Westover Library, Arlington Public Library, Virginia

Kids Wii Gaming Day at Westover - 1/19

2010-01-14T10:03:00.003-05:00

Elementary kids in grades 1-5 are invited to play Wii games at the Westover Branch Library on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

No registration is required.
For further information call 703-228-5260.

Meet Westover's Rear Book Return

2009-11-30T16:37:00.007-05:00

Beginning on Monday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m., the Westover Branch Library's self-contained book drop--adjacent to the Reed-Westover rear parking lot--will accept materials EXCLUSIVELY DURING NON-LIBRARY HOURS.

This book return will take returns when the library closes each evening and will remain unlocked until the library reopens.

The rear book drop will also be available all day on Sundays when the branch is closed. However, to prevent damage to materials because of limited capacity, THE REAR BOOK DROP WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON HOLIDAYS.

The three book drops located on the McKinley Road side of the building--directly behind the flag pole--are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Thank you for your patience while we've worked out these logistics.

The Westover Time Capsule wants You!

2009-11-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

Local historic preservationist Luke Idziak, with the sponsorship of the Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division, is creating a Westover time capsule, and he wants your memories of the old Westover Branch Library, thoughts on the new Reed-Westover building, and dreams and hopes for the future of Westover and Arlington.

The schedule is to install the time capsule on the Reed-Westover grounds in 2010, and so far Luke has gathered interviews and memories with over 20 Library staff and Westover residents - but he wants more! So if you have photos, videos or documents related to Westover, or if you wish to contribute an interview or personal letter to the future, please email Luke at lidziak@gmail.com.

And if Luke's name sounds familiar, it's because he helmed the creation of Phoenix Bikes' sculpture Wheeled Victory, in last year's Recycled Art Show.

Teen Gaming Day at Westover

2009-11-17T12:26:00.013-05:00

Teens in 6th grade and up are invited to a Gaming Day at the Westover Branch Library!

Thursday, Nov. 19, 3-4:30 p.m.

We'll play Wii Sports Resort, Mario Kart, Dance Dance Revolution and more! If you have board games at home, bring them along.

Have questions? Call 703-228-5260

Meet the New Westover Branch Manager

2009-11-10T15:36:00.003-05:00

Youth Services Coordinator, Collection Development Specialist, Branch Manager - Kristi Jemtegaard has worn many hats in her 26 years with Arlington Public Library. She wears quite a few hats outside the library as well - book reviewer for the Washington Post, adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia, and collector of oddball antiques and original art from children's books.

Kristi's vast knowledge of children's programming (including serving on the prestigious Caldecott and Newbery committees), and her innate sense of fun, will be invaluable to the Westover Branch Library community. We're delighted to have her!

(Can you guess who Kristi dressed up as at our Open House?)

Westover Dedication Video

2009-11-06T16:27:00.003-05:00

If you missed the dedication of the new Westover Branch Library, check out this Newsmakers video from AVN:

New Westover Dedicated Oct. 30

2009-10-31T21:48:00.012-04:00

We had a wonderful dedication for the new Reed School-Westover Branch Library building on Friday.

The rain held off and we were joined by many community members, as well as the entire Arlington County Board, Virginia Senator Jim Webb, State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, and candidate for 47th district delegate Patrick Hope.

The new building is a joint County government and Arlington Public Schools effort, and is built to LEED Silver sustainability standards.

After the dedication, the new Westover Branch conducted its first public circulation transactions and hosted a small reception with food compliments of Lebanese Taverna.

You can learn more about the project in our Reed-Westover Fact Sheet(pdf) or the Arlington County press release, and view more photos of the dedication ceremony on our Flickr page.

Saturday Open House Schedule at Westover

2009-10-26T16:59:00.010-04:00

Want to know what's happening over at Westover this weekend?
(get a printable PDF version)

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. First Day of Operation, New Westover Branch Library
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Open House of Reed School and Westover Branch Library
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Moon Bounce--near basketball courts, north side of Reed School

10 a.m.

Levine School's New Horizons Band—Library outdoor front plaza

10:30 a.m.

WalkArlington's Westover Walkabout—meet at flagpole

11 a.m.

Fire Truck—McKinley Street just north of Washington Boulevard
Instrument Petting Zoo—children’s section, Library
Washington Revels—Library outdoor front plaza
“Green Tour” of Building—meet in Reed School lobby

12 p.m.

Lebanese Taverna Cooking Demo—near flagpole
Star Dust Band—Library outdoor front plaza

1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Joe Rathbone—@ Westover Market

1 p.m.

Library Story Hour and Crafts—children’s section, Library
“Green Tour” of Building—meet in Reed School lobby

2 p.m.

