Allen Memorial Library

First Baptist Church Decatur Media Center

About Our Library

Located on the second floor of our Sanctuary building, The Allen Memorial Library and Media Center provides quality reading selections and media resources for church members and the local Decatur community.

Our church library contains over 15,323 cataloged items, including 

• Books

• Bibles and Commentaries 

• Periodicals

• Audiobooks

• Movies and films

• A/V equipment rental

• Reading programs and curriculum

• And much more!

Library Collections

Books for Adults  

We have books about our world, the latest fiction bestsellers, non-fiction texts to help with Sunday School study, self-help books, history, biography, periodicals, large-print books, audio-books, and computers to look stuff up. Books we can’t use in our collection, we offer for sale.

Books for Children and Youth

We’re your children’s source for the latest award-winners! Our volunteer staff includes people who know children’s books inside-and-out and can recommend top fiction and non-fiction titles to put in your collection (pre-K—Young Adult). 

Resources for the Decatur Reading Community

The Library is an information source and cheerleader for book festivals (Decatur Book Festival) and author talks (Georgia Center for the Book, Conversations, local bookstores). We post calendars for community book sales, book recommendations, interesting websites — all things BOOK.

Beth’s Books

Each month, Beth Withers, one of our library volunteers, shares the newest books that have been added to our church library this past month:

• PICTURE BOOK 

  • The Broken Ornament by Tony DiTerlizzi
    Jack knows just how to make this the best Christmas ever. Biggest tree on the block! More presents! More decorations! But when he breaks a dusty old ornament, what is the harm? After all, there are always more. Jack is in for a BIG surprise. Lovely illustrations accompany a story perfect for Christmas.

• JUVENILE FICTION

  • Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows

    When seven year old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from her new next door neighbor, Ivy. This is a chapter book that is just right for children moving on from beginning readers and is the first in a charming new series.

• ADULT FICTION

  • The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
    “Evans’ heartfelt debut, told through a series of marvelous letters, gets to the heart of the human connection. Sybil Van Antwerp is a complex figure - a 73 year old retired lawyer, book reader, mother, grandmother, ex-wife, sister, adopted daughter and, above all, dedicated pen pal. To her great dismay she is losing her eyesight. Sybil’s life story is beautifully told through letters exchanged between her and a range of characters - well known authors (Ann Patchett, Larry McMurtry and Joan Didion), her caring neighbor, family members, friends, professors, long lost relatives and a mysterious person from her past. Evans’ novel is funny and dear, with a family drama and a bit of mystery too. It is a treasure.” Sarah-Ruth Tasso for Library Journal. The DeKalb Library System has 20 copies and 133 holds!

• ADULT NON-FICTION

  • Rick Steves’ European Christmas by Rick Steves
    Rick Steves, America’s expert on Europe, teams up with Valerie Griffith to explore the rich and fascinating mix of traditions - Christian, pagan, musical and edible - that led to the Christmas festivities that we enjoy today. The author brings home an authentic, surprising portrait of holiday celebrations in England, Norway, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Romans cook up eels, Germans buy “prune people” at markets, Norwegian kids hope to win marzipan pigs and Parisians ice-skate on the Eiffel Tower. With thoughtful commentary, lovely photos and more than a dozen recipes, this book captures the spirit of the season. Donated by Mark Green.

Contact the Library

Give us a call at 404.373.1653 (ext. 2229) or send us a message using the form below.