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

volume 10, issue 4 I February 2013

Courtesy Center for Puppetry Arts and The Jim Henson Company

Public libraries
to feel stronger
budget pinch
Following his third State of the State
address to the Georgia General Assembly on Jan. 17, Gov. Nathan Deal formally submitted his recommendations for a $19.8 billion Fiscal Year 2014 budget. Although the governor's proposals maintained the economic pinch, with an additional $965,673 cut for personnel and operating expenses.

The governor did, however, recommend a $138,000 increase in the formula for library grants, based on an increase in state population. Once upward adjustments in the employer share of the Teachers Retirement System and the employer share of health insurance are included, the state's total reduction in funding for libraries totals $691,485. For the second consecutive year, the governor did not recommend funding for any library-related design and construction project.
"While librarians cope with increasing demand, state and local reductions in library funding have resulted in a nearly 10 percent decrease in library staffing and a nearly 3 percent decrease in library operating hours in the past year alone," said Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker. "At a time when Georgians -- especially those seeking jobs, government services and career training -- need libraries
See Budget, page 2

Cookie Monster welcomes visitors to the Center for Puppetry Arts' "Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop" exhibit, currently on long-term display in the museum's Love Family Atrium.

Center for Puppetry Arts loan program

begins at libraries around the state

Georgia families can now pay a free valid for up to four free museum

visit to Big Bird, the Fraggles,

admissions -- a potential savings of

Wayland Flowers' Madame and a

up to $33 per family. Parties with

host of other

children must

Courtesy Center for Puppetry Arts

popular puppet

include at least

characters by

one adult.

using a library

card. Thanks to a

The museum

new partnership

provides educa-

between the

tional fun with

Center for

more than 350

Puppetry Arts and

puppets from

Georgia's public

around the

libraries, citizens with valid library cards can check

Museum exhibits, performances and puppet workshops provide educational family fun.

world, highlighting the fact that every civilization

out the center's new "Passport to

has its own unique form of puppetry

Puppetry" at any participating public tradition. By examining and learning

library in all 159 Georgia counties.

more about the cultural traditions of

other countries, visitors can gain a

The "Passport to Puppetry" is

See Puppetry, page 2

Budget
Continued from page 1 the most, they are finding darkened buildings and fewer materials."
Georgia libraries were open 835,140 hours in 2012 -- 23,897 fewer hours than in 2011. Since the number of annual operating hours peaked in 2009, the state's public libraries have seen a decrease in hours of 7.9 percent. Patron visits in 2012 still show a cumulative increase of nearly 1.4 million people over 2006 -- the year before the state's current economic crunch began.

PINES libraries raise overdue fines

for electronic and special items

Overdue fines for items such as
audiobooks, e-books, CDs, DVDs and event passes increased at PINES libraries around the state on Jan. 1. Rates vary by item, with the majority of nonequipment fees increasing to either 20 cents or 50 cents per day. In most cases, the rate of increase is 10 cents. The overdue fee for books, which increased on July 1 from 10 cents to 20 cents per day, will remain at that level.

welcomed in all member libraries.
"The fee increases of the past six months are the first increases since PINES was introduced in 1999," said PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney. "They are necessary to help fund the replacement costs of unrecoverable items and also to defray the costs of debt recovery agencies now required by most systems."

"Additional budget reductions may be on the horizon," Walker said, "and if so, they may necessitate further service reductions at a time when libraries already are challenged to fill the crucial roles they play in economic and workforce development and in education." I

A statewide consortium of 285 public libraries and affiliated service outlets in 143 Georgia counties, the Public Information Network for Electronic Services PINES, for short offers citizens a shared catalog of approximately 10.4 million items, with a single library card that is

A list of PINES participating libraries, as well as a chart containing overdue fines for all 27 item types and classifications, is available at pines.georgialibraries.org. Patrons may also contact their local libraries for specific details about the fine increases. I

