The Lumpkin County Library has a new Branch Manager as of July 1, former Assistant Branch Manager and fiction author Juliet Sexton has taken over the role from outgoing Manager Agnes Gore.
Sexton has been an employee of the Chestatee Regional Library system since February of 2024 and has served in nearly every position at the local branch.
She began as an Administrative Assistant for the central office before transitioning to Information Specialist, which handles patron-facing work, computer questions, the genealogy room and programming for adults and teens.
“Then I moved to the Circulation Supervisor role, which morphed into the Assistant Branch Manager role because it took on more responsibilities,” Sexton recently told The Nugget.
Sexton said one of her primary goals in her latest role as Branch Manager is to try to attract more teenage patrons to the library.
She said our sister library in Dawson County is more accessible to teens because they are located right across from the high school and middle school.
“We struggle more getting teens in. What are the things we can offer to get teens in here? Most of the programs we've done have had low turnout,” Sexton explained, adding that a lot of it has to do with the fact that teens are often overscheduled.
As a single mom living in Athens when her children were younger, Sexton said she took full advantage of that library’s free programming.
“I couldn't afford extracurricular things, so the library became that place. It had such an impact on me, and on them—They still talk about it. That's what I want to continue: really being able to let everybody have equal access to programming and different types of materials, whether digital or physical,” she explained.
SETTING ROOTS
Sexton moved to Dahlonega while her children were still in middle school and high school, because she wanted to provide a stable environment.
“I had moved a lot for work, so I wanted them to have a hometown for those last formative years,” she said.
Sexton started out working in corporate compliance as a permitting compliance manager in California, but shifted gears to focus on journalistic, non-fiction and, eventually, fiction writing.
She currently has fifteen published books under the pen name Juliet Rose representing a mix of contemporary suspense genres, from mystery and thriller to atmospheric horror.
“I’ve also written dystopian sci-fi, time travel, creature features: whatever story tweaks my interest. I have copies here and there in our local author section. I'm currently working on another one, but it's slow going with all the changes. I'm also a certified editor and do a little editing on the side. It's still a passion of mine,” Sexton said.
In fact, it was her love of books that prompted her to jump on the open administrative position with the library.
PATRON PATTERNS
Sexton said she has witnessed a demographic shift in the local patron base during her time at the library.
“We still serve our senior community, but we're seeing a lot more younger people and families, so we're looking at things geared more toward them as well. We used to have a family game night and are revisiting ideas like that. We also added ASL (American Sign Language) classes—beginners and level two—in partnership with the community,” Sexton said.
As for bolstering teen participation, Sexton said she is working with the University of Georgia Extension Office and 4-H to develop programs that kids “can really come in and have fun with.”
Some of her preliminary proposals include adding teen craft events in the evening, a teen art club and teen movie nights that spotlight book adaptations in a safe, fun environment.
The idea is that teens can drop in to these more passive events as their schedule permits, rather than having to be there at a set time and stay for the duration.
It’s all part of a national shift that’s seeing libraries gradually transition from a quiet, research-friendly environment to more of a community center model.
“It's a place where people feel comfortable and supported, and children are allowed to be children. It's less of a ‘shhhh’ environment and more for everybody,” Sexton said.
As for any upcoming changes to the library’s floor plan or physical collections, Sexton said those would be relatively minor.
“Most of our changes have to do with process flows. We always take patron feedback. Recently we added beanbag chairs to the teen area and children's area, so they feel ownership. We have a suggestion box and do surveys. One thing that came from a survey was later hours, so we're now open three days a week with extended hours,” she said.
Sexton said she is satisfied with the current state of the book collections.
“Moving away from solely being just books has reached more people. A big part is educating people about what we offer … Getting people in the door is an issue because people are busy. That's why we expanded hours. Under my leadership, one of the goals is to really get that knowledge out there and make sure we're available when people are available,” she continued.
Sexton said she wants the community to be aware that the library is about more than books.
“We have programs, quiet places to study, places to meet up with friends, digital media, DVDs, books on CD … We have musical instruments, telescopes, park passes, and more,” she said. It is free to get a library card and free to attend programs. It's one of the last free places left.”