It got a little lost among the rush of news late last year, but we finally have an answer to what shut down the Alexandria Library’s electronic services last year.
For several weeks in July, the Alexandria Library was crippled by a ‘data incident’ that led to the city’s audiobooks, wifi, library card signup and more being shut down.
Some of those services, like wifi and audiobooks, were restored after a few weeks, others took longer.
The Alexandria Library said in a post in November that the Alexandria Library had been the victim of a ransomware attack:
The Alexandria Library system recently experienced a partial network outage due to a ransomware attack which encrypted several servers. The investigation by cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement is substantially complete and concluded that Library patron information was not accessed or compromised. Alexandria Library does not collect or retain the personally identifiable information (PII) of its patrons and borrower history was not contained on the encrypted servers. The Library has implemented additional security measures designed to prevent a reoccurrence of such incidents and to further protect and enhance the privacy of our employees, patrons and vendors. All impacted services have been restored.
The Alexandria Library was a closed book for much of last year about the cause of the shutdown but did say that cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement had been called in to investigate the incident.
If you have a kid with a knack for Legos, or you’re an age 6-12 Alexandrian who pays unusually close attention to local news sites: there’s a Lego competition planned today at the library in Del Ray.
The competition emphasizes teamwork, creativity, and skills with using plastic bricks to make something new.
“Attendees will be put on a team and given a prompt with 1 hour to complete their build,” the library website said. “Our esteemed judges will evaluate and choose a winning team.”
The competition runs from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library (2501 Commonwealth Avenue).
Teamwork, Creativity and Legos! Join the competition on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Duncan Branch Library starting at 3:30 PM. Attendees will be put on a team and given a prompt with 1 hour to complete their build! Ages 6- 12 https://t.co/3yFshvL3F2 pic.twitter.com/lJtPtJhJhG
— Alexandria Library (@alexlibraryva) November 16, 2023
If you’re an aspiring writer working through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), there’s a workshop at the Alexandria Library for you.
There’s a Writers Group meeting at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central library twice a month. The next meeting is this Sunday, Nov. 5, from 1-4:30 p.m.
Are you a writer looking for constructive criticism, encouragement, or just a sympathetic ear? Join the Beatley Writer's Group on Sunday, Nov. 5, from 1-4:30 PM for all of the above. https://t.co/dslDk9qcn2 pic.twitter.com/f8m58Z94ns
— Alexandria Library (@alexlibraryva) November 3, 2023
“This is a twice-monthly forum for writers to network, share moral support, and offer constructive criticism,” the event listing said. “Meets first and third Sundays. All are welcome!”
Other writing groups around town include the Old Town Alexandria Writers, Authors, & Poets Group and the Northern Virginia Writers Club.
If your bookshelf is looking a little sparse, or you’re hoping to get a head start on Christmas shopping: Alexandria’s Beatley Central Library (5005 Duke Street) is hosting its fall book sale this week.
The event, organized by Friends of the Beatley Central Library, starts tomorrow (Wednesday) and runs through Monday, Oct. 23. A preview day is available today for Friends of the Beatley Central Library members.
The sale includes thousands of books, DVDs, CDs and more.
The sale runs from 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday, then from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Sunday is half-price day, running from 1-4:30 p.m., and Monday is $10 bag sale from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The Friends of Beatley Library Fall Book Sale starts this week with a members-only preview on Oct. 17, then open to the public on Oct. 18 through 23. The sale is a great way to support the Library while stocking your shelves with new favorites. https://t.co/2nVIGjcUIf pic.twitter.com/REn5iJ8f72
— Alexandria Library (@alexlibraryva) October 16, 2023
While it won’t have the fierce competition of its French forebearer, Le Tour d’Alexandria is being hosted by the Alexandria Library later this month.
The 13-mile, 2.5-hour bike ride will run in a loop around Alexandria, hitting all of the library locations along the way.
