Walk For Literacy!

Did you know that 900,000 adults in the metro area lack basic literacy skills? This includes  both native and non-native speakers of English. It's a frightening statistic, but the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System and the Literacy Alliance of Metro Atlanta (LAMA) are working to change it. LAMA is a practical and innovative coalition that seeks to achieve 100% literacy among metro Atlanta's adults and families. By increasing public awareness about low-literacy being one of the root causes of poverty, un- and under-employment, homelessness, and poor health outcomes, LAMA hopes to see real change in Atlanta's citizens. They also provide a gateway to our member organizations as they focus to expand literacy programming in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area.

Please support AFPLS's participation in the second annual Literacy Run/Walk to be held on September 29 at 8:00 AM on the Decatur square. The fee is $20 but you don’t have to attend to show your support! Register here today and be sure to choose Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System as the recipient of your funds. All proceeds for AFPLS will go directly to our award-winning GED testing program. But hurry, the deadline to register is Friday, September 28!

P.S. It’s a fun event, a fun walk and Rocky the Reading Raccoon will be there to cheer you on!

September Is Library Card Sign-up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! If you don't already have a library card with the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, then it is certainly about time you got one! Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when libraries across the country remind parents and guardians that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Thousands of public and school libraries join together each fall in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card. A library card is also an excellent tool for adult continuing education and recreation. If you already have a card, now is a good time to make sure all of your personal information (address, phone number, email) is still correct and current in our system. Encourage your friends and family to get their own cards to discover all of the wonderful resources their library has to offer them, for free! For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit our website.

Top 10 Reasons A Library Card Is The Smartest Card In Your Wallet:

1. Download ebooks and audiobooks anywhere you are.
2. 24/7 access to online databases for homework help, test prep, research, and career building.
3. Use your local branch as a WiFi hotspot or use one of our public computers.
4. Attend programs like toddler storytimes, yoga classes, health seminars, or celebrity book-signings.
5. Reserve and enjoy thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, and BluRays.
6. Check your investments, search your family tree, or update your resume all from one location.
7. Register for GED preparation classes, take the test, and pass!
8. Check out the Zoo Pass, Georgia State Parks Pass, Go Fish! Pass, or the Kill-A-Watt monitor.
9. Reserve a meeting room for your book club, nonprofit group, or for quiet study time.
10. Get help from the ultimate search engine - a librarian.

Back To School Homework Help!

The school year has officially begun here in Fulton County and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is here to lend support to all our students, parents, and teachers! Not only do we have a variety of books on all subjects and for all ages, but we also offer excellent online databases covering everything from literary criticism to algebraic equations.

In particular, Tutor.com is a great resource for students of all ages who need help in any subject. By accessing Tutor.com through the library's eCampus resources, you can have live one-to-one help every day, 24/7! Quickly and easily create your free account using an email address and password to connect with a certified tutor using live chat. You can ask questions about an assignment, get help solving problems, or have essays and papers proofread, reviewed, and critiqued. Tutor.com's Skills Center also provides access to thousands of worksheets, lessons, standardized test preparation study guides, videos, even career resources, all available to our patrons for free!

For more information about our eCampus resources, contact Juree Hall, eCampus Coordinator, at
juree.hall@fultoncountyga.gov. We hope all of our patrons can benefit from these wonderful learning tools!

YALSA Top Ten Critique Group

Hey teens, do you have an interest in the publishing industry or would you like to help the publishing industry release titles that are of real interest to you? If so this is the group for you! The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national association of librarians, library workers and other advocates dedicated to strengthening library services for teens age 12-18. Through their research and advocacy, YALSA helps libraries and librarians engage, serve and empower this important demographic.  Now through this elite program (one of only 16 in the country!) teens here in Fulton County can have a real say over what types of things are being published for their age group. All teens are welcome on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. at the Northeast/Spruill Oaks Branch to preview as yet unpublished titles to select which ones they'd like to read and review. The best reviewed titles are sent to publishers to help them identify which upcoming titles will be the most popular. Check the link for more information and we look forward to hearing the opinions of our teens!

This is also a great time for teens (and adults who love YA fiction!) to vote for YALSA's Top Ten favorite books from the past year. Voting is open now through September 15 and the Top Ten List will be revealed during Teen Read Week, October 14-20, 2012. Here are this year's nominated titles, and here is where you cast your vote!

An Evening With Debbie Macomber

Join the Margaret Mitchell House for an evening with Debbie Macomber on August 20^th as she discusses The Inn at Rose Harbor, the first book in a new series.  Based in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove, Macomber’s cast of characters finds love, forgiveness, and renewal behind the doors of Rose Harbor Inn. For more information on this lecture, visit the Margaret Mitchell House website or call them at 404.249.7015.

You can also enter to win two tickets to the lecture and a signed copy of The Inn at Rose Harbor! Go here to register: http://bit.ly/oyqsm7. Enter contest code: LIBRARY.

And there's still time to visit your library and pick up a copy of one of Debbie Macomber's many other titles. Check the catalog with an author search and see what your local library has available!

GED Classes and Testing

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is proud to offer our patrons our successful GED program at the Central Library. Study classes, taught by Atlanta Public Schools, meet every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and accept new students on the second Tuesday of every month. A valid state ID is needed for placement into these classes and reservations are required, so please be sure and call ahead (404.802.3560 ) for more information. You can also visit the website for meeting times, testing dates, and other library locations where the test is administered.

And we also invite our patrons to check out all of our GED materials located in every branch throughout the system. For study guides, helpful videos and more visit the library catalog or your local librarian to find exactly what you need to help boost your test-taking skills. You can also use our online databases found in our A-Z Database List, such as LearnATest, for online practice tests, ebooks, and study help. This database will even time and score you, then follow up with correct answers to anything you may have missed.

For further information about our GED classes and testing, call the GED Information Line at 404.730.1837. For testing information you may also contact Rick Wright, GED Chief Examiner at 404.730.1733. We know that these resources will continue to help more of our patrons achieve their goals!

Career Resources At Your Library

If you or someone you know is currently seeking employment, help starting a small business, or simply trying to update and polish an old resume then the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is a great place to start! We have a variety of resources available both online and in print in all of our branches. Our Job Resources link from our homepage offers links to AFPLS databases, such as Career Transitions, and also to state resources like the Georgia Career Information Center and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are also links to resume building websites in this section, as well as a link to our eCampus Resources that include this type of information.

In the Entrepreneur section you will find links to things like the Georgia Secretary of State's Office and the Small Business Administration. You will also find links to funding and grant organizations, tutorials on business ownership and marketing, as well as articles and advice for the first-time business owner.

Company information can also be found on this page by using the links to some of our business databases located in our A-Z Database List, such as Reference USA, BusinessWise (in-library use only) and Standard and Poor's NetAdvantage. Browse through Georgia specific company resources as well as general business information. You can also find information on facing foreclosure, bankruptcy, and finding financial assistance in Georgia.

And, as always, you can check the library's catalog for books, audiobooks and DVDs on the subject of career preparation and business start-up. We hope all of these free resources will help our patrons better themselves, our city, and our state!