How the DeKalb Library System Provides Literacy, Digital Access, and Community | Chakira’s Corner

In this episode of Chakira's Corner, Commissioner Chakira Johnson sits down with DeKalb County Public Library Director Alison Weissinger to pull back the curtain on everything the county's 23-branch library system actually offers — from early childhood programs like 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten to free Wi-Fi hotspot loans, LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages, and no-cost digital access to the New York Times. They talk about how individual branches respond to their specific communities, what the county is doing to ease pressure on libraries from unhoused residents, and why current federal threats to library funding should matter to every DeKalb resident. If you have a library card and aren't using these resources yet, this episode will change that. And if you don't have one, you'll want one by the time it's over.0:00 Intro1:21 Director Weissinger's Path to the Library2:54 30 Years of Change at DeKalb Libraries4:13 Why Libraries Matter for District 46:12 Beyond Books: Programs and Community Resources8:08 A Thousand Books Before Kindergarten12:12 Summer Reading and Fighting the Summer Slide13:33 Free Online Resources with Your Library Card19:17 Hotspots, Chromebooks, and Digital Access25:35 Threats to Libraries and How to Help29:14 Supporting Libraries Through Advocacy and Donations31:11 The Library Foundation and Friends Groups36:16 Stay Connected with the Library and Commissioner JohnsonLinks: DeKalb County Public Library DeKalbLibrary.orgDeKalb Library Resources for Young Childrendekalblibrary.org/read-and-growA Thousand Books Before Kindergarten dekalblibrary.org/read-and-grow/1000-booksComputers and Technology dekalblibrary.org/using-the-library/computersFriends of the Library dekalblibrary.org/support-us/friends-of-the-libraryLibrary Newsletters dekalblibrary.org/newslettersLibrary Events Calendar events.dekalblibrary.org/eventsEmail Commissioner Johnson [email protected] Johnson, All Links linktr.ee/commissionerchakirajohnson