Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

The temporary Thomas Jefferson Library officially opened to the public on Monday, March 16.  The library branch is now located on the grounds of St. Philip Catholic Church, 7500T St. Philips Ct., Falls Church.  For more information call 703-573-1060.  The temporary library will serve the community while Thomas Jefferson Library undergoes renovation, expected to take a minimum of 18 months.

Thomas Jefferson Library staff, including Branch Manager Phyllis Ray, invites their loyal customers and their new neighbors to join them at their new temporary library location in the parking lot of the church.  “A change in location from the Arlington Boulevard site may be a bit inconvenient,” says Ray, “but the newly renovated and expanded library currently under construction will be worth the wait.”  For directions to the temporary library or for information on the renovation, call 703-768-6700 or visit the library’s Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.  Click on Library Branches and Thomas Jefferson Library.

While the building has a smaller collection and limited space that reduces seating and programming, customers can request material from any other branch for pick up at the temporary Thomas Jefferson Library.  There will be six public computers including four for Internet access.  Free wireless Internet access will also be available.

“We are grateful to everyone at St. Philip Catholic Church.  They have been a wonderful community partner for us,” said Edwin S. “Sam” Clay III, director of the Fairfax County Public Library.  “We look forward to serving our customers in the new location until the renovations are completed.”

The Thomas Jefferson Library under renovation was built in 1962.  Once renovated the library will be 19,595 square feet, have 117 parking spots and 24 computers.  The funding for the renovation is from a library bond referendum approved by voters in 2004.

After many unpredictable delays, the long awaited renovation of the Thomas Jefferson Public Library will get underway late this fall.  In November or December, TJ will close to the public for two months while staff sorts and packs the collection for moving.  The library will reopen in early spring, 2009, in a brand new, 4,000 sq. ft. trailer located in the parking lot of St. Philip’s Catholic Church (St. Philip’s Court, off Camp Alger Road).  Expectations are that TJ will remain at the trailer site for the next 18-20 months while renovation continues at the Arlington Blvd. building.

“The trailer will be our cozy home away from home until the end of the construction,” says Phyllis Ray, TJ Branch Manager, who explains that the scaled down collection at the trailer will focus “more on browsing than research.”

• At the temporary TJ library, you can expect to find primarily new materials such as magazines and newspapers, along with a selection of fiction and nonfiction materials.
• Some DVDS, CDS, ESL, and Vietnamese and Spanish language materials will be available and patrons will still be able to pick up holds and return materials.  Be aware, that Internet access and Wi-Fi will be limited.

In spring 2007, Fairfax County will begin a two-year rebuilding of the Thomas Jefferson Library, transforming it into a modern facility that will serve the Westlawn community for decades to come.  The new building with be built on the site of the existing library, expanding both forward (towards Route 50) and in the back.

The new facility will have many new and expanded features:

• Floor space will increase from 10,000 to 16,500 square feet.
• Parking will increase from 52 to 115 spaces.
• Computers will increase from 12 to 24.
• A new large meeting room that can be partitioned, and a quiet study room.
• A small conference room available for community booking.
• Another small group study conference room for activities like tutoring.

The temporary library building will have less capacity than the current building, but the librarians are making smart choices as to what services it will continue to provide.  The library collection of books will be reduced to a third of its current size and will include new books and popular sections such as gardening, cooking, children's books, and adult fiction.  The other two-thirds will be sent to county storage for two years.

• Patrons can still place holds on books and use the computers.
• A new feature will be new books with no hold and no renewal.  The goal is to get the most popular new books into the hands of as many readers as possible while the books are still new.