Two Gwinnett County libraries will host a Sensory Friendly Browsing Hour for special needs kids and their parents.

The Suwanee and Dacula branches will be the first to hold these hours, which are designed to be quieter and calmer than during normal library hours.

This environment can be helpful for autistic children who get overstimulated or stressed in public places like libraries, spokesperson Clifford Ibarrondo said in a release.

“Families with children on the autism spectrum often avoid libraries and other similar public places,” said Amy Billings, youth services manager for the county library system.

Allowing them access to the library when it is otherwise closed to the public “gives them a safe space to learn about our resources in a calm and quiet environment which minimizes overstimulation and stress.”

Suwanee's Sensory Friendly Browsing Hour will be on March 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., an hour before the library's scheduled opening.

The Dacula branch will host an hour on March 26, also from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Like Gwinnett County News on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

About the Author

Keep Reading

The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, which operates Xpress, has said the changes — which will eliminate other routes and decrease frequency overall — are necessary because of ridership declines since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AJC File)

Credit: AJC File Photo

Featured

Aerial photo shows demonstrators holding signs to oppose Trump’s immigration policies during “No Cake for False Kings” protest on the 17th Street NW Bridge, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC