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Fairfax County Public Library

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Fairfax County Public Library
LocationFairfax 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
Websitewww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/
George Mason Regional Library in Annandale
Burke Centre Library in Burke
Centreville Regional Library in Centreville
Chantilly Regional Library in Chantilly
Culmore Community Library
Dolley Madison Library in McLean
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]

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

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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

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Non-resident privileges

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b Library (Admin), Fairfax County Public. "FCPL Curated Content: My Library Account: Library Card Eligibility". research.fairfaxcounty.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
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