Metropolitan Library Grand Opening Celebration!

Metropolitan Library rendering

The Atlanta-FultonPublic Library System is preparing to open its seventh new library as part of Phase I of the Library Building Program with a grand opening celebration on Thursday, October 1 at 11:00 a.m. Please join us!

The new 25,000-square-foot Metropolitan Library will be located at 1332 Metropolitan Parkway, Atlanta 30310. This library will replace service at the Stewart-Lakewood Library, which will close to the public as of 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 18, to prepare for the grand opening of the new library.

SmithDalia Architects, in association with Craig Gaulden Davis and ai3, provided design and engineering services for the new library. Winter Johnson Group, a Joint Venture, provided construction management services, and Heery/Russell is the program management team.

This opening is part of Phase I of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System’s Library Building Program, including construction of 8 new branch libraries and 2 expansion projects. In addition to the Metropolitan Library, six libraries have already opened: Wolf Creek (September 2014), Palmetto (December 2014), East Roswell (February 2015), Northwest at Scotts Crossing (July 2015), Milton (July 2015), and Alpharetta (July 2015). The Southeast Atlanta Library, is expected to open later this year and both the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the South Fulton Library are currently closed and under construction as the two expansion projects.

Green building design and sustainability are priorities for all Phase I library projects, and the Library System expects to achieve LEED Silver on each project. Each library will reflect the culture and interests of its community.

In November 2008, Fulton County voters overwhelmingly passed the Library Bond Referendum. The plan will greatly enhance all of the county’s libraries, and Phase I includes 8 new branch libraries, Alpharetta, East Roswell, Milton, Northwest Atlanta, Palmetto, Southeast Atlanta, Stewart-Lakewood, and Wolf Creek and 2 expanded libraries, the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the South Fulton Branch. 

For more information please visit our website, and click on “Your New Libraries” on the front page for updates. To RSVP for the event, please call 404-730-1977. 

We hope  to see you there!

Alpharetta Library Grand Opening Celebration!

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System announces the grand opening of the new 25,000-square-foot Alpharetta Library, which will open to the public with a celebration on Thursday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. Please join us!

This is the sixth library to open as part of Phase I of the Library Building Program. Cooper Carry, in association with Vines Architecture, provided design and engineering services for the new library. Moss & Associates provided construction management services, and Heery/Russell is the program management team.

The beautiful two-level library creates a defining front porch to the Alpharetta City Center and embraces the park-like setting as it welcomes patrons to the variety of spaces and places within. The two levels of the building both feature public entries, and are connected internally by an open central stair. The library features convenient access to upper level collections, computer areas, reading, meeting, study and conference rooms. The lower level includes a variety of children’s program space, an auditorium, lobby and support spaces accessible through a central plaza entry. The brick exterior, cast stone features, large windows and extensive landscaping create a welcoming environment consistent with the ongoing growth of Alpharetta City Center.

In November 2008, Fulton County voters passed the Library Bond Referendum which will greatly enhance all of the county’s libraries, and includes 8 new branch libraries and 2 expansion projects.

We would love to see as many of our patrons there as possible so please come join in the festivities or just come to check out some brand new books, movies and music all day long!

WHEN:           Thursday, July 30, 2015

 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:        Alpharetta Library

10 Park Plaza

Alpharetta, GA 30009

Three New Libraries Opening This Summer!

The Atlanta-FultonPublic Library System is preparing to open the next three new libraries as part of Phase I of the Library Building Program this summer.

The new 25,000-square-foot Northwest Library at Scotts Crossing will open on Thursday, July 9 at 11:00 a.m. The library is located at 2489 Perry Boulevard, Atlanta 30318. The Perry Homes and Bowen/Bankhead Libraries permanently closed on May 15, 2015 to prepare for the grand opening of this new library.

The new 25,000-square-foot Milton Library will open on Thursday, July 16 at 11:00 a.m. Located at 855Mayfield Road, Milton 30009, this branch is providing service to an area of the county that was previously unserved by a library.

The new 25,000-square-foot Alpharetta Library

will open on Thursday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. The library is located at 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta 30009, and is part of the new Alpharetta City Center. The existing Alpharetta Library, located at 238 Canton Street, Alpharetta, re-opened on June 3 after closing on May 21 to prepare the collection for the grand opening of the new Alpharetta Library. This library will permanently close approximately two weeks prior to the opening of the new Alpharetta Library. The closing date will be finalized in the coming weeks.

These openings are part of Phase I of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System’s Library BuildingProgram, including construction of 8 new branch libraries and 2 expansion projects. In addition to the Alpharetta, Milton and Northwest libraries opening in July, three libraries have already opened: East Roswell (February 2015), Palmetto (December 2014), and Wolf Creek (September 2014). Two additional new libraries, the Southeast Atlanta and Metropolitan branches, will open later this year. Both the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the South Fulton Library are currently closed and under construction as the two expansion projects.

