Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 1, no. 1 (Fall 2003)

news Georgia Public Library Service
The quarterly newsletter about Georgia's libraries

vol 1 issue 1 z Fall 2003

Georgia Library PINES Reaches 1 Million Georgia Users

Georgia Library Public Information
Network for Electronic Services, or PINES, reached a significant milestone May 23, 2003, when the 1 millionth PINES card was issued to 7-year-old Luke Wood of Rome, Georgia.

Luke Wood, a 7-yearold from Rome was the 1 millionth Georgian to register for a PINES library card.

A program of the Georgia Public Library Service, PINES is the public library automation and lending network that gives Luke, and any Georgian with a PINES card, access to 7.7 million books and materials located in 249 public libraries in 123 counties.

requests from any computer with Internet access, or they can ask their local librarian for assistance.
PINES makes the best use of public resources by avoiding the duplication of collections, staff, equipment and maintenance.

Because every library cannot own every item, PINES creates a statewide "borderless library" that provides equal access to books and information for all Georgians.
Every Georgia resident can apply for a PINES library card. PINES cardholders can have books and materials from any PINES library delivered to their local library. They can search an online catalog and submit

PINES serves all of Georgia. Fortyfour of Georgia's 58 public library systems rely on PINES for their library services. In FY 2003, 1 million PINES cardholders borrowed 15 million items.
By developing and supporting statewide programs like Georgia Library PINES, Georgia is setting the standard for statewide access to information and library materials.

Photo by Julie Brown, courtesy of Rome News-Tribune

IN THIS ISSUE:

200,000 Georgia Children Read for Fun During the Vacation Reading Program 2003 2

Technology Upgrades Improve Library Services

for Blind and Disabled Georgians

2

Georgia's Public Libraries Receive Gates

Foundation Grant

3

E-rate Helps Fund Communications

and Internet at Public Libraries

3

Georgia Public Library Service Launches

New Web Site

3

Spotlight on Statesboro Regional

Library System

3

MESSAGE FROM THE STATE LIBRARIAN
by Dr. Lamar Veatch
Welcome to the first issue of Georgia Public Library Service News, a quarterly newsletter about Georgia's libraries. The goal of this publication is to share success stories that demonstrate the value of public libraries to the state and people of Georgia, and to inspire further creativity, innovation and investment in Georgia's public libraries. Today's public libraries provide more than just books. If you can get to a public library, you can get to public access computers and the Internet. You can access a wealth of books, newspapers and magazines - from bestselling novels to research journals - as well as videos, music, programs for children and families, skill-building workshops, and local archives. I hope you enjoy learning about the value public libraries bring to Georgia communities. Visit your local public library and learn what's new.

200,000 Georgia Children Read for Fun During the Vacation Reading Program 2003

Through the annual statewide Vacation Reading Program, coordinated by the Georgia Public Library Service, public libraries encourage children and families to read for fun during school vacations by offering special literature-based programs and incentives. Parents, grandparents and other caregivers also participate and help pre-literate children enjoy books and develop a love of reading.
This year, public libraries in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi all sponsored programs with the same theme: Books Ahoy! Children enjoyed books about marine biology, fishy word games, storytimes with pirates, artsand-crafts with sea creatures and

Three boys show-off leis made at a "Polynesian Tales" Books Ahoy! program at the West Chatham Branch of Live Oak Public Libraries.
films about ocean adventures. In Georgia, more than 200,000 children spent 800,000 hours reading 2.3 million books. The Vacation Reading Program is one of many programs at public libraries that help Georgia children succeed in life by learning to love to read.

Technology Upgrades Improve Library Services for Blind and Disabled Georgians

The Georgia Library for Accessible Services (GLASS), a division of the Georgia Public Library Service, lends
talking books (specially recorded books on tape), playback machines, Braille materials and descriptive videos to blind and disabled Georgians. GLASS serves residents in 16 metro Atlanta counties while 13 Talking Book Centers provide services for the rest of the state.

to a new computer system and statewide catalog that streamlined operations and improved customer service. Accompanying technology has enabled blind and disabled library users to search an online library catalog for library materials that match their interests and have them mailed to their home free of charge. The online catalog is compatible with adaptive technology and screen reading software.

A GLASS library user accesses the online catalog of talking books from a public library computer terminal.

