Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 10, no. 1 (Aug. 2012 )

A newsletter for friends and employees of Georgia's public libraries

volume 10, issue 1 I August 2012

Staff

Cataloging project brings citizens access to treasures from Governor's Mansion
The word "branch" often enters the conversation when
discussing public library systems. But Georgia will soon be in the enviable position of having its own executive branch.

On July 2, Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) began organizing and creating an online catalog for the library at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta.

The goals of the project are to allow the governor, first lady and Mansion staff to access materials more easily and to create an accurate inventory of titles in the collection. Most importantly, the resulting online catalog will also allow Georgians to discover what titles are held in trust for them at the Mansion.

College savings plan Deal
Gov. Nathan Deal greets 1-year-old Emma Hayward of Dunwoody and her parents, David and Carolina, during the 10-year anniversary celebration of Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan, held June 6 at the Capitol. The event also served as a kickoff for Georgia public libraries' annual 529 Plan sweepstakes, which has drawn nearly 15,000 entries from across the state since it began in 2010. Emma is the 2011 winner of the plan's Newborn Sweepstakes. Winners of the 2012 library contest will be announced in September.

"We are very excited about being able to share this wonderful collection online," said first lady Sandra Deal, "and we could not be any more pleased with the fine work of these librarians and catalogers. The Mansion is a better place because of their efforts."
"Since the 1860s, we know that more than 2,700 books have been donated to the governors and citizens of Georgia, and they are housed throughout the
See Mansion, page 2

Dade County voters give overwhelming thumbs up to library

Dade County residents took their
support for libraries to the polls on July 31 and voted overwhelmingly in favor of dedicating a fixed portion of county property taxes to funding the Dade County Public Library.
"This was a big day for our library system," said Lecia Eubanks, director of the LaFayette-based Cherokee Regional Library System.

"Although the vote is nonbinding, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Last week the Dade County Board of Education voted to accept the superintendent's budget with no library finding at all -- a 100 percent cut for us of nearly $38,000."
At three separate public BOE hearings this summer, citizens urged members to support the library even

if it meant raising taxes, Eubanks explained, but only one member of five voted to put the library back in the budget.
In response to the July ballot question "Shall the Dade County Commission dedicate a fixed portion of county property taxes to the funding of the Dade County Public
See Voters, page 6

Mansion
Continued from page 1 Mansion," explained State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch. "Most of these are either by Georgia authors or are about the state of Georgia. It's an amazing collection -- one that provides a valuable cross section of

Georgia history, geography, science and literature."
"The majority of the books are located in the library, the family sitting room or in the upstairs rooms," explained Elaine Hardy, PINES Bibliographic Projects and Metadata manager and the project's

coordinator. "But there are books scattered throughout the 30-room home. Some are on shelves; some are in drawers, in closets and in cupboards. We believe that the number might actually wind up exceeding 3,000."
Veatch, Hardy and several other GPLS staff members first met with Joy Forth, manager of the Governor's Mansion, in November. Following a walk-through overview of the collection, they engaged in talks to develop a project plan. Based on the resulting proposal, GPLS received an $8,000 grant from the Georgia Humanities Council to create the catalog using the GPLSdeveloped Evergreen library management system.

Staff

The Georgia Archives contracted with SOLINET (the Southeastern Library Network, which later became LYRASIS) to convert some of the Mansion's card catalog to MARC records in 1991, Hardy said. While that information was not expansive enough for today's needs, it has provided a valuable starting point for the current project, which a volunteer team of catalogers will complete in at least two phases.

"The first phase is set for two weeks, but the upper-floor rooms may have to be cataloged later," Hardy explained. "At the end of this phase, we'll assess what remains to be done and schedule a return visit in mid-August, subject to the schedules of the Mansion and of the library staff involved. Because we are working with catalogers who are volunteering their time, we don't want to take them away from their jobs for any longer than necessary."

Helping to catalog the Governor's Mansion collection during the project's first phase are (clockwise from lower right): Peggy Chambliss; Bin Lin, PINES cataloging specialist; Kathy Pillatzki; Elaine Hardy; Carolyn Fuller; Vicki Marshall; Linh Uong and Nancy Holmes.

