Fairfax County Public Library

Last updated

Fairfax County Public Library
Location Fairfax County, Virginia, U.S.
Established1939;85 years ago (1939)
Branches23 [1]
Collection
Sizenearly three million items [2]
Access and use
Population served1,142,234
Other information
DirectorJessica A. Hudson
Website www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/
George Mason Regional Library in Annandale George Mason Regional Library.jpg
George Mason Regional Library in Annandale
Burke Centre Library in Burke Burke Centre Library, Burke, Virginia LCCN2012630084.tif
Burke Centre Library in Burke
Centreville Regional Library in Centreville Centreville regional library.jpg
Centreville Regional Library in Centreville
Chantilly Regional Library in Chantilly Chantilly Regional Library (50777759847).jpg
Chantilly Regional Library in Chantilly
Culmore Community Library Culmore Community Library.jpg
Culmore Community Library
Dolley Madison Library in McLean Library (6654626333).jpg
Dolley Madison Library in McLean
Richard Byrd branch Library in Springfield Richard Byrd Library in Springfield.jpg
Richard Byrd branch Library in Springfield

The Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is a public library system in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It includes eight regional libraries, 14 community libraries and the Access Services Library Branch, which removes barriers to library services for people with disabilities. FCPL is headquartered in Suite 324 of the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax County. [3] [1]

Contents

Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR) has ranked the system among the top 10 libraries in the United States (for its size of 500,000+ residents) five times in the past 10 years. [4]

Description

The Fairfax County Library was established in 1939. [5] As of May 2015, there are 23 library branches, including eight regional branches, 14 community branches, one which assists people with disabilities. The library also oversees the county's Archives and Records Management Branch. The library's service area spans both the county and Fairfax, and several local jurisdictions through reciprocity agreements serving nearly half a million registered users. [6]

The library system is the largest in Virginia in terms of population served, which includes over one million people between Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. [7]

As of 2015, more than 2.3 million items were available for check out. These had a circulation of more than 12 million, the number of total checkouts and renewals. More than 4.8 million physical visits were made to the branches, and website visits reached almost 5 million. There were more than 449,000 registered library card holders. [6]

The library offers a wide variety of services both in the branches and via its website, including searching through its catalog, reserving items, applying for a library card, viewing calendar of events at libraries, and reserving meeting rooms. [8] The library has public computers for access to the Internet, catalog computers, ebooks, downloadable eaudiobooks, and subscription databases. [9] The library and their Friends groups sponsor various programs, such as children's story times, national and local author readings and book signings, local musical concerts, technology classes and one-on-one sessions, and special events for the county's diverse population.

The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees dropped to 379 in 2014 from 430 at the end of 2013 following continuing budget cuts. [10] Volunteers donated over 124,000 hours in 2014. [6] The Director of the Fairfax County Public Library is Jessica A. Hudson who, in mid-2016, succeeded previous Director Sam (Edwin S.) Clay III, who had served in that position for more than thirty years. [11]

Branches

Non-resident privileges

Free library cards are available to non-residents who work, go to school in, or own property in Fairfax County; or those who live, work, own property or go to school in the City of Fairfax, or the towns of Herndon or Vienna. A card is also available free for a person who lives, works or owns property in a jurisdiction that provides reciprocal privileges. [12] Thus, cards are available for free for residents, property owners and employees working in Washington, D.C.; the Maryland Counties of Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's; the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park; and the Virginia counties of Arlington, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William. All others who do not qualify may obtain a card for $27 per year. [12]

Nearby public library systems

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area, and the most populous location in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county seat is Fairfax; however, because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burke, Virginia</span> Unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia

Burke is an unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, traditionally defined as the area served by the Burke post office. Burke includes two census-designated places: the Burke CDP, population 42,312 in 2020 and the Burke Centre CDP, population 17,518 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centreville, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia, United States

Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. It had a population of 73,518, making it the most-populous community in Fairfax County as of the 2020 U.S. census

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chantilly, Virginia</span> CDP in Virginia, United States

Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an 18th-century plantation that was located in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The name "Chantilly" originated in France with the Château de Chantilly, about 28 miles north of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area</span> Combined Statistical Area in the United States

The Washington–Baltimore combined metropolitan statistical area is a statistical area, including the overlapping metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, three counties in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one county in south-central Pennsylvania. It is the most educated, highest-income, and third-most populous combined statistical area in the United States behind New York City–Newark, NJ and Los Angeles–Long Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 620 (Fairfax and Loudoun Counties)</span> Highway in Virginia

State Route 620 in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, Virginia is a secondary state highway. The entire length of SR 620 is also known as Braddock Road. SR 620 also has a short concurrency with SR 659 / Union Mill Road in Centreville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County Public Schools</span> School division in Virginia, U.S.

