Get to know the story behind Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

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ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that collaborates with the Fulton County Library System, Georgia's largest library system. The Foundation offers crucial support that results in programs for children, teens and adults at all 34 library branches, with the objective of creating communities where a love of reading and lifelong learning thrives.

The purpose of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation is to work in conjunction with the Fulton County Library System to ensure the System's future as a vital community resource via lobbying, public awareness and private fundraising.

Thirty years ago, a tiny group of foresighted individuals realized that a magnificent library could not be built solely on the basis of public funds. They founded the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation to expand the reach of programming and resources.

The Library and the Foundation collaborate to decide where private funding is most needed and effective. Thanks to the generosity of Foundation contributors, 44,000 youngsters participated in Summer Reading programs this year, reading over 130,000 books. The most powerful reinforcement of the importance of libraries in our communities and lives comes through private donations to the Foundation.

The Library is Georgia's largest public library system, accounting for 20% of the state's total library activity. The Library has collections and venues for lifelong learning, personal enrichment, community involvement and inspiration.

The Young Men's Library Association, a subscription library service, was founded the Library in 1867. The current Central Branch was built on the site of the first library structure, which opened in 1907. The Library is now spread over 34 locations, including the Central Branch in downtown Atlanta, which was constructed in 1979 as Marcel Breuer's final project.

The Auburn Avenue Research Library of African American Culture and History, which first opened in 1994 on the site of the first Library branch for African-Americans, is one of the country's leading research libraries on African-American history and culture.

The County authorized a $275 million bond referendum in 2008 to restore or construct the current Library buildings. Construction and upgrade plans were completed in 2015, according to a plan prepared with community input.

Construction then began in 2016, and the majority of the branches have since reopened. However, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the opening of the reconstructed Central Branch and the completion of the final renovations of some of the remaining branches have been postponed. Nevertheless, it is expected to happen in 2021.

The Foundation was established in 1988 to work in collaboration with the Library to ensure the Library's long-term viability as a vital community resource. It aims to increase public knowledge of the Library, advocate for it and generate private funds to supplement the Library's offerings. It is a non-profit, private organization.

The Foundation supports various projects and activities to help the 34 Fulton County libraries reach a wider audience. There are almost 8,000 special programs that reach 200,000 people each year, in addition to the 4 million visits by library patrons each year.

Many of these initiatives are made possible by gifts from people, charities, and corporations, allowing libraries to serve a wide range of needs and interests in their communities. The Library's aim is to serve as a cultural and intellectual center that improves the community and provides all citizens with important tools for lifelong learning, which is supported by donations to the Foundation.

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