"For eight catalogers used to working alone, we are really working well together in one room," said Vicki Marshall, technical services coordinator for the Griffin-based

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2012

Staff Staff

Flint River Regional Library. "The funniest thing is that all of us have a habit of talking to ourselves as we work, and we have to `shush' ourselves when we realize we're doing that here."
Most catalogers around the state first heard about the project when it was reported in GPLS News in December and then again when it was discussed at the PINES Annual Meeting in May. "Many were interested in participating, but we didn't have the funding to pay for two weeks of overnight stays for anyone, so our goal was to recruit excellent catalogers who were within easy driving distance of the Mansion," Hardy explained.
All those selected for the project team consider it an honor.
"When Elaine called in mid-June and asked if I'd be interested in volunteering, I was thrilled," said Nancy Holmes, head of technical services for the Winder-based Piedmont Regional Library System. "Once my director gave me her approval and support, I couldn't wait to get started. I've lived in Georgia all but four years of my life, and I had never been inside the Governor's Mansion until this
Hardy (left) and Fuller pull books from the collection to be cataloged.

project. As soon as I walked into the Library Catalog) are fairly lean, so we

library here, I thought, `Let me at it!' are having to add content to them,

I'm so happy to be here and to be a such as subject headings and

part of this."

inscription data,"

said Carolyn

Linh Uong,

Fuller, director

technical services

of the Henry

librarian for the

County Library

Hall County

System (HCLS).

Library System,

"Four books so

hails from Dover,

far have required

N.H. She said the

original records,

project has

indicating that

helped her learn

they are not

more about the

known to be in

state she has

the holdings of

called home for

Ferrol Sams' humorous inscription in Run

any other library

the past 13 years. With the Horsemen brought smiles to the

in the world.

"I'm very grateful faces of the library team.

These records

to have this

have now been

opportunity," she said. "It's truly

added to the OCLC database, then

such a special collection - so much

brought into the Mansion collection

historic value. Seeing the books,

database from there."

reading the inscriptions and learning

about the authors and the state's

To preserve and make available

history through them are very

this information to the public, where

exciting. Sometimes it's hard to

applicable the collection's

determine if a particular author is

bibliographic records will contain

really from Georgia. So far, though, notes identifying donors, signatures

we've been able to verify that all the and the exact wording of any

books are about Georgia or were

dedication.

written by a Georgian."

Included in the new records is

Among the surprising finds in

one for Songs of Sweetwater, a self-

the collection are a signed, limited

published collection by the Poets of

edition copy of Erskine Caldwell's Douglas County.

1987 autobiography With All My

Might; Ferrol Sams' 1984 Run With

According to Hardy, approx-

the Horsemen, inscribed "To my

imately 10 percent of the Mansion's

fellow Georgians with love; if you'll collection appears to be self-

forgive me - I'll return the favor";

published. One of the most notable

and bound original copies of The

of these is an original 1984 version

Acts of the General Assembly of the of They Heard Georgia Singing by

State of Georgia from 1862 and two then Lieutenant Governor Zell

volumes of The Laws of Georgia

Miller. After Miller became the 79th

covering 1862-63 and 1863-64. The governor of Georgia in 1991, he

latter three, Hardy said, were likely

updated the book for publication by

transported here from the state

Mercer University Press in 1996.

Capitol that was located in

Copies of the two versions, both

Milledgeville from 1804-68.

signed, sit side by side on a shelf in

the Mansion's library.

"Many of the books are quite

old, and the records we're looking

The organization and expansion

for in OCLC (Online Computer

See Mansion, page 4

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August 2012 Georgia Public Library Service News

Staff

Mansion
Continued from page 3 of the Governor's Mansion collection began nearly 30 years ago through the efforts of former first lady Elizabeth Harris, wife of Gov. Joe Frank Harris, who served as the state's chief executive from 1983 to 1991. "She thought it would be appropriate for the Mansion's library to have copies of important books
Pillatzki takes special care in handling the signed first printing/first edition of Gone With the Wind.

by Georgia authors," explained Kathy Pillatzki, assistant director of HCLS. "So she sent letters to authors requesting signed copies of their work and solicited signed works by deceased authors from a variety of sources. It's fitting that many of the books here are inscribed to her."
"Often, the authors or donators of books would autograph them upon presentation to the Mansion," explained Peggy Chambliss, library services manager for GPLS. "These signatures and dedications, many of them dated, are some of the most interesting and historic aspects of the collection." Once the initial project is completed, Chambliss will serve as liaison with the Mansion for future catalog updates.
The oldest books found in the collection are the two-volume set from 1797 called The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia by James Edward Smith and John Abbot. "These books may have been re-bound, but the plates (of illustrations) are gorgeous," Hardy said. "We are noting which books need repairs as we discover them, and at the end of the project we will seek advice and preservation assistance from the Georgia Archives, the Digital Library

