Arlington Public Library

Library Operations Updates

Changes Ahead: A Message from the Library Director

Dear Friends,

For the past few weeks, staff of Arlington Public Library have been preparing for reopening. We have missed being at the Library and know you have, too.

As we move forward, all of us remain committed to our mission and to the health and safety of our library patrons, staff and volunteers. We will strive to bring you the best Library service possible, while limiting physical access.

Changes to our service are on the way:

  1. Holds - Starting mid-June, Arlington Public Library will offer a walk-in/walk-out service for hold pickups and book bundles in the auditorium at Central Library. Operating hours for the holds pickup service are being decided and we will communicate details as we have them. Computers, self-check stations, and meeting rooms will not be available for use. All branch locations will remain closed at this time; starting in mid-June returns will also be accepted via book drop at all branches.
  2. Masks - In accordance with Governor Ralph S. Northam's Executive Order Number 63, both patrons and staff are required to wear masks and observe social distancing at all times when in a library building.
  3. Account System - We are upgrading the Library’s account system. This change has been long-planned and will enable us to serve you more effectively.
  4. Summer Reading - The Library’s annual Summer Reading Challenge will start June 1, and this year we’re going digital. Stay tuned for more details next week.
  5. Arlington READS - Continues virtually: In June, we will host a conversation with Brooke Gladstone, journalist, author, media analyst, and co-host and managing editor of the WNYC radio program “On the Media.” And in October, we are thrilled to present Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Colson Whitehead (“The Underground Railroad”and “The Nickel Boys”). Stay tuned for details; both programs promise to be lively and engaging.

We recognize there is no replacement for an in-person, full-service library experience. Over the years, the staff and I have been honored to serve the community of Arlington and have always tried to strike a balance between the high tech of our digital content and the high touch of our popular story times and author events. We cherish the relationships we have developed with each one of you and look forward to better times. Please know that we are thinking of all of you and that together, we will get through this.

We ask that you check our website and social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

We are living in unprecedented times. Please send materials documenting your experience to the COVID-19 Archives Project and help tell Arlington's story of the pandemic.

And we urge you to contribute to “Quaranzine,” our weekly Zine of poetry, photography, prose and drawings. We have been inspired by the creativity and artistry expressed in each issue.

Stay well and hopeful, we are here for you.

Signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh

Director, Arlington Public Library

 

Please Note: a previous version of this post incorrectly advertised the Colson Whitehead event for July; the event will be held in October. We regret the error.

Library System Upgrade to Start Friday, May 29

How to Prepare Your Account for the Upgrade

Starting next week, the Library will begin preparations for a system upgrade, which will affect all Library patron accounts.

Fine payments will be unavailable after 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29. There will be a system transition from Friday, June 5 – Wednesday, June 10, during which time some account features will be unavailable. During the transition, access to eBooks and eAudiobooks will still be available. The upgrades will be completed by June 15.

What does this mean for your Library account?

Fine Payment

  • The Library’s fine payment system will be unavailable for approximately two weeks starting Friday, May 29, at 5 p.m.
  • During this time, patrons and staff will not be able to pay fines or make any changes to fines on your account.
  • Patron accounts with an outstanding balance of $15 or more cannot log in to the eCollection.

Your Contact Information

  • The system upgrade will include new, secure account passwords.
  • To facilitate updating your PIN to a password after the upgrade, we encourage you to visit your online account before June 4 to verify that your phone and email information are current.
  • Address information can not be updated at this time.

Stay tuned for more news about the system upgrade and how these changes will affect your Library account.

At this time, all Arlington Public Library locations remain closed. In the meantime, you can use our online collections, and contact us through Online Chat and Text.

Thank you for your continued patience and support.

Virtual Resume & Job Search Help

30 Minute Appointments Available

Our new virtual resume and job search help service offers one-on-one 30-minute appointments with experienced resume volunteers and career librarians.

Patrons will be able to select an appointment, upload a resume, and/or explain their job search need. Librarians will review appointment requests, refer to library, online, and local career resources, and connect patrons to volunteers. If you do not have a resume, our resume volunteers can help you to start one.

Make an Appointment

How it Works

  • 30-minute appointments are available:
    • Tuesdays - 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
    • Tuesdays and Thursdays - 5:30 - 7 p.m.
  • Before your appointment, you will receive a confirmation email, including recommended job search resources.
  • During your appointment, you will speak with a Library volunteer.
  • Limit of one appointment per month.
  • All information will be kept confidential.

This service is available to any resident of the Arlington Public Library's reciprocal borrowing jurisdictions.

