Alert

All Library Locations and Services Closed June 18-19 in Honor of Juneteenth More Info

Alert

COVID-19 Related Library Service News and Updates More Info

Arlington Public Library

Library Communications Officer

Aurora Hills, Columbia Pike and Central Library to Reopen July 6

Central Libraryb entyrance with Pride banner.

With Summer Reading in full swing, Arlington Public Library is prioritizing expansion of in-person service and increased access to library collections this summer. The Library is currently hiring and training additional staff to prepare for this phased reopening after an unprecedented staff shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent hiring freeze.

The Express Library Service model will be in place across the Library system until the Library is closer to normal staffing levels.

Opening This Summer

Aurora Hills, Columbia Pike and Central Library will reopen for Express Library Service on July 6.

  • Central Library will expand from Holds Pickup to Express Library Service.
  • Operating hours to be announced closer to opening date.
  • All open branches will prioritize access to library collections.
  • Meeting rooms, spaced seating and public PCs will be reinstated as soon as staffing allows.
  • Storytime will resume branch-wide once staffing increases.
  • The Center for Local History at Central Library will open by appointment later this summer.

Fall Expansion of Services

Cherrydale and Glencarlyn Library will reopen Fall 2021.

  • Programming will expand across the Library system as staffing increases

Service Updates

  • The Shed, the Library’s seasonal garden-tool lending service, will remain closed for the 2021 growing season for staffing reasons, with plans to reopen in 2022.
  • The Shop, the Library’s maker space, will remain closed until staffing allows for increased levels of programming.
  • The Plaza branch will remain closed in preparation for a long-planned expansion and renovation.

Returns

The Library is no longer quarantining returned items. However, due to staffing shortage, items may not get checked in for several days after they have been returned in a book drop. If over 7 days have passed since you returned your library items and they remain on your account, please contact the Library to update your account.

In anticipation of reopening additional branches and expanded programs, we wanted to thank our patrons and the Arlington community for your continued support and patience during these past 15 months. We look forward to seeing you back at the library!

As always, we value your feedback. Tell us what you think about our Library services. We will read and consider all comments.

Send Us Your Feedback

2021 Summer Reading Offers Tasty Programs, Hot Prizes and Fresh Booklists for Everyone!

Zest up your summer with Arlington Public Library’s full menu of refreshing Summer Reading: Food for Thought programs, win tasteful prizes and support the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) while you read!

Photo of a colorful window mural at Westover Library.

Explore curated book lists and participate in a food-themed  scavenger hunt at the Wonder Window at Westover.

How Summer Reading Works

  • Read for 30 days. You can't read too little or too much on any day and you don't have to read for 30 days in a row.
  • Register and track your reading in the Library App or the paper log (available at open branches or download PDF).
  • For each reader who finishes the Summer Reading challenge, the Friends of the Arlington Public Library will donate $1 to AFAC.
  • Learn more about Summer Reading prizes and raffles.

On the Menu for June

  • Wednesday, June 9, 7 - 9 p.m., online
    Kitchen Literacy with Ann Vileisis
    Join award-winning author and historian Ann Vileisis as she recounts the colorful history of preparing dinner in America. RSVP
  • Friday, June 11, 10 - 11 a.m., Shirlington Branch Library
    Family Zumba at the Library
    Children can jam out to their favorite music and be active in a kid-friendly version of Zumba class. RSVP
  • Friday, June 11, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Westover Branch Library
    Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration with Spinny Johnson
    Bring the whole family for a fun outdoor event featuring artist and athlete Spinny Johnson to launch the Summer Reading Challenge. RSVP

Summer Reading helps children and teens to avoid the summer slide and reintroduces them to the joy of reading. It provides parents and kids with a tool to read or listen to books together and it gives adults a reason to explore new books and authors.

Summer Reading: Food for Thought is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library and the Washington Nationals.

Learn more about the 2021 Summer Reading challenge and all the featured summer events.

New Outdoor Storytime Series at Central and Shirlington Library

In-Person Storytime Series Kicks Off Outside at Central Library on May 18.

Young girl holding a teddy bear while sitting outside in the park.

Outdoor Storytime is a fun and interactive program, presented by youth service librarians, and combines activities such as read-aloud stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and flannel boards.

A kick-off event will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 10 a.m., at Central Library adjacent to Quincy Park, with special guest Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh.

“We are thrilled to bring back one of our most popular programs for young children,” said Library Director Kresh. “Storytimes lay the foundation for curiosity, imagination and deepen the connection to the outside world,” Kresh continued.

