Cultural Experiences

Alliance Theatre

The Breman Museum

Center for Puppetry Arts

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

Georgia Memory Net

Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites

Georgia Student Finance Commission

Go Fish Education Center

Macon Museum Pass

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail

Zoo Atlanta

Alliance Theatre Community Ticket Pass

The Georgia Public Library Services partnership with the Alliance Theatre launched in May 2022 out of a desire to offer more opportunities to the residents of Georgia to enjoy the performance arts. As with many of our other passes, this is a way to reach those who would not normally be able to visit the Alliance or are uninformed on what they do.

The Community Ticket Pass is good for up to four (4) free admissions/tickets.

Patrons check out the Pass and use the code on the Pass to purchase tickets at alliancetheatre.org. The promo code is entered before selecting the desired performance date on the Alliance Theatre website.

Tickets for performances are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Community Ticket Pass MUST be presented at the Alliance Theatre along with the ticket receipt to the performance.

Limit of one (1) performance per checkout. Check out period is seven (7) days with one (1) renewal. Renewing the Pass does not allow for an additional set of tickets. Holds are not allowed.

Patrons using the Community Pass must use their pass during the circulation period and can only book tickets for an Alliance production up to fourteen (14) days from the checkout date.

The Pass is valid for productions on the Hertz or Coca-Cola stages ONLY. It may not be used for other performances, classes, camps, programming, or events.

The Breman Museum Family Pass

Through the Carlos Museum partnership, Georgia Public Library Services was fortunate to be introduced to the museum and art world. One of the first contacts was with the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum. A significant role of libraries and museums is the shared mission of advancing and preserving culture and knowledge, a mission GPLS and the Breman hold very dear.

The Breman hours are different than what is printed on the pass and are subject to change. Current hours are listed at www.thebreman.org.

The Pass is good for four (4) free admissions to the museum. It is for general admission only and is not valid for special events or exhibits. The Pass has a circulation period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed.
Patrons MUST bring the Family Pass to the Breman Museum to fully redeem the free admission.

Please visit https://www.thebreman.org/Visit/Purchase-Tickets to reserve your free tickets, fill out the basic information on the Purchase Tickets page, and enter the number of visitors who will accompany you to the Museum in the field titled “Third Party Tickets.” 

Center for Puppetry Arts Passport to Puppetry

The Passport to Puppetry launched in 2013. The purpose of this pass is to raise awareness of the Center for Puppetry Arts’ diverse educational and creative programs and the art of puppetry while allowing Georgians to visit for free or reduced cost. 

The Passport admits four (4) people to the World of Puppetry Museum OR a patron can receive a 25% discount on an All-Inclusive Ticket. By using the code LIBRARY, patrons may pre-purchase their All-Inclusive ticket online in advance of their visit at www.puppet.org/buy-tickets. (An All-Inclusive ticket is for one (1) person and includes: A Family Series Performance, a Create-A-Puppet Workshop, and the admission to the Museum.)

The Passport to Puppetry has a circulation period of seven (7) days, and it may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed on the Passport.

Patrons MUST bring the Passport to the Center to fully redeem the free admission.

Current hours of operation are listed at www.puppet.org.

Chattahoochee Nature Center Family Pass

This partnership is a prime example of the importance of outreach and attending meetings or events. Georgia Public Library Service and representatives from the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) met by happenstance at a discussion group involving museum and education center membership coordinators. In only a few months, they officially launched the Family Pass.

When checked out and taken to the CNC, the Family Pass is good for four (4) free admissions to the Center. It has a circulation period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed on the Pass.

The Family Pass is for general admission only and is not valid for special events or exhibits.

The Family Pass may be used during the CNC’s normal operating hours. Visit www.chattnaturecenter.org for a current calendar of events and operating hours.

You may only check out the Pass once every four months per family. The Chattahoochee Nature Center reserves the right to limit the Pass to one use per four months per family, and to one use per family per day.

Georgia Aquarium Library Discount

Public libraries in Georgia receive a special discount to the Georgia Aquarium. The Aquarium does offer some discounts of its own, but the Library Discount is available at all times. The Library Discount is obtained by visiting www.georgiaaquarium.org/libraries, where you can also find their hours of operation and requirements for visiting.

