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America 250 Resources, Programs, and Events

Cel­e­brate Amer­i­ca 250 with DCPL

In 2026, the Unit­ed States marks the 250th anniver­sary of the sign­ing of the Dec­la­ra­tion of Inde­pen­dence. We are com­mem­o­rat­ing the two and a half cen­turies since then with pro­grams and resources explor­ing the achieve­ments and chal­lenges that have shaped our democracy.

Here in DeKalb Coun­ty, our com­mu­ni­ty rep­re­sents a cross­roads of nation­al­i­ties, lan­guages, and per­spec­tives. Whether you have lived here for gen­er­a­tions or recent­ly made DeKalb your home, you are part of Amer­i­ca’s story.

We hope these pro­grams and resources spark curios­i­ty and inspire conversation!

Resources

Geor­gia Reads for Amer­i­ca 250 Read­ing List — 25 books on Amer­i­can and Geor­gia his­to­ry and civic lit­er­a­cy, bro­ken down by grade level.

Explor­ing Geor­gia’s Lit­er­ary Her­itage | Amer­i­can Sto­ries: A Read­ing Road Trip — This episode of PBS Books’ Read­ing Road Trip cel­e­brates Georgia’s pow­er­ful influ­ence on Amer­i­can storytelling.

DeKalb His­to­ry Cen­ter — The DeKalb His­to­ry Cen­ter col­lects, pre­serves, and shares the wide-rang­ing sto­ries of the peo­ple and places of DeKalb County.

Geor­gia at the US 250 — A dig­i­tal pub­li­ca­tion by the Geor­gia His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety that pro­vides a win­dow into the state’s lega­cy, iden­ti­ty, and evolv­ing role in America.

PBS Amer­i­ca @ 250 — Inter­ac­tive his­to­ry lessons and games.

Geneal­o­gy Sub­ject Guide — Dis­cov­er data­bas­es and resources at the library to research your ancestors.

Pro­grams and Events

Georgia Reads for America 250 logo

Sign up using Beanstack to join read­ers across the state in the Geor­gia Reads for Amer­i­ca 250 Read­ing Chal­lenge! As you fin­ish books and reach mile­stones, you’ll earn fun dig­i­tal badges.

Cover of book and Johnson's picture. Event date and time: May 7, 2026 at 7 p.m.. Location: Decatur Library auditorium.

Join Geor­gia Cen­ter for the Book for an evening with Mark A. John­son to dis­cuss his new book Amer­i­can Bacon, the four-cen­tu­ry his­to­ry of a gas­tro­nom­ic phe­nom­e­non in the Unit­ed States.

Cover of book and Erdozain's picture. Event date and time: June 4, 2026 at 7 p.m.. Location: Decatur Library.

A Cap­pel­la Books and Geor­gia Cen­ter for the Book wel­come Emory vis­it­ing pro­fes­sor and author Dominic Erdozain to dis­cuss his new book, To Love a Coun­try: The Prob­lem of Patri­o­tism in Amer­i­ca

April 21st, 12:00 PM
Northlake-Barbara Loar LibraryInformational ProgramsAdults
A panel of community members from diverse cultural backgrounds will share stories about how they grew up and discuss how culture shaped their experiences.
May 4th, 6:00 PM
Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg LibraryArts and CraftsAdults
This Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, come learn about three different artists and then experiment with their styles. Open to the first 10 participants.
May 11th, 12:00 AM
Salem-Panola LibraryArts and CraftsAdults
Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by picking up a kit to make an elephant foot batik craft. You will learn about traditional Hmong textile designs while creating your own .
May 19th, 5:30 PM
Virtual LibraryBook DiscussionsSeniorsAdults
Join us for a discussion of An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter. Books are available for checkout at Northlake-Barbara Loar Library or as an audiobook on hoopla.