Chantilly Regional Library

I attended the Toddlin Two’s program. I had signed up for the 11:30 class, but since I noticed early that morning a spot in 10:30 class was available I went to the 10:30 class instead. I told the instructor. I told her this information to be polite and so she could let someone else in the 11:30 spot. She snaps at me and says NOOOOO you can’t join more than 1 class. The instructor is an older woman who has shoulder length blond hair. She scolds my child in front of the whole class. There were so many other students running around. I have seen her do things like this on numerous occasions. Note, she always reads the same Pete the Cat book over and over again. I guarantee my child is not learning anything new. Talk about laziness in not trying to introduce the kids to anything new. I think it’s about time she retires.

The review pertains not to the library as a whole but to a particular staff member at the library.
The toddlers and twos program instructor was unduly rude and out of line in both interactions I’ve had with her. She alluded that my child and I hadn’t registered and have yet joined in the program (which wasn’t the case) and still worse said — ‘Name tags that belonged to other registered participants cannot be taken’. To put it into perspective, I am a dark skinned Asian but I am of Christian faith and my child has a biblical name. It was completely out of line to make that assumption and voice it in front of the whole class. It was very embarrassing and distressing. And today, I happened to run into a friend at the library who suggested I join the Lego Duplo program. I hadn’t registered for it and I was told by the same instructor that I cannot join since the older siblings of other registered participants were out of school and joined in, thus increasing the total ratio. Fair enough.
I did not enter the room and was looking through a used book sale outside the room when I saw the instructor again and as I approached her to ask when the next program would be, she held her hands up as if to stop me from coming any closer and said that ’ No! You cannot join today, I already told you that. Please don’t ask me again’ .
I was speechless. I am not sure if she has previously had vehement people trying to enter a preschool program that warranted such a response. I asked her to take it easy and stepped aside after which she started nervously chuckling!
I hope the others who attend the Fairfax County preschool services at the Chantilly library have better experiences than I have but please be vary with your interactions with the preschool instructor.

I typically place my books on hold and wait to be notified that they’re in. I pull up, run in, self-​checkout, and leave within a few minutes. I was recently notified that I had a fine (even though I had returned the book). I was told that they don’t accept cash and to use the machine to pay. I swiped my card but it asked me to enter my password. I have no idea what it is! The logic is ridiculous. I can check out without a password, even when I have a fine due… but I need a password to give you $$$!!! So stupid. I came home and paid online (I guess the county can pay the CC fees). Rant over.
This place is big! It’s quiet. The offer so many fun events. Plenty of parking. Plenty of tables to study, read, get some tutoring, etc. It’s not the fanciest of the Fx Co libraries, but it is bigger than most.

So neat library
Large enough and provide wide space for all needed activities.
The Quiet room need more light
I wish if hours are extended to 11

Although I think there are nicer libraries, the Chantilly branch is solid and is a good example of the Fairfax County Library system. They have a good selection of books in circulation on the shelves. On the occasions where they don’t have a book, I’ve had very positive experiences with the holds system and quickly getting books from other branches.
When combined with the self checkout, I have had very good experiences with quickly getting my books and getting in and out.
The movie selection here seems to be fairly small. I remember it being larger in the past. I’m not sure if they have attempted to consolidate the collection at a different branch.
It would be nice if they held more events at this branch, but honestly I only go to a few every year anyway.

I go there for all baby events and they do a very good job. New arrivals are my favorite.

Nice and big library in a convenient location. Easy to get to and it has shelves of books and many computers to be used. But to apply for a guest pass is $ 2 dollars? From a library? Loudoun county gives you a fifteen minutes courtesy pass just to look up information such as water, gas company numbers and number for bulk pickup. Just expected Fairfax county library to be a little better at providing services like these.

This is a terrific library and one of the largest in the county. My first stop is always the New Release section, but note that most of these are just available for a two-​week borrow as opposed to the traditional three-​week time. The library is always busy with students, tutors and families.
The kids section is great, although the board book section is fairly small. I imagine most of those books have a short lifespan as it is, given the habits of little readers. And once when we visited on a rainy day, several of the shelves were covered by tarps that were protecting books from a leaky ceiling. Yikes.
Check out their extra (and mostly free!) programs for kids — storytime, performers, book clubs, etc. Register online to reserve your spot. Several of the children’s programs fill up quickly.

