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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.

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.

The Arlington Years: Former Library Director Lelia Saunders Has Died

The Arlington Years

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

Sad news today about someone who played a key role in shaping the Library as we know it: Lelia B. Saunders

Former Arlington (Virginia) Public Library Director Lelia B. Saunders died July 12, 2009 at a hospice in Reston, Va. after a short illness. She was 91.

Saunders was director of the Arlington Public Library from 1980 to 1986. She was named acting director in 1979 following her service as assistant director beginning in 1957.

Saunders’ predecessor, Jane B. Nida, described Saunders as “my right arm” during a tenure in which Arlington Public Library became a widely popular system, opening the County’s first Central Library and building new facilities for all six of its branches.

Under Saunders’ direction, the Library system made a strong push in areas of technology—establishing the use of anti-theft devices for materials; a computer-aided database research system; equipment and reference services for the blind and deaf ; and an early computer catalogue network.

Saunders oversaw growth in the Library’s historic document collection, as its Virginia Room became the repository for a widespread “Search and Save Drive” in partnership with the Arlington County Historical Commission. Saunders also made the difficult decision for the Library to emboss its logo on rare book plates in the Virginia Room collection to ward off theft and mutilation.

In 1980, Arlington Public Library joined the reciprocal borrowing program sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Non-residents no longer had to pay $10 per year for an Arlington card and Arlingtonians were able to obtain public library privileges in the District, Falls Church, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Prince George’s and Montgomery County.

During Saunders’s tenure, the County re-examined pay scales for library staff compared to other systems in the region. It also became known that Saunders, the only woman heading a department in the County, was being paid less than her male peers.

Born in Roanoke, Va. in 1917, Saunders was a longtime resident of Alexandria, Va. She was an alumnus of Columbia University and former president of the Virginia Library Association.

There will be a graveside service at Evergreen Burial Park at 1307 Summit Avenue S.W. Roanoke on July 15 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory can be made to the Old Presbyterian House at 323 S. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

Jane Nida once called her assistant and future successor as “the best book-selector I’ve ever known.” She was also “a real Virginia gentlewoman.”

Littlest Italy

Quarries for Washington

Arlington is not known for its vibrant Italian community, but actually at one time there was a small section of the County known as “Little Italy.”

In the Marcey Creek ravine there once lived about twenty-four Italian and Sicilian quarrymen who worked the quarries on the Potomac Palisades near the mouth of Pimmit Run, Gulf Branch, Donaldson Run, Marcey Creek and Spout Run. These quarries once produced the building material for many structures in the Washington area.

Two types of stone were quarried: rubble to crush for use on streets and roads, and larger stones for construction. Among the buildings that used the stone included Georgetown University, St. Patrick’s Church, the Hains Point seawall, and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. The last quarry closed in 1938.

In preparation for the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s construction in the mid 1950’s, the National Park Service acquired the quarry land, including the area known as “Little Italy” where the last three remaining quarry workers remained. The above photograph shows a waterfall in one of the quarries after it was turned into parkland.

Guiseppe (Josh) Conduci and his brother Carmelo (Carl) Conduci and Phillip Matoli had lived peacefully there after the quarries closed down, raising and selling flowers. Their only extravagance was pure olive oil for cooking. Friends stepped in to find homes for them, but forced to move from the only homes they had known for so many years was wrenching, and a sad ending to what was once Arlington’s early “Italian community.”

What About You?

Do you remember the quarries on the Potomac Palisades? Let us know what you remember!

 

An Historic School

From School to Historical Society

Hume School Arlington Historical Society

Driving along Arlington Ridge Road you pass an old two-story brick building with a bell tower which was once the Hume School.

Named for civic leader and philanthropist Frank Hume, it is the oldest remaining school building in Arlington.

Built in 1891, the land was purchased for $250 from Frank Hume, a successful wholesale grocer in Washington D.C., who later donated land for an adjacent playground as long as the building was used as a school. When the school was built it was the County’s newest school and attacked as an extravagance as it had three rooms, considered far too large for any “foreseeable” school population. Most schools at that time were one room only.

In 1958, when the school closed, the Hume heirs deeded the property to the Arlington Historical Society, along with a $10,000 donation from one of Frank Hume’s children to help with fundraising for a proposed museum to help preserve Arlington’s heritage. The result was the Arlington Historical Society Museum, which is run primarily by volunteers and has been open at least one day a week since its inception.

What About You?

What do you remember about Hume School? How have you interacted with the Historical Society? Let us know what you remember!

