Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, Generation Alpha: no matter what age demographic you are in, there’s a trend that affects us all. We are all getting older. Not just individually, but as a society. The World Health Organization reports that every country in the world is seeing growth in the number and proportion of older persons in the population. This is happening on a local level, too. In Virginia, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service reports that 1 in 5 Virginians will be over 65 years by 2030. The fact that people are living longer is positive news, but with it, comes a need to be prepared.

As we flip the page on 2025 and head into a new year, we find ourselves reflecting on the past and considering how to best meet the needs of our community.

It’s winter, it’s cold, and we’re cooped up indoors. Why not put a dent in those 2026 reading goals while you’re already snuggled up on the couch? Introducing Warming Up: A Cozy Little Reading Challenge to kick start your year and commitment to reading.

January 2 is National Science Fiction Day, which honors the significant contributions to the genre by prolific author and editor Isaac Asimov born on January 2, 1920. Asimov is also credited with coining the term “robotics” in a 1941 short story he wrote, and robots do indeed populate a number of the titles in our collection. Read on for kid, teen, and adult science fiction recommendations to help you commemorate the occasion!

Ships have long been an object of cultural fascination, due to both their massive size and their potential for massive problems (onboard and overboard!). Both cruise ships and swashbuckling pirate ships have frequently captured the American imagination. Once a luxury enjoyed by the upper classes, cruise ships are a vacation enjoyed by many today. Pirate ships are a popular trope of modern storytelling, with plenty of historical information to inspire authors and readers alike. Feeling the call of the sea? From romance to murder, these titles offer readers a chance to sail away to another world.

The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the Earth's axis is tilted the farthest away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere and closest to the sun in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice usually takes place on December 20 or 21.