“A first-class library that the people of Franconia deserve” is how Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay described the new Kingstowne Regional Library, which welcomed crowds measuring well into the hundreds at its April 11 opening.
“This is a huge day,” said McKay, who represented the Franconia District when it was still called the Lee District on the board before becoming chairman.
The new seven-day-a-week regional library replaces a smaller community library, which had closed in mid-February in preparation for the move. That facility had operated since 2000 out of leased space at 6500 Lansdowne Centre.
In addition to moving 36,800 library materials from the old facility to the new, Fairfax County Public Library has added 18,500 entirely new items to augment its holdings at the regional library.
The facility totals 30,000 square feet, about twice the size as the old library, according to FCPL Director Eric Carzon. It offers expanded meeting space, more computer access and a teen room that “is going to be the envy of the county,” Carzon predicted.
With the upgrade, the Kingstowne facility becomes Fairfax County Public Library’s ninth regional branch, joining the Reston, Tysons-Pimmit, Fairfax City, Chantilly, Centreville, George Mason, Pohick and Sherwood locations. The system also includes community libraries and specialty facilities.
Located on the second floor of the new Franconia Governmental Center at 7130 Silver Lake Blvd, the new Kingstowne Regional Library can be accessed either via the center’s main entrance at ground level or directly from the facility’s parking garage.
Operating hours are Mondays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The library is one of six government programs cohabiting in the newly opened 90,000-square-foot governmental center. The facility is also home to an adult day center, child care, new police station, offices for Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk and the Franconia Museum.
“Facilities such as this build community,” Lusk said at the April 11 dedication ceremony. “All ages will benefit from the programming.”
Corrections: The Kingstowne Regional Library will be open seven days a week, including Sundays, not just Monday through Saturday as initially stated. The City of Fairfax Regional Library was also left out of the list of regional branches.
