Message from the Director: June 2026

Forty-six years ago I started working in public libraries.

Three weeks ago I decided to stop.

I didn’t set out to be a librarian.  I wanted to be a translator and live in the capitals of Europe.

But fate is a funny thing.  A bout of hepatitis after a year in Chile left me housebound and desperate for a job.  Enter E. Jean Orr, a family friend, who offered me work at the City-County Public Library in Moundsville, West Virginia.

I jumped at the chance. 

With a brief break for graduate school, over the years, I have been an outreach, children’s and reference librarian.  I became the director of Samuels Public Library in Front Royal in 1987.  From there, in 1991, Fauquier beckoned with the chance to work in a growing system.

The libraries and job descriptions might have changed but one thing did not. 

Despite predictions of obsolescence brought on by the Internet and other digital innovations, the public library remains the beating heart of the community.  Each day, hundreds pass through our doors to sit in on a story hour, speak with a naturalist, look for a job, or attend a program.  

And, yes, to borrow a book.

I am proud to have been an advocate for and leader of such a fine institution.

Leaving is bittersweet but “even things as fine as all that must end sometime.”  

I do not leave empty-handed but with admiration and thanks for the staff and volunteers whose dedication, creativity and friendship have made coming to work a joy. 

Thank you for the opportunity. 

It’s been grand.

Maria Del Rosso

Director, Fauquier County Public Library