Recent technology upgrades have dramatically improved these specialized library services. During FY 2003, the libraries converted

Investing in technology and innovative solutions helps bring quality library services to all Georgians.

2.

Georgia Public Library Service News Fall 2003

Georgia's Public Libraries Receive Gates Foundation Grant
The Georgia Public Library Service will receive up to $576,000 to help replace computer hardware at public libraries, provide technology training for library professionals and increase technical support to public libraries as part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sustainability grant program, "Staying Connected." The program is an extension of Gates Foundation grants totaling $4.2 million awarded to Georgia in 2000 to improve access to technology in communities of sustained poverty. In 2000, the Gates Foundation placed 1,123 public access computers in 295 Georgia public libraries, providing Internet access and educational software to public library users. The sustainability grant will help ensure that public access computers in Georgia's public libraries are wellmaintained and operational over the next three years.

E-rate Helps Fund Communications and Internet at Public Libraries
The Universal Service Fund program for schools and libraries, also known as E-rate, provides discounts for telecommunications and Internet access. During the first five years of the program, Georgia schools and public libraries have received more than $340 million in discounts. For the current year, the Georgia Public Library Service has been approved for nearly $4.77 million in discounts to provide highspeed Internet access to public libraries in Georgia, leaving the State of Georgia's share at approximately $1.68 million annually for this service.
Georgia Public Library Service Launches New Web Site
The new Web site, georgialibraries.org, is a resource for Georgia's library professionals as well as a source of information for Georgia residents about public library services and events.

News in Brief
The Georgia Public Library Service welcomes two new public library directors, Wendy Weinberger at Screven-Jenkins Regional Library System and Peggy Johnson at Elbert County Public Library System.
The Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System board voted to use a geothermal system to heat and cool the new main library. The system will save an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 a year in utility costs.
The Jefferson County Library celebrates its 50th anniversary in October.
Cobb County Public Library System opened its new Sweetwater Valley Branch in the renovated Threadmill Complex in Austell on June 25.
Gwinnett County Public Library broke ground on the new Suwannee Branch Library on September 16.

SPOTLIGHT

The Statesboro Regional Library System is partnering with the Zach L. Henderson Library and the Small Business Development Center at Georgia Southern University to provide small business and legal information to local residents.

Area residents inter-

ested in topics from

how to start a busi-

ness to credit counseling to adoption now

Reference librarian Janice Strickland assists with a legal question.

have access to instructional books, legal forms

and CD-ROMs at all six of the public library sys-

tem's branches. A Web site listing online

resources augments the collection. In addition,

a series of small business development work-

shops was held at the library throughout the

summer with more than 130 participants. The

workshops will continue in the fall and winter

with additional offerings focused on family and

consumer law.

The initiative is made possible by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by
?the Georgia Public Library Service. DID YOU KNOW?
Five times more people visit U.S. public libraries each year than attend U.S. professional and college football, basketball, baseball and hockey games combined.
Source: Libraries: How they stack up, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.

Fall 2003 Georgia Public Library Service News

3.

CALENDAR

October 2003
10/4

National Book Festival Washington D.C. www.loc.gov

10/15-10/19

Teen Read Week www.ala.org/teenread

10/22 - 10/24

COMO Jekyll Island, GA www.library.gsu.edu/gla

November 2003

11/1

Family Literacy Day

www.famlit.org

11/6

National Young Readers Day

www.bookitprogram.com

For more information about Georgia's library and literary events or to post an event, visit the online events calendar at www.georgialibraries.org.

1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, Georgia 30345-4304 www.georgialibraries.org
A Unit of the University System of Georgia

CONTACT US
Georgia Public Library Service 1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304 404.982.3560 404.982.3563, fax www.georgialibraries.org
Lamar Veatch, State Librarian Jennifer Watson, Editor Shannon Singleton, Managing Editor
For editorial or subscription information about this publication, please call 404.982.3531 or e-mail info@georgialibraries.org.
Georgia Public Library Service News (ISSN 1546-511X) is a quarterly newsletter about Georgia's public libraries. It is published by the Georgia Public Library Service, the state agency that supports public libraries statewide. The Georgia Public Library Service works with public libraries to improve the quality and variety of library services available to Georgia citizens of all ages.
This publication is supported in whole or in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
Information presented in this newsletter will be provided in alternative formats on request.
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