Fairfax County Public Library

⚠Attention Requested⚠

George Mason Regional Library will close this fall for an approximately two-year renovation, with the branch's last day of service being October 23, 2026. In advance of the closure, library visitors will notice that items on shelves may be relocated or unavailable as staff begin to transfer the collection to another library location or storage. During the closure, Thomas Jefferson Library will begin operating at on a regional schedule to serve the community. This change in hours will begin in early 2027.

More information about the closure as well as deadlines and what to do for holds can be found at fairfaxcounty.gov/library/news/george-mason-regional-renovation.

In the meantime, as we approach this date, our branch staff are hard at work to make sure you get the most out of your library. Please join us Saturday, October 17 for a day-long "see you later" celebration featuring special remarks, an all-ages storytime, magic show and more! Information about both of this event can be found at the link above.

We will be there to celebrate Providence Fallfest with Supervisor Dalia Palchik and several other county departments! We hope to see you there!

Check out the post below for more information.

October 4-10 is Banned Books Week. This year, Fairfax County Public Library joins institutions around the country in saying "Let Books Be!"

In 2025, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA.

FCPL would like to take this moment to reconfirm our commitment to protecting the right to read and ensuring our collection includes many points of view and reflects EVERYONE that we serve.

Find a banned book to read in our catalog with this list put together by our collection services team: bit.ly/FCPL_BannedBooks

On October 3, 1996, the first meeting of the Chantilly Mystery Book Club was held at Chantilly Regional Library. Carol Hattler, an original Greenbriar community resident, who was known for her love of mysteries, did some outreach to other groups, inviting people to join her at the library and thus the group was born. A little under 30 years later, the group celebrated their monumental anniversary with a cake at their September 2026 meeting.

The club meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at Chantilly Regional Library to discuss mysteries of all kinds. Though Carol and some of the other early members have since passed away, the group is still going strong with 18 regular attendees and new members are always welcome. The group credits part of their longevity to Chantilly Regional Library staff, especially Suzanne Cross, the branch's adult services manager, who supports the group by having books reserved for each month as well as creating bookmarks listing book choices for each month of the year.

For further information, please contact Cheryl Keiper by email at [email protected]

Take a peek into the fun and exciting happenings at some of our branches in our series Scenes from Between the Shelves! This week's scenes feature:

- Performers from Corazón Folklórico Dance Company present a Mexican folk dance for visitors to City of Fairfax Regional Library.

- Local beekeepers show off parts of their hives to program attendees in a backyard beekeeping program at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.

- Visitors to Sherwood Regional Library play Lotería, a traditional Mexican board game of chance similar to bingo, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

- A young crafter at Martha Washington Library shows off their alebrije craft, inspired by the Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures of the same name.

- Grupo Fenix, a Washington, DC-based collective of musicians, performs mariachi and other Mexican and Latin American music styles for an audience at Chantilly Regional Library.

- A visitor to Richard Byrd Library makes a squishy toy out of paper and other supplies in this craft program.

- Local origami artist (check them out on Instagram!) stops by City of Fairfax Regional Library to donate some of their art to the branch. Thank you for helping to make our space beautiful.

Check back next Saturday to see our next installment of this series!

Each year, FCPL and several of our Friends groups partner with Fall For The Book to bring world-renowned authors to Fairfax County as a part of their annual Fall Festival.

For its 2026 festival, our branches will be playing host to the following four authors on Monday, October 5 and Tuesday, October 6:

🖊 "In The Hiker's Words: Appalachian Trail History" with author Mills Kelly
Monday, October 5 | 7 p.m. at Richard Byrd Library
Sponsored by the Friends of Richard Byrd Library

🖊 Against All Odd with Nina Willner, author of "The Boys In the Light"
Tuesday, October 6 | 7 p.m. at Burke Centre Library
Sponsored by the Friends of Burke Centre Library

🖊 Educating a Nation: Democracy in Early America with George D. Oberle III, author of "Creating an Informed Citizenry"
Tuesday, October 6 | 7 p.m. at Pohick Regional Library
Sponsored by the Friends of Pohick Regional Library

🖊 Suburban Sandal with Aggie Blum Thompson, author of "The Neighbors Are Watching"
Tuesday, October 6 | 7 p.m. at Kings Park Library
Sponsored by the Friends of Kings Park Library

Additionally, three of our Friends groups helped sponsor the festival's two headliners this year:

🖊An American Indian Horror Story: Stephen Graham Jones, author of "Buffalo Hunter Hunter"
Thursday, October 8 | 7:30 p.m. at Harris Theatre George Mason University
Sponsored by the George Mason Friends

🖊Fiction in a Fractured Age: Celeste Ng, author of "Our Missing Hearts"
Friday, October 9 | 7:30 p.m. at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center
Sponsors by the Friends of Reston Regional Library and the Friends of City of Fairfax Regional Library.

More information about these events and the festival as a whole can be found at the accounts linked above.

Anesthesia. Chocolate chip cookies. The assembly line. Crash test dummies. What do all these things have in common? They are American innovations! In its 250-year history, the United States has seen countless inventions arise from the minds of people who have called the country home. This October, join Fairfax County Public Library as we celebrate this innovative spirit with programs, resources and more.

Read on at fairfaxcounty.gov/library/news/october-invention-innovation.

Join the Hispanic Heritage Month Reading Adventure!

Register now for this online-only challenge celebrating Hispanic and Latino stories and authors. From September 15 - October 15, 2026, earn FIVE virtual badges in a row, column or diagonal by reading or listening to books and completing activities. All finishers will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card.

Learn more: bit.ly/FCPL_BeanstackChallenges