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A 100 years later, the Athens-Clarke County Library is the same, just bigger with more technology

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The Athens-Clarke County Library today celebrates its centennial anniversary and the completion of a long-running construction project.

“We now own 186,669 print items, 16,838 audio-visual items and have access to 4,000 e-books through our consortium,” said library director Kathryn S. Ames. “And of course, through PINES, we have access to well over 9 million books.”

The library indeed has come a long way from 1913 when it first opened.

That year, the Athens Library Association received its charter and for a penny per item per day, Athens residents could borrow from a small collection of books housed in the Athens Railway and Electric Company Building. The library had more than 200 readers borrowing from the library’s 500 books. Most of the books in the library at the time were fiction, but it had a small reference section with dictionaries, a Bible and encyclopedias. It also had a children’s section.

“In many ways, we are the same as we were 100 years ago, with a focus on customer service and connecting people with information,” Ames said. “The formats, the access and the technology have changed, but our basic service concepts remain much the same.”

The library grew over the years after its conception with the help of the Athens Woman’s Club, who prompted expansion of the library for the residents of Athens and Clarke County in March 1936. The library moved to a building adjacent to the National Bank of Athens on East Broad Street.

The following year, in 1937, the library moved to the corner of Lumpkin and Broad streets and then to the corner of Hancock Street and College Avenue in 1949.

After a later move to Dougherty Street, the library was officially named the Athens-Clarke County Library in 1991 and made its final move to Baxter Street in 1992.

Now, in its 100th year, the library has grown from 200 users to more than 66,000. More than a million books were checked out in 2012.

According to Ames, the library has a capacity of 250,000 books.

Now that new renovation is complete, there will be new things coming to the library.

“We will be developing our digital media Lab later this year,” she said. “We’ve been talking other libraries across the country and find that self-publishing, Makerspace and 3-D printing are good choices.”

Among other things the library will be offering in its 100th year will be a genealogy program by the library’s new Heritage Room librarian.

“Our new teen librarian is developing special programs for that age group,” she said.

Also included are family literacy program, summer reading programs and growing the library’s e-book collection.

“We’ll be working towards meeting some of the goals we developed in our strategic plan,” Ames said. “Ultimately, our goals target community needs and we hope to make our meeting spaces available to support economic development, education and social interaction.”

To celebrate the completion of the renovation and the 100th anniversary, the Athens-Clarke County Library will hold events during the month of April.

Today, the library will hold a dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. Athens Latin musicians Incatepec will perform before the ceremony at 3:30 p.m. and refreshments will follow.

Other events this month include:

Freezer Paper Super Hero T-shirts

4 p.m. April 10

Did you know that Superman and the T-shirt are the same age? Attendees will make some retro style T-shirt designs with fabric paint and freezer paper. Bring your own T-shirt. Open to the first 15 participants ages 11-18. No registration required.

Edible Book Contest

1-3 p.m. April 13

Visitors will be able to create edible artwork based on a book. There will be celebrity judges that will award prizes for Best Children’s Book, Best Fiction Book and Best Non-Fiction Book. There will also be a People’s Choice Award voted on by the public.

Community Snapshot: “Explore Your Library”

12:30 p.m. April 17

“The Boomers: Reflecting, Sharing, Learning,” hosts this program focusing on the programs and services offered at Athens-Clarke County Library. The webcast will be streamed live online at the Boomers web site, www.boomersinathens.org, and archived.

Doctor Who Craft Workshop and Trivia

4 p.m. April 17

Who is the best known time traveler? The Doctor, of course. Celebrate the beginnings of one of the longest running TV shows by making your very own sonic screwdriver. And come prepared to answer some Doctor Who trivia. Open to the first 15 participants ages 11-18. No registration required.

Murder in the Library

6-9 p.m. April 19

Come dressed in your best roaring twenties fashion and put on your thinking caps, because there’s been a murder and we’re going back in time to solve it. Snacks will be served. Open to ages 11-18. Call (706) 613-3650, ext. 329, to reserve a space.

Author Talk with Joshilyn Jackson

3 p.m. April 21

New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson will visit the library to talk about her works and sign copies of her books. Avid Booksellers will be on hand to sell copies of Joshilyn’s works and assist with a book signing.

 

Back to the Future

4 p.m. April 24

We’re going to pass through a few historic moments on our way back to the future with the premiere of “Star Wars” in 1977, Pac-Man in 1980, and the album “Thriller” in 1982. Come dressed in your best eighties style. Open to the first 15 participants ages 11-18. No registration required.

An Evening with Mark Twain

7 p.m. April 26

Join us after hours for a live portrayal of Mark Twain featuring his life story including many of his famous quotes, his renowned humor, and images of the world he lived in, as well as a reenactment of a portion of Huckleberry Finn.

• Follow reporter Karah-Leigh Hancock at www.facebook.com/KarahLHancockABH or www.twitter.com/KHancockABH.

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