Two programs will be offered — Family Storytime for children from 0-5 years, and Lapsit Storytime for babies age 12 months and under. Each program lasts approximately for 20 minutes.

Family Storytime (0-5 years)

  • Outside Central Library – Tuesdays, 10 a.m., May 18 – June 29
  • Outside Shirlington Branch – Tuesdays, 10 a.m., May 25 – June 29

Baby Lapsit Storytime (0-12 months)

  • Outside Central Library – Thursdays, 10 a.m., May 20 – July 1
  • Outside Shirlington Branch – Thursdays, 10 a.m., May 20 – July 1

For safety, family groups should be accompanied by one adult only and spaced 6 feet apart to account for social distancing. Masks are required for adults and all attendees are encouraged to wear a mask.

Attendance at Outdoor Storytimes and Baby Lapsit Storytimes will be first-come, first-served until event capacity is reached.

Interested in attending? Visit our events calendar to RSVP for an event reminder and to receive weather-related cancellation notifications.

Center for Local History to Curate 2020 Time Capsule

2020 UnBoxed

Photo of colored cloth face masks with a typographic logo of "2020 UnBoxed."

The Center for Local History (CLH) will curate a time capsule, “2020 UnBoxed,” which will contain objects and material representing the major events and themes of 2020 in Arlington County.  

“The time capsule is a snapshot of today as well as a gift for the future, preserving an account of a particular period in time,” said Library Director Diane Kresh. 

Themes for the collection will include:   

  • The 2020 Census 
  • The COVID-19 pandemic 
  • Racial justice and civic unrest 
  • Arlington County’s naming centennial 
  • The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage

The CLH, whose mission is to preserve and share the history of Arlington County, its citizens, organizations, businesses and social issues, will reach out to community organizations and leaders over the next 9 months to obtain items that represent the major events of 2020. 

The time capsule will also draw from items donated to the COVID-19 Archives project. Residents are encouraged to continue to submit donations that illustrate how Arlington life has been affected and altered by the pandemic. 

The time capsule collection will be exhibited online in October during American Archives Month, which celebrates and raises awareness about the value of archives and archivists. The items will then be sealed and deposited in the Arlington Community Archives for preservation and future research. 

Free Resources for Nonprofits Strengthen Local Communities

Build capacity, empower constituents!

Your nonprofit organization can benefit from the comprehensive resources offered at the Library, which consist of educational resources, workshops and one-on-one appointments.

Explore Resources

ANV: A Case Study

In 2019, the library assisted Arlington’s local nonprofit, Arlington Neighborhood Villages (ANV) to identify potential local funders and directed ANV to Guidestar, an online source for funders to vet grant seekers.   

As a result, AVN secured a grant from Arlington-based Cloudbreak Foundation that assists community-based charitable organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The grant will help ANV to do outreach to lower income seniors and keep providing the human connection, support and education needed to help older adults age in place in Arlington. 

"It was a huge help to our fundraising team," said Wendy Zenker, Executive Director of Arlington Neighborhood Village.

"The trainings offered to our volunteers, access to a national database of foundations, and crucial one-on-one support are a complete support package offered by the library which set us on a path to success," Zenker continued.  

ANV member receives a grocery delivery.

ANV member, V., receives a grocery delivery from a volunteer.

Foundation Directory Online

The free e-source tool “Foundation Directory Online (FDO) Essentials,” contains 235,000+ grantmaker profiles to help nonprofits find foundations that are most likely to fund their projects.

The Library provides personalized instruction to grant seekers on how to search FDO Essentials effectively.

Arlington Public Library continues to offer resources for nonprofits during the pandemic.

The comprehensive service offering provides Arlington-based organizations with the resources they need to increase and diversify their revenue streams, build capacity and empower their constituents. 

  • Access to Foundation Directory Online Essentials (FDO Essentials) to find grantmakers 
  • Books and other resources for grant seekers
  • Virtual workshops (Introduction to proposal writing, FDO Essentials and fundraising planning)
  • One-on-one, virtual FDO Essentials research instruction appointments 
Explore Resources

Library Operations Update: Express Library Service

At Shirlington and Westover

In November 2020, the Arlington County Board approved bringing back limited temporary workers to assist in reopening the Shirlington and Westover Branches for Express Library Service. (The County continues to have a hiring freeze, in place since March 2020, for permanent Library staff.)

Opening Date to be Determined

While an opening date is not yet set, we want to provide a more detailed view of the new service. Library staff have been working hard behind the scenes to configure the two branches.

