Happy Birthday, Hampton Park!

Forsyth County News, March 18, 2015

Can you believe it? Hampton Park Library is turning 16!

Hampton Park Library, January 2010

Hampton Park Library opened on March 15, 2010. Positioned in the north part of Forsyth County, the branch was the third branch opened by the Forsyth County Library system, cost about 6.8 million dollars to build, and was the first to use RFID technology, also known as those spiffy tags that let you check out a stack of books at the OneStops. 

Children's Area; Photo by: Fred S. Gerlich Photography, 2010

When Hampton Park opened, the collection had approximately 60,000 items on its shelves. You may still find some items stamped with 2010, but many of our opening day items have been weeded over time because of damage, age, or circulation statistics. This means the collection has been growing and changing over the years. For instance, the popular juvenile graphic novel series Dog Man was first published in 2016, six years after we opened, so it had to be added later! This is just one of many changes you may have seen if you are a long time library user. Today, we have about 70,000 items. 

Summer Reading Fun Kickoff with Lew-E the Clown, 2025

As many may have noticed, north Forsyth is growing, and the library is seeing it too. During our first year, we had about 88,212 library visitors. Last year, we had 123,184 visitors, and we expect to see even more visitors this year. 

Statue of Joann and Earl, 2026

One of the unique features of Hampton Park is our statue of Joann and Earl. Our young patrons LOVE this statue. Many greet their “friends” on their way in and out. We encourage patrons to take a picture with the statue and submit them to our Ask a Librarian service. Our entry way is peppered with photos, showing just how much love there is for Joann and Earl.

Virginia checks in books, 2024

Another unique feature of Hampton Park is that we are the only FCPL branch without an Automatic Materials Handler. This means we check-in everything by hand! This is a huge task done by our wonderful Collection Support Aides. 

Virginia, 2026

This is Virginia, one of our Collection Support Aides. Branch Manager Ross Gericke often jokes that she is original to the building. She started as a volunteer at Hampton Park before it opened, helping unpack boxes of books. She became a Circulation Support Aide in 2011. She’s one of our most dedicated and experienced staff members!

If you’ve never visited Hampton Park, now’s the time! We invite you to stop by and wish the branch a “Happy Birthday.” Hope to see you there!