Local library offers information and fun

Served by the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Stafford County’s John Musante Porter Branch of the library is named for a former chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.

John Musante Porter was a library advocate who passed away in June 1992 shortly before the Porter branch was scheduled to open.

Located in North Stafford’s Park Ridge community, the 23,000-square-foot library offers an 80-seat theater that can be partitioned to make two smaller rooms, and an additional 20-seat meeting room. It’s book collection numbers nearly 125,000 volumes.

A new state of the art 30,000-square-foot library is planned for opening in 2010 in the England Run community of southern Stafford County.

Fifteen public access computers are available at Porter as well as wireless Internet access.

As part of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library network, Stafford residents enjoy access to numerous special services including: Bookmobile, the Alliance for Literacy, resources for people with disabilities (such as talking books and special equipment for the deaf and hard of hearing), and delivery to institutions and private homes for homebound individuals.

Online reference services provide access to online databases, live chats and email communications. Books can be reserved and renewed online. Special activities are aimed at young adults and cultural enrichment is available for the enjoyment of all ages.

The Atrium features monthly art exhibits of local artists, and the Porter Book Club meets monthly.

Location:
2001 Parkway Blvd.
Stafford, VA 22554-3972

Phone: (540)659-4909
Fax: (540)659-4359

Hours of Operation
Mon – Thurs 9:00 to 9:00
Fri – Sat 9:00 to 5:30
Sun – 1 to 5:30
Closed Holidays

Branch Manager: Nelda Mohr (540) 659-4909

Central Rappahannock Library is located at:

1201 Caroline Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-3701
Phone: 540/372-1144
Fax: 540-899-9867 (public fax)

Hours of Operation
Mon-Thurs 9:00 to 9:00
Fri-Sat 9:00 to 5:30
Sun 1:00 to 5:30
Closed Holidays

Branch Manager: Margaret Beattie (540) 372-1144

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library Headquarters is located in historic downtown Fredericksburg and serves as the headquarters’ library as well as the administrative offices for the library system. It is a 37,000 square foot building originally constructed in 1907 and renovated in 1990-91.

The headquarters houses a collection of 212,223 items and provides regularly-scheduled programs for all ages. The building includes a 12-seat computer lab and another 10 public-access computers throughout the building, a quiet study area, public law library, a local history and genealogy collection, three meeting rooms and a 165-seat theater. Each month, local artists display their work in the Atrium.

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library also includes two branch libraries in Spotsylvania County and three in Westmoreland County

For more information, visit the Web site, LibraryPoint.org.