Green building design and sustainability are priorities for all Phase I library projects, and the Library System expects to achieve LEED Silver on each project. Each library will reflect the culture and interests of its community.

This is a very exciting time for our library system! Thank you to all of our patrons for your continued support of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System. We hope you all have a chance to visit your beautiful new libraries very soon!

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System To Open New Palmetto Library!

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is thrilled to announce the grand opening of the new Palmetto Library, which will open to the public with a celebration on Monday, December 15 at 11:00 a.m.

The new 10,000-square-foot library for Palmetto and Chattahoochee Hills is part of Phase I of the Library Building Program. The library is located at 9111 Cascade Palmetto Highway, Palmetto, GA 30268, an area not previously served by a library.

Houser Walker Architecture provided design and engineering services for the new library. New South Construction provided construction management services on this project, and Heery/Russell was the program management team.

The Palmetto Library is imagined as a series of ‘rooms’ or small buildings nestled within a semi-rural landscape. Drawing on vernacular structures from the region, it features large rooms, corresponding to the major functions of the Library. A nearby barn provided inspiration for the overall form of the building, which responds to specific views, solar characteristics, and functional requirements of each defined room. Materials used for the exterior of the library draw upon the legacy of building in the entire Palmetto/Chattahoochee Hills region, while reinforcing the civic character of the structure. The structure will age well and give a rich patina to the building as time passes. 

In November 2008, Fulton County voters overwhelmingly passed the Library Bond Referendum. The plan will greatly enhance all of the county’s libraries, and includes 8 new branch libraries: Alpharetta, East Roswell, Milton, Northwest Atlanta, Palmetto, Southeast Atlanta, Metropolitan and Wolf Creek, and two expansion projects: Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and the South Fulton Library. The Library Building Program plan maintains 34 libraries, the current number of libraries in the system, by eliminating leased spaces and its oldest libraries. Green building design and sustainability are priorities for these library building projects, and the Library System expects to achieve LEED Silver on all of the Phase I projects.

An important part of each new library is its public art project. Through the Fulton County Art in Public Places Resolution, 1% of each building project budget goes toward the creation of public art. For the Palmetto Library, artist Andrew T. Crawford was selected through a community-driven selection process, and has produced a large steel sculpture visitors will see as they enter entitled, On a Roll. The 15-foot-long and 5-foot-wide sculpture, created entirely out of solid metal bent bars, is loosely based on the imagery of an old tractor that has been left in a field.

For more information or to R.S.V.P. please call 404-730-1977 or email zenobia.claxton@fultoncountyga.gov. To keep up-to-date on the Library Building Program or other library events, visit www.afpls.org.

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is the largest in the state, with 34 libraries and a collection of more than 2.5 million items. It offers innovative programs, services and virtual resources tailored to meet the needs of each branch's community. Children, teens and adults may choose from a variety of classes, visit exhibitions, listen to authors discuss their work, check out videos, DVDs and CDs, attend book club discussions, get homework help, hear music and see live performances. Last year patrons borrowed more than 3.6 million items, made 4 million visits to the libraries and our website had over 5 million hits.

South Fulton Library Closes for Renovation and Expansion

The South Fulton Library will close temporarily as of Monday, November 17 for renovation and expansion.

This renovation and expansion of the library, located at 4055 Flat Shoals Road,Union City, is part of Phase I of the Library Building Program that is currently underway.

McAfee3Architects, in association with Craig Gaulden Davis, has contracted with Fulton County to provide design and engineering services for the new library. Evergreen Construction Group will provide construction management services on the project, and Heery/Russell is the program management team.

When the renovation and expansion are complete, the library will go from its current 15,000-square-feet to 25,000-square feet and will include additional meeting space, state-of-the-art presentation equipment, enhanced space for children’s services and a separate area for teens.

Construction for the expansion and renovation will take approximately 12 months, and the reopening of the library is expected in the first quarter of 2016. During construction library service will be available at the following nearby locations:

-       College Park Branch: 3647 Main Street, College Park 30337

-       Fairburn Branch: 60 Valley View Drive, Fairburn 30213

-       Southwest Branch: 3665 Cascade Road SW, Atlanta 30331

-       Wolf Creek Branch: 3100 Enon Road, Atlanta 30331

Green building design and sustainability are priorities for all Phase I library projects, and the Library System expects to achieve LEED Silver on each project. Each library will reflect the culture and interests of its community.

In November 2008, Fulton County voters overwhelmingly passed the Library Bond Referendum. The plan will greatly enhance all of the county’s libraries, and Phase I includes 8 new branch libraries, Alpharetta, East Roswell, Milton, Northwest Atlanta, Palmetto, Southeast Atlanta, Metropolitan, and Wolf Creek and 2 expanded libraries, the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the South Fulton Branch. 

For more information please visit our website www.afpls.org or call 404-730-1977.