The thriving electronic Information Age has not stopped Burke and Springfield residents from checking out books the old-fashioned way at their local library. The Pohick Regional Library turns 20 this month, and it remains one of Fairfax County’s busiest branches.
The library’s success can be attributed to the well-educated population living in the surrounding neighborhoods, said Jean Johnston, Pohick branch manager. "I think it’s just the area," she said. "To a lot of families in the Burke area, education is very important."
Johnston said families pass the value of education on to their children, which keeps the library thriving.
That’s true for Carrie Grant, a nearby resident. She comes to the library with her 5-year-old son, Ramsey, about once a week. She said they’ve been coming every weekend for two years, mainly so Ramsey can find new books to read.
"I like finding books," said Ramsey. "I read a lot of books, every week."
When the Pohick Regional Library opened on June 20, 1987, about 10,000 people showed up on the first day of business. They checked out about 9,000 books, according to the Fairfax County Public Library. The branch is currently the second busiest in the county, said Patricia Bangs, spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Libraries. The Reston branch is the busiest.
Last month, Pohick users checked out 66,700 items over 33,489 visits to the branch, said Bangs. Reston had about 79,000 items checked out over 43,000 visits. More than 818,000 items have been checked out at Pohick in just the last 11 months, said Bangs, over about 401,000 visits to the branch.
"There’s no substitute for having a professional librarian find you what you’re looking for," said Johnston.
Since opening day, people are using the Pohick Library in somewhat different ways, said Johnston. Overall, though, she said people are getting the same service, only now it is new and improved. The electronic age has made some services quicker and more reliable, she said.
"We’re able to answer a lot of questions that we couldn’t before," said Johnston. "Everything is truly just a click away."
The branch hosted a day full of celebratory festivities to honor the anniversary, Sunday, June 10, including a classical Indian dance performance, music, crafts and food.
<1b>— Lauren Glendenning