For ongoing or extended career/job search assistance, patrons should contact their local American Job Center.

Introducing Quaranzine

When the Going gets Tough, the Tough get Arty...

On Monday, April 3, 2006, I began working for Arlington County as Director of Libraries. The difference between that day and this one could not be more stark. Back then, I had just retired from the Library of Congress and was looking forward to serving the community I grew up in. Today, our community is in the grip of a global pandemic, the long term effects of which can only be guessed at. Libraries and parks are closed, schools are empty as parents juggle home schooling and careers. Church services are virtual, theaters dark. Graduations are cancelled; birthday parties Zoomed. And Metro stations are shuttered as phrases like social distancing and acronyms like PPE enter the vernacular.

But when the going gets tough, the tough get arty and Arlington Public Library is pleased to present the inaugural issue of “Quaranzine,” a weekly magazine of art, poetry, comics, photos, short fiction, even tutorials and “how-tos.” The zine is headed by a staff editorial board of Katelyn Attanasio, Brit Austin, Hannah Axt, Ruth Compton, Clea Counts, Deborah Khuanghlawn, Liz Laribee, Janelle Ortiz, Peg Owen, and Alex Zealand.

Zines, popular from the 1980’s through the early 1990’s, are small publications created by an individual or group. Handwritten, photocopied, hand-drawn, collaged, they can boast a DIY aesthetic or be highly stylized and released digitally. “Quaranzine” will likely be a mix of both. This first issue is comprised of submissions from County staff; hereafter we invite submissions from the community.

Artists get active in times of turmoil. Think Picasso’s “Guernica” or Brecht’s “Mother Courage.” (Okay, those examples may be a bit dark.) But we look to artists to make sense of the senseless, to be beacons of light in dark times, to document our days to keep us from forgetting. Not all submissions to “Quaranzine” need be deep or heady. They just need to be and to be shared with others. To sustain our community and bolster our connections to one another when we need them most.

I hate to use phrases like the “new normal” because there is nothing about this situation that is normal. It just is. Our hope is that “Quaranzine” will make what “is” a little easier. For all of us.

Stay safe, stay well and stay hopeful.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Grab & Go Express Book Collection

Read More, Wait Less

If it's on the shelf, you can check it out!

Grab & Go books on a bookshelf at Central Library
logo_grabandgo_bw

The new Grab & Go express book collection contains bestselling adult fiction and nonfiction, ready to be checked out immediately.

New titles will be added to the Grab & Go collection on a regular basis.

Where to Find Grab & Go Books

Look for the Grab & Go express book collection on designated shelves at Central Library and the Branch Libraries. There is no Grab & Go collection at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-Up Library.

You will also find Grab & Go copies of your favorite eAudiobooks and eBook titles in our Overdrive collection.

Don't see any Grab & Go titles on the Library shelf or in Overdrive? That means they are all checked out at the moment. But check again soon, as someone could finish and return one at anytime!

How does Grab & Go work?

14 Day Loan Period - Borrow Grab & Go titles for up to two weeks.

No Holds, No Renewals - Books cannot be renewed or placed on hold. They do not display in the library catalog.

Late Fines - $.30 a day.

Digital Readers - Electronic titles will return automatically after 2 weeks. If you don't see any Grab & Go titles in Overdrive, that means they are all checked out.

Done Reading? - Return your Grab & Go title for the next reader to discover!

Automatic Renewals for Library Items Start July 1

As of July 1, 2019, the Library will automatically renew eligible materials checked out to library cardholders. 

Renewal limits for eligible items have also increased to three (3) renewals.

All patrons are automatically enrolled; there is no need to sign up for this new service.

How do Automatic Renewals work?

  • Any items on your account that are eligible for renewal will now auto-renew 3 days before their due date.
  • Auto-renewal sets the new due date from the original due date. For example, items due July 1 will be renewed on June 28, and the new due date will be July 22 (for books and other 21-day materials) or July 8 (for DVDs and other 7-day materials).
  • Courtesy notices will reflect which items in your account did or didn't auto-renew, and the corresponding due dates.
  • You can still renew eligible items at any time via the app or website.

Items may not Auto-Renew if:

  • The item does not allow renewals
  • The item is part of the eCollection
  • The item has a hold (another patron is waiting for it)
  • The item has reached its renewal limit (3 renewals)
  • Your card is expired
  • You have fees of $15 or more on your account
  • An overdue notice has been sent for one or more items currently checked out on your account

If items on your account cannot be renewed, you will receive a courtesy notice with due dates before those items are due.

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