Georgia Farm Bureau/Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

This partnership came about in May of 2016 as a method of promoting Georgia-based agriculture and agriculture education.

Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture present one (1) copy of a selected book to every library branch every year. This book is typically the winner of the Book of the Year Award from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.

Also available during 2023 are the Certified Farm Market Passports. To find a farm near you, visit GFB Certified Farm Markets. The Passports are free and can be picked up at participating farms. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this program by visiting certified farms throughout Georgia. As you collect stamps in the passport, more rewards are available directly from Georgia Farm Bureau.

Georgia Memory Net

The Georgia Public Library Service partnership with Georgia Memory Net is another effort towards building a network of partnerships with organizations dedicated to fighting Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia as well as providing education and support for those who live with the diseases, their caregivers, and loved ones.

Georgia Memory Net is a statewide program dedicated to earlier diagnosis and customized care plans for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It’s estimated that over 300,000 Georgians have noticed symptoms of memory loss, but haven’t discussed their symptoms with a Primary Care Provider. Georgia Memory Net exists to improve screening for memory loss, establish diagnostic clinics around the state, and to collect data on Alzheimer’s in Georgia.

In addition, Georgia Memory Net has a Resource Library freely available for anyone to access to learn more about healthy living, caregiver resources, and what living with a dementia disease is like.

Video links:
Georgia Memory Net // Georgia Greats 2020
What Makes Georgia Great- Georgia Memory Net
Georgia Memory Net - The Way Forward
Georgia Memory Net on GPB's "Your Fantastic Mind"

Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites ParkPass, Historic Site Family Pass and Discovery Backpack

The second strategic partnership to develop out of Georgia Public Library Services (GPLS) was launched in June 2008 with Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. Similar programs in other states inspired the idea to put both the ParkPass hanging tag and Historic Sites Family Pass in public libraries, raising awareness of and drawing more people toward both organizations. And in 2017, the partnership received an additional component in the Discovery Backpack, a GPLS/State Parks co-branded backpack patrons can check out for camping, hiking, or any other recreational activity at Georgia State Parks.

ParkPass/Historic Site Family Pass
The ParkPass consists of a hanging tag that allows free parking at all of Georgia’s state parks and historic sites. The Historic Site Family Pass allows two (2) free admissions into any of Georgia’s historic sites. The passes have a circulation period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed on the passes.

The ParkPass hangtag is for parking only, not admissions. The Historic Site Family Pass is for General Admission Only. It is not valid for special events, tours, or program fees.

The ParkPass and Historic Site Family Pass may only be checked out once every four months per family. The Historic Site Family Pass may only be used once per day, per site, per family.

Discovery Backpack
The Discovery Backpack consists of a backpack with binoculars and three foldout weatherproof guides:  Georgia’s Trees; Georgia’s Wildlife; and Georgia’s Trees and Wildflowers.

The Discovery Backpack has a circulation period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed on the Backpack.

Visit gastateparks.org for information on the state parks and hours of operation.

Georgia Student Finance Commission

This partnership launched in 2019 to combine the efforts of the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) and public libraries to reach as many Georgia residents as possible to raise awareness of continuing education beyond high school.

The GSFC’s purpose to provide advisement, support, and expertise for Georgians wishing to attend college, whether that be academic or educational. They administer the HOPE grant and a host of other grants to relieve the financial strains college can place on a prospective or current student. 

To help, they developed GaFutures.org, a site where students can access all relevant information on how to apply for grants, scholarship, or loans; what is needed to apply for higher education; career exploration; and activities such as practice forms for FAFSA.

Go Fish Education Center Family Pass

The Go Fish Education Center is located in Perry, near the Georgia National Fairgrounds, just a few turns off I-75. Their partnership with Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) consists of the Family Pass program, which launched in 2012. At the Center, Georgians may purchase a fishing license and fish in a fully stocked pond, explore the freshwater aquarium featuring six of Georgia’s regional aquatic habitats, tour their hatchery that keeps rivers statewide stocked and flourishing with native fish species, or partake in wildlife conservation awareness classes. It is the mission of both GPLS and the Center to provide Georgians access to educational opportunities regarding the abundance of freshwater aquatic life in our state’s many creeks, rivers, and lakes. 

