 31, we’ll be scrambling during the break to move materials, hook up computers, set out furniture and test the wi-fi.

Although the new place isn’t open yet, we’ve already got a terrific new web page for it so do visit in cyberspace. And check back often for updates. We might just put out a call for folks to help move books from the old building to the new in one giant bucket brigade. Stay tuned.

Thanks for checking in.

Plaza Staff Rec: 'Eating Well in Season'

Thinking about joining a Farm Share/CSA, or getting your produce from your local Farmer’s Market instead of the grocery store?

The Plaza Branch Library staff recommend EatingWell In Season: The Farmer’s Market Cookbook, where you will find 150 recipes for meals made with seasonally available fresh ingredients.

The cookbook also includes useful nutritional information about each recipe’s ingredients- for instance, did you know potatoes are a good source of calcium?

Where can I find the City of Arlington?

Actually, there isn’t one!
No incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington’s boundaries.
“Arlington is an urban county of about 26 square miles located directly across the
Potomac River from Washington DC. No incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington’s boundaries. Originally part of the area surveyed for the nation’s capital, the portion on the west bank of the Potomac River was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia by the U.S. Congress in 1846. This area was known as Alexandria City and Alexandria County until 1920 when the county portion was renamed Arlington County. ” From Arlington County Profile 2009

The History
“In 1791 President George Washington determined that the survey to establish the boundaries of the ten-mile-square Federal District should begin at Jones Point, south of Alexandria, and should proceed northwestward so as to exclude the Falls Church. The survey was made that summer, and boundary stones were set up at one-mile intervals. The District of Columbia was not organized until 1801, however. The part of Fairfax County ceded by Virginia to federal jurisdiction was then organized as Alexandria County, which included the Town of Alexandria. All of the present Arlington County was located in the original Ten Mile Square of the District of Columbia.” From the Arlington Historical Society

What’s in a name?
In 1920 to avoid confusion between Alexandria County and the City of Alexandria and to honor Robert E. Lee, the name of the County was changed to Arlington.

An interesting map at the Library of Congress
Detailed map of part of Virginia from Alexandria to the Potomac River above Washington, D.C. 186-
Shows parts of Arlington and Fairfax counties, part of the defenses of Washington, roads, railroads, towns, vegetation, houses, fences, names of residents, and drainage.

Have a question you’d like to see answered in this space? Let us know.

New Westover Building To Open In Late October

The new Westover Branch Library building is currently set to open in late October, with an open house for our new facility scheduled on Saturday, Oct. 31. You can read more about the ribbon cutting plans on the Library Director’s Blog.

The current Westover Branch building will close for transition 2-4 weeks before the opening of the new building – stay tuned for exact dates and further info.

The Arlington Years: New Westover Branch Library Opening in Late October

The Arlington Years

Thoughts from County Native and Arlington Public Library Director, Diane Kresh


More details to come but we’ve set Friday, Oct. 30 for the official ribbon-cutting and Saturday, Oct. 31 for an “all treats, no trick” Halloween open house for the new facility, which is a joint project between Arlington Public Schools and Arlington County Government.

What's the Difference Between the Library of Congress and other Libraries?

All libraries are special, but the Library of Congress is truly unique in many ways:

  • SIZE: It’s the biggest library in the world.
  • MEMBERSHIP: The Library of Congress is open to the public. Any adult can apply for a Reader Identification Card to use the collections on the premises.
  • BORROWING POLICIES: You can’t check anything out–it’s purely a research collection.
  • SERVICES: The Library of Congress is home to the US Copyright Office and many services beyond library collections: Video: More than a Library

Does the Library of Congress have a copy of every book ever published? Not exactly, but collection does include more than 32 million books. Search the Library of Congress Online Catalog

Don’t need to do research? Consider visiting as a tourist. The Library offers guided tours, an interactive Experience Exhibit, and two cafeterias. Want to know more?

Have a question you’d like to see answered in this space? Let us know.



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