Costume Parade/Swanson Pep Band—basketball courts, north side of Reed School
Face Painting and Balloon Artist—near basketball courts, north side of Reed School
Mr. Don Performance—Reed School north patio

3 p.m. Music by Still Standing—Library outdoor front plaza

6 p.m. – 10 p.m. TheWalkaways— @ Westover Market

All day: Specials discounts and trick-or-treating at select Westover merchants.
In the event of rain, a modified schedule of activities will take place inside Reed-Westover

You're Invited! Westover Dedication and Open House

2009-10-20T10:12:00.010-04:00

Friday, Oct. 30 Saturday, Oct. 31
10 a.m. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Own a Piece of Old Westover

2009-10-14T11:12:00.003-04:00

The Library will hold an auction of support materials from the Old Westover Branch Library on Saturday, Oct. 24. This means furniture and shelving, etc., not library materials like books, DVDs or computers - those we're keeping for the new place, which opens a week later on Oct. 31.

The auction will start at 9 a.m., and continue until everything is sold. Items will be cash only, and unless customers are buying shelving ranges, they should be prepared to take their purchases with them that day. Larger units of shelving will be dissembled and available for pick-up on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to noon ONLY.

When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m.
Where: OLD Westover Branch building: 1800 N. Lexington
Who: You! (exception: employees of Arlington County are not eligible to participate in the auction)

The auction will be conducted by Colonial Auto Auctions, which handles such sales for Arlington County Government.

Oct. 31 Opening Day: The Westover Walkabout

2009-10-06T12:37:00.006-04:00

We're pleased to announce Walk Arlington's Westover Walkabout, a new Opening Day activity taking place during the Reed School/Westover Branch Library community celebration on Saturday, Oct. 31:

"The approximately 2-mile Walkabout route (pdf) takes walkers from the new Reed School/Westover Branch Library through Westover's retail core, residential areas and parkland, past community gathering places and historic districts, and back again. Speakers will share anecdotes (and maybe some ghost stories) about the neighborhood's unique history, community resources, and walkable lifestyle at ten stops along the way."

The Walkabout will embark at 10:30 a.m. sharp from the 1644 N McKinley St entrance of the new Reed/Westover building - for more information see the Westover Walkabout flyer (pdf).

The Walkabout flyer and route map are also available in Spanish.

The Westover Migration Begins

2009-09-28T15:17:00.001-04:00

After a great last day at the Old Westover Branch Library on Saturday, tons of materials are currently being relocated from 1800 N. Lexington to 1644 N. McKinley.

The new branch won't officially open until Saturday, Oct. 31. The public is asked to stay out of the library side of the Reed-Westover facility until then, because it remains a (very dusty) construction site.

But all seven other Arlington Public Library sites are open on their regular schedules and will accept returned Westover items. Westover holds may be picked up at Central Library.

OLD Westover, June 16, 1963-Sept. 26, 2009

2009-09-25T13:03:00.012-04:00

The old Westover Branch Library building will end it's very successful 46-years of serving the public this Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.

Check out these pages from building's dedication ceremony program (click to enlarge), which took place on Sunday, June 16, 1963, at 2 p.m.

The dedication was presented by the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, and local organizations involved in the ceremony included Arlington Boy Scout Troop 112, the Potomac View Garden Club, the Tara-Leeway Heights Civic Association, the Washington and Lee Civic Association, the Waycroft Women's Club, the Westover Civic Association, the Westover Merchants Association and the Westover Women's Club.

When the then new Westover Branch opened in 1963, the staff consisted of a Branch Librarian, two Children's Librarians, a Young Adult Librarian and 4 other Library staff members.

For more transition details please read our earlier blog entries, and bookmark this site or subscribe to the RSS feed to get regular updates.

Halloween Festivities at New Westover

2009-09-22T15:57:00.008-04:00

It's good to know well in advance what's ahead!

Halloween is always a busy day for Arlington families, and we have lots of fun activities planned that day for the open house celebrating the new Reed School and Westover Branch Library.

Events scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 include:

1:00 - Scary Story / Craft Program inside the library
2:00 - Halloween Parade outside Reed-Westover
2:45 - Trick-or-Treat Trail along the Westover business strip on Washington Boulevard.

Check back here for more Open House Celebration information in the weeks to come!

In Between Days: Returns and Holds at Westover

2009-09-16T13:27:00.041-04:00

Feel free to return all Library materials to the Old Westover Branch Library until Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.

But how do you return Library materials after Old Westover closes and before New Westover opens?

On Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m., the NEW book drop in front of 1644 N. McKinley St. will be opened for public use and emptied on a regular basis.
Any item from Arlington Public Library's collections may also be returned at any Arlington Public Library site, no matter its home location (see sticker above its bar code).

