Limited Edition Library Card Honors Auburn Avenue Research Library’s 30th Anniversary
Celebrating Black History Month and a Legacy of African American Heritage
The Fulton County Library System is marking a major milestone—the 30th anniversary of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History—with a special tribute to a trailblazing librarian who helped shape its legacy. In honor of Black History Month 2025, the library system is releasing a limited-edition library card designed by award-winning artist Charly Palmer, featuring Annie L. McPheeters, the pioneering librarian who founded the library’s original collection in 1934.
Annie L. McPheeters dedicated her career to preserving African American history and increasing access to knowledge. She established what was first known as the Negro History Collection, later renamed the Samuel W. Williams Collection of Black America, laying the foundation for what would become the Auburn Avenue Research Library.
This limited-edition card, designed by renowned artist Charly Palmer, beautifully captures McPheeters’ enduring impact. Palmer, whose powerful and evocative artwork has been widely celebrated, brings her likeness to life in a vivid and meaningful tribute. Five-hundred of these limited-edition cards will be personally signed by Charly Palmer, creating a one-of-a-kind collector’s item for library patrons and art enthusiasts.
The special edition card and artwork were commissioned by Fulton County Library System with funding from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation.
Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of history! Whether you’re a lifelong library lover, an art enthusiast, or a supporter of African American heritage, this limited-edition card is a symbol of knowledge, legacy, and community impact. Visit the Auburn Avenue Research Library (101 Auburn Avenue, Downtown Atlanta) beginning February 12, 2025, to pick up your limited edition library card!
For over 35 years, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation has worked in partnership with the Fulton County Library System to secure the System's future as an indispensable community resource through advocacy, raising public awareness, and generating private funding.
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In 1867, Darwin Jones led the founding of the Young Men’s Library Association as a subscription library for white men. The Carnegie Library of Atlanta, one of the first public libraries in the United States, opened in 1901. In 1935, it evolved and was expanded into the Fulton County Library System, which was established to provide […]
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