Forsyth County Public Library

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Forsyth County Public Library
LocationForsyth County, Georgia
Established1938[1]
Branches5
Collection
Size441,639 (2020)[2]
Access and use
Circulation2,331,969 (2020)[2]
Population served252,507 (2020)[2]
Members80,824 (2020)[2]
Other information
Budget$6,768,303 (2017)
DirectorAdrianne Junius
Websitehttps://www.forsythpl.org

The Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) is a consortium of five public libraries in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. Four branches are located in the county seat of Cumming and one branch is located in Alpharetta.

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

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Early years: Gwinnett–Forsyth Regional Library

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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. 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

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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.[1]

In 2010 a third location, the Hampton Park Library was opened.[1][6] In 2013 the Post Road Library opened, marking FCPL's fourth location.[1][7] In 2017, SPLOST funds were used to renovate the Sharon Forks Library.[1][8] In 2025 a fifth location, the Denmark Library, was opened.[1][9]

Branches

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Name Address Opened
Cumming Library 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, GA 30040
Denmark Library 530 Fowler Road, Alpharetta, GA 30005 2025
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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History - Forsyth County Public Library". www.forsythpl.org. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "A Current Look at Georgia Public Libraries and GPLS 2020" (PDF). Georgia Public Library Service. June 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Robins, Kayla (August 21, 2016). "Forsyth County library system celebrating 20 years". Forsyth County News. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  5. ^ "Gwinnett LIBRARY HISTORY". Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  6. ^ LaRenzie, Alyssa (March 3, 2010). "Library to open March 15". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  7. ^ Nahed, Aldo (February 12, 2013). "Post Road Library set to open in summer". Appen Media. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  8. ^ Popp, Alexander (February 14, 2018). "Sharon Forks library announces month-long closing". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  9. ^ Jaudon, Travis (March 26, 2025). "Denmark Library is ready to open". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
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