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.
| Forsyth County Public Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Forsyth County, Georgia |
| Established | 1938[1] |
| Branches | 5 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 441,639 (2020)[2] |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 2,331,969 (2020)[2] |
Population served | 252,507 (2020)[2] |
| Members | 80,824 (2020)[2] |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $6,768,303 (2017) |
| Director | Adrianne Junius |
| Website | https://www.forsythpl.org |
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
editEarly years: Gwinnett–Forsyth Regional Library
editThe 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
editThe 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
edit| Name | Address | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Cumming Library | 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, GA 30040 | 1990 |
| 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
edit- Chestatee Regional Library System to the north
- Sequoyah Regional Library System to the west
- Fulton County Library System to the southwest
- Gwinnett County Public Library to the south
- Hall County Library System to the east
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History - Forsyth County Public Library". www.forsythpl.org. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 "A Current Look at Georgia Public Libraries and GPLS 2020" (PDF). Georgia Public Library Service. June 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ↑ Robins, Kayla (August 21, 2016). "Forsyth County library system celebrating 20 years". Forsyth County News. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ↑ "Gwinnett LIBRARY HISTORY". Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ↑ LaRenzie, Alyssa (March 3, 2010). "Library to open March 15". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ Nahed, Aldo (February 12, 2013). "Post Road Library set to open in summer". Appen Media. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ Popp, Alexander (February 14, 2018). "Sharon Forks library announces month-long closing". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ Jaudon, Travis (March 26, 2025). "Denmark Library is ready to open". Forsyth County News. Retrieved April 21, 2025.