New library for Atlanta Would Reflect a Commitment to Education, Literacy and the City

John F. Szabo, Director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System tells us why libraries make good neighbors in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Among his observations:

“Ten years ago, pundits predicted that the Internet boom and bookstore mega-chains would lead to the demise of the nation’s 16,000 public libraries. In fact the opposite has proven true —- current data show that U.S. library visits have increased each year, and the demand for new and improved spaces is at a record high. Almost 550 public library construction or renovation projects were completed from 2004 through 2006 —- growth unmatched since Carnegie led an effort to build 1,600 new libraries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fulton County cannot afford to fall behind.”

June 25, 2008 by Uncategorized 2

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2 Responses

  1. mdoneil says:
    June 26, 2008 at 2:59 am

    Nice guy
    John Szabo was the director of the PL where I worked, but he was director before I worked there.

    He was director of the PL in Clearwater, Florida before he moved up to Atlanta. He was very nice there. I had my MLS but little library experience (and another full time job) and I wanted to volunteer as a librarian. No one had ever done that before, so he was trying to figure it out when he was offered the Fulton County position. I never did volunteer there but took a library job at ‘my’ PL (then regained my sanity soon thereafter and ran screaming from public libraries).

    John Szabo is a very nice, and Atlanta has quite a good director.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    June 27, 2008 at 1:41 pm

    Cart -> Horse
    I think AFPL has a lot of things to fix internally that should take priority over a new central library.

    The existing central library is an eyesore, though.

    Reply

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