Only giving 3 stars because we had a board meeting here for our children’s charity one evening from 7 – 9 pm. At 8:50pm they piped in LOUD Beastie Boys music through the loudspeaker directly over our table in the small conference room. When we asked the librarian to stop or at the very least turn it down, our group was told they have no control over the music. Needless to say we won’t be returning.
Should be 2-​stars but the extra star is because the tables in the conference room were nice.

I love this library, and would come here more often if only it were closer to home. It’s gigantic, and I think it might actually be the largest library in the Fairfax County library system. It has rows and rows of books, and is essentially on its own campus, since the property is so large.
Either way, it’s the only Fairfax County library that’s open on Sundays (1−5PM). Also, if you spend time in the Quiet Room, there is a real gem of a view that makes me feel like I’m sitting by a fireplace on a cold winter day. In the back corner of the Quiet Room, there’s 2 cushioned seats, floor-​to-​ceiling windows, and a view of a walking path by a lake. I honestly feel like I’ve gone to the countryside for the weekend when I sit there.

This is an awesome library! It’s clean, spacious, & we could spend hours here. Visiting from out of state, where our libraries arent as well-​funded, it was really nice to have a place to take my 2-​yr old bookworm to ;)
The children’s area is has a great collection of books & plenty of little tables to sit at. We also signed up for the free Toddlin’ Twos Storytime & had a great time. The teacher (Ms Lee) was really engaging & the class was well structured w/​a good mix of songs, books & free playtime. Loved it!

No library in the area can compare! The staff and volunteers are always friendly and super willing to help.

This is such a great library. It’s huge, there’s plenty of parking, very organized and clean, and lots of selections! They offer free wifi, lots of study tables and cubbies, friendly staff, and you can get and return books from any branch here.
My only complaint is that the hours can get a little wonky. I tried to stop by during lunchtime once and found out they didn’t open til 1! Someone told me it’s due to budget cuts, which is understandable, it’s just weird that one day they’ll be open 10 – 9, the next day 1 – 9, then the next day 10 – 5. Just check their hours before you go.

This is one of the larger libraries in the FCPL system, and the bookshelves are organized with fairly efficient spacing considering the curvature around the processing room. Kept quite clean. There’s not a particularly clear demarcation between the self-​service checkout line and the full-​service line, which isn’t usually an issue unless someone’s slowing up the two self-​checkout stations. With the public school right across the street, there’s a lot of overflow in terms of school buses in the parking lot and kids using the library after school; parking is easier to find than seating. Similarly, traffic around the beginning or end of school hours can be quite a cluster, with exiting library traffic trying to make a no-​light left towards 50 and entering school traffic trying to make a no-​light left at the same break onto grounds. Beware the jaywalking kids, not a good place to be in Grand Theft Auto mode.

+ Love this place! Or rather, I grew to love this place after spending every afternoon for a week here doing this writing thing for school.
+ Free wifi even if you’re not a library member. And they have tons of carrels so it was very conducive to my writing/​thinking.
+ Located across the street for a few schools I think, b/​c there were always kids around, even during school hours. But they are quite respectful and keep very quiet.
+/​-​There’s ample parking since the burbs aren’t that great with public transit but the speed bumps can be quite pesky!
— the only thing that keeps it from a five was the lighting. The building looks like a warehouse that they redid with tons of windows overhead. However, contrary to what you would think, this did not flood the space with natural lighting. It’s like somehow they must have left the film on the windows still. It was really dim if you were not right next to a window or underneath a spotlight. This might have been okay in a store or something but not in a library where you spend a lot of time looking at tiny characters.

Very quiet. Decent magazine rack. It kind of feels like a bookstore, except you can guiltlessly read the books and touch things.
Free internet access, including wireless (wi-​fi). I am a child of the Fairfax County Public Libraries, so I really appreciate them.