In June 2018, Clarkston Library was awarded an Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grant to create a “Teen Zine” that focused on creative writing, media and visual arts. The publication is called “Hear Us: Teen Voices From Across DeKalb.” Effuah Chisholm, who headed the project is one of 70 educators in 29 states who implemented the new program during the academic year ending in June 2019. Participants were solicited from DeKalb High Schools. Monthly meetings were held from October through January and with the help of additional DCPL Staff members, the final product was submitted for print in May. A total of 11 teens participated in the project. You can see the Teen Zine here.
The Stone Mountain Sue-Kellogg Library will be closing for renovation on Saturday, June 15th. The renovation will include an updated floor plan, updated finishes, new furniture and restrooms. The work will be completed by C.T. Darnell Construction.
“I am eager for constituents to have a new and improved Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library with a portion of the $ 4 million dollars that I reprogrammed from District 4 Capital Improvement Funds for library renovations. $1.5 million dollars was allocated to renovate Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg from these funds,” said Commissioner Bradshaw.
The Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg branch is the first of three libraries in District 4 that will get an upgrade. Clarkston and Covington branch renovations are pending for scheduling in the future.
During the renovation period, patrons can visit these nearby branches: Tucker-Reid H. Cofer, Hairston Crossing, Redan-Trotti and Clarkston. Please sign-up for District 4 updates from Commissioner Bradshaw updates at rlflieg@dekalbcountyga.gov.
Patrons will soon be able to check out passes to the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. The passes are being made available through a partnership with Georgia Public Library Service. The passes will checkout for seven days and allow up to four visitors to be admitted to each attraction free of charge. Currently patrons can checkout passes for the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Go Fish Education Center, Zoo Atlanta, Georgia State Parks, the Michael C. Carlos Museum, and the Southeastern Railway Museum. Adult patrons with a valid DeKalb County Public Library card may checkout passes at any branch.
June 1-August 31, DeKalb County Public Library will waive any overdue fines for materials in the children’s and teen’s collections during “Fine-Free Summer.” The initiative is designed to encourage reading and remove any barriers so kids and teens will read more during the summer months. The DCPL Board of Trustees approved Fine-Free Summer for the second year after a successful summer in 2018. Fees will still be assessed on lost or damaged items and normal checkout periods will still apply.
The Doris K. Wells Heritage Festival is an annual celebration of the large diverse community that makes up DeKalb County. DeKalb County Public Library’s first African-American librarian, the late Doris K. Wells, created the festival in 1983 as a Kwanzaa Awareness Festival at the Scott Candler Library. Attendance for the first year was over 1000 patrons. The festival continued to grow over the years and was renamed the Doris K. Wells Heritage Festival. Programs throughout the months of December and January include music, dance, food, crafts and informational workshops. A full list of events can be seen here.
