Mask up in the library

In accordance with Arlington’s mask mandate, face coverings are required.  This mandate applies to individuals aged two years and over except where an individual is unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability.

View from the 'bridge': The main reading room at Robbins Library in 2017 as seen from the floor where the administration toils. / Bob Sprague photo

The new year brings an all-new, redesigned town libraries' website to a browser near you at robbinslibrary.org. The site launches Tuesday, Jan. 18.  

Robbins on a postcard. / Richard Duffy

The web home of Arlington’s libraries, the Robbins Library and the Fox Branch Library, was created in collaboration with Arlington-based design firm Bionic Squid of Arlington. Its user-focused design approach grew out of community feedback, surveys and months of research and planning. New features include: 

• Prominent library hours;
• Events calendar color-coded for kids, teens and adults;
• An accessibility services page;
• Front page links to popular services, such as printing, museum passes and grab bags;
• “Staff Picks” area, featuring recommended reads; and
• Category filters for digital resources and databases.

You are invited to vote for Arlington’s next community book pick. 

Each March, hundreds of Arlingtonians participate in the annual Arlington Reads Together program, either by checking out the book at Robbins or Fox libraries or by attending one of the many community-read programs. New this year, the library invites you to vote for the 2022 community read at robbinslibrary.org. The voting period closes Friday, Oct. 15.

Roth

Join the Friends of the Robbins Library for a fun evening of astronomy in October.

Believe it or not, every type of astronomical target – from neighboring planets to distant galaxies – can be seen under suburban skies with nothing more than your unaided eyes -- unaided, that is, except for any eyeglasses or contact lenses you may require for distance viewing.

And many of the sights in for which the heavens are justly famous -- such as Saturn’s rings --  can be enjoyed with telescopes that cost less than $200.

Astronomy enthusiast and Arlington High School science teacher Joshua Roth will give a slide-show tour of the universe’s visual delights, emphasizing those that can be seen with the unaided eye and binoculars.

He also will give tips for choosing telescopes, online resources and books on the hobby and science of astronomy. The session will include ample time for Q&A.

Root

UPDATED, June 21: The Robbins Library and Fox Branch Library resume normal hours of operation effective Monday, June 21, with most services and no appointments necessary.

Arlington requires unvaccinated people to wear masks inside public facilities, but the library is asking all visitors to keep masks on inside regardless of vaccination status. Children ages 2-11 are required to wear masks, and library staff will continue wearing masks at public service desks in solidarity with young patrons.

See some photos >>

Patrons who wish to resume picking up holds at Fox must log into My Account on the MLN Catalog and select Edit to choose Arlington/Fox as the default pickup location.  

Join the Friends of the Robbins Library for its next pop-up book sale, set for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 26, in the back parking lot of the Robbins Library.

For sale are bags of books. Bags are marked by genre and sell for $5 (cash, check or charge).

Offerings include a large number of children’s materials, including board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, series and young adult.

Bags include mysteries, fiction, history, CDs, biographies, cookbooks and short stories.