Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Spring is here and love is in the air.

The object of those affections this week? The Gwinnett County Public Library.

Love Your Library Week, held in conjunction with National Library Week, is a celebration of the county library system, its librarians and its community supporters.

Now in its second year, the weeklong celebration is a way for library staff to share and spread the love.

"We celebrate libraries every day," said Nancy Stanbery-Kellam, executive director of the GCPL, "but celebrating during National Library Week and Love Your Library Week gives the community an opportunity to celebrate along with us."

Gwinnett residents can show love for their libraries in a number of ways:

* Making a donation to support the library system

* Shopping the GCPL Online Book Sale of used materials

* Purchasing new materials through Better World Books, from which proceeds are used as a source of revenue for the library budget and will contribute to the funding of special library-related literacy projects

* Shopping Amazon and Barnes & Noble online using the links from the GCPL Web site; a small commission on the items purchased is sent to the library system

* Becoming a sponsor or community partner

* Joining Friends of the library, an organization whose members work to build support for the Library and to strengthen it through the donation of time, talent and resources

* Becoming a volunteer

For more information on any of these opportunities, call 770-978-5154 or visit www.gwinnettpl.org.

Altered book contest

In conjunction with Love Your Library Week, GCPL is giving its altered book contest a second go-round.

Gwinnett residents still have until Saturday to turn an old book into a piece of art and turn it in to one of the library branches. Altered books can be rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to and adorned.

Submissions will be judged in two categories: one for adults 18 and older and another for students in grades six through 12. Winning entries will be exhibited at the Hudgens Center for the Arts from April 27 through May 27.