Puppetry

Continued from page 1 greater understanding of shared histories and values.
"We strive to be accessible to anyone who wishes to avail themselves of our programming and welcome this opportunity to partner with the Georgia Public Library Service," said Vincent Anthony, the center's founding executive director. "Whether you're an elementary, high school or college student; parent, toddler or senior citizen, we endeavor to provide access to many different activities, thereby gaining a greater understanding of our shared cultural heritage. After a visit, we hope that you understand that puppetry is not just for kids: It's for everyone."
The museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts is open Tuesdays through Sundays with hours varying upon day and programming. In

Courtesy Center for Puppetry Arts

Create-a-Puppet Workshops provide children with hands-on opportunities for learning.
addition to four free admissions, the "Passport to Puppetry" also entitles library patrons to attend a performance at the center and/or participate in a Create-a-Puppet Workshop at a 25 percent discount, when space

is available. Complete details, including valid dates, show times, hours of operation and reservation information are available online at www.puppet.org.
"This wonderful collaboration between the Center for Puppetry Arts and Georgia's public libraries brings an even greater dimension and value to our ever-growing list of services," said Dr. Lamar Veatch, Georgia's state librarian. "We are thrilled for our libraries to offer this entertaining educational opportunity to citizens in every corner of our state."
Visit www.puppet.org/museum/ galibrarypassport.shtml or www.georgialibraries.org for full details on access, a list of participating branches and details on how to use the "Passport to Puppetry." Or visit your local Georgia public library for more information. I

2
Georgia Public Library Service News February 2013

Georgia bookmobiles merge old, new

Courtesy Digital Library of Georgia Courtesy Elbert County Public Library

In a world where the word "mobile"
has become synonymous with personal electronic devices, Georgia's public libraries continue to employ and improve upon a grand, statewide tradition dating back to 1936 -- the bookmobile.
Some of the first bookmobiles traveling the roads of Georgia counties were purchased with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration, the New Deal agency that employed millions of people to carry out public works projects during the Great Depression. Thomas County was home to the first Georgia bookmobile, and 28 more soon followed it, including the Decatur County Traveling Library, a precursor of the bookmobile used today by the Southwest Georgia Regional Library System.
Not much more than modified
Rene McCollum keeps the Elbert County Library System's bookmobile rolling along with expanded services and an increasing number of patrons.

pickup trucks, Georgia's early Bookmobiles usually operated in territories that spanned two to four counties. With them, libraries could reach across communities and provide much-needed literacy-based opportunities to people who previously might not have received them.

being funded by Aflac, the insurance giant based in Columbus. Said Linda Hyles, fund development and
marketing coordinator for CVL, "The older bookmobile here is run down,
old and about to crash, but it is needed and would be
missed."

The outreach

"We just

goals of those

replaced our

public library systems that use bookmobiles have changed during the

In this circa 1947 photo, Southwest Georgia's Decatur County Traveling Library delivers an array of books to eager readers.

30-year-old bookmobile with a new Ford Transit

past 70 years, and

Connect,"

the ways in which the vehicles deliver noted Lillie Crow, director of the

services and help their communities

Washington-based Bartram Trail

have expanded and grown more

Regional Library. "People throughout

technologically complex.

the entire region have been very

excited about it since she took her

Not only do today's book-

maiden voyage in October. Children

mobiles carry on the tradition of are still allowed to browse the books

delivering printed works, many

on the vehicle, and older children are

also bring along collections of

even able to browse the shelf from

DVDs, audio books, large-print

the outside. We serve a special

novels and even e-books. Many needs school called Sandhill, which

now offer Wi-Fi hotspots and

serves five counties. Likewise, we

computer labs, in effect making traditionally serve numerous day care

them traveling training facilities. and pre-K facilities across our region,

and we deliver a variety of books and

The latest bookmobile in the other media to our nursing homes

Chattahoochee Valley Libraries

and homebound patrons."

(CVL) is exactly that. Funded by

a grant from the John S. and

The Athens Regional Library

James L. Knight Foundation and System (ARLS) recently sold its

serving the counties of Stewart, bookmobile, which now serves the

Marion and Chattahoochee, this community as the Georgia Museum

digital bookmobile comes

of Natural History's "Natural History

complete with satellite Internet

Museum Mobile."

access and six computer sta-

tions, allowing CVL to provide

In the old bookmobile's stead,

roving computer training classes. ARLS is teaming up with the North-

A sister bookmobile is being

east Georgia Regional Commission to

constructed for use in Muscogee provide classes on computer basics,

County that is certain to also be Internet, e-readers, popular software

just as ducky, given that it is

See Bookmobiles, page 4

3
February 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

Courtesy Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System

Bookmobiles
Continued from page 3 programs and social networking using a mobile computer lab equipped with 12 computers. "We don't own the lab, but the library has access to it daily," explained ARLS Director Kathryn Ames. "We are taking it on the road to outreach spaces that were identified in patron surveys, and we are offering the kinds of classes that people told us they need."

