Citizenship & Civics Kits are available for check-out at Cobb County Libraries Starting October 3

The Citizenship & Civics Kit created by Cobb County Public Library will be available for check-out starting Monday, October 3. The kit includes official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publications and study guides on the naturalization process for becoming a U.S. citizen.

The kit is designed to provide information for people seeking to explore the steps for becoming a citizen, a process which, for some immigrants seeking thorough and accurate details about the process can be a challenge, said Katherine Zavala, a member of the library’s Community and User Engagement department. The kit will also help prepare them in advance for meeting with an immigration attorney, added Zavala, who chairs the library’s Multicultural Services Team and leads the Citizenship & Civics Kit initiative.

“Coming from an immigrant family and being the only one born in the states, I remembered when my family, at separate times, became U.S. Naturalized Citizens and how they had to seek out study materials to help them in this process,” said Zavala.

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The kit contains publications on the rights and responsibilities of immigrants seeking to become U.S. citizens, quick civic lessons for the naturalization test, flashcards in English and Spanish on naturalization, and a Citizenship Resources at the Library sheet. The checkout period for the kit is three weeks.

The launch of the Citizenship & Civics Kit coincides with National Diversity Week, observed October 3-7 to raise awareness of how diversity has shaped the country. Founded in 1998, National Diversity Week is officially observed the first full week of October.

Information on the Citizenship & Civics Kit and links to downloadable documents from USCIS, multilingual citizenship study resources, and related library resources are posted at www.cobbcounty.org/library/services/passports-citizenship. The same webpage includes information on the passport application service for first-time applicants provided at the West Cobb and Mountain View libraries since early September. The two libraries are official Passport Acceptance Facilities approved by the U.S. Department of State. Appointments are required, and fees are charged for each application.

The USCIS page on citizenship is at www.uscis.gov/citizenship. For information on passport applications, visit the State Department site at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html