The Arlington Reads: Get Graphic author talk, featuring Art Spiegelman, is available to watch until October 21, 2023.
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Meescan: The Free Self-Checkout App Makes Borrowing Books Easier!
Arlington Public Library is introducing a new option to checking out library items – the Meescan app!
Download Meescan to your mobile device (available from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store), log into your library account and scan the library barcode to check out an item.
There are three ways to check out at the Library – at the service desk with staff, a self-check terminal or with the Meescan app.
Meescan will only allow you to check out items while in a library location. The app does not work for the collections:
- Garden Tools
- Hot Spots
- American Girl Dolls
- Energy Lending Library
- DIY Items
In addition to the Meescan app, the Library offers two more mobile solutions for check out!
The Arlington Public Library App
Access the library catalog, manage your account, learn about programs and receive library news.
Developed in partnership with Arlington County’s Department of Technology Services, the app for iOS and Android puts the library at your fingertips, wherever you may be!
- Browse book lists and news
- Create your own lists in the app
- Rate titles and get personalized recommendations
- Search the catalog and library events
The Libby App from OverDrive
Access eBooks, listen to eAudiobooks and read digital magazines.
Kids, teens and adults can read or listen to thousands of popular titles on their phones or tablets.
- Download Libby from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.
- Add your library card, then search for and check out titles in the app.
New September Releases
New Books to Inspire Your Reading During Pumpkin Spice Season
School is in session and pumpkin spice season has started, even if it is still pool weather! We have great books for you to curl up with while waiting for the temperatures to drop.
Housekeeper Eliza Touchet finds herself captivated by the trial of an Australian butcher claiming to be a long-lost aristocrat while dealing with changes in her employer’s house (who is also her cousin.) The trial and most of the characters are real in Zadie Smith’s latest, "The Fraud."
Ovidia Yu’s seventh Crown Colony mystery, "The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery" sees the return of the British to Singapore after WWII. Su Chin is trying to figure out where she fits after the upheaval of the war years, but first she must discover who murdered her uncle’s associate at their family compound.
A League of Their Own is the highest-grossing baseball movie of all time. Go behind the scenes in the making of the instant classic with "No Crying in Baseball" by Erin Carlson.
From warfare to agriculture, myth to climate change, Stephen Moss highlights how birds have impacted human life and shaped history in "Ten Birds that Changed the World."
Told in the voices of seven students from different backgrounds, the middle grade verse-novel "Mascot" by Charles Waters and Traci Sorrell explores issues raised with a group's writing assignment on the pros and cons of Indigenous peoples as mascots.
In 1969, American Indian activists occupied Alcatraz Island for nineteen months, highlighting the myriad of issues facing Native Americans as well as the legacy of discriminatory Indian policy and sparked meaningful change. Teen readers can learn all about this pivotal moment in "Of All Tribes: American Indians and Alcatraz" by Joseph Bruchac.
More Book Lists To Explore
Extend your Labor Day celebrations with these books looking at the ongoing struggles for workers' rights:
Fall in love this school year!
Director’s Message: Libraries for All
Library Director Diane Kresh speaking during the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony at Central Library. Photo by Christopher George.
On August 24, 2023, Arlington Public Library had the privilege of hosting a U.S. Naturalization Ceremony.
As a local government department, we were asked by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to be the location where 50 people, representing over 30 countries, would become new American citizens.
It was an awe-inspiring experience, and it reminded me how libraries are for all.
- Libraries provide free and unrestricted access to information, for all.
- Libraries create safe spaces to celebrate our collective and varied cultures, for all.
- Libraries are the center of the community, and we welcome all, whether you are a citizen or not.
50 people, representing over 30 countries, participated in the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony. Photos by Christopher George.
The library is a place of new beginnings and possibilities for these 50 new Americans who were sworn in yesterday, for our diverse Arlington community (of which 22.5% are foreign born), and for future generations of New Americans arriving to Arlington. We even offer classes to prepare for the United States Citizenship Exam.
Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the Library of Congress, has said, "Libraries are where it all begins." And it's true. Let’s think about that for a minute in the context of what it means to be a citizen.
Becoming a citizen means being granted certain rights and responsibilities in exchange for active engagement in community life and governance, at both the local, state and national level.
Citizenship is a weighty responsibility. One that requires patience and diligence. This Country’s form of representational government depends on the active engagement of all citizens.
And that’s where we come in. Libraries, especially public libraries, were founded on the belief that the public has a right to know.
Arlington Public Library welcomes all who enter our doors.
