General Library Support
Life in Gwinnett County is exciting, constantly growing, diverse, and fun! Today’s Gwinnett County Public Library has evolved to keep pace! This is YOUR place to be inspired, learn new skills, improve your life, connect with others, or discover more about your community and the world.
By making a gift to this fund, your money will be used for the greatest need of GCPL.
Early Childhood Literacy Programs
We believe every child has the potential to succeed in life, but the path to success begins long before they enter a classroom. Researchers believe the learning skills that are developed between birth to age six hold the keys to success in school and life. Because 90% of a child’s brain is developed by the time the child enters kindergarten, the importance of providing young children with learning and early literacy experiences cannot be overstated.
According to the Georgia Department of Education, only 36% of Gwinnett’s third graders are reading at or above the target level. That means 42.1% are not reading on level by the time they reach 3rd grade, and studies have shown that children who have not developed reading skills by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
GCPL can help to bridge the educational gap by offering exciting programs for our kids. Your investment in our Early Childhood Literacy Fund will allow the Gwinnett County Public Library to continue the essential work of supporting early literacy skills and training in our community.
Career Online High School
Career Online High School offers students aged 19 and up living in Gwinnett a chance to receive an accredited high school diploma.
For whatever reason, individuals who could not complete high school have the chance to get a “do over” with this program.
The application process includes a prerequisite course, an interview with staff, an orientation, and a trial period. Once these steps are complete, the student continues to build upon the prerequisite and the trial period credits towards completion of their diploma. After the application, the program supports online access if students do not have laptops or internet connection. Transcripts from a previous school are accepted and encouraged, but not required.
A combination of personal and career oriented reasons drive students to seek this opportunity. We find in practice that this program is most often preferable to women who have children that they are currently guiding through school themselves. Students with prior experience in high school tend to be more successful, but we have had many without 9th grade experience do very well. The best matches for the program tend to be adults with enough free time and self-structure to complete independent work. Many people with learning disabilities, or social anxiety find this program to be a great fit, along with those who have day-time demands on their time from work and family.
Adult Programs
The library seeks to provide a spectrum of educational, cultural, vocational, and inspirational opportunities to learners of all ages and backgrounds.
The foundation is committed to helping the library expand its current diverse offering of author programs, lectures, presentations, classes and workshops often through varied partnerships and collaborative initiatives with a range of private philanthropic support.
You can help expand these opportunities by making a donation here.
Technology Enhancements
Your gift to the Technology & Collection Enhancement Fund ensures that the library can provide continuous free access to the best educational and informational resources of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. By donating here, you will be providing the library with the ability to purchase the latest and greatest technology for our community to use.
New Hooper-Renwick Library
With your support, the Hooper-Renwick Library will be a welcoming, safe, and engaging space that encourages and supports life-long learning for all the residents of Gwinnett County and will memorialize the Hooper-Renwick story.
While advancing learning for residents of all ages and stages the library provides a place for residents and citizens to come together on levels and ways that they might not otherwise. From creative children’s spaces, to the “right kind” of gathering places for teens, to access points to new media, technology and information, to contemplative oases, to flexible idea labs- today’s public library is a birthplace for inspiration. By giving here, you will be helping our newest branches to provide spaces that foster that inspiration.