How do you pick up your Westover Holds between Sept. 26 and Oct. 30?

All holds designated for Westover that become available from Sept. 26 through Oct. 30 will be retrievable at Central Library, less than 3 miles to the east.
Hours for all Arlington Public Library locations can be found on the Hours and Locations page.

What are those closing and opening dates again?

OLD Westover Branch Library ceases public operations on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.
NEW Westover Branch Library officially opens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m.

Interior Photos Of New Westover

2009-09-16T11:39:00.008-04:00

Check out the landscaping, carpeting and outside book returns on our new Westover Branch Library building:

A Time Capsule For Westover

2009-09-14T13:14:00.006-04:00

The Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division is sponsoring a time capsule for the Westover community, to be installed this fall for a 50-year slumber at the new Reed-Westover facility.

If you have photos, videos or documents related to Westover, or if you wish to contribute an interview or personal letter to the future, please email local historic preservationist Luke Idziak at lidziak@gmail.com.

Old Westover Closing Date: September 26, 2009

2009-08-27T15:57:00.010-04:00

Saturday, Sept. 26 has been set as the official closing date of our current Westover building. Public operations will cease with close of business at 5 p.m.

To return Library materials after that date:

The drop slots at the new Westover branch will be open for returns starting the evening of Sept. 26, and materials returned there will be checked back into the collection on a regular basis.
The old drop slot at 1800 N. Lexington will be sealed after close of business, Saturday September 26th.

To pick up Holds:

From Sept. 27 to Oct. 30, Westover hold items will be automatically relocated to Central Library hold shelves.

Westover Donation-Hiatus After September 5

2009-08-25T10:10:00.010-04:00

In preparation for the opening of the new Westover Branch facility on McKinley Street, the old Westover Branch on Lexington Street will no longer accept donations of used books, magazines and AV materials after Saturday, September 5th.

Donations for the Friends of the Library Sale will continue to be accepted at other Library locations, including the Central Library, at 1015 N. Quincy Street.

Westover In The News

2009-08-21T13:47:00.005-04:00

Click on the image to get a closer look at the new building, courtesy of AVN!

New Westover Building To Open In Late October

2009-08-11T12:18:00.010-04:00

The new Westover Branch Library building is currently set to open in late October, with an open house for our new facility scheduled on Saturday, Oct. 31.

You can read more about the ribbon cutting plans on the Library Director's Blog.

The current Westover Branch building will close for transition 2-4 weeks before the opening of the new building - stay tuned for exact dates and further info.

Desert Island Reads

2009-05-26T13:31:00.009-04:00

Looking for a great book? Try one of these:

Neverending Story by Michael Ende

You may have seen the movie as a kid, but the story-within-a-story device works on a different level when reading, and you will get caught up in Atreyu's 'saving the ailing princess' story just as much as Bastien does. And when the second half of the story begins (where the movie ended) you will be happy to continue being part of that world.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Often overlooked next to the towering Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky offers a moral tale on the evils of the civilized society. The young Prince Myshkin, having recovered from a stint in a Swiss sanitarium, reenters the aristocratic social circles of an emerging industrial Russia. His child-like innocence makes him an easily exploitable subject by the scheming elements of that world. Dostoevsky, of course, uses that framework to philosophize on the nature of man and his relation to others and God.

Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson

Bill Watterson's brilliant and hilarious chronicling of an overly rambunctious 6-year old and his stuffed tiger are well known. Additionally, with this 10th anniversary book, we get insights into Watterson's creative process as he comments on the characters and situations he writes.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Bradbury's semi-autobiographical account of growing up in the Midwest. Through several short vignettes Bradbury paints a soft, sepia portrait of the joys and terrors and hidden beauties of life experienced during one summer that is at once mundane and magical.

Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins

Or really anything by Billy Collins, a former US Poet Laureate. Eschewing verse, Collins creates unforgettable images evoking classical, popular and literary culture in his precisely crafted poems. His mastery of language is alternately hilarious then heartbreaking, and always completely satisfying.

Construction Letter from APS, Feb. 6 2009

2009-04-14T16:17:00.004-04:00

February 6, 2009
TO: Westover Neighbors
FROM: Arlington Public Schools
Design & Construction Services
RE: Reed School/Westover Library Construction

This is to inform you that Grunley Construction Company and their subcontractors will be working on both Saturdays and Sundays beginning February 14, 2009. All Arlington county ordinances will be followed especially as concerns noise. The contractors may be on site but are prohibited from making any significant or disruptive noise prior to 10 AM or after 6:30 PM.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your continued cooperation and forbearance with this construction process.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call Patti Kavanaugh, Senior Project Manager, Arlington Public Schools at 571-259-8401 or Kay Jackson, Construction Project Manager on site at 703 772 6576.