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 Weedy Garden by Margaret Renkl
    “Imagine you are a busy bumblebee or a twisty snake or a hungry squirrel or a searching butterfly or a cozy rabbit or a tired turtle or a sleepy firefly.  What does a garden full of weeds offer you?  Now imagine you are back to being you.  What will you see, smell, taste and discover in the weedy garden?  Who will you meet?  New York Times bestselling author, Margaret Renkl invites readers to celebrate the beauty of nature and explore the interconnectedness of all species in this picture book that has been gorgeously illustrated…by her brother, Billy Renkl.”  Donated by Shirley Silver.

• JUVENILE FICTION

  • The Alien Next Door:  Aliens for Dinner?!by  H. I. Newton

    Harris has his suspicions that the new kid at school, Zeke, is an alien, but he hasn’t been able to convince anyone.  Not even his best friend, Roxy, believes him.  So when Harris’s parents invite Zeke and his family over for dinner, Harris thinks this could be the perfect chance to prove it once and for all.  Will he be able to show his family that Zeke is really an alien?  Donated by the Hall family.  For ages 6-8.

• ADULT FICTION

  • Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson
    “Deliciously sinister, this exploration of the uniquely intense bond only twins share is a winner.  Joshilyn Jackson’s twisty storytelling is not to be missed.”  Karen Slaughter,  New York Times bestselling author.  Joshilyn Jackson and her family lived in Decatur before moving to upstate New York and were members of our church.

• ADULT NON-FICTION

  • J F K:  Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli
    “From the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie:  Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story-her husband’s J F K:  Public, Private, Secret.  In this definitive portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy-one of America’s most consequential and enigmatic presidents-the author delivers a deeply researched and authoritative biography.  More than a story of a man whose public triumphs were shaped-and at times overshadowed-by the complex realities of his private life, from his legendary family to his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy.”  Donated by Linda and Freddy Bailey.

Contact the Library

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