of Georgia and the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia."
Joining the Smith and Abbot books among the rarest and most valuable in the collection is a signed first printing/first edition of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. "That book is probably worth more than $25,000," said Pillatzski.
"Eventually, GPLS hopes to obtain the funding needed to add links to the collection in relevant articles within the Digital Library of Georgia and to create digital images of the signatures in the books," Veatch said. "Physical access to the collection will be limited, so having digital images of the signatures will be of great service to scholars and all interested Georgians."
In the meantime, citizens can view some of the organizational results of the project team on one of the docent-guided public tours the Georgia Governor's Mansion offers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10-11:30 a.m. The library, located just to the right of the main entryway, is one of the first stops. The collection's online catalog can be viewed at http:// governor.gapines.org. I

PINES forced to implement first increase in overdue fees

Borrowers who fail to return public library books in a
timely manner are now required to pay a few pennies more for their tardiness.
At its annual meeting earlier this year, the PINES Executive Committee voted to increase the overdue fee for books from 10 to 20 cents per day, effective July 1. A statewide consortium of 285 public libraries and service outlets in 143 Georgia counties, PINES offers citizens a shared catalog of 10.4 million items.
The July fine increase affects books in the collections of all PINES member libraries. Similar fee increases

for overdue magazines, audiobooks, compact discs and other items are currently under review by PINES subcommittees and could be implemented in the coming months.
"Overdue fees have not increased since PINES was introduced in 1999," said PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney. "More and more, however, public libraries are being forced to use debt recovery agencies, and this fine increase for books is necessary to defray the cost of that service in addition to helping fund the replacement costs of unrecoverable items." For additional information, visit gapines.org. I

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2012

GALILEO gives access to powerful job search tools

As of July 1, Georgia Public Library Service is offering the
LearningExpress Library and its Job & Career AcceleratorTM to all the state's public libraries through GALILEO, Georgia's Virtual Library.
"While some libraries in the state had been offering the service previously, this is the first time that all Georgia's public libraries will be able to make it available for their patrons," explained Alan Harkness, assistant state librarian for Library Development. Adding the service to GALILEO allows us to scale this service across the state and will free up local funds for other uses at those libraries that were paying for it individually."
The service is available through every public library in the state and is available in remote locations, such as home, school or business.

of Library Services for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. "These interactive resources were identified by public library staff as critical for helping Georgians with their job preparation skills and career development -- and for helping students with math, reading and test-taking skills."
Georgians can access the LearningExpress Library and Job & Career Accelerator at their local library as well as remotely or from home.
"It's easy," Penson said. "You can do it simply by logging in using a PINES card number, getting the current GALILEO password from your library, or even via GeoIP technology, which verifies your computer's location. If we know you are in Georgia, we will allow you to sign in to GALILEO."

LearningExpress Library allows library patrons to take practice tests and receive feedback on numerous elementary, middle and high school subjects, as well as many college-preparatory and college-level ones. Help and practice exams are also offered for:
I popular standardized tests, including: GED,SAT, ACT, the Praxis Series, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), LSAT and GRE;
I vocational tests, including those for plumbing, electrical, firefighting, nursing, civil service, Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB);
I workplace improvement skills such as interviewing, resum writing and business writing; and
I the U.S. Citizenship test.

"At a time when so many people are looking to improve their work situations, these resources will help even the playing field for Georgians everywhere," Harkness said. "Everyone deserves the opportunity to improve their chances for landing a better job by improving their skills, and now the public library will be even more helpful to them in their efforts." I

Randy Eaton/Newton-Rockdale Citizen

"There are even basic courses on how to use computers and the Internet," Harkness said.

LearningExpress Job & Career AcceleratorTM integrates everything patrons need to conduct a successful job search in one easy-to-use online application.
It allows Georgia residents to explore detailed information on more than 1,000 different occupations, match interests and skills to particular job categories, search job postings, create professional-quality resumes and cover letters, and track their job search process and progress.
"We are excited that we can offer LearningExpress Library and Job & Career Accelerator to Georgia's citizens," said GALILEO's Merryll Penson, executive director

Read all about it!
In July, the Newton County Library System won the 2012 Rockdale-Newton Citizen's Reader's Choice Award for "Favorite Family Fun Spot." Members of the library staff, its board of trustees and its Friends of the Library organization responded with a big "thank you" for all their supporters. Seated are Lee Aldridge and Sharon Rhodes. Front row, from left are Barbara Williams; Priscilla Munoz; Flora Hawkins; Lois Upham, board chair; Lace Keaton, system director; Gayle Ragsdale; Libby Hendrix; Harriett Harwell and Fred Harwell. Back row, from left are David Kroon, Sara Erickson, Nathan Whitson, Marcia Allen, Renee Patrick, Steve Whatley, Britt Ozburn, Leata Sears, John Carocci, Carol Durusau, Jean Patton and Mellie Davis.
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August 2012 Georgia Public Library Service News

