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Library-related news and special events for you and your family to enjoy. For a full list of events at your library visit our Library Calendar. Stay connected to your library by following us on social media: Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram.

For media queries, contact Marketing & Communications Director Sara Prohaska at sara.prohaska@fairfaxcounty.gov.

FCPL Announces Schedule Modification

January 10, 2022

Beginning Sunday, Jan. 16, and effective through April 1, all regional and community Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) branches will be closed every Sunday and Monday. These branches will open in keeping with their regularly scheduled hours Tuesday through Saturday. Regional libraries will be open Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Community libraries will be open Tuesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Access Services branch located at the Fairfax County Government Center will maintain its usual hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. View a system map and listing of regional and community branches. The current surge in COVID-19 cases and a high number of vacancies necessitated this change in hours. FCPL is always available online! Search our digital offerings via Libby, or explore ten other ways to enjoy your local library from home.

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Kick Off FCPL's 2022 Year of Literacy With Book Clubs in January

January 11, 2022

The first month of Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) 2022 Year of Literacy is devoted to a celebration of general literacy. Book clubs are a wonderful way to share a love of literacy. This year, some new book clubs join the list of tried-and-true favorites. Browse the options; we have book clubs to appeal to all ages and interests, to those who are ready to make new friends in person, and those who prefer to meet virtually! For Adults The Point of View (P.O.V.) Book Club meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. Discover new points of view by reading authors from varying backgrounds and with varying perspectives. Selections include fiction and nonfiction. For adults. No registration required. The Nonfiction Book Club meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. This new group will discuss recent nonfiction books on various topics. Its first meeting will focus on The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business by Nelson Schwartz. Copies are available to pick up at Sherwood Regional Library on the events table, and this title is also available as an eAudiobook through Libby. Travel the world from your couch with the Read Global Book Group! Meet with fellow travelers virtually each month to discuss books set in various locales across the globe. The Sherwood Novel Book Group meets monthly at Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria. This month, the group is reading The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis and in February will be reading The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Currently held virtually, the Book Talk for Book Lovers hosted by Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library promises lively discussion each month. The Online Classic Books Discussion meets on a Thursday afternoon once a month to join writer/scholar Amanda Holmes Duffy in discussion of a classic novel. For the Amateur Detective The Mystery Book Club meets in person at FCPL’s Chantilly Regional branch and delves into a different mystery novel each month. Join in the monthly unraveling of a whodunit or thriller one Wednesday afternoon each month with the Mystery Book Club at Oakton Library. Love mysteries but don’t want to venture out? We have an Online Mystery Book Club that meets monthly! For School-age Children The American Girl Book Club meets virtually each month to talk about the beloved history series. Dolls are invited, but not required! Don’t want to read solo? Children ages 6 to 12 can join the Read-Along Book Club to enjoy a live reading of that day’s chapters with Ms. Sara. This group is great for English Language Learning (ELL) students. For Teens Fairfax teens are invited to join us virtually for our Teen PRIDE Book Club, which meets each month to discuss a book with LGBTQA+ themes. Join other readers aged 12 to 18 each month at Herndon Fortnightly Library for its Teen Book Club. For English Language Learners Practice your English with other English Language Learners each month in Falls Church at Thomas Jefferson Library's ELL Book Club. Can’t make it to Falls Church? Join our virtual ELL Book Club once a month!

FCPL Board of Trustees Approves Move to Fine-Free Library Service Model

December 9, 2021

At its Dec. 8 virtual meeting, the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) Board of Trustees approved a new policy that ends the practice of charging overdue fines on most library materials. "The FCPL Board of Trustees has approved eliminating fines on most library materials and joins surrounding jurisdictions in removing this significant barrier to equitable access to information and library services," said FCPL Board of Trustees Chair Fran Millhouser. Library staff members are working to ensure the system is set to forgive fines already incurred and stop imposing most fines beginning around Jan. 1, 2022. Overdue fines remain in effect for some special collections and interlibrary loan materials. “Equity is driving our shift to a fine-free model of library services; we don’t want accrual of overdue fines to deter anyone who wants to use the library,” said FCPL Director Jessica Hudson. FCPL analysis showed that overdue fines disproportionately affected young people and those in low-income areas. Pre-pandemic, “blocked” cards (accounts not allowed to check out materials due to having more than $15 in fines) were about 17% of the total cardholder population. “Blocked” youth cards (accounts for users under the age of 18) were 23% of the youth cardholder population. “Blocked” card numbers are higher in areas served by Reston Regional Library (Hunter Mill District), City of Fairfax Regional Library, George Mason Regional Library (Mason District), Kingstowne Library (Mt. Vernon/Lee District) and Sherwood Regional Library (Mt. Vernon District). There appears to be a link between low-income communities and higher numbers of blocked library accounts. Library systems around the nation, including in all neighboring counties, have gone fine-free and experienced surges in returned materials. These systems have also found that their cardholders continue to return materials on time, even without the threat of fines, Hudson said. FCPL’s special collections that will continue to incur overdue fines include but are not limited to: interlibrary loan materials, Chromebooks and mobile hotspots.