When Express Library Service opens at Shirlington and Westover, patrons will be able to:

  • Browse collections for up to 30 minutes
  • Check out materials
  • Pick up holds
  • Use self-serve checkout stations
  • Use the public single-stall restrooms

All other services will be unavailable, including public seating, meeting rooms and public computers.

Proposed Open Hours

Hours and days are subject to change.

  • Tuesday through Thursday: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shirlington Service Desk
Navigation arrows at Shirlington
Westover service desk
Westover entrance and book return
Westover stacks
New self check station at Westover

Safety Remains a Top Priority

Arlington Public Library continues to work closely with the Arlington County Government leadership and the Department of Public Health to make decisions about Library operations.

We are carefully considering the safety of library staff and patrons, and the operating status of the Express Library Service locations will be re-evaluated every two weeks going forward.

Ongoing Library Service

At this time, the Holds Pickup Service at Central Library will continue to operate as scheduled and patrons can use online services 24x7.

Thank you for your continued patience. We are eager to reconnect with more library patrons in 2021.

Send Us Your Feedback

If you have a question that requires a response, need help accessing your Library account or placing holds, please contact us by phone, online chat or text.

The Library Director’s 2020 Book List, Continued

Reading in a Pandemic

“Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place in which to lose myself. They have allowed me to remember. They have allowed me to forget. They have allowed me to imagine different endings and better possible worlds.”

Roxane Gay, "Bad Feminist"

In late December last year, I compiled a list of books I intended to read in 2020.  As with most “to do” lists and resolutions, I began with good intentions. And then the pandemic hit and the books on my list no longer seemed adequate. My reading tastes shifted along with everything else in both my work and home life.

Photo of hand written notes of a book list.

I’ve always been a reader, but I began reading voraciously, as if I was running out of time.

Barely was a book closed before another opened. My hold list in the library catalog grew and grew and GREW. I created booklists on scraps of paper and in the margins of the arts and style sections of the newspaper. I listened faithfully to The Book Review Podcast from the New York Times.

And I read. All the time. More than 50 books in all, across genres and styles, dating from the 19th century to the present.

Diane's 2020 Pandemic Reading List
Photo of book covers.

There were many standouts. Long a fan of coming of age novels, I read five that will stick with me. Each of these authors is known for other, more famous books. These are worth a look for everyone who wants to revisit the trials of adolescence and early adulthood.

I dipped into classics:

And on the lighter side because I needed a dose of hopefulness, “A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle.

Photo of book covers.

Race was very much on the national mind and steered me toward:

The 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women being granted the right to vote drew me to women’s issues more broadly. I read:

For the pure pleasure of superior plotting and writing, I’ll mention “Disappearing Earth” by Julia Phillips.

Photo of book covers.

And finally, the wonderful Arlington READS authors whose books we featured in our 2020 series, “We the People.” In a year of reinvention of Library programs and services, we Zoomed the author talks, part of our new now.

And on a personal note, I discovered the joy (and ease) of audiobooks, especially when read by the author. What a delightful way to get lost in a story.

Diane's 2020 Pandemic Reading List

Reading was an anchor, a sure bet during months of uncertainty. With hours blending into days, into weeks and then months, I occasionally lost track of the day of the week, but never lost my place in a book. I had something to look forward to and there were always more books.

My stacks of books have not disappeared, and I am still adding holds in the Library catalog. At this moment, I am reading “Surviving Autocracy,“ by Russian-American journalist, translator and activist Masha Gessen, who I am excited to announce will be our first Arlington READS author in the new year.

In closing, thank you for your support of Arlington Public Library. It is a joy and an honor to serve this wonderful community.

Stay safe, stay hopeful and keep reading.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Columbia Pike Renovation Starts Early August

Full Renovation Will Create Improved 1st Floor Library

Access to the Columbia Pike Branch book drop and parking lot Wi-Fi will be unavailable during construction.

Columbia Pike, 2009

The full renovation will create a significantly improved library space for patrons on the first floor.

The Columbia Pike Library, currently closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is beginning a long-planned renovation project.  The first floor of the library will undergo a full renovation to include more efficient use of floor space and shelving, more small public meeting room spaces, improved lighting, and new furniture, carpet and paint.

The current second floor of the library will be converted to a classroom and multi-use space for the adjoining Arlington Career Center.  The renovated second floor space will be available to the community as a public meeting and gathering space on the evenings and weekends, in cooperation with Arlington Public Schools (APS).

What is the timeline of the construction and when will the Columbia Pike Library re-open?

  • Construction is scheduled to begin in early August and will go through late Fall 2020.
  • All library neighborhood branches are currently closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Holds-only pickup of books and DVDs is underway at Central Library.  Following completion of construction, the County will evaluate when to reopen the Columbia Pike library based on Covid-19 conditions and health and safety guidelines in place at that time.