CCPL

NEWS IN BRIEF



Due to decreases in state and local funding and cost increases in operations and employee benefits, the Dougherty County Public Library board of trustees closed the Southside and Westtown branches in Albany on June 30. Six employees were laid off, and hours at the system's remaining three branches are being reduced.
Joe Forsee retired July 31, following 17 years of service as executive director of the Daltonbased Northwest Georgia Regional Library System. Forsee's work in libraries exceeds 40 years and includes a stint as director of public library services for the state's library agency when it was part of the Georgia Department of Education. Forsee plans to remain active as a consultant on a variety of library construction projects. Former Deputy Director Nick Fogarty is currently serving as the system's interim director.
Going Hollywood
At a farewell event on July 26, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Eaves (left) congratulates departing Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Director John Szabo on his new position as city librarian of Los Angeles. Szabo has served as director since 2005, spearheading the astounding show of support that the system received in the 2008 general election. That year, residents of Fulton County passed a $275 million library bond referendum, one of the largest in the nation.

Anne Haimes has been named interim director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, replacing John Szabo (see photo, bottom left).
Billy Tripp has been named interim director of the Fort Valleybased Peach Public Libraries.
Nancy Wright is the new assistant director of the DeKalb County Public Library.
Debora Melton has been appointed director of the Monroe County Library in Forsyth, replacing Marilyn Smith, who has retired following a 32-year career in libraries. The branch is part of the Flint River Regional Library System.
The Harris County Library in Hamilton, part of the Troup-Harris Regional Library, celebrated the busiest week in its history the week of June 4. According to Manager Debbie Marino, the branch welcomed more than 1,300 visitors, drew approximately 200 people to a single program and issued more than 30 new library cards.
Mia Buggs, a youth services librarian at the DeKalb County Library's Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch, and Veronica Winley, branch manager at the system's Lithonia-Davidson branch, are the recipients of the 2012 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant at Kent State University. The grant recognizes projects that raise awareness through literature of the need to respect and honor diversity.
Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS, has been elected to the Collaborative Summer Library Program's advisory board. I

River of Words
One of six national award winners in the 2012 Letters About Literature student competition, 18-year-old Amber-Nicole Watty (with plaque) receives congratulations from State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch, Coweta County Public Library (CCPL) Director Barbara Osborne-Harris and Georgia Center for the Book's Joe Davich. As Watty's designated library, CCPL's Grantville branch will receive a $10,000 Letters About Literature Reading Promotion Grant to be used for materials relevant to young readers or to support author visits and storytelling programs.
Voters
Continued from page 1 Library?" an overwhelming number of voters from both parties (70.6 percent of Republicans and 82.6 percent of Democrats) voted "Yes."
In addition, those BOE members who didn't support library funding and who were up for re-election did not receive majority votes.
"The message `If you mess with our library, we will not vote for you,' came through loud and clear," Eubanks said, noting that the community has also banded together to create a short-term fix to keep the Dade County Library operating as usual until more secure funding can be obtained. On July 23, concerned citizens launched www.savedadelibrary.org online and in its first week had raised more than $16,000.
"This phenomenal display of support from the people of Dade County is heartening for every Georgian who desires high-quality library services and realizes that the provision of those services begins with adequate library funding," said State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch. I

Zenobia Claxton/Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2012

"Literacy Bell" rings in good tidings for Cusseta citizens

Let literacy ring! And it does just that at the Cusseta-
Chattahoochee Public Library, a branch of the Columbusbased Chattahoochee Valley Libraries (CVL). With public libraries always looking for ways to make reading an integral, fun facet in a child's unfolding education, the Literacy Bell towers high for local kindergartners to ring out in celebration for all of Cusseta to hear. But don't think the bell pealing the pride of learning to read is the only aspect of this program.
The Cusseta-Chattahoochee branch works closely with the Chattahoochee School District in getting the students motivated and involved. The program consists of the children picking out their books, reading them and taking a short test. When they pass it, a reception is held honoring the burgeoning learners with cake and a gift bag containing a book and a certificate, while parents and grandparents look on with a smile. "The kids are often more excited by the cake than the ceremony," Pam Burgamy, branch manager in Cusseta, said with a laugh. Soon after, the children file out to the library grounds and ring the bell with the energy only children possess.
"My husband was nearby one day when we were holding a ceremony, and he could hear the bell ringing from more than a mile away," says Burgamy.
The idea behind the Literacy Bell comes from the Pulaski County Public Library in Somerset, Ky. CVL

