The Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) is a consortium of four public libraries in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. All four branches are located in the county seat of Cumming.
| Forsyth County Public Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Forsyth County, Georgia |
| Established | 1938[1] |
| Branches | 4 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 441,639 (2020)[2] |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 2,331,969 (2020)[2] |
| Population served | 252,507 (2020)[2] |
| Members | 80,824 (2020)[2] |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $6,768,303 (2017) |
| Director | Anna Lyle |
| Website | http://www.forsythpl.org |
The Forsyth County Public Library as of 2015 had the highest circulation per capita in the state of Georgia.[3] The Sharon Forks branch was recognized as the busiest library in the state, with a circulation of over one million materials.[4]
History
editEarly years: Gwinnett–Forsyth Regional Library
editThe 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. With funding from the WPA, this collection of books was housed throughout the county, largely on a bookmobile that covered 20 routes through the county.[1]
In 1956, in an effort to consolidate resources, Forsyth and Gwinnett County created a joint library system named the Gwinnett–Forsyth Regional Library System. Their partnership drastically increased the number of 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.[1]
Finally, in 1966 a formal location for library use was constructed in Forsyth County. Funding came from the federal Library Services and Construction Act, allowing for a centralized location for most of the county's books. By this time, due to the county's proximity to Atlanta, the population in Forsyth and nearby counties was booming. A bond referendum, passed in 1988, allocated $2.1 million for the improvement of the county libraries, and the state of Georgia matched this with a $2 million grant for construction of a new building which opened in 1992.[1]
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.[5]
Forsyth County Public Library
editThe 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.[1]
In 2010 a third location, the Hampton Park Library was opened. In 2013 the Post Road Library had opened, marking FCPL's fourth location.[1]
Forsyth County is in the process of allocating funds to construct two new libraries in southwest and northwest Forsyth.[6] It is also using SPLOST funds to rebuild the Sharon Forks Library.[1]
Branches
edit| Name | Address | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Cumming Library | 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, GA 30040 | |
| Hampton Park Library | 5345 Settingdown Road, Cumming, GA 30041 | 2010 |
| Post Road Library | 5010 Post Road, Cumming, GA 30040 | 2013 |
| Sharon Forks Library | 2820 Old Atlanta Road, Cumming, GA 30041 | 2000 |
Library systems in neighboring counties
edit- Chestatee Regional Library System to the north
- Sequoyah Regional Library System to the west
- Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System to the southwest
- Gwinnett County Public Library to the south
- Hall County Library System to the east
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "History - Forsyth County Public Library". www.forsythpl.org. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d "A Current Look at Georgia Public Libraries and GPLS 2020" (PDF). Georgia Public Library Service. June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Robins, Kayla (August 21, 2016). "Forsyth County library system celebrating 20 years". Forsyth County News. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Gwinnett LIBRARY HISTORY". Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Hughes, Isabel (January 20, 2017). "Forsyth County may build two new libraries". Forsyth County News. Retrieved 6 March 2017.