Fulton County celebrates big Summer Reading success!
18,308 individuals participated in Summer Reading this year, a 20% increase from 2025. Together, readers logged an incredible 144,743 books read, up 44% from last year.
Behind those numbers are thousands of children, teens, and adults who spent their summer discovering new stories, building reading habits, and staying engaged with their local libraries.
A big summer for young readers
Some of the biggest gains came from Fulton County’s youngest readers.
7,142 children ages 0 to 6 participated, a 55% increase from 2025. Even more impressive, young readers read 82,655 books, a 71% increase from last year.
Among children ages 7 to 12, 5,948 participants read 50,730 books, representing a 6% increase in participation and a 66% increase in the number of books read.
These numbers show the power of giving children easy, free access to books and opportunities to keep reading throughout the summer. Early experiences with books help children build literacy skills, confidence, and a lifelong love of reading.
The importance of adult Summer Reading
Nationwide, about 43% of adults with the lowest literacy skills report being unemployed, compared to under 5% unemployment for their highly literate counterparts. When Summer Reading challenges are combined with the Library’s Career Online High School, adults have an opportunity to make powerful strides in literacy and, consequently, economic opportunities.
34 branches. One big impact.
This summer, our 34 library branch managers worked together to leverage foundation dollars, resulting in a significant increase in community participation. National data shows that literacy functions as a gatekeeper to economic survival, and Summer Reading programs provide meaningful support to readers of all ages.
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation wants to thank the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Lewis H. Beck Educational Foundation, and our many donors for driving the success of our 2026 Summer Reading program.
While summer may be ending, our work continues!
Thank you for helping us keep Fulton County reading, learning, and growing all year long!
-
What happens when an entire community reads the same book? Each year, the Fulton County Library System invites residents across the county to participate in One Book, One Read, an annual initiative that brings readers together through a shared story. The program encourages conversation and connection among neighbors, book clubs, and library visitors. For 2026, […]
-
Your library card can help you do more than check out books. It can connect you with resources to help you learn new skills, explore career options, and continue your education. Through a statewide partnership between Georgia Public Library Service and Google, library cardholders now have free access to Google Career Certificates, a collection of […]