Every day our libraries help residents in abundant, measurable ways. Our job encompasses so much more than books. With more than 3.5 million people coming to Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System branches every year — more than attend Braves and Falcons games combined — it is imperative that we provide services to address the biggest issues in our communities.
When one neighborhood has higher rates of asthma and diabetes than another, it’s an important issue, and we provide accurate health information many people can’t get anywhere else. We host health fairs and plan free programs.
When so many don’t have a high school diploma, we made the decision to expand our GED training and testing program. Last year, more than 540 people graduated through this award-winning program.
Joblessness hits hard where we live, so we work with Fulton County’s Office of Workforce Development. We help thousands craft resumes, apply for jobs and learn to interview successfully.
Residents clamor to use our 700 computers every day, and we could easily use 700 more. As wireless hotspots, our libraries don’t require that you buy coffee for access. Along with extremely popular e-books, we were the first library to package a suite of online learning resources in an innovative way with eCampus, offering hundreds of free courses, tutoring sessions and standardized practice tests.
We are centers for tax assistance; register thousands of people to vote, many for the first time; teach English as a second language; tutor adults learning to read; and leverage partnerships with nonprofit groups, area businesses and government, adding depth to our programs.
Not every social service has its tentacles in the community as we do. Our librarians go outside the walls as a natural extension of what they do — to schools, recreation centers, areas in need. Fulton Industrial Boulevard is one. Riddled by drugs, crime and families living in transient situations, our librarians go there, hold story times, make a space for books in an extended-stay motel, and keep coming back.
Are we doing more with less? Yes. But we are fortunate to have the dollars we have, and we are strongly supported by our elected officials. Yet we still struggle to meet real needs. We have made tough decisions in recent years: One was to keep all of our doors open and retain our staff. We sustained hours of operation to keep kids at computers and remain a safe place where all are welcome.
Our success stories are many and moving, and we must keep moving at all times to remain as relevant tomorrow as today. There is a fundamental passion we in libraries have. We are not a peripheral player but help solve big issues. Our patrons expect it of us, demand it of us, and we do it with the resources we have — now more than ever.
John F. Szabo is director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.
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