September is “Library Card Sign-up Month.” Please join us with our vital work in the community by finding a way to help someone get a new library card.
With libraries, the possibilities are endless and communities are stronger.
Libraries for all.
Diane KreshDirector, Arlington Public Library
Parkington
Arlington's First Shopping Mall
Before it was known as the Ballston Quarter, Parkington was the largest shopping center on the East Coast and one of the first major shopping malls in the Washington D.C. area.
The Hecht Company, c. 1950s, CLH Collections
Publicized as “the area’s most dramatic venture in retail merchandising” when it opened in 1951, Parkington represented the post-war boom in suburban life and centralized, indoor retail shopping.
Located at the historic "Balls Crossroads" intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Glebe Road, Parkington Shopping Center was built on the site of the former Ballston Stadium (video). Used for practice by the Washington Redskins in 1938, the stadium had also been home to many local football games between Arlington neighborhoods under the Arlington County Federation of Boys’ Clubs.
Construction
Financed and constructed by Hecht's Department Store, Parkington was the flagship of Hecht's chain on the East Coast.
During construction, Parkington drew its name from the large, multistory parking garage at the heart of the development. It was described by the Evening Star in 1950 as “the first suburban shopping center with a four tiered parking garage built over a score of retail stores in the middle of the area.”
Officially opened on November 2, 1951, Hecht's was hailed as a "miracle of planning" - a modern and exciting improvement to the shopping experience.
Parkington and W&T Grant Co., c. 1951, CLH Collections
Hecht's had a first aid room staffed by a full time nurse, bridal consultants, maternity shops, and interior decorating services, as well as an auditorium and spaces to hold classes in upholstery.
Car pulling into Parkington garage, c. 1951, CLH Collections
Unknown model outside of Hecht's, c. 1951, CLH Collections
Birth of the Modern Mall
Many aspects of malls today that are taken for granted were still in the trial phase during the lifetime of Parkington. Newspapers at the time celebrated the “foolproof escalators… one person wide…they’re said to be safer than the broader types” and the way “shoppers may window shop from store to store without fear of being run over by delivery trucks” as well as the novelty of a store that was “fully air conditioned and fireproofed by a sprinkler system.” Features like a public address system throughout the building and background music while shopping were also brand new and helped establish Parkington as a hub of shopping innovation.
Upon opening, the Washington Post described Parkington Shopping Center as,
“A towering green brick building with an all-glass facade, lighted from behind by 180 fluorescent tubes…Hecht customers may drive to the store level in which they wish to shop, park their car, walk a few yards into the store and buy the items they want.”
The concept of the “shopping mall” was so exciting that the BBC, in collaboration with the United States Information Agency, produced a half an hour long program on American shopping malls, with Hecht’s as the focus. Describing Parkington as the blueprint for the modern mall/department store, they said,
“Ten years ago, there was no such shape as this in our American countryside. In recent years, these box-like structures have become part of the semi-rural scene all over America. Today their presence in a village or a suburb is accepted by most Americans without a thought. They’re just part of the changing picture. They are the magnets that attract customers from miles around.”
With the aim of diverting area shoppers to Arlington by the lure of one-stop shopping, the 5 story, 1,146,000 sq. ft. building grew to hold over 30 stores.
Parkington Shopping Center added stores like Walgreens, Giant Foods, McCrorys, Hub Furniture, Stag’s Shops Men’s Clothing, Crawford Clothes, Wilbur Roger’s Women’s Apparel, the Casual Corner, and a Disney themed children’s barber. Restaurants at Parkington included a Polish bakery, South Pacific Polynesian Cuisine and the Virginia Room Restaurant on the basement floor, which held a conveyor belt in order to bring meals and take away dirty dishes.
Construction of McCrory's, c. 1951, CLH Collections
A Community Fixture
Parkington quickly established itself as an important part of the Arlington community. Hecht’s three story glass wall was used to display messages along the entire block, becoming a local landmark for residents. The “sign” contained eighty-seven 10ft by 14ft canvas panels, which were used to create messages in celebration of the holidays and to support organizations like the Heart Fund and Arlington Beautification Association.
The glass façade of the Hecht Company celebrating the Girl Scouts 50th Anniversary, c. 1952, CLH Collections
Advertising for the Arlington Beautification Association, c. 1950s, CLH Collections
During the 1950s - at its peak in popularity - Parkington drew in local and national celebrities for events. In 1956, after an upgrade to the decorations and murals inside the store, Hecht’s established the “Freedom Fair”, honoring the 15th anniversary of Series E United States Savings Bonds as a way to show off the renovated facilities. Hecht’s brought comedians Abbott and Costello, Charlie Brown cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, artist Norman Rockwell, and actors Virginia Mayo, Michael O’Shea, Buddy Hackett, Jeanne Crain, and “Miss Frances” Horwich to Arlington for shows and events for customers. That same year, Parkington celebrated its 5th birthday with a 12 foot high birthday cake and prizes for local residents.
Abbott and Costello with Arlington Police, 1956, Photo Courtesy of Arlington PD
Parkington's Decline and Closure
Although Parkington grossed over $223 million in 1959 and expanded with a 12 story office building in 1963, the success would not last long. More department stores and malls opened in the area through the 1960s and 70s, competing with the already aging Parkington complex. By 1979, with the addition of the Ballston Orange Line Metro stop, property value skyrocketed and the 30-year-old facilities were in desperate need of renovation.
Plans were brought forth to completely raze the original structure and rebuild, leaving Hecht’s as the only building standing. After Arlington County approved a $13 million investment in 1982, the $100 million renovation project was officially unveiled, with construction finishing in 1986. A naming contest among Arlington County residents renamed the site from Parkington to Ballston Common Mall for its reopening in October 1986.
Arlington Journal, January 15, 1981, CLH Collections
Arlington Journal, January 15, 1981, CLH Collections
The new Ballston Common Mall included 4 stories for retail and nine additional stories were added above the mall to be used as office space. One hundred new businesses, including a J.C. Penneys, were added; the only stores to survive the transition besides Hecht’s were Casual Corner, Waldenbooks, General Nutrition Center, and Dart Drug.
At the end of the 1990s, the Ballston Common Mall was once again in need of changes and by the early 2000s, the parking garage was transformed into the Kettler Capitals Iceplex (the HQ and practice facility for NHL team the Washington Capitals). The Hecht Company was sold to Macy's in 2005 and the Hecht's name was subsequently phased out. By 2016, most of the businesses had been closed in order to redevelop the entire site into the Ballston Quarter.
The Francis Copeland Collection
The Francis Copeland Collection at the Center for Local History features over 200 previously unseen images. These photo negatives document the construction of Hecht's and its surrounding Parkington Shopping Center. The photos also offer a glimpse into the 1940s-1950s Ballston neighborhood of Arlington.
Copeland was the Visual Color Lab Manager for Hecht’s Department Store, and worked in their Parkington location during the 1970s. When the store decided to discard a large group of negatives from the 1940s and 1950s, Copeland donated them to the CLH and other archives around the area. To view more photos of Hecht's and Parkington, visit the Francis Copeland Collection.
Help Build Arlington's Community History
The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Center For Local History - Blog Post Message Form
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New August Releases
Finish Your Summer Reading With These New Releases
It’s the last few weeks of summer—can you believe school will start before the month is over?
What better way to spend these August days than finishing your Summer Reading with these great new releases?
Val thought she was kidnapped and raised in isolation, but after her father dies, she discovers that she used to be on a cult-classic TV show. When the cast reunites for a podcast interview, they start to discover the dark secrets in the show’s past in the sinister and eerie "Mister Magic" by Kiersten White.
In early Victorian London, the Hell’s Belles help other women seek justice, in both ballrooms and dark alleys. Lady Imogen is the group’s explosives expert, who loves to get under Detective Inspector Thomas Peck’s skin. As they investigate a series of bombings on London’s East End, the danger mounts and their attraction heats up—the results are downright incendiary in Sarah MacLean’s compelling and sexy "Knockout."
The Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights has a commitment to fostering diversity, in the 1950s, it was a national model of housing integration and voluntarily started bussing years before other districts, but to this day, there remains an achievement gap. Laura Meckler, a Shaker Heights native and reporter for The Washington Post, explores the nuanced and thought-provoking reasons why in "Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equality."
From the history of deep sea exploration to the startling discoveries it enabled, "The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean" by Susan Casey explores the watery depths. Joining dives to the deepest places on the planet and interviewing experts in marine geology, biology and oceanography, Casey's engaging writing and awe-inspiring descriptions showcase the vibrant and astonishing life forms thriving in the depths, while also shedding light on the pressing threats the ocean faces.
Middle grade readers will be fascinated to learn about the discovery of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in "The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How it Shook Our World" by David K. Randall. From the adventure of fossil hunting to the science it advanced, to the fierce competition between 19th century natural history museums, this is a thrilling and engaging tale.
"Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed" by Dashka Slater is a must-read for teens. In the small, liberal town of Albany, California, a Korean American junior started a private Instagram account filled with racist and sexist memes that targeted predominantly Black and Black biracial girls, some of whom were his friends. This balanced and insightful investigation skillfully presents the perspectives of those involved, exploring themes of accountability, complicity and the real-world consequences of online actions—for the perpetrators, the victims and from bystanders.
More Book Lists To Explore
August is "Women in Translation Month." Check out these recent releases.
August is also "Read a Romance Month." The magic of love is literal in these paranormal romance picks!
Director’s Message: Summer is a Time to Read for Fun. Seriously.
Diane Kresh warms up an Arlington Reads audience. Photo by Daniel Rosenbaum.
Public libraries across the nation are in the heat of Summer Reading Programs and Arlington Public Library is, too. We believe summer reading is for everyone—and if you have not yet signed up, you can do it now. Join the 5,673 who have already registered and you too can earn Washington Nationals tickets, a free book and more.
The New York Times recently reported on the “new, low test scores for 13-year-olds,” the lowest level in decades. “The percentage of 13-year-olds who reported reading for fun has also declined. Last fall, 31 percent said they ‘never or hardly ever’ read for fun, compared to 22 percent in 2012.”
Not good news.
What is good news? This is a problem that can be fixed. One book, one reader at a time.
Patrons at the Friends of the Arlington Public Library Book Sale. Photos by Christopher George.
The benefits of reading are well documented: reading increases creativity and imagination; reading together builds strong family and community bonds; reading expands one’s vocabulary and promotes and enhances critical thinking skills; reading teaches all of us, and especially young people, about the complex world we live in. And I haven’t even mentioned the health benefits which include reducing stress and anxiety and even countering mental decline.
One of the joys in my life is reading.
And not just reading itself, but sharing and talking about what I am reading with others: friends, coworkers, patrons. And with print, eReaders and eAudiobooks, one can read pretty much anywhere at any time—on family trips in the car, commuting to work on the bus or subway, in a book club, at a coffee shop or on a comfy couch. And if you can’t find something to read, we are here to help with suggestions for every taste and reading level through our website, new app and book displays throughout our library locations.
Let’s read, share, and then read some more. Let’s make a habit of reading for fun. It’s a habit you’ll never want to break.
Always open. Always free. Always reading.
Diane KreshDirector, Arlington Public Library
New July Releases
Great Reads for the Dog Days of Summer
July is full of long, hot days that seem to stretch on forever. Whether you’re reading on the Metro on the way to work or lounging by the pool, there are great new books this month to help you pass the time.
A talented sound editor, a former soap opera star and a cult film director team up to finish the director’s final film and hopefully undo a Nazi occult curse. But in "Silver Nitrate" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the world of horror isn’t confined to film. In "Charming," Jade Linwood tackles the question of how there are so many fairy tale princesses but only one Prince Charming. The answer? He's a con man and a thief, but Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Snow White have compared notes and are joining forces to get their revenge.
Be inspired by the wide range of gardens featured in "Private Gardens of The Potomac and Chesapeake: Washington DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia" by Claudia Kousoulas. From urban rooftops to sprawling estates, it has everything you need to know. Learn more about the Western journalists covering WWII from Moscow’s historic Metropol Hotel in "The Red Hotel: Moscow 1941, the Metropol Hotel, and the Untold Story of Stalin’s Propaganda War" by Alan Philips. The journalists were allowed to stay but faced extreme censorship from Stalin’s regime.
Middle grade readers will be moved by Cora Mae’s desire to bring electricity to her Appalachian community in 1937, but many members of her community, including her mother, are opposed in Toni Buzzeo’s "Light Comes to Shadow Mountain."
Teen readers will be gripped by the twists and turns in "The King is Dead" by Benjamin Dean. When James becomes England’s first Black king at the age of 17, he hides his sexuality, but when his boyfriend goes missing and there are leaks coming from inside the palace, he doesn’t know who he can trust.
More Book Lists To Explore
July is Disability Pride month! Explore Disabled Voices with these lists.
Airport and A Movie
Airport Drive-In
Did you know that Crystal City was home to Arlington’s first drive-in movie theater?
Back of screen at Airport Drive-In Theater, Spring 1949. Photo Courtesy of Rex Paul Foley
The “Airport Drive-In” was operated by Paul J. Foley from 1947-1963 at 2001 Richmond Highway, just behind National Airport. Advertising a capacity for 1,000 cars, the Airport Drive-In quickly became a favorite of citizens in post-war Arlington.