The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government, which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's headquarters is located near Falls Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax Connector</span> Public bus service serving Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax Connector is a public bus service provided by Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and is managed by the county government. The bus system provides service within Fairfax County, and connects to Metrobus, Metrorail stations, Virginia Railway Express, and other local bus systems. Fairfax Connector serves all of Fairfax Metrorail Stations, the city of Alexandria, the city of Fairfax, the Washington Dulles International Airport, and the Pentagon Metrorail station. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,986,900, or about 31,700 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inova Health System</span> American nonprofit health organization

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health organization based in Falls Church, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The system is a network of hospitals, outpatient services, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and healthcare centers in the Northern Virginia market.

The Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League (NVSHL) is a non-affiliated high school and middle school ice hockey league comprising teams from the Northern Virginia Area including Fairfax County, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, Stafford County, Fauquier County, and the cities of Manassas and Alexandria. The NVSHL staff and board of directors includes a combination of coaches, parents, team representatives, referee, and rink supervisors. There are also many members who are not affiliated with and particular team or organization. The current league executive director is Grey Bullen, and its assistant executive director is Jeff Nygaard. Bullen joined the league after Bud Sterling served the same capacity for the previous two seasons. Prior to that, the league was headed by Nygaard, who brought the league from being a part of the MSHL to its own entity, the NVSHL. Teams play a ten-game regular season, followed by a multi-round single elimination playoff tournament to determine the league champion. In the end, the league winner will have played either 13 or 14 games, depending on whether they received a bye in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 28</span> State highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 28 in the U.S. state of Virginia is a primary state highway that traverses the counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier in the U.S. state of Virginia. The route serves as a major artery in the Northern Virginia region, with it being an important two-lane highway in rural Fauquier and Prince William Counties, the main thoroughfare through Manassas and Manassas Park, and a high-capacity freeway through Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.

The AAA Northern Region was one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It was made up of four districts: the AAA Concorde District, the AAA Liberty District, the AAA National District, and the AAA Patriot District. Group AAA is the largest enrollment class for VHSL schools, and typically AAA is the most competitive level. In 2013, the three classification format was eliminated in favor of a six classification system. Accordingly, the Northern Region was eliminated, while the districts were retained for regular season competition.

The Concorde District is a high school district in the state of Virginia that includes public schools from Fairfax County. It is widely regarded as one of the most competitive districts in the Virginia High School League (VHSL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 703 and 571</span> Telephone area codes for Northern Virginia, United States

Area codes 703 and 571 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for Northern Virginia, including the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park, as well as all of Arlington and Fairfax counties and parts of Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties. Area code 703 was created as one of the eighty-six original North American area codes in October 1947, and originally served the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Area code 571 was created on March 1, 2000, to form an overlay plan with 703.

The Fairfax Times is a weekly newspaper published in Reston, Virginia which covers Fairfax County, Virginia.

Sugarland Run is a planned community and census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 11,799. In 2020, it was estimated to be 12,956. Sugarland Run is part of the Washington metropolitan area and is 26 miles (42 km) by road northwest of Washington, D.C.

The Group 6A North Region was a division of the Virginia High School League. Along with the 6A South Region, it consisted of the largest high schools in Virginia. The region was formed in 2013 when the VHSL adopted a six classification format and eliminated the previous three classification system. It is a successor to the AAA Northern Region. The conference system was scrapped prior to the 2017–18 academic year, reverting the previous district. Regions were also renamed, with schools in the 6A North Region distributed into Group 6A Regions C& D.

References

  1. 1 2 "Branches | Library". Fairfax County Public Library. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  2. "Introduction - Strategic Planning - Research Center Guides at Fairfax County Government". Fairfax County Government. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  3. "2023 Budget, Fairfax County Public Library" (PDF). Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. "Libraries by Frequency in Top Ten". Hennen's American Public Library Ratings. April 2010. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  5. "Timeline of the Fairfax County Public Library". Fairfax County Public Library. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fact Sheet about the Fairfax County Public Library". Fairfax County Government. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  7. "Library Statistics in Virginia in 2017" (PDF). www.lva.virginia.gov. 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  8. "Library Home". Fairfax County Government. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  9. "Branches | Library". www.fairfaxcounty.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  10. "Fairfax County Public Library - FY 2015 Advertised Budget (Fairfax County, Virginia)" (PDF). Fairfax County Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  11. "Jessica Hudson Appointed Fairfax County Public Library Director". Fairfax County Government. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Library (Admin), Fairfax County Public. "FCPL Curated Content: My Library Account: Library Card Eligibility". research.fairfaxcounty.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2024.