The Family Pass allows up to four (4) free admissions to the Center, and it circulates for a period of seven (7) days. The Family Pass may be renewed once. No holds are allowed on the pass.

The Family Pass may only be checked out by a family once every six months. The Center reserves the right to deny entry to patrons who continually check out the Pass.

Macon Museum Pass

The Macon Museum Pass partnership program is unique among other loan items in that the Pass allows admission to three separate museums:  Georgia Sports Hall of Fame; Museum of Arts and Sciences; Tubman Museum. The Pass is a wonderful example of organizations partnering to provide local access and opportunity but taking it one step further by providing the same access and opportunity statewide. The program features an additional Program component through the generosity of Visit Macon that loaned to GPLS a free standing banner exhibit highlighting the museums for statewide tour routes.

Macon Museum Pass
The Macon Museum Pass admits up to four (4) people to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Museum of Arts and Sciences, and Tubman African American Museum.

The Pass is for general admission only and is not valid for special events or exhibits. 
It has a circulation period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed on the pass.

Michael C. Carlos Museum Family Pass 

The Michael C. Carlos Museum/Georgia Public Library Service Family Pass partnership is a crossover program incorporating a Loan, Reading, and Program component. It is a natural fit for museums and libraries to work together as both have a core mission of advancing and preserving culture and knowledge, so in May 2016, GPLS and the Carlos representatives met to discuss what, together, they could provide for the residents of Georgia. The partnership officially launched in September 2016 at the public library directors’ meeting at the Oakland Library in the Lee County Public Library system.

When checked out, the Pass is taken to the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the Emory University campus where it allows up to six (6) free admissions to the museum. Children must be accompanied by parents.

The Family Pass is general admission only and cannot be used for other museum offers such as renting the audio tour or special exhibits or special programming. It circulates for a period of seven (7) days, and may be renewed once. Holds are not allowed.

Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail

The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail is a program inspired by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to help increase habitat for Monarch Butterflies. The program is based in Plains, Georgia, and has expanded throughout the United States as well as internationally.

Several libraries participated in a program where they receive a grant to plant or install pollinator-friendly gardens at their libraries. This program coincided with Mrs. Carter’s 95th birthday where she received a book listing all of the gardens registered with the Butterfly Trail. Over 40 libraries registered at least one garden and numerous more library staff registered their home gardens.

The goal of this project was to help our pollinator species propagate and thrive, educate communities on the importance of pollinator species, and to create attractive, sustainable green spaces at public libraries.

This was a joint partnership program with involvement and help from the Georgia Farm Bureau, University of Georgia Extension Service, and Master Gardeners.

Our Butterfly Trail gardens:
Charles A. Lanford, M.D., Library #290
Oglethorpe Garden at City Hall and Library #117

Zoo Atlanta Library Pass & DVD

The Zoo Atlanta partnership started in February 2011 as a way to provide access to the Zoo for those who may normally not have that opportunity, as well as put a focus on educational outreach and awareness for the Zoo’s commitment to preservation and conservation.

The Zoo Atlanta DVD is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and circulates for seven (7) days. It may not be renewed. No holds are allowed due to its popularity. Patrons check it out from the library, take it home to watch, and when they return it to the library on time and in good condition, they receive a pass receipt.

The Zoo pass receipt is redeemable Monday through Friday only for three (3) free admissions. It is redeemable four weeks (28 days) from the date the pass was issued. Even though the Zoo has a timed ticketed system in place, they are allowing walk-up admissions for patrons using the pass receipt, so patrons do not have to go online to schedule a specific time and date to visit.

Please visit their Know Before You Visit page.

To redeem, the patron must take it to the Zoo and present the pass receipt and library card used to check out the DVD at the Admissions gate. The DVD does not serve as a pass and should not be taken to the Zoo.

The Zoo has instituted blackout dates for the Pass meaning patrons may not redeem the pass on particular dates. They are listed below and more information may be found on the on the Zoo website. Blackout dates change year to year. The dates for 2023 are:

• April 3-7
• May 29
• July 4
• September 4
• October 9
• November 23
• December 25

A patron is only allowed to check out the DVD once per year per household. This may seem drastic, but keep in mind, the Zoo Pass is immensely popular.