What are the immediate changes for residents and library patrons?

  • The book drop at Columbia Pike will close as of Friday, July 17.
  • All other book drops remain open.
  • Wi-Fi in the parking lot at Columbia Pike will no longer be available after Wednesday, July 22.

How can residents access library and expanded Wi-Fi services going forward?

  • Expanded Wi-Fi remains available in the parking lots at Central Library and Aurora Hills Library.
  • The library’s eBook and eAudiobook collection is available and has expanded offerings.
  • The status of County facilities is uncertain moving forward due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, holds-only pickup of books and DVDs is underway at Central Library.
  • The library will continue to evaluate what library services can be offered safely for patrons and staff.  Expanded offerings beyond the holds-only pickup service at Central library may be available at one or more libraries in the future.

Background

The School Board and County Board members first met with the community about this project on November 18, 2019.  For more information on the Arlington Career Center Expansion project and Arlington Public Schools use permit for this construction project, please see Item 34 from the June 13, 2020 County Board agenda and continue to follow the APS design and construction page for the Arlington Career Center Expansion updates.

Arlington Public Library Eliminates Overdue Fines

Minimizing Barriers to Using the Library

As of July 1, Arlington Public Library eliminated overdue library fines to make the library’s collections accessible to all Arlingtonians and library patrons. The goal is to increase access to and minimize barriers for marginalized populations to use the library, particularly for youth and low-income patrons.

“Every member of our community has a right to library services and library fines and fees are known barriers to use. We are pleased that we can eliminate these long- standing barriers and continue our mission to reach everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background,” says Diane Kresh, Director of Arlington Public Library.

The elimination of fines will reduce the Library fine budget by an expected $155,000 in anticipated revenue to $10,000 in FY 2021. The $10,000 remains in the budget due to the continuation of replacement fees for lost items.

Borrowing

Patrons will be able to borrow an item for up to twelve weeks if no other patron has placed a hold or up to 3 weeks if another patron has a hold on the item.

Library staffer adding back books to a shelf.

If the item is not returned at the end of the loan period, a grace period of twenty-eight days will come into effect. The patron will not accrue overdue fines during the twenty-eight days. If the item is not returned by the end of the grace period, the item is considered lost and a replacement fee will be charged. If a replacement fee is charged and the item is later returned, the fee is reversed. The replacement fee is dependent on the cost of the book.

Going forward, patrons who either lose or fail to return items to the Library will be assessed a replacement fee that will affect their ability to borrow, renew, place holds on materials, or log in to premium sites, such as Consumer Reports until the fee has been paid or the item has been returned.

Patrons with existing fines will still need to pay those. During the library closure, no fines were accrued for checked-out items.

Paying Fines

  • By phone at 703-228-5260; Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  • By mail with a check or money order mailed to Central Library, Attention: Circulation, 1015 N. Quincy St, Arlington, VA 22201
    • Please include the library card number with the payment and make the check payable to “Treasurer of Arlington County.”

To find out more about borrowing, loan periods and renewals, visit the accounts information page.

Public Libraries Stand For Liberty, Tolerance And Acceptance

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I have spent the last several days feeling conflicted: alternately saddened and outraged by the death of George Floyd. Buoyed by the peaceful demonstrations that ensued in the wake of his cruel death and frustrated by the acts of violence. Our country is torn and this current state is, sadly, not a new experience. As someone who was living in Arlington in 1968 and witnessed the burning of our nation’s capital, I can say, with regret, I’ve seen this movie, too.

Now what?

  • It is not enough to share a social media post describing racial injustice or to add an emoji.
  • It is not enough to wait for others to decide what to do to address structural racism.
  • It is not enough to remain silent because conversations about race in America are difficult.

It is enough to look within ourselves and take an action —any action — that says to oneself and others: the disparate treatment of black people, brown people, other people, must not stand.

Today, the public library inhabits a unique role in American society. It stands for liberty, tolerance and acceptance.

It says believe what you will and your beliefs will not be judged. It says come as you are and you will be embraced as you are. And it says that if you are comfortable and secure or in need and uncertain, the library will be your refuge. A pretty tall order but one we signed onto when we entered this field — in my case, more than 40 years ago this week.

In this unprecedented time of crisis and chaos, we have a rare opportunity to revisit and reaffirm both our library and our personal values, beliefs and commitments to everyone in our community, especially those whom neither history nor prosperity has favored.

If not now, when? If not us, who?

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

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