June Is Caribbean American Heritage Month!

June is just around the corner and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be celebrating Caribbean American Heritage all month long! Film screenings, programs, author events, book signings, and plenty of other activities are planned for all ages so be sure and check the schedule below and mark your calendars. We'd love to have you celebrate with us!

National Caribbean-American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate and recognize men and women who trace their roots to the Caribbean. Through every chapter of our Nation's history, Caribbean Americans have made our country stronger -- reshaping our politics and reigniting the arts, spurring our movements and answering the call to serve. Caribbean traditions have enriched our own, and woven new threads into our cultural fabric. Again and again, Caribbean immigrants and their descendants have reaffirmed America's promise as a land of opportunity -- a place where no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make it if you try.

                                  ~President Barack Obama; Presidential Proclamation, 2013         

National Caribbean American Heritage Month Meet and Greet and Reception.

Tuesday June 3. 4:00 p.m.

All are invited to get information about the month’s festivities at the Central Library. Learn about the Caribbean Film Festival, Anancy Festival, Caribbean Spelling Bee and Book Signings. Meet representatives from various Caribbean countries and organizations. Refreshments will be served.

Central Library, a part of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System

1 Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta 30303

For more information call 404.730.1904

The Caribbean Film Festival 2014

Saturday, June 7. 1:00 p.m.

Join us as we view the films Play, Jankanu play: the Garifuna Wanaragua ritual in Belize and The Boys of Summer from Curacao. Dr. Oliver Greene filmmaker and Professor, will introduce and facilitate a discussion about his film ‘Play, Jankanu play…’; and ‘The Boys of Summer’ documents the exciting journey of the Curacao team to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Caribbean Film Festival 2014.

Sunday, June 8. 1:00 p.m.

Join us as we view the films Sara Gomez: Afro-Cuban filmmaker and Womanish Ways,Freedom, Human Rights, and Democracy: the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the Bahamas 1948-1962.

Book Discussion and Signing.

Tuesday, June 10. 4:00 p.m.

Nicki Salcedo will present and discuss her first novel, All Beautiful Things, a story based in Atlanta which delves into the themes of love, race, crime and the search for truth. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, and the author will sign books after the discussion.

Anancy Festival 2014.

Saturday June 14. 1:00 p.m.

Listen to storytellers as they regale the audience with funny and exciting tales of the trickster Anancy. These tales migrated from West Africa to the Caribbean, and have delighted children there for many years.

Caribbean Spelling Bee.

Saturday June 14. 2:30 p.m.

Children and teens up to the eighth grade will take part in this first annual spelling bee focused on Caribbean people, places and things. The list of spelling words will be made available upon request.  Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places.

The Caribbean Film Festival 2014.

Sunday, June 15. 1:00 p.m.

Join us as we view the films The Merikins from Trinidad and Tobago, and Rum Shop and Chattel House from Barbados.

Book Discussion and Signing.

Tuesday, June 17. 4:00 p.m.

Dr.Noel Erskine, noted Caribbean theologian and Emory University Professor will launch his new book, Plantation Church: How African-American Religion was born in Caribbean Slavery. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, and Dr. Erskine will be available to sign books after the discussion.

Interlibrary Loan At Your Library

Have you ever come into your local library branch looking for a very specific title, only to be disappointed to learn that the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System doesn't own any copies of it? Maybe the book you're after is an older title, no longer in print. Or perhaps it's on a very specific subject outside of the scope of a public library's collection. There are various reasons why our library system might not own a specific book, but even when that's the case we will do our best to get that book in your hands! An interlibrary loan is a transaction in which the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System borrows materials from another library system on behalf of a patron. The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System provides interlibrary loan services in order to enhance and extend the resources available to its users. You may request an interlibrary loan if a book, magazine or journal article you are seeking is not owned by any branches of the library. This service is often free, but sometimes there is a charge for photocopied materials or for rare, hard-to-find items held by only a few libraries. 

There are a few guidelines that must be followed when requesting something via interlibrary loan.

1. Patrons must have an updated and valid Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System library card.
2. Library card account cannot have any lost items or excessive fines. Check your account by logging on via our website. 
3. A patron may make up to 7 requests at one time; this includes requests already submitted but that have yet to be completed.
4. Fill out a separate request form for each book and/or photocopied article.
5. Required field (*) information must be provided.
6. Adhere to lending library due dates. Return items on time so that lending libraries will continue to offer this service.
7. Renew interlibrary loan materials 7 days prior to due date by calling 404.730.1937.

Use the Book Request Form to complete your request. The more information you can find and include about the book, the easier and  faster your request will be to process! If for some reason we cannot obtain a book for you, you will be notified by our Interlibrary Loan Office. For further information you can contact them with the information below. We hope you enjoy this service of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System!

Contact the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Interlibrary Loan Office
One Margaret Mitchell Square
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404.730.1937
Fax: 404.730.1989
Email: interlibraryloan@fultoncountyga.gov

2014 Eisner Award Nominees Announced

Hey Atlanta Comic Con fans and lovers of graphic novels, listen up! This post may interest you particularly...

There's a good reason that we here at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System are excited about the list of nominees for this year's Eisner Awards. Considered the "Oscars" of the comic book industry, this award named after renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of "The Spirit" and pioneer of the graphic novel) is given out in more than twenty-four categories and includes the best publications and artists from the previous year. March: Book One, which hit the shelves last summer is the first in a trilogy based on the life, struggles, and heroism of Atlanta's own Civil Rights pioneer, Representative John Lewis. And for the creative team behind the endeavor, writers John Lewis himself, Andrew Aydin (who is also an aide to Lewis and native Atlantan) and artist Nate Powell, things just keep looking up. The books is nominated for three categories: Best Publication for Teens (13-17,) Best Reality-Based Work, and Powell is also nominated for Best Penciller/Inker. Powell is a previous Eisner winner for his 2009 original graphic novel Swallow Me Whole.        

This series has already proven in many educational and library circles to be a great way to introduce teaching about the Civil Rights movement, it's intensity and importance, to young people in a format that keeps them interested, engaged, and entertained all at the same time. So even if you don't consider yourself an avid fan, or even a reader of, graphic novels, you should definitely give this one a try. Check the library catalog and place a hold on a copy today! 

Fulton County Job Fair

Employers who expect to hire within the next 90 days will participate in a Job Fair sponsored by the Fulton County Office of Workforce Development on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The Job Fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Atrium of the Fulton County Government Center located at 141 Pryor Street in Atlanta. Job seekers are urged to dress for success and bring their resumes for the Job Fair initiated by Fulton County District 6 Commissioner Joan P. Garner.

To help citizens prepare to enhance their chances of landing a position, Fulton County will host three Job Readiness Prep Workshops on Tuesday, April 15, Wednesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 17, 2014, at the Neighborhood Union Health Center. The three-hour workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. each day. Neighborhood Union is located at 186 Sunset Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30314. The deadline to register is Friday, April 11, 2014, and registration is free. And don't forget about the free Job Resources available to you from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System! 

Individuals who plan to attend the Job Fair are urged to take MARTA to Underground Atlanta for convenience and reduced costs that would be associated with parking and identifying available parking near the Government Center.

For more information, call 404-613-6381. The Office of Workforce Development is a division of the Housing and Human Services Department.

Citizens in need of reasonable accommodations due to a disability including communications in an alternative format should contact Nell Kapple in the Housing and Human Services Department at (404) 613-7944. For Georgia Relay Access, dial 711.