Library renovation to start next summer
A major renovation of the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale will update the aging building and provide a more logical layout.
The project calls for more gathering spaces, small rooms for studying and research, and more natural light, said project manager Chris King-Archer, of the Fairfax County Building Design Branch, at a community meeting on Aug. 26.
Construction is expected to start in July or August 2026, and the project should be completed in 2028, King-Archer said.
The library will be closed during the two-year construction period. County officials are looking for vacant space in a nearby building that can be used as a temporary library.
After the renovation, the circulation and information desks will both be located where the circulation desk is now.
A new makerspace is planned, as well as new rooms for quiet study and small meetings, a dedicated space for teens, and an open area with desks and computers. The large meeting room will have a divider, which will allow for two simultaneous gatherings.
The children’s section will be enclosed by a glass wall and will have an activity area and small “caves” for reading books, King-Archer said.
Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez described some of the environmental improvements planned for the library. The building will have solar panels on the roof and large windows to bring in daylight. There will be a community garden maintained by Columbia Elementary School.
George Mason will be the first library in Fairfax County with a charging station for e-bikes, Jimenez said. The library will also have EV charging stations for cars.
The project also includes acoustical improvements and a new and more efficient HVAC system
The $15 million project was included in a library bond referendum approved by voters in 2020.
During the meeting, several people wondered whether the library is reducing the book collection to make room for the additional social spaces.
Fairfax County Public Library Director Eric Carzon said the new space will have enough books to meet demand, but the FCPL doesn’t have enough funds to expand the size of the collection.
He said the county budget provides $3 million for library collections, which is much less than other, smaller jurisdictions in the region.
Related story: Renovations planned for George Mason Regional Library
How many complaints have been received and to who about the current library?????????????
The Library Director claims “the new space will have enough books to meet demand, but the FCPL doesn’t have enough funds to expand the size of the collection”. How do they know what the “demand” is for titles they don’t have?
The county budget of $3 million for library collections seems like a very low number, which being much less than other, smaller jurisdictions in the region seems to confirm.
I really like Fairfax Libraries, and George Mason particularly I’ve been utilizing for over 60 years. All the system really needs is a broader array of text and audio titles. The online reserve system works very well.
All these new rooms and separate spaces…how about one designated for the stinky, unbathed vagrants that camp-out all day and are not steered back outside by library employees?
Enforce a time they can squat.
More than once my wife and I have left the library somewhat disgusted.
Can I bring in a can of Lysol?
How wonderful that Annandale isn’t getting left behind! I can’t wait to use the new makerspace.
It takes TWO YEARS to renovate a library? Really? They could tear it down and rebuild it in less time!
I know it’s not as big but I would love to see the empty CVS on Heritage Drive as the temporary library space. Great location – right next door to Annandale HS and Braddock Elementary.
Very nice!
If they prominently declare the YA books area as the “Teen” section, that’ll just make me more embarrassed as a 40-something year old woman going over there to check-out fun, YA romantasy books. Oh, well…
Given what we’re now learning about the Culmore Library renovation, one hopes Fairfax County applies some hard-earned lessons before awarding contracts for the Mason Library project. Installing a major building system as part of a full renovation only to declare it unfit less than a decade later should not be written off as bad luck.
Perhaps the safest approach would be to ensure that the same firms responsible for Culmore’s “long-term” solutions are not given the opportunity to repeat that performance at Mason. A renovation of this scale deserves engineering that lasts longer than a single capital cycle.