Central Library

This is about the staff and security’s lackadaisical attitude to my safety there. Last Saturday, I went to Central, drove into the garage, only to stop in shock when I heard a HEEEYYYYYY… The security guard was glaring and walking at me, a woman alone, with clenched fists. Shaken, but with nowhere to turn around at that moment, and, also, really wanting to get away from him, I drove down a bit past the elevator. I thought, okay, I’ll just go in. Except, Clenched Fists Man had followed me around the corner, was not only looking at me directly, but waiting for me at the elevator.
I drove out, but went to tell the staff. They said the guard’s supervisor would have to talk to him. I had to call them myself to follow up. I was given the supervisor’s number in response. I had to call the supervisor. He called back, & just laughed when I asked if the guard had been told not to walk with clenched fists or yell at a patron, saying, «Er, yeah.» So, no apology, no reassurance of it not happening again. Not good.

A great bookish getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life in DC. Plenty of great books on the shelves and ample space to read them.
There is also plenty of parking below the library, but you might want to ditch the car and walk there since the surrounding area is beautiful depending on where you’re coming from.
This library branch also had an interesting World War ll exhibit focused on life in Arlington during the war.
I definitely plan on coming back here many times with a good book and a notepad!

The Arlington County Library system is amazing, especially this location. They have a great & vast selection of books, dvd’s & more that you can check out. They also have a book sale section typically in one of the rooms. Apart from the great selection of books, I also love that you can pick up reserved books yourself & also check out the books on your own. I haven’t used it (I live in an apartment), but they have a garden tool shed that you can check out tools. Very nice a large place.

My daughter completed the 1,000 books before kindergarten and the library threw a party last weekend. The party blew past my expectations– there was so much for the kids to do and everyone had a wonderful time. I am so thankful that this library system welcomes kids and fosters their love of books. The librarians at this program we just wonderful people inside and out.

A library is a place that is a repository of information and gives every citizen equal access to it. That includes health information. And mental health information. It’s a community space. It’s a place of safety, a haven from the world.
–Neil Gaiman
Somewhere under the reading rainbow is a place for mystery, suspense, romance. and even tax law. (blah) From the bookish to bookwormish, to the intellectuals and the intellectually up-​and-​coming, Central Library hands you the key to the world.
Shame on me for thinking that the library was almost obsolete. I was in dire need of an anti-​ADHD refuge to catch up on some paperwork and this place hit the spot.
Arlingtonians demand a modern library and a modern library is what we got. With internet speeds literally 10x’s that of my Verizon DSL, multitasking was a cinch and my VPN made sure it was done with peace of mind. Through their internet, with the help of a library card, you have access to
training and virtual library books. How cool is that?! At certain times of day, you can borrow gardening tools and take in some local art to ensure you get a well rounded experience before heading home.
For those ADHD slip ups o’ mine, people watching was a blast. There is a bit of minor sketch hidden among the books. Some of it was from a few of our neighbors that may be suffering from possible undiagnosed psychological diagnoses and some were from random strangers who find it difficult to play quiet mouse. They do have security on the premises and eventually the riffraff distractors either take care of themselves or I assume are taken care of by others.
Eat, drink and be merry– but quietly and considerably! This new privilege is a godsend. A snack and some caffeine-​age is likely to allow you to burn your candle at both ends a little longer and a little brighter. Hopefully nobody screws this up, because I love my sugar-​free zoom-​zoom before noon-​noon pick-​me-​up.
Verdict: Marry Poppins give it a very enthusiastic ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.‘
Don’t know what that means? You’re in a library… look it up.

I started going to this library when I fist moved to Arlington about a year ago. It has a great selection of books and DVD’s. There is plenty of seating and a few rooms that you can reserve for meetings. I find that their hold systems works really well and prevents me from having to wait long periods of time for books that I would like to read that may be available elsewhere in the Arlington system. Great service, clean library, and very convenient location as well.

When I lived in Virginia, I was a frequent visitor to this library. I live in DC now and I still prefer this library. It has everything. They have great book sales. Many quiet areas and rooms to rent for meetings. Several self-​check out kiosks, parking and only a few blocks from the Ballston Metro station.

I love the Central Library! My son is only 3, and we can find a lot of books for him and surely for me! We visit here at least one time in a week…

After a year, I finally updated my library card to Arlington county! The process was easy online and I was able to place a few holds on library books with my temporary card number. I finally set foot in this place to get my permanent card and get my books, and I was impressed. This place is huge and I love how it’s right across the street from me. The library services woman was so helpful in getting my permanent library card ready and for helping me find my books on hold. As promised, there they were on the shelf within 2 – 3 days.
Checkout is easy and there was a lot of free parking in the garage underneath. The library is organized and they are up to date on all new books and movies. Can’t wait to check out more books!

Difficult to do a simple print job. Exact change is required, but the machine is poorly designed and doesn’t work easily. $ 5 bill in and $ 5.05 in quarters and 1 nickel comes out, which still can’t make exact change. Can go downstairs to prepay with a credit card, but that requires you to know or reasonably guess how much it will cost. Not the ideal setup. Good staff tho. Fairfax county libraries have a credit card machine on the printer.