 

Jacobs Castle

Over the years, Arlington County has seen many residences and buildings rise and fall, but few can claim to have such an unusual story as that of Jacobs Castle.

While on vacation in Europe in the 1930s, obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. J. Bay Jacobs and his wife, Eva Harris Jacobs, saw a castle in Bavaria that they both greatly admired. Upon returning, the couple decided to build a similar one for their residence in Arlington.

The property chosen was a section of the former Thomas B. Dawson Estate, located near Rosslyn on a bluff of the Palisades overlooking the Potomac River. Construction started in 1938, with ongoing additions and improvements taking place into the 1950s.

Among the many features of the property was a fish pond, a striking wrought iron spiral staircase housed in the turret, and the oak flooring of the first floor living room, which had an unusual motif of carved butterflies in the shape of a man’s bowtie.

Following the deaths of the Jacobs (Mrs. Jacobs in 1979, Dr. Jacobs in 1988), the ornate antique furnishings were sold at auction, and, the castle was then deeded to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists by Dr. Jacobs’ son John Bay Jacobs II. Later, the property was sold to developer Conrad Cafritz, who envisioned developing some of the land while turning the castle itself into a community center. These plans came to naught when Cafritz went bankrupt and the property was foreclosed upon and later destroyed in November 1994.

A somewhat macabre coda to Jacobs Castle occurred when demolition workers unearthed the body of a baby, found inside a crate behind a small, boarded passageway. Dr. Jacobs’ son said his father preserved the bodies of stillborn infants for use in his teaching.

What About You?
Do you have any memories of Jacobs Castle? Let us know what you remember!

 

The Arlington Years: Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission on FY 2010 Proposed Library Budget

The Arlington Years

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

As submitted to the County Board, the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission has endorsed the proposed FY 2010 budget for the Department of Libraries.

The Commission praised the Library leadership team for a "strategic approach to the budget reductions required by the current economic environment and for their proactive attempts to explain the reductions to the community."

The Arlington Years: Library Proposed FY 2010 Budget FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

The Arlington Years

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

Hello,
The following is based on questions and answers that have been exchanged in recent weeks. This should be a bit easier to read than the comments section of the previous blog entry. Of course those comments will remain online.
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Library Proposed FY 2010 Budget  FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

How were library circulation statistics and other numbers used in formulating the proposed budget?
The circulation numbers cited are from Fiscal Year 2008 statistics, the most recent complete set of numbers we have. The percentage of circulations for a branch is the total number of circulations transacted at that branch divided by the total number of system circulations for FY 2008. Books sent to Cherrydale, for example, to fill holds (regardless of the owning branch) are counted as Cherrydale transactions if checked out to the borrower at Cherrydale.
Arlington Public Library keeps usage system statistics as required for national library metrics each year. The proposal to reduce hours at Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn was a difficult but well-researched business decision based on where reducing hours would have the least impact on the overall Arlington community and the Arlington Public Library system.
Historically and currently, Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn have the lowest branch percentages in terms of circulation and visitation. These are the two overarching statistics used in the field of libraries to evaluate usage. While reduced hours clearly create an inconvenience for some users of the Library system in some locations of the County, the goal is to maintain a viable Arlington Public Library system with the least inconveniences overall. According to the statistics, Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn are simply utilized less than other branches in the County system. (Plaza Branch Library & County Store is a special case and an explanation appears below.)
The cost to serve patrons at a specific location is not isolated to the direct cost of operating the facility itself. Other costs across the Library system are incurred to provide services at any location. Arlington Public Library is a system with many centralized budget items. Certain staff members perform duties that involve multiple sites and those responsibilities can vary on a daily basis.
We are pleased that Arlingtonians love their library system. We do too, especially because many staffers live in the County. And we tried hard to preserve the best of what we do at our busiest locations within budgetary constraints. We are not stopping anything we do. We are reducing hours so that we can repurpose staff to fill existing vacancies and open a brand new, larger facility in Westover later this year without being able to hire additional staff.

Why close the current Westover branch for three months this year?
The most current information we have is that the new Westover-Reed building will open in October. Closing the building allows us to ensure a smooth transition to the new facility. By closing in July, we also realize a one-time budget savings of $32,000 that would have been designated for temporary workers.