Director Claudya Muller brought the Kentucky project to Burgamy's attention. From there, Burgamy worked ardently with her local chamber of commerce, school system and patrons to make this program a reality for her community. A local farm owner, Brenda Johnson, donated the bell, while the Chamber of Commerce of Cusseta offered to build the tower needed to house it. Standing 15 feet tall, the brick tower is an emblem of what members of a community dedicated to educating children can do by working together.
Burgamy doesn't want to stop with just kindergartners, she said. She hopes that as the program expands to higher grades, and children advance in their levels of literacy, they will continue to gather at the library and ring the Literacy Bell, giving them an innovative program that grows with them. "We'd love to expand the program all the way to our adult education students so that, as people earn their GEDs, they can ring the bell as well."
For a year and a half, the children of Cusseta have been ringing the bell, and it resonates within the entire community, signaling the sound of literacy levels rising. "The Literacy Bell is a symbol of a community coming together for one common goal," Burgamy said. "That goal is to have our children be better readers, so that they can reach their full potential as productive citizens. It makes me so proud to be a part of such a community." I
-- Dustin Landrum

Elizabeth Neal/Lake Oconee News Channing Mason/Benning Construction Co.

Core Commerce
On June 15, the Piedmont Regional Library System (PRLS) held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a 5,000-square-foot addition to the Commerce Public Library. From left are Miguel Vicente, Commerce Public Library manager; Nate Rall, director of Library Planning and Construction for GPLS; Clarence Bryant, former Commerce city manager; Ann Rhoads, chair of the Commerce Library Board; Tricia Massey, president of the Commerce Library Foundation; Clark Hill, mayor of the city of Commerce; Susan Harper, building committee chair; Alan Harkness, assistant state librarian for Library Development; Narasimhulu Neelagaru, cardiologist at Commerce Cardiology Clinic; Rep. Tommy Benton (R-District 31); Beth McIntyre, director of PRLS; and Dr. Lamar Veatch, state librarian.

Ribbons of welcome
The Uncle Remus Regional Library System (URRLS) and the library board of trustees dedicated the new Morgan County Library in Madison on July 26. Approximately 6,000 square feet larger than the building it replaces, the new facility features a greatly expanded children's area, user-friendly shelving and more reading areas throughout the building. Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) Bob Hughes, president of the Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce; Andy Ainslie, county commissioner and library liaison; Ellen Warren, county commission chair; Steve Schaefer, director of URRLS; library board trustees Dr. John Wade and Linda Thoman; Miriam Baker, library manager; County Commissioner Mack Bohlen; Bonnie Hicky, library board chair; County Commissioner Donald Harris; Ellen Ianelli, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Madison-Morgan County; and Sen. Johnny Grant (R-District 25). More than 500 people visited the library on its opening day.

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August 2012 Georgia Public Library Service News

Staff

CONTACT US

Georgia Public Library Service 1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304 404.235.7200 404.235.7201 fax www.georgialibraries.org

Lamar Veatch, state librarian

David Baker, editor

Georgia Public Library Service News (ISSN 1546-511X) is published bimonthly by the Georgia Public Library Service, the state agency that supports public libraries and works with them to improve the quality and variety of library services available to Georgia citizens of all ages.
This publication is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Georgia Public Library Service under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
Information presented in this newsletter will be provided in alternative formats on request. For more information about Georgia's libraries and literary events, or to post an event, visit our online calendar at www.georgialibraries.org

Proceeding fourth
The Forsyth County Public Library held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Post Road branch on July 26. The 23,000-square-foot building will be constructed near four local schools with funds provided jointly by the county and state. When it opens in the summer of 2012, the library will become the system's fourth full-service branch, and it is expected to become the county's first building to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. Turning the first shovels of dirt at the construction site are (from left) Jon McDaniel, library system director; Tim Plotner, library board member; County Commissioners Brian Tamm and Peter Amos; Mary Helen McGruder, library board chair; Jim Boff, Forsyth County Commission chair; Kristin Morrissey, library board member; Sen. Jack Murphy (R-District 27); Bob Keller, library board member; County Commissioner Todd Levent; and County Manager Doug Derrer.

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