Not including the mobile computer lab used by ARLS, 16 bookmobiles currently roll along the highways, avenues and back roads of Georgia, and based on expanding community needs and the levels of excitement the vehicles still elicit from the public, they will continue to be welcome sights -- and not just in rural areas.
Today's Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (AFPLS) bookmobile stops at places like the Adamsville Health Center to work with mothers and children, the Easter Seals Head Start Program office and the Harriet G. Darnell Senior Center.
It is also a popular attraction at local schools, due to its excellent collection of materials for teens and children. As a major part of AFPLS's outreach initiatives, the bookmobile
Booker the dog, the Chestatee Regional Library System's popular mascot, makes new friends along all the Bookermobile's routes.

Teen reader Jessica Davis came aboard the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's bookmobile to sign up for her library card with help from Bookmobile Librarian Christina Kaulbach.

also plays an active role in Fulton County's "Common Ground" initiative, which focuses on improving community health and wellness.
And, of course, kids still love to see a bookmobile pulling in for a visit. In April, the Dawsonville-based Chestatee Regional Library System introduced its "Bookermobile" by featuring the system's mascot, Booker the dog. Geared toward advancing childhood literacy, the Bookermobile visits schools, local events and remote locations in Dawson and Lumpkin counties in hopes of encouraging literacy and putting books into the hands of as many people as possible.
The Elbert County Public Library's bookmobile is also rolling along with a slightly different audience in its sights. Driven by staff member Rene McCollum, its route encompasses a number of stops geared toward those people who are physically unable to make library visits, including day care centers, senior centers and even the local prison.

"Elbert County still uses our bookmobile, and we consider it an important part of serving the community," said Library Director Anne Grace. "Everywhere it goes, our bookmobile is welcomed because Rene takes the time to find out what kind of books her patrons want, and she is quite good at selecting each month's choices.
"Residents at our senior apartment developments regularly recommend the service to other patrons and on some days when she arrives, Rene finds them waiting for her outside. We began monthly storytime sessions at some of the nursing homes this past fall, and we also participated in the annual senior expo here in Elberton."
In an unusual chain of events, one Elbert County patron with visual impairments has presented two origami classes at the main library -- the result of McCollum noticing and encouraging his skills in paper folding and cutting during his visits to the local bookmobile. I

Courtesy Chestatee Regional Library System

4
Georgia Public Library Service News February 2013

Georgia libraries' partnerships named top innovation

The Open Education Database and its iLibrarian blog in
December ranked Georgia Public Library Service's roster of strategic partnership programs as number one on its top 10 list of national public library trends and innovations for 2012.

marketing and communications manager for Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites. "Once people visit the parks, they want to come back, explore other parks in the system, and many even join the Friends of Georgia State
Parks and Historic Sites."

Courtesy Georgia Department of Natural Resources

GPLS partners with a number of

The Zoo Atlanta Family Pass

state and private organizations to

program began in February 2011 and

provide an additional layer of support

has attracted an average of 20,000

and awareness for the state's public

circulations in each of its first two years,

libraries. "These partnerships -- all of

providing many families with opportuni-

which have been renewed for 2013 --

ties they would not previously have

have educated and entertained thou-

enjoyed to visit the zoo and take part in

sands of Georgia citizens while saving

its many educational programs and

more than $6 million in direct expendi-

special events.

tures for citizens and providing hun-

dreds of hours of free programming for

Attendance at Zoo Atlanta has

public libraries," said State Librarian Dr.

jumped 29 percent since 2011, accord-

Lamar Veatch.

