GCPS and Gwinnett County Public Library: Partnering for literacy and more

     If Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) has the most students (182,518 as of October 2024) in the state, what place in Gwinnett has the most stories? That’s the nationally recognized Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL), an active partner with GCPS schools in every cluster.

     “All students in Gwinnett schools have Gwinnett County Public Library cards with access to all 15 branches, all the digital resources, and eBooks for their age group,” says GCPS’ Director of Library Media Services Julie Saunders. “Each student can connect their school's Beanstack Reading Platform account with the GCPL Beanstack account so that students can earn rewards for reading at their local school as well as through the public library.”

     Thanks to the Branch Out program, students can use their student ID numbers for access to library resources and no fines for late materials. Homework help is also available through online tutoring and online drop-off for math questions and essays. Some library branches have in-person tutoring help provided by library volunteers.

     “We offer classroom presentations about library resources that directly correspond with [GCPS] curriculum standards,” shares Duffie Dixon, GCPL Director of Marketing and Communications. “Instruction on finding and using primary resources helps students and teachers with timely research and related projects. Our staff have developed relationships with teachers and media specialists in each cluster to offer this kind of additional support to students.”

     The GCPL partnership also extends to Team GCPS Staff. All district staff can sign up for a Branch Out account through the Staff Portal even if they are not a Gwinnett resident.

     Duffie encourages everyone to join library events and to go online to see ways to access the library from home. “Our goal is to support the educational needs of students, parents, and teachers. We work to connect with each school in our service areas to better know your needs. Our staff can match you with a resource you might not know was out there, so please include us in your efforts to reach your goals.”

Events and activities happening at GCPL:

• Classroom visits arranged with teachers or media specialists
• "Meet Me at the Library" – after-hours events where families visit library branches to learn more about services
• Summer Reading Challenge to encourage skill building throughout the Summer break and prevent “Summer slide”
• Various children's and teen programming arranged at each branch according to community interests and needs

• Reading Buddies (literacy support for ages 6-11)
• Book Talks
• STEM and Learning Lab programs (ex: Intro to 3D Printing and XCarv, Code Club)
• Sewing programs
• Culinary programs
• Art programs (ex: pointillism painting)
• Writing programs (ex: weekly screenwriting, creative writing)
• Gaming programs
• Finance programs (ex: Stock Market Simulator)
• Most popular student resources available through GCPL

Every Student, Every Story: Powering Futures through Literacy Gwinnett County Public Schools is actively working to increase awareness among families and staff about the importance of literacy, supporting opportunities to strengthen students' reading skills, and emphasizing the science of reading.