Fairfax County Public Library

Morning Notes

Published March 29, 2022 at 7:30AM

Cherry blossoms on cloudy day in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Life Sentences Recommended in McLean Murder Case — “A Fairfax County jury delivered a guilty verdict Monday against a woman accused of killing her own mother and sister in 2017. Megan Hargan, 35, was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder, and two counts of using a firearm in committing a felony.” [WUSA9]

Great Falls Fire Caused by Garage Door Opener — A house fire in the 9900 block of Deer Pond Drive on March 22 was caused by “an electrical event involving wiring to a garage door opener,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue investigators say. The fire didn’t result in any injuries or displacements, but it caused approximately $87,500 in property damages. [FCFRD]

Countywide

Fairfax County libraries see uptick in returns after most fines eliminated

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 16, 2022 at 12:50PM

Fairfax County Public Library eliminated overdue fines, saying they discouraged patrons from returning (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

There have been no headline-making returns of books 50 years overdue, but Fairfax County Public Library is nonetheless seeing some encouraging trends after eliminating fines on Jan. 1.

The library system saw a 2 to 3 percentage point uptick in the amount of materials returned versus checked out in January and February of this year compared to those same months in 2020, according to data shared by FCPL.

Countywide

Construction on new county campus in Kingstowne to begin this summer

By Fatimah Waseem

Published February 25, 2022 at 1:30PM

The integrated campus is intended to improve services for residents (via Fairfax County Government)

For years, Fairfax County officials have conceded that county services in the Kingstowne area are scattered and its facilities small and outdated.

The county hopes that a multi-million-dollar project for a new government campus and library will help shift that narrative.

Countywide

Fairfax County libraries offer movie streaming through Kanopy

By Fatimah Waseem

Published February 24, 2022 at 9:00AM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 2:39PM

Fairfax County Public Library now offers access to Kanopy, a subscription on-demand streaming video service.

As of Feb. 1, library patrons can sign up for an account with five play credits per month, allowing users to have access to more than 30,000 films, documentaries and classics.

News

Limited supply of Covid tests will be available at Fairfax County libraries tomorrow

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 11, 2022 at 2:00PM

Friends of Reston Regional Library have dedicated grants for new materials.

Fairfax County Public Library has received a new shipment of rapid COVID-19 testing kits, but supplies are extremely limited, even compared to previous rounds of distribution.

Exactly 300 kits each will be available tomorrow (Wednesday) at the county’s Reston, George Mason, Chantilly, and Sherwood regional branches, FCPL announced this morning (Tuesday).

News

JUST IN: Fairfax County libraries to close for two days a week due to staffing shortage

By David Taube

Published January 10, 2022 at 1:15PM | Updated January 10, 2022 at 2:40PM

Library shelves (Via FCPL)

(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) Fairfax County Public Library will close on Sundays and Mondays starting this coming Sunday (Jan. 16) through April 1 to deal with a staffing shortage.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said on Twitter this morning (Monday) that the changes were prompted by staffing issues due to the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases and recruitment challenges.

News

New Year’s 2022: What will be open and closed in Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 30, 2021 at 2:00PM | Updated February 25, 2022 at 11:55AM

2022 written in fireworks (via Moritz Knöringer/Unsplash)

With New Year’s Day arriving this Saturday, many Fairfax County government facilities and services will be taking tomorrow (Friday) off.

Here is a breakdown of the county’s schedule for the New Year’s holiday:

News

Fairfax County libraries run out of COVID-19 tests, with timing of next shipment unknown

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 21, 2021 at 3:30PM

Fairfax County Public Library is all out of COVID-19 rapid tests once again.

The library system has received 34,652 test kits since Dec. 1 as part of the Virginia Department of Health’s free testing kit pilot program, but as of 10:30 a.m. today (Tuesday), they have all been distributed.

News

Library fines are officially off the books in Fairfax County

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 10, 2021 at 9:30AM

Friends of Reston Regional Library have dedicated grants for new materials.

Fairfax County Public Libraries will no longer charge fines for most overdue materials, joining other jurisdictions in the D.C. area in an effort to maintain equity.

The FCPL Board of Trustees unanimously approved the policy in a meeting on Wednesday (Dec. 8). The new system, which begins on Jan. 1, would also reset fines that have already been incurred.

News

Fairfax County Public Library runs out of COVID-19 tests in first hour of availability

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 3, 2021 at 2:00PM | Updated March 15, 2024 at 3:10PM

An at-home rapid COVID-19 test (via sarah b/Unsplash)

Fairfax County Public Library offered at-home COVID-19 test kits to the community for the first time this morning (Friday). An hour later, they were all gone.

The county announced on Monday (Nov. 29) that it would join a pilot program that the Virginia Department of Health launched last month to distribute free COVID-19 tests through participating public libraries.