AUBURN AVENUE RESEARCH LIBRARY
OVERVIEW:
Anchoring the west end of the Sweet Auburn historic district, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History (AARL) opened May 1994 in Atlanta, Georgia. A special library of the Fulton County Library System (FCLS) formerly the Atlanta Fulton Public Library System (AFPLS), it is the first public library in the Southeast to offer specialized reference and archival collections dedicated to the study and research of African American culture and history and of other peoples of African descent. In 2001 the library received a Governor's Award in the Humanities.
In November 2008, Fulton County voters overwhelmingly passed the Library Bond Referendum, which greatly enhanced all of the county’s libraries. The AARL was part of Phase One of the Library Bond Program in which the building structure was expanded from 46,573 square feet to a four-story building, with nearly 60,000 square feet of usable space, consisting of state-of-the-art technology in the public and program spaces, three Galleries, an Authors Writers’ Lounge, an Education Center, a 250 seat auditorium, a Reading & Research Division, a Program Division, an Archives Division and a material collection of over ________ items.
AARL TOUR TYPES
SELF-GUIDED TOURS:
are intended for individuals and/or groups of five people or fewer who are interested in independently exploring the public areas and exhibitions of AARL. Self-guided building tours are available at any time during the times mentioned below during our regular business hours. Visitors who want to take a self-guided tour of the facility must check in at the welcome desk on the first level and let the staff member know the reason for their visit. Visitors can use the Quick Tour Guide Sheet to help them explore AARL's public areas.
GROUP TOURS:
Unscheduled Guided Tours: (30-45 minutes) are for individuals (Not groups) who would like a guided tour of the building. This tour is offered only on the fourth Friday of each month from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Anyone who is interested should check in at the welcome desk on the first level and inform staff that they want to take the library building tour. (This Tour is Currently Suspended Until Further Notice.)
Scheduled Guided Group Building Tours: (30-45 minutes) are available to groups of five or more people. A group tour will include a walkthrough of the library's public spaces, current exhibitions, the library's history, and an overview and discussion of library services offered to the public.
Scheduled Group Research Presentation & Tour: (2hrs max) is comprised of a brief building walkthrough, history of the library overview and an overview of the library’s online catalog, databases and other relevant research resources.
Please make note of the following:
Unscheduled Self-Guided Tours must be completed 30 minutes before closing.
Group Tours are offered Wednesday-Friday 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Reservations for groups of 5+ must be made in writing by sending an email to aarl.administration@fultoncountyga.gov
To schedule a Group Research Presentation & Tour please send an email to aarl.reference@fultoncountyga.gov regarding your request.
Requests for Group Research Presentation Tours should be received at least two weeks prior to your visit.
RESERVATION FORM
INFORMATION
LIBRARY ADDRESS & LOCATION:
101 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-613-4001
OPERATING HOURS:
Monday 10:00 a.m. -- 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. -- 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. -- 6:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. -- 6:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. -- 6:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. -- 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Closed
ARCHIVES SERVICES:
Same as above, appointments Required
To schedule an appointment email aarl.archives@fultoncountyga.gov.
