We were heartbroken to learn of her passing. Her work with the Fulton County Library System Board of Trustees and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation was transformative. She was a passionate and articulate advocate of our libraries and her hard work will impact Atlanta for generations to come.
To learn more about Mary Lu Mitchell’s incredible community work and life, please read her obituary in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. We offer our condolences to her family at this difficult time.
Members of our library community took a moment to reflect on Mary Lu’s work and legacy:
“Mary Lu was “the Library” to so many of us. She was always such a fabulous supporter and most articulate advocate; in fact, she was always advocating.”
– Betty Edge
“Mary Lu was such an amazing contributor to our board for many years, but she also contributed to our city, our state and the world. Her contributions to the library movement were driven by her passion for libraries, her deep connections throughout the city and country, and her years of wisdom and deep subject matter expertise. We were fortunate to have her in our community and leading across libraries for so long. She will be missed and her memory cherished for a long time.”
– J. DeLano Ford
“The one thing that always stood out to me about Mary Lu was her enthusiasm. She was always positive and encouraging about Library services and happenings. She always showed a keen interest in making sure things were running smoothly.”
– Gayle Hunter Holloman, MLIS
“Mary Lu was a source of information and inspiration to me during my tenure as Chair of the Foundation Board. Although our relationship was mostly over the phone, she was incredibly generous with her time and expertise. Few conversations lasted less than an hour or so, and it never felt like enough time. She had a blend of optimism that was based in pragmatism and experience (and what broad and fascinating experiences she had!) that never failed to encourage me to see the potential and value of our work together. I will miss her guidance, insight and humor and am so grateful for all she has done for the Library System and the Foundation.”
– Lori Kilberg