This library seen it changes over the last 26 plus years. Even during my high schools days. It was a small library with no computers. Newspaper micro fish mashine. Copies cost over a quarter. With the 22A driving by. No underground parking. Even they had Beta tape and VHS tape you can check out.
Now after the big change. This library great with free wifi. Tables and plug outlets. Large collection of books, DVD, books on CD. Magazine and newspaper. Arlington county archives of the county. Picture, books and maps.
Also they have the Overdirve software you can get audio and visual book of the internet for free unto two week or more. Also check the library for more details.
Computer lab and people to teach the residents of Arlington for free. Also books, DVD, Audiobooks and VHS tapes sales and more. All you have to do is check there web for coming events.
Plus Arlington library better then DC. Yes DC because you have to be screened before coming in. Bags being X-​rayed for item don’t belong in a library. I do look forward in coming here. I think you wood like it to. P. S. the emergency exit was the front entrance of what the library was.

This place rocks. I took my five year old here for the first time today to get him a library card. We have lived in Arlington for over two years and it’s a shame we didn’t go earlier. All the staff was super helpful. The place was huge, clean, and really impressive. We could have spent all day there but the nice weather drew us back out.

I love libraries in general, but Arlington Central library in particular is always clean and stocks many of the books and DVDs my son and I like to watch. The reason for the four stars is that they don’t have any of the languages we want (Portuguese and Russian), the Storytime Room is too tiny, and I wish there were more weekend activities for tots.

Firstly i love all the libarary locations but the central usually has the books I’m looking for. Has the biggest selection of books and resources. They do a good job of promoting reading to all ages. if a movie or book is a best seller sometimes the waitlist can be very long. best thing about this location its 2 blocks away from the metro (orange line)

I love Arlington’s libraries.
The main reason is that they always have the newest books; books that have just been released. Whenever I want to read a book that is about to be released, I put a hold on it, and within a few days, I have the book in my hands. They never fail to have the latest books. I’ve learned so much from the books I’ve read.
These libraries have so many resources. In addition to new and old books, they have dvds, audiobooks, etc. They also hold classes and special events here that are all free. For example, I’ve attended Chinese conversation classes and financial tips for women classes. They also have lots of other events, ranging from movie nights to stock talks.
The library is maintained pretty well. It’s open every day for pretty long hours. I would love it if they were open even longer, but that’s ok. They have computers and wifi for public use.
The library sends you reminders via e-​mail if your books are about to be due and to renew your library card (it expires every two years.) This is very helpful so that you don’t forget.
Libraries in other places don’t offer as much as Arlington libraries. In my hometown, the libraries there never had new books and weren’t open very much (at one time, the library was open only three days a week!)
I tell people that one of my favorite things about the Arlington area is the library.

This location is the largest library, obviously, but not the most modern (Shirlington) or the most pleasant (Glencarlyn). It holds a lot of books. The computers check you out. People are there to help you if you need it (tersest librarians in the system). In other words, it gets the job done.

I LOVE love love this library. I love the diversity of the community here, the moderate selection of books, the spacious layout. I can spend hours here and lose track of time and I don’t mind a bit. Parking is free in the garage or the lot, and you can self-​checkout, renew online, hold books online, and return books from other local libraries. You can also get an Arlington library card if you live in another local area (for example, Falls Church residents). The card catalogue is easy to use and computers are available to find the book you’re looking for. I like the local school children’s art displayed in the library.
I love browsing the new books section on the main floor, however I’ve never actually checked any of those out. The DVD section is lacking, however if you’re really bored I’m sure you could find something interesting to watch. The magazine/​newspaper areas are packed with things to browse of all genres.
My main complaint is turning in items the day they are due, and then getting an email stating that the item is late. But hey, it’s a library, and it’s free, so it just takes an email to get it straightened out that I did return the item on time. I also wish they were open later in the evening.
Get off your computer and head to the library to READ!

I know this sounds so incredibly nerdy but I stumbled upon this website — Walkabouts — WalkArlington (
), basically encouraging residents to get out and explore the Arlington neighborhoods.
Since my husband had a training near the Ballston Metro, I decided to explore the area between Virginia Square and the Ballston metro stations and then meet him after work.
Well, the walk was pleasant enough, lots of high rises and probably the only place that was pretty entertaining was the Central Library. I popped in here to kill some time. Bought «Lost Symbol» for a buck (Score!) at the used book sale and dropped it in the self-​pay box.
Extra pluses — quiet atmosphere and free wifi!

This public library is impressive! It puts Montgomery County, MD libraries to shame.

Like Ruth C., I found the layout easy to navigate. Parking was readily available on a Saturday too. Even though there were tons of patrons mulling about, the library was very quiet; no unattended little ones running about.
If I lived in Arlington, I’d be a nerd and frequent the Central Library all the time.

This is one of the biggest and best public libraries in the area.
Selection of books and media is huge and the staff is extremely helpful!
Love the ample amount of parking available — not so the case in other local libraries!
And love the location too :)