“This leisurely ride begins at 10 a.m. at Beatley Central Library, is approximately 13 miles long, and ends back where it began,” the Alexandria Library event listing said. “Bring your bike and join library staff for this 2.5-hour ride.”
The check-in starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Beatley Central Library and the tour starts at 10 a.m., finishing roughly around 12:30 p.m. back in the same location.
Space on the tour is limited and riders must be at least 13 years old to participate. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Helmets are required.
With book bans on the rise, the Alexandria Library is partnering with Elaine’s Restaurant (208 Queen Street) in Old Town to host a free reading from books on banned lists nationwide.
The free event tomorrow (Wednesday) will allow locals to read a 3-5 minute segment from a favorite banned book, like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Kite Runner or Harry Potter, or just come to listen. The event will be held on the second floor of Elaine’s Restaurant from 7-9 p.m.
A list of frequently challenged books is available online.
According to the event listing:
The Freedom to Read is a right, but books are still being banned throughout the country. And the numbers are up, “In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.” from The American Library Association.
Celebrate your right to read during #BannedBooksWeek. The Barrett Branch Library is partnering with Elaine's Restaurant at 208 Queen Street in Old Town to host a Read Out of banned or challenged works on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 PM. https://t.co/8McABiOmlN pic.twitter.com/in3Hg9VkSJ
— Alexandria Library (@alexlibraryva) October 2, 2023
From tango to storytime, the Alexandria Library is hosting an array of events this month to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
The month of programming started on Sept. 15 and will run until Monday, Oct. 16.
There will be a bilingual storytime on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 10:15 a.m. in the Burke Branch Library (4701 Seminary Road). The event is aimed at children who are one or two years old.
There are storytime events throughout the month, including ones for older children and a book club for adults. There will be a screening of Encanto, one of the best Disney movies in recent memory, at the Duncan Branch Library (2501 Commonwealth Avenue) on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 4-6 p.m.
There are also multiple dances and dance classes, including a Tango class on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 4-5 p.m. in the Burke Branch Library.
The full list of events over the next month is available online.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins today, and the Library has events lined up throughout that will educate, entertain, and inform. https://t.co/yZ357nBrNB pic.twitter.com/VFK9VgCUKN
— Alexandria Library (@alexlibraryva) September 15, 2023
Image via PreilluminationSeTh/Unsplash
(Updated 8/24) A group of adventurers slowly entered a dimly lit tavern with a locked cage at the center of the room. The commoners of the town, including the party cleric’s brother, were locked in that cage.
As the group filed in, suddenly from out of the shadows, things began to crawl forward. As the group of children at the Alexandria Library listened eagerly to Dungeon Master Aly Ahn describe what was lurking in the shadows, one of them hopefully suggested “Kittens?”
The table erupted in laughter and Ahn said it was one of her favorite moments in an ongoing Dungeons and Dragons campaign occurring monthly at the Alexandria Library.
For those out of the loop, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a popular tabletop roleplaying game where a dungeon master weaves a narrative and a group of players embodies various fantasy archetypes on a quest.
Ahn, who is used to working with children in after-school programs, set up the Alexandria Library’s D&D campaigns. The program’s turned into such a success that Ahn said more volunteer dungeon masters are needed to keep up with the demand from local kids.
The campaigns have their roots in Ahn’s work in an after-school program during Covid.
“When students went back to school and it was still virtual, my program was able to accommodate children whose parents could have them at home for virtual schooling,” Ahn said. “When 2:30 comes around, the kids needed something to do. We were trying to be mindful of close contact and I thought: oh, I can teach them how to play Dungeons and Dragons.”
Ahn said her older brother tried to teach her the game when she was a child, but she really fell in love with the game when she started playing with friends in 2019. In early 2022, some of the quarantine campaigns fizzled out, and Ahn said she felt the itch to play again. She reached out to the library and started a campaign for local kids in June 2022.
The campaign was originally aimed at pre-teen players, but ended up mostly with players between eight and ten years old.
Ahn said running a D&D campaign for children is different than running a campaign for adults. She started off with modules written specifically for younger players and avoids saying things like a character or creature dies.
The campaign has been popular enough that Ahn’s enlisted the help of other volunteers to help run other campaigns to keep the group sizes more manageable. Fewer players per campaign means each player gets more time to shine.
“It’s difficult to keep them invested and [keep their attention],” Ahn said. “That’s why we’re constantly looking for new volunteers. This past weekend, we had 12 kids, which is a lot. There was only one time when I, by myself, had to run a 12-person table. Now with three [dungeon masters] we have four or five kids per table.”
Most of the adventures have been episodic “one-shots” but now that the players have a more firm grasp on the game, Ahn is starting to work in the backstories of the characters to build an overarching campaign to help the children practice roleplaying.
Ahn said one of the crowning moments of her work with the Alexandria Library Dungeons and Dragons campaign was when one of the players started to run their own game with their parents and some of the others in the group.
In general, Ahn said the game has been great for teaching children teamwork, outside-the-box problem-solving, and letting them take chances in a safe environment:
Liam O’Brien from Critical Role once said there was a moment in the [campaign] where it struck him that the [dungeon master] wasn’t there to be their enemy, he was there to turn them into heroes. That’s something that stuck with me. That’s something I can do with the kids as well. I want them to practice looking out for each other, working together as a team, and learning how they can contribute and how they can help others around them.
Ahn said Dungeons and Dragons, the current 5th edition in particular, is built so that no one player can do everything.
“Wizards can literally reshape history and can mold things the way they want things to be, but they can’t cast cure wounds — you’ll need a ranger or cleric or alchemist for that,” Ahn said. “It’s designed for teamwork. Kids will say ‘I’m a wizard, why can’t I do this?’ and it’s because one person can’t do everything.”
The next session is Saturday, Sept. 16, from 1-4 p.m. at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library (717 Queen Street). Ahn said the campaign can use all the dungeon masters it can get and the best way for people to get involved is to reach out to their library’s volunteer coordinator.
Photo via Alexandria Library/Facebook
The Appalachian Mountains never touch Mexico, but a concert tomorrow at Alexandria’s Beatley Central Library (5005 Duke Street) will manage the geographically impossible and bring them together.
The musical group Lua Project combines musical styles from Chattanooga to Veracruz, with a narrative storytelling approach similar to the Scotch-Irish style prevalent in Appalachian music but with instrumentation and musical traditions from Mexico.
The program is scheduled to run from 10:30-11:30 a.m. tomorrow (Friday).
“A bilingual concert of songs and stories featuring an introduction to Mexican and [Appalachian] music, instruments and dance,” the Alexandria Library said. “All ages.”
Photo via Lua Project/Facebook
(Updated 10:15 a.m.) One month after the Alexandria Library was crippled due to a “data incident,” the library is still recovering services and won’t say more about what caused the outage.
For weeks in early July, many of the library network’s digital services were completely inaccessible, including audiobooks, wifi and signing up for a library card.
Some of those services, like wifi and audiobooks, were restored after a few weeks. Others took longer and public computer stations and printing are still unavailable at the Barrett and Burke Branch Libraries. Payment for some fees and services also cannot be accepted.
“We have gotten internet stations and public printing back online at Beatley Central Library as of yesterday,” Senior Communications Officer Nathan Carrick said, “and [we] expect to have the other branches back online this week as well.”
The Alexandria Library said on its website that the technological issues were caused by a data incident:
The Alexandria Library system is experiencing a partial network outage due to a data incident. The investigation is ongoing and Library staff is working with cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement to remediate and investigate this incident. The Library is open and nearly all services are available.
Over a month after the Alexandria Library first published that notice, though, Carrick said the library can’t provide any additional information about the cause.
“We cannot provide an update on the investigation at this time as it is still ongoing,” Carrick said.