Forsyth County Public Library
| Forsyth County Public Library | |
|---|---|
| Location | Forsyth County, Georgia |
| Established | 1938[1] |
| Branches | 4 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 360,834[2] |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 2,369,260 (2015)[2] |
| Population served | 209,023 (2015)[2] |
| Members | 67,769 (2015)[2] |
| Other information | |
| Director | Anna Lyle |
| Website | http://www.forsythpl.org |
The Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) is a consortium of four public libraries in Forsyth County, Georgia. All four branches of the library system are located in the county seat of Cumming.
The Forsyth County Public Library as of 2015 had the highest circulation per capita in the state of Georgia.[2] Its Sharon Forks branch additionally was recognized as the busiest library in the state with a circulation alone of over one million materials.[3]
History
Early Years and Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library
The first library in Forsyth county was run out of the home of Laura Hockenhull, who at the time owned a private library and decided to open it up to the public. By 1938 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Forsyth opened the first formal county library with a collection of just over 600 volumes. This collection of books was housed throughout the county, and largely on a bookmobile that covered 20 routes through the county - on behalf of funding from the WPA.
In 1956, in an effort to consolidate resources, Forsyth and Gwinnett County made a joint library named the Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library. This relationship drastically increased the volumes available in the system as Gwinnett county housed a half dozen library locations while the Forsyth library collections were spread out among various buildings in the county.
Finally, in 1966 a formal location for library use was constructed in Forsyth county. Funding came from the federal Library Services and Construction Act, and allowed for a centralized location for most of the county's books. By this time, due to the proximity to Atlanta, the population in nearby counties, including Forsyth, was booming. A bond referendum passed in 1988 gave $2.1 million for the improvement of the county libraries, and the state of Georgia matched this money with a $2 million grant for construction of a new building which opened in 1992.
In 1995 Gwinnett county decided to dissolve the Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library System as their population and accommodations had grown to a point of independence.
Forsyth County Public Library
The following year, 1996, as a response to the split from Gwinnett county, Forsyth county passed a Special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) in order to raise funds to build a new library branch. This was repeated in 1998 to open the Sharon Forks Branch in 2000.
In 2010 a third location, the Hampton Park Library was opened. In 2013 the Post Road Library had opened, marking FCPL's fourth location.
Forsyth county is in the process of allocating funds to construct two new libraries in southwest and northwest Forsyth.[4] They are also using SPLOST funds to rebuild the Sharon Forks Library.
Branches
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Cumming Library | 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, GA 30040 |
| Hampton Park Library | 5345 Settingdown Road, Cumming, GA 30041 |
| Post Road Library | 5010 Post Road, Cumming, GA 30040 |
| Sharon Forks Library | 2820 Old Atlanta Road, Cumming, GA 30041 |
Library systems in neighboring counties
- Sequoyah Regional Library System to the west.
- Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System to the south west.
- Gwinnett County Public Library to the south.
References
- ^ "FCPL History". Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Robins, Kayla (August 21, 2016). "Forsyth County library system celebrating 20 years". Forsyth County News. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Hughes, Isabel (January 20,2017). "Forsyth County may build two new libraries". Forsyth County News. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
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