10 Reasons to Love Your Library

1 Books for every type of reader
All libraries offer standard print books, large print, audiobooks, and ebooks, as well as braille through Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. There are library materials for all ages and abilities. If there is a way you prefer to read, your library can help you check out materials in that format.

2 Tech for checkout
At the library, you can check out a laptop to search for jobs, apply for retirement benefits, complete homework, and more. Parents can borrow a Launchpad interactive learning tablet loaded with literacy apps and games to encourage young readers. Or check out a mobile internet hotspot to connect with Wi-Fi wherever you go.

One patron told us, “The library changed my life. I live by a state park and have no internet access. The W.H. Stanton Memorial Library staff showed me how to check out a hotspot, and now I can watch the news and TV shows at home!”

Demand for laptops and Launchpads increased this year as laptops saw a 91% increase in checkouts and Launchpads saw a 39% increase.

3 Classes for grown-ups
Libraries offer a wide variety of classes for adults to learn new skills like knitting, resume building, or applying for social security benefits. If you have a class idea, share it with your local librarians, who often create classes around local interests.

“The Pinewoods Library offers free English classes for the community, citizenship classes, and crafts for all ages,” one patron wrote. “It helps the community connect with each other and with organizations that can help them. Personally, it has helped me a lot as I learn and practice English.”

4 Activities for kids
Georgia’s public libraries are places where children and families can participate in early literacy activities like storytime or learn skills from gardening to playing the ukulele.

These programs help children build literacy, social, and language skills, setting them up for success in school and beyond. 2024 saw an increase of over 200,000 in children’s programming attendance at libraries statewide, including at annual Summer Reading Program events that help close achievement gaps. More than 1,353,000 children and caregivers came to the library for programs created just for them.

5 Free internet
Many Georgians depend on their local library’s public access computers and Wi-Fi to apply for jobs, complete homework, or access online services.

All 408 public libraries offer free high-speed internet, and it is an essential service across the many rural regions of Georgia that lack basic connections.

“I have been using the Norcross Library while I recover from a medical emergency, which left me destitute and homeless. Being able to access the internet indoors is a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders,” one patron told us.

By expanding access to technology, Georgia’s public libraries continue to be vital resources for individuals and families, promoting digital literacy and providing pathways to opportunity.

6 History resources
Your library has everything you need to explore family, local, or national history. Did you know many libraries collect rare or hard-to-find archival resources? These are items you won’t find anywhere else, like a 450-year-old choral book,1936 film clips and images from the fifth-deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history, mid-century photographs from an African American community in north Georgia, or newspapers documenting the growing indie music scene in Athens, Georgia.

Libraries also have archival and genealogical source materials freely available online or in person through special collections. You can explore your family tree through HeritageQuest or Ancestry Library Edition at the library.

7 New or revitalized spaces
With support from Georgia Public Library Service and state funding, libraries are creating new spaces and updating existing ones to foster lifelong learning, creativity, and collaboration in welcoming, modern environments. As of September 2024, 66 libraries are receiving financial assistance for new facilities or structural repairs, ensuring they can continue to serve their communities effectively.

This year, the Hickory Flat Public Library in Canton designed a Third Place for families and students from nearby schools to gather and connect, the Braselton Library expanded to have rooms for local groups to host activities, and the Middle Georgia Regional Library created a new branch in a busy Macon shopping mall to reach potential patrons in a convenient space.

8 Interlibrary loans
Can’t find something at your library? Check the PINES catalog and put in a request!

A PINES library card is available to any Georgia resident and provides access to over 11 million library materials across more than 300 public libraries. Almost anywhere you visit in Georgia, you can stop by a PINES library to borrow or return materials.

In fact, library cardholders borrowed more than 11,719,000 items for free through PINES libraries in 2024, an increase of 407,500 more checkouts than last year.

There’s even a PINES app, so you can place your holds on the go.

9 Experience Passes
Explore Georgia and save money using your library card. Through partnerships with organizations across the state, Georgia public libraries provide educational and recreational opportunities to spend time together while saving money.

With your free library card, you can check out passes for free entry to Zoo Atlanta, Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, the Center for Puppetry Arts, and more. If a group of four uses all 12 Experience Passes, they would save more than $1,100 on admissions, tickets, and parking!

10 Librarians who are information experts and care about their patrons
The most special part about Georgia public libraries may just be the librarians themselves, who have a specialized education to be able to recommend reliable sources of information, accurately catalog books, or create early literacy activities.

One individual told us, “The reference librarians at the Duluth Library are such experts; they make it their business to learn the most efficient ways to find information.”

They also provide a welcoming face as soon as you walk in the door.

“I love that the staff at Maysfield Public Library get so excited to see my little one come in. They have watched her grow since she was around four months old,” wrote one patron.

Librarians help create lifelong learners through their dedication.

“Eli is an extraordinary librarian at Norcross Library whose commitment to fostering a love for learning has had a profound impact on my 10-year-old son and his friends, who frequently visit the library’s learning labs,” a parent told us.

“He encourages exploration and helps to cultivate a sense of wonder. His influence will resonate for years to come, helping shape my son and his peers into lifelong learners and enthusiastic library supporters.”

Georgia Public Library Service 2024 Library Employee of the Year Kristen Timoteo is known for efforts to reach and support children’s literacy in her community.

At the Grantville branch of the Coweta Public Library System, Timoteo grew the library’s outreach presence from visiting one elementary school and one daycare in 2023 to 14 elementary schools, three major county-wide events, and four daycare facilities in 2024.

“Kristen’s passion for service and her positive energy are contagious to all who have had the opportunity to interact with her,” said Jimmy Bass, director of Coweta Public Library System.

“Her ability to make meaningful daily impacts on the variety of people she meets through providing library services never ceases to astound me.”