The Airport Drive-In officially opened on September 10th, 1947, showing the film “Dragonwyck” starring Gene Tierney. Guests of honor included Arlington County officials, as well as Miss Arlington 1947, Peggy Wilson.
As the first drive-in in Arlington and one of the first in Virginia, the venture was initially very successful. Thanks to its strategic location between D.C. and Arlington, as well as frequently hosting fundraisers for the Arlington Safety Council, the Airport Drive-In began to establish itself as a staple in the community.
Dedicated to providing a family-oriented service, kids under 12 were admitted free, and cartoons were frequently played as part of the program. Families and couples were drawn from D.C. as well as the developing suburbs of South Arlington.
Washington Post, September 10th, 1947
Arlington Daily, September 15, 1947, CLH Collections
NoVa Sun, April 16th, 1948, CLH Collections
Growing Up at the Drive-In
Rex Paul Foley, son of Paul Foley, remembers what it was like growing up at the drive in.
“My father Paul J. Foley owned and operated this drive-in. I have wonderful memories, especially about having carte blanche access to the snack bar when it was open and closed. Our snack bar had delicious Smithfield Bar-B-Que sandwiches and other choices such as Pepper Steak from Murry’s Steaks. It was also the place where my brother and I learned how to drive. When we would come during the daytime with my dad (guess he was counting the money???) we would drive around the 25 acres, hoping not to hit any poles…I believe that the last movie that played for the last two weeks was The Dirty Dozen and I think I was there every night those last few weeks.
Advertisement for opening day, Photo Courtesy of Rex Paul Foley
Movie showtimes, Washington Post, August 11th, 1954
Segregation at the Drive-In
Virginia’s laws regarding "Separation of Races" in public settings had been adopted in 1926, requiring racially separate seating at any “public hall, theater, opera house, motion picture show or any place of public entertainment or public assemblage.” This law also provided that any proprietor who failed to segregate their audience would "be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each offense” and that any patron of the theater who refused to take a seat in the assigned section or refused to move to the assigned section when requested, "shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof fined not less than $10 no more than $25 for each offense.”
An Arlington judge ruled in 1957 that the segregated seating laws were valid, but in 1958 another judge ruled the law unconstitutional. And though no court had reversed the 1958 ruling, the laws still existed in practice. The Virginia State Government officially ended segregation in movie theaters in 1963. Learn more about the activists who desegregated Arlington's movie theaters in our 2022 blogpost.
Smart Growth Ends Airport Drive-In
Unfortunately, the drive-in’s convenient location would be its undoing. Finally falling victim to the expanding development of Crystal City, the Airport Drive-In closed in 1963. Today, the site is the location of the Crystal Plaza Apartment Complex.
Help Build Arlington's Community History
The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Center For Local History - Blog Post Message Form
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
"*" indicates required fields
New June Releases
Summer Is Here. So Are Our New Books!
Check out these new titles and join your friends and neighbors in our favorite summer pastime, Summer Reading!
Fans of Golden Age detective novels, rich historical settings and intricate plots will want to pick up "Unnatural Ends" by Christopher Huang. Set in 1921, three siblings return home to Linwood Hall for their adoptive father’s funeral only to discover that the estate will be bequeathed to the one who can solve the murder. Connie Willis offers up a hilarious genre-blending romp through the New Mexican desert in "Road to Roswell." Francie is determined to stop the wedding of her best friend to an alien true believer, but her plans get put on hold when Francie finds herself abducted by an alien who needs her to drive.
Explore connections between food, identity and culture as Anya Von Bremzen visits six countries famous for their culinary traditions in "National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home." Greg King’s haunting and inspiring narrative, "The Ghost Forest," exposes the collusion between the lumber industry and the government, revealing how their closed-door deals and nefarious schemes facilitated the exploitation of California’s redwoods.
Zaila Avant-Garde is the first African American Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, but she also holds two basketball-related Guiness World Records and was named Sports Illustrated Kids "SportsKid of the Year." Middle grade readers will be motivated and charmed by her new book, "It’s Not Bragging If It’s True."
After literally bumping into each other, protester Nix starts a relationship with Kai, not knowing he’s enrolled at the police academy, setting off a bittersweet romance. Set against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s 2019 protest movement, K.X. Song’s "An Echo in the City" thoughtfully examines class, belonging, family expectations and the meaning of home
More Book Lists To Explore
Explore these books and DVDs recommended by Library Director Diane Kresh for Pride Month.
Learn about and celebrate Juneteenth with these books for all ages.