How will the new hours for the library system be established?
We are considering all suggestions for a system-wide schedule. Everything is on the table for discussion as we remain committed to providing the best level of service we can given the circumstances. The goal is to be open 24 hours a week at Glencarlyn, Cherrydale and Aurora Hills. Which hours/number of hours/days we are open is subject to discussion and we welcome feedback as we look at options to meet the greatest demands on the system within our budget constraints.
With limited staff and money to run each facility, reducing hours at some sites enables us to retain the best of what we do. And we hope to create a schedule that is not so complicated that no one can remember when we're open. Such varied hours of operation would be a disservice to the whole community.
We are not restructuring the Library system at this time—we are belt-tightening, which is why we chose to reduce hours, trim our materials budget, freeze vacant positions and hold spending in operations costs to system-wide savings. Each branch and Central are part of a whole known as Arlington Public Library and we look at this process from that vantage point.

Reducing branch hours at the three aforementioned branches enables the Library system to:
  • Respond to service demands in the busiest locations. There are staff shortages throughout the library system due to vacancies, a hiring freeze and position eliminations.
  • Respond to the increased service requirements at the new Westover Branch Library, which will have twice the space of the existing facility. Two permanent positions reallocated from the Cherrydale branch will serve at the Westover branch.
  • Reduce use of temporary employees to cover vacation leave, sick leave and other staff shortages across the entire library system. The permanent branch positions are not eliminated; affected staff will be reassigned to work in other branches and Central Library.

How will the library collections be affected by a reduced budget for new materials?
The Library makes the best use it can of the money it has for collections. Funding was already cut in FY 2009 because of state reductions and the budget will be reduced further in 2010. We continue to look at the collection needs of the system as a whole to determine spending priorities.
Since we are a small community and make deliveries every day but Sunday throughout the system, we try very hard to provide our residents with what they need. Our goal is to keep our system-wide collection both broad and deep with a mix of popular materials at each location.
As we have neither the space nor the budget to duplicate the entire library collection at each location, we rely on our system of deliveries to ensure that Arlington residents can get what they need where they need it as quickly as possible.

How are volunteers used by the Library system and could they fill the roles of some staff members?
Volunteers are always welcome. The challenge is to find the right balance between the use of permanent, professional staff (many with masters degrees in library science) and volunteers. The Library has always used volunteers and will continue to do so. We greatly appreciate each and every one. They are wonderful.
Volunteers log
as many as 1200 hours per month. This level of support is enormously helpful to our professional staff and enables us to do "more with less." But professional library staff are also privy to patrons’ confidential information and for everyone’s protection, tasks that involve such access are performed by only a handful of specially trained volunteers.

Can donations of materials help the Library’s collections needs?
The Library welcomes donations of materials in good condition and yet, approximately 99 percent of donations are not needed for the Library's collection so it is not an effective offset to our materials budget, overall. That said, donations sold by Friends of the Arlington Public Library at its semi-annual book sales (and in small sale displays at our locations) make for an immensely valuable and cost-effective program.
Almost all Friends book sale proceeds come back to the Library to support Library programming and to purchase new materials for our system, which benefits all of our branches and Central.

Why is Plaza Library and County Store treated differently than other branches?
The Plaza Library and Arlington Store is a unique, new component to both the Library system and Arlington County Government operations. It provides government reference service for County staff, manages the County store and serves as "information and referral"—a switchboard, if you will—for all County offices and services. It is not open at night and on weekends because it has a specific mission not shared by the rest of the libraries in the system, including Central.

Why is Central Library treated differently within the system?
Central Library is not a branch and is designed to provide a number of unique services and materials that can’t be duplicated throughout the system. Central is a hub, not a spoke. Central libraries traditionally have the most hours within a system.
The last reduction in hours within Arlington Public Library took place in July 2008, when the 9 p.m.-to-10 p.m. hour was eliminated Monday through Thursday at Central Library so staffing and resources could be redirected to busier times of day. This reduction helped meet Fiscal Year 2009 budget cut requirements that resulted in part because of cuts in state aid. At the time no library in neighboring jurisdictions and no Arlington branches were open past 9 p.m. and that remains true today. Central Library is now open 72 hours per week, more than any other central library in the region.

Will the Library be raising fees and fines?
For the proposed FY 2010 budget, the Library recommended raising the fines for overdue materials, and increasing the fees for both interlibrary loans and printing.
Raising fees will realize a small amount of additional revenue for the County. The Library has not raised its fees since 1998 and we have now proposed bringing them to a level consistent with that of other jurisdictions. One example: the price for printing a sheet of paper from an Arlington Public Library computer terminal will rise from 10 cents to 15 cents. The cost of using a copier is already 15 cents per sheet and will not rise.
Arlington Public Library is fortunate to have reciprocal borrowing agreements with other local jurisdictions, both a privilege and a convenience Arlington residents benefit from. Because of the reciprocal borrowing agreements, made possible through the Council of Governments, we do not charge for this service and similarly, Arlington residents who borrow from outside of Arlington are not charged.
We are opposed to charging for using library materials, no matter how nominal the fee. Charging for use runs counter to the mission of a public library, which is to provide free and open access to residents regardless of their ethnic background, educational level, or economic status.
In addition, the Code of Virginia says the following: "The service of books in library systems and libraries receiving state aid shall be free and shall be made available to all persons living in the county, region, or municipality." (Code 1950, § 42-31; 1970, c. 606.)

