Arlington Public LIbrary

This is the SMALLEST public library I’ve ever been to. I’ve lived in the Courthouse area for a YEAR and barely noticed this place because it was such a small facility that I didn’t believe it was really a lending library. But out of curiosity one day, I stepped in and discovered a real gem. Sometimes we (the public) forget what awesome services the government provides via public libraries.
The best thing about this place is that they have a pretty decent DVD collection. You can borrow up to 6 at a time, and of course, it’s totally free. They have comedy, foreign films, action, drama, horror, western, classics, etc. Some of the titles are actually quite new. I found «Where the Wild Things Are», which my sister was thinking about renting on Redbox, and here it was, at the library, free, and you can borrow it for more than 1 day!
It has one person manning the front desk but you can always check out on your own, renew online, etc. There was a book I wanted to borrow that wasn’t available there so I reserved it online at the public library website (
) and had them send it over to the Plaza Branch from Columbia Pike. It took maybe 2 days, and they sent me an email notifying me of the book’s arrival. They had the book on the stack by the window with my name inserted in it so I could clearly find it myself and check it out.
I know I must sound naïve, but seriously, the public libraries save you so much money and the services are great!
I don’t know why they have a «store» there — it sells random Arlington, VA chochkies that I’m sure county employees get for free.
ALSO, they have a reciprocity program with Montgomery County, MD Public Libraries (and possibly other surrounding counties). You’d have to ask them or check the website for the particulars on that.