Loudoun County Public Library

Loudoun County Public Library (LCPL), with nearly 200 employees, both professional and paraprofessional, serves the citizens of Loudoun County, Virginia. There are currently seven branches with an eighth under construction. The Outreach department offers services to the disabled, elderly, and homebound.

LCPL's mission statement calls the library "the community's information center," which "provides free and equal access to a full variety of library resources and innovative technologies to enhance the quality of life and meet the informational, educational and cultural interests of the entire community."

In 2006 the system came in tenth place for libraries serving a comparably sized population, according to Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR).

Branches

The nine branches range in size from large regional libraries to small neighborhood branches. Outreach services is the traveling branch of the Loudoun County Public Library, although it's offices are located in Leesburg.

Each branch has an advisory board that helps support the library and raise funds. Another source of funding is the annual book sale put on by the Loudoun Library Foundation.

The LCPL system branch libraries are:

In 1974 the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg joined the Loundoun County Public Library system. In 1994 its ownership was transferred to the Town of Leesburg to operate as a historical and genealogical library.[1]

Administration

The administration building for the Loudoun County Public Library system can be found in Leesburg, Virginia. The building is combined with The Senior Center of Leesburg. The current Director of the Loudoun County Public Library system is Chang Liu.[2]

History

The Loudoun County Public Library system was established in 1973. In the beginning, the only libraries in the system were the Purcellville branch, the Purcellville bookmobile, and Sterling branch. The next year, the Thomas Balch Library, located in Leesburg, Virginia would join the system. Other branches would join over the years, most recently of which is the Gum Spring Library, which was constructed in February, 2013. The Thomas Balch Library would later leave the system, after being transferred to the city of Leesburg, Virginia in 1994 to serve as a dedicated history and genealogy library.[3]

Special Collection

In 1999, philanthropist Irwin Uran donated $1 million to the library for the purpose of acquiring items focusing on the Holocaust. LCPL also used the Irwin Uran Fund for items that can help enrich lives, such as videos on learning American Language or Muzzy programs for assisting children with learning foreign languages. Search the library catalog for these and other items. [4]

Services

Services at the Loudoun County Public Library system branches are often tied to a library card. A Loudoun County Public Library card is available for free to any individuals who live in the county, attend school in the county, or own a property/business in Loudoun County. There is also a reciprocal lending agreement between some neighboring counties, such as Fairfax County. Library cards can be applied for online or at any branch.

Each library branch offers public Internet and wireless access. From home or office as well as inside each branch, users can access licensed databases plus read electronic books or listen to audiobooks.

The Loudoun County Public Library website allows patrons to access a variety of electronic information resource services. Patrons can access Overdrive, EBSCO Ebooks and Freading for eBooks, Hoopla and One Click Digital for Audio eBooks, Safari Tech Books for technical ebooks and manuals, Freegal for digital music streaming, and Zinio for digital magazines.

Each branch offers storytimes for young children as well as a variety of programs for older kids and teens. The library conducts summer reading programs every year. Between the last day of school in June and the middle of August, hundreds of kids sign up to read and win prizes. There is also a specific Loudoun County Public Library Minecraft server that children may use while in any of the branch libraries.

There are also numerous events for adults, from their own summer reading program to various musical performances to educational seminars.

Often, the library system will partner with another county organization to offer programs. Organizations such as the Loudoun Youth Initiative and the Small Business Development Center have sponsored programs with the library.

The Loudoun County Public Library system also publishes a small bi-monthly guide. This guide is titled "Pages," and carries all programs, event and services that the Loudoun County Public Library system offers over a given two-month period. A physical copy of the guide can be found at any of the library branch locations, and a digital guide is also available at the Loudoun County Public Library Web Page.[5]

Book Clubs

Many of the Loudoun County Public Library branches offer book clubs for patrons. These book clubs are offered either in the afternoon or evening at the discretion of the branch manager. Some libraries have multiple book clubs at a given time. [6]

Outreach

Outreach is the traveling branch of the Loudoun County Public Library system. They travel to those who cannot access branch locations, delivering Library materials and services. In addition to physically traveling to locations using bookmobile services, they also run the Books-By-Mail program.

Outreach currently serves the following locations: Ashby Ponds (Ashburn), Carver Center (Purcellville), Cascades Village (Potomac Falls), Dulles South Senior Center (Stone Ridge), Eastern Loudoun Adult Day Center (Ashburn), Falcons Landing (Potomac Falls), Heritage Hall (Leesburg), Leesburg Adult Day Center (Leesburg), Leisure World (Lansdowne), Loudoun Nursing & Rehab Center (Leesburg), Madison House (Leesburg), Meadow Glen (Leesburg), Monroe House (Potomac Falls), Morningside House (Leesburg), Sommerset (Sterling), Spring Arbor (Leesburg), Sunrise at Countryside(Countryside), William Watters House (Sterling), Wingler House (Ashburn).[7]

Trustees & directors

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors appoints Trustees to serve as policymakers and budget managers.

The library system is run by a director and four assistants.

References

  1. ↑ Town of Leesburg : Library (Thomas Balch)
  2. ↑ "Loudoun County Public Library > Locations & Hours > Library Administration". loudoun.gov.
  3. ↑ Thomas Balch Library at the Wayback Machine (archived April 13, 2010)
  4. ↑ The New York Times, “Farm Owner Gives Town in Virginia $1 Million,” 21 May 1997.
  5. ↑ "Loudoun County Public Library > Services". loudoun.gov.
  6. ↑ "Library Calendar of Events". engagedpatrons.org.
  7. ↑ "Loudoun County Public Library > Locations & Hours > Outreach". loudoun.gov.

External links