Public Catalog Unavailable 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 2

October 28, 2021

FCPL staff members are performing an upgrade of the integrated library system (ILS), on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The ILS manages, integrates and centralizes many core library functions and services. Because of this upgrade, the public catalog will be unavailable to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day. Cardholders will not be able to access item searches or account information, place holds or pay fees during this time period. FCPL hopes to minimize the impact to cardholders by scheduling the upgrade on Nov. 2, when all FCPL branches are closed for the county's Election Day holiday.

a young man sits at a library desk with two laptops open in front of him and a hand held pensively to his chin

Seven Tips for a Successful School Year

August 26, 2021

Did you know the library can help students study, write reports and do homework? Let us be your partner in academic success! Use these seven tips to maximize your learning this school year with services and resources available for free from Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL). Tip #1 - Get support and guidance from library staff. You are not alone at the library — or wherever you are with internet access or a mobile device! Library staff are trained to help students find legitimate information sources in branch and online, including historical newspapers, speeches, reference databases, trusted websites and more. Visit the Information Desk at a branch for in-person support with research and help finding physical materials. Need a different way to reach us? Call your local branch or send us an email at wwwlib@fairfaxcounty.gov. Tip #2 - Take advantage of free tutoring sessions. While the library does not provide tutoring services, we can connect you with them — including virtual and in-branch sessions! Brainfuse HelpNow, a new FCPL resource available beginning Sept. 1, 2021, provides live, online tutoring and homework help for students in grades K-12. Tutors are available to meet virtually in English and Spanish every day after 4 p.m. A library card is required to use HelpNow outside the library. Students in grades K-6 can also sign up for GIVE tutoring sessions hosted in multiple branches weekends throughout the academic year. High school student volunteers with Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education (GIVE) provided the tutoring. Tip #3 - Access 24/7 homework help online. The library's Homework Resources guide is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you find free resources to explore new ideas and get help with homework topics. Find a variety of online resources offering research material for papers and homework help separately tailored for students in grades K-6 and grades 7-12. Writing a paper? No problem. Check out the writing resources section for help with style, vocab, proper source citation and more. Plus, visit Brainfuse HelpNow's online Writing Lab for assistance and feedback in virtual study spaces. And then there are recommended websites categorized by homework topics so you can find help specific to your subject, from economics and history to science, math and more. Tip #4 - Find books, magazines and newspapers. Whether you’re studying classics, history, current events or any other subject, with a library card you have at your fingertips more than 2.3 million items in the library's collection of digital and physical materials. Print books can be checked out in person or placed on hold and picked up later. Digital books are available 24/7 via OverDrive. Access magazines and newspaper articles in print or online. Tip #5 - Check out library items with just your name — and no fines! FCPL provides all Fairfax County Public Schools students in pre-K through grade 12 with a fine-free public library virtual account called a Library Equity Access Pass (LEAP). All you need is your name to check out physical materials at a branch, and you can check out up to three items at a time for six weeks each. Tip #6 - Use library resources to prep for fall SATs and ACTs. Several different online sources offer test preparation for SAT, ACT, AP and SOL exams. Start with LearningExpress Library for a wide range of options (library card required). Tip #7 - Access free Wi-Fi and computers. Whether you have your own device or not, simply log in to do just about any online research and project preparation needed for school assignments. Bring your own laptop, tablet or mobile device and connect to free Wi-Fi from inside any branch and even from outside many of them. As of April 2021, all public branches without parking garages have expanded exterior wireless access. Can't bring your own hardware? Use ours! The library offers more than 400 public computers at our branches, all equipped with Microsoft Office apps, internet access and printing and scanning capabilities.

August 19, 2021

Fairfax County Public Library is excited to announce registration is open for the fifth meeting of Josh Bell’s Book Club, a partnership between FCPL and the Washington Nationals. Library cardholders can now register for the book discussion with Josh Bell to be held virtually Sept. 17 at 12 p.m. Check out September's book Master the Media by Julie Smith. Make sure to register with the email address that is associated with your Zoom account. Register now! Nationals fans, book lovers and anyone exploring self-improvement, seeking out good, or pursuing progress: Josh Bell's Book Club is for you. Bell has has purposefully chosen books for his club that offer concepts, mindsets and inspiration for being and becoming better. Books – Betterment – Progress is a continuum: we can learn through books, we can become better and we can achieve progress. Each month Bell will announce another book in this season-long series. Read the book and join Bell and librarians from FCPL and Prince George's County Memorial Library in engaging discussions about what resonated. Check back often to register for the virtual book discussions and to see which books are next in this series. We and Josh Bell look forward to seeing you on Sept. 17! Register now!

July 23, 2021

Fairfax County Public Library is excited to announce registration is open for the fourth meeting of Josh Bell’s Book Club, a partnership between FCPL and the Washington Nationals. Library cardholders can now register for the book discussion with Josh Bell to be held virtually Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. Check out August's book Grit Factor: 15 attributes to doing life better by Logan Stout. Make sure to register with the email address that is associated with your Zoom account. Register now! Nationals fans, book lovers and anyone exploring self-improvement, seeking out good, or pursuing progress: Josh Bell's Book Club is for you. Bell has has purposefully chosen books for his club that offer concepts, mindsets and inspiration for being and becoming better. Books – Betterment – Progress is a continuum: we can learn through books, we can become better and we can achieve progress. Each month Bell will announce another book in this season-long series. Read the book and join Bell and librarians from FCPL and Prince George's County Memorial Library in engaging discussions about what resonated. Check back often to register for the virtual book discussions and to see which books are next in this series. We and Josh Bell look forward to seeing you on Aug. 15! Register now!

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