"The term 'books' as used in this chapter may be interpreted in the discretion of the Board to mean books, magazines, newspapers, appropriate audiovisual materials and other printed matter."  (Code 1950, § 42-32; 1952, c. 494; 1970, c. 606.)

Could Library facilities be rented out to raise funds?
It is important to note that County administrative regulations prohibit the use of County conference rooms, including those in libraries, for profit-generating activities. We would also need to evaluate the additional costs of opening the facilities when the County is closed (e.g., cleaning services and security) and the increase in building wear and tear.
Keep in mind that food is not allowed in the public spaces of libraries during operating hours so that would factor in as well.

How can Arlington consider cutting library hours during the current economic troubles when no library in the United States was closed during the Great Depression?
A cursory Web search finds a number of libraries indeed closed during the Depression, from Seattle to Texas to North Carolina and up to nearby Bethesda. No doubt there were others, probably even in Virginia. Library hours were also affected.
The New York Public Library website tells us this about that system:  “As a result of reductions in the 1934 New York City budget, ten branch locations of The New York Public Library were closed from June - September 1934, according to The New York Times (May 11, 1934, p. 23), and the Staten Island "book wagon" and the "Bronx Traveling Library" were stopped, as well. Six other branches – non-Carnegie branches – had substantial reductions in hours of service, and those hours were not restored until the fall of 1939, according to the Times (September 13, 1939, p. 25)."

The Arlington Years: Arlington Public Library Service Reductions and the FY 2010 Budget

The Arlington Years

Thoughts from County Native and Arlington Public Library Director, Diane Kresh
Dear friends,
As we adjust to the new economic realities that have prompted budget reductions across County government, Arlington Public Library remains committed to providing the best services and collections possible for our customers.
Despite belt tightening and lifestyle changes, those of us fortunate enough to serve the residents of the County will continue the effort to preserve the things that make Arlington a special place to live and work. This is reflected in the budget choices we have made and in the services we continue to provide. 
In brief, Arlington Public Library’s budget recommendations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 are: 

• Glencarlyn, Cherrydale and Aurora Hills branches open 3 days per week
• Decreasing the materials budget by $125,000, meaning fewer purchases of books, magazines, newspapers, electronic databases, DVDs and music
• Significantly decreased use of non-permanent staff at all levels
• Increased vacancies within the permanent staff due to frozen positions
• Closing the current Westover branch facility effective July 1, to prepare for the opening of the new Westover facility in fall 2009
• Suggested increases in library fines and fees for printing, lost library cards, overdue materials and interlibrary loan mailings

None of these decisions were easy and at this stage, the FY 2010 budget is a proposal.

There are many opportunities to make your opinion known. In addition to the public hearings to be held by the Arlington County Board in late March, the Library is scheduling open “town meetings” at Central Library and each of our branches except Plaza.  All meetings will start at 7 p.m. except Aurora Hills, when I will speak at 7:45. Here is the schedule. PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME: I will speak at the Aurora Hills meeting (hosted by the AH Civic Association) at 8:30 p.m.:
• March 4, Cherrydale
• March 10, Glencarlyn
• March 11, Aurora Hills (new time–8:30 p.m in senior center adjacent to library)
• March 17, Westover
• March 18, Central (Auditorium)
• March 31, Shirlington
• April 1, Columbia Pike

As someone who grew up in Arlington and benefited from its first-rate Library, I want to “do it all” for this system.  And yet we can’t given the current budget predicament. 
So the staff and I chose to recommend doing the next best thing, which is to fund our programs and services in the most cost-effective way possible so we can continue to fill shelves with relevant materials, entertain children with storytimes and help neighbors get back on their feet with free computers, Internet access and job-seeking resources.
Our proposed hours of service across the system may change—to enable us to staff where service demands are greatest—but our commitment to the community is unchanged.
Please take advantage of the “comments” link below to send me your questions and suggestions. I will respond under your remarks to keep the dialogue going. And I look forward to meeting you and speaking with you in person at one of the seven open “town meetings” mentioned above.
Over to you…






















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