July Happenings @ FoCo Library

You don't need binoculars to spot your next great library experience, but they sure do make any adventure more fun! 

The photo above was taken last weekend at Chattahoochee Pointe Park during a Birding with the Library event led by Birds Georgia. Participants of all ages learned about native bird species and bird-watching basics. Thirteen different species of birds were heard along the walk! Fun fact: a Carolina wren call sounds like "cheeseburger cheeseburger" or "teakettle teakettle" said quickly.  

If the idea of birding with the Library at one of our beautiful County parks or the ability to borrow binoculars and State Park Passes surprised you today, reply to this email to let me know. I'd love to hear from you on what we can do to help you maximize your library cardholder perks.

Keep reading for more events, resources, and services you won't want to miss this month!    

Leslie Marinelli

FCPL Communications Manager 

LIBRARY NEWS

It's not too late to sign up for Summer Reading Fun!

There is still plenty of time to participate in our adventure-themed summer reading challenge and earn points toward motivating incremental prizes and grand prize drawing entries! Summer reading ends July 31, 2024. 

Why do it?

Participating in our summer reading challenge:

• encourages children to become lifelong readers

• helps prevent academic regression (a.k.a. "summer slide")

• is an activity families can do together

• is fun and 100% free!

Summer Reading is for ALL AGES!

Adults, you're reading anyway. (See? You just read this!) Why not earn motivating rewards and the chance to win cool prizes for doing it!  

There's an app for that!

Look for "Beanstack Tracker" by Zoobean, Inc. in your app store to make logging your reading and activities a breeze.  

Keep going! 

Once you get to 500 points, keep going! Every additional 500 points reached in Beanstack (up to a max of 5000 points) earns you another virtual "ticket" for our amazing grand prize drawings on August 5!  

Photo credit: Forsyth County Public Library

Denmark Library Update

Denmark Library is still on target to open late this fall. The "dry in" of the building is nearly complete which will enable us to work on the interior of the building regardless of the weather. 

The photo above shows the future main entrance to the Denmark Library. 

Denmark Library was made possible in large part due to funding from SPLOST VIII (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), a 1% sales and use tax. A ninth SPLOST referendum will be voted on for continuation by County voters in November 2024. Visit forsythco.com/SPLOST to learn more and see what SPLOST IX could fund in the future. 

Where's Loanie? 

Our weekly, county-wide "Where's Loanie?" bookmobile scavenger hunt is a big hit and we still have three more mysteries to solve! 

Look for new clues on our social media accounts (@FoCoLibrary) and our Bookmarked blog every week through July 19. 

Just solve the clues to discover the family-friendly mystery location each week, then come on out and join us for books, summer reading prizes, themed activities, and more!  

FEATURED RESOURCE

Access Video on Demand

Did you know FCPL has a free video streaming service? Access Video offers thousands of award-winning educational films, documentaries, independent films, and helpful instructional videos! Featured producers include A&E, BBC, HBO, Ken Burns, National Geographic, TED, and more!

• Free and easy to use
• Tablet, mobile, PC & Mac friendly
• No returns or overdue fees
• Always available—anytime, anywhere
• New titles added regularly
• Captioning & interactive transcripts
• Thousands of videos, including popular programs & exclusive titles
• Google Translate on every page, with 80 languages to choose from
• No special software of downloads needed—browser-based platform

There is even a special collection of streaming videos just for kids! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Vision Resource Fair

Explore resources for those with low or no vision. Free vision testing will be provided, along with a technology petting zoo for participants to experiment with tools that may aid them.

Adventure on the Moon

with Moon Rocks!

Dr. Brooke Skelton, Professor of Physics and Astronomy with Georgia State University, will talk to us about humankind's adventures to our nearest celestial neighbor and bring along samples of moon rocks on loan from NASA so you can get a good, close-up look at the moon!

Sunday, July 21

2:00–3:30 p.m. 

Hampton Park Library

The 1828 Dahlonega Gold Rush

Dathan Harbert of Consolidated Gold Mines will present the history of the 1828 Dahlonega Gold Rush, the key points of interest, and how it led to the creation of Consolidated Gold Mine.

Thursday, July 25

7:00–8:00 p.m. 

Post Road Library

Adventures on the Trail

Robert "Bo" Bobinski will present on his personal adventures while hiking and working the AT, including the unusual things he has found on the trail in his capacity as Leave No Trace and Outdoor Ethics State Advocate.

Sunday, July 28

2:00–3:00 p.m. 

Sharon Forks Library

See all upcoming programs in our interactive online events calendar!

Or click a button below for all July programs by age group:

OUR PODCAST IS UNREADABLE

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with us! Even if we aren’t able to use all the voice memos, we really appreciate you sending them to us.

NEVER MISS ANOTHER EVENT

Sign up for our Weekly Program Planner and we'll send you an email every Thursday with featured programs for the weekend and week ahead. 

LIBRARY CLOSINGS

All Forsyth County Public Library locations will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.   

Upcoming Library Closings:

• Labor Day: Monday, September 2 - CLOSED

• Staff Training Day: Friday, October 11 - CLOSED

Library book returns and electronic resources are available 24/7!  

Was this newsletter forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up for your own copy and discover additional library cardholder perks today!