ing to Raymond B. King, Zoo Atlanta's

president and chief executive, who cites

The ParkPass program, in partner-

the library loan program as a key factor

ship with Georgia State Parks & Historic

in that growth and who notes that

Sites, a division of the Department of

visitors from every county in the state

Natural Resources (DNR), enables citizens to check out passes good for free parking and admissions. Building on their relationship with DNR, public libraries began loaning family passes for

Georgians who check out a ParkPass can use it to visit popular Amicalola Falls State Park near Dawsonville. At 729 feet, Amicalola is the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast.

are using the pass program. "It reflects the fact that we really are the state's zoo," King said.
GPLS's longest-running partnership

the Go Fish Education Center in Perry in 2012.

is the Check-It-Out Reading Challenge, co-sponsored by

GPLS and the Atlanta Hawks. These annual supplemental

"The program definitely has proved to be a great way Summer Reading programs began in June 2005. Approxi-

to bring people into our parks," said Sally Winchester,

mately 76,000 tickets have been awarded to young

readers who have participated so far in this Summer

Reading cooperative.

Courtesy Zoo Atlanta

GPLS began a second supplemental Summer Reading Program in May 2010 through a partnership with Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan. In its first three years, parents signed up approximately 15,000 youngsters for the annual Summer Reading sweepstakes, which encourages parents to save for their children's college education.

More than 55,000 Georgians have so far participated in the Jumbo-sized success of the Zoo Atlanta Family Pass program offered by their local public libraries. The recent births of Po the panda and the Sumatran tiger cubs, Sohni and Sanjiv, are certain to contribute to the zoo's heightened popularity in 2013.

GPLS also partners with several entities that provide free programming, free materials or both for libraries. These include the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Georgia Center for the Book, the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and VSA Arts of Georgia.
This month, Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts becomes the latest partner organization for Georgia's 400-plus public libraries (see article, page 1) . I

5
February 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



The Georgia Library Association, in cooperation with the Georgia Library Media Association and the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology, will sponsor 2013 Georgia Library Day at the state Capitol in Atlanta from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 14. The annual event, which encourages librarians and library advocates to visit legislators and ask for their support for Georgia's libraries, will be held in Room 123 at the Capitol. For additional information, visit gla.georgialibraries.org.

Muller

After 11 years of service as director of the Columbus-based Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, Claudya Muller has announced that she will retire Feb. 28.

The board of trustees of the Coweta Public Library System has named Jimmy Bass as its director. Bass has been serving as interim director since August.

More than 500 patrons visited the Clayton County Library System's new Forest Park Library on its first day of operation, Dec. 16. The 16,000-square-foot facility, which replaces a smaller, 45-year-old building, boasts room for more than 64,000 volumes and a computer lab with 76 workstations.
Live Oak Public Libraries broke ground Dec. 19 for its new Islands and Garden City branches. Construction of both the facilities is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2014. When complete, each branch will have room for collections of more than 35,000 books and magazines and 32 computer stations, along with muchneeded study rooms and meeting space. The projects are funded through a Chatham County special purpose local option sales tax.
The Thronateeska Heritage Center will temporarily house the Dougherty County Library's celebrated genealogy department for at least the next nine months, during the library's renovation.

Included are historic public documents and Civil War records, along with genealogical records, land deeds and additional documents from Dougherty and surrounding counties.
The Friends of the Piedmont Regional Library System's Statham branch contributed $1,000 for the December purchase of a new early literacy station computer and software for children aged 2 to 8.
Wth the help of volunteer catalogers from around the state, Georgia Public Library Service has completed the new online catalog for the library at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta. The project allows Georgians to discover for the first time all of the titles that are held in trust for them at the mansion. The collection's bibliographic records contain notes identifying donors, signatures and the exact wording of any dedications. The Governor's Mansion collection is available at http:// governor.gapines.org. I

LaDonna Poole

Karen Hankala has been named interim director for the Waycross-based Okefenokee Regional Library System.

The West Georgia Regional Library held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Warren P. Sewell Memorial Library in Bremen on Nov. 30. The facility features Wi-Fi, laptops for in-library checkout, a conference room, study rooms and a tea-and-coffee bar. The renovation added 5,000 square feet of space, bringing the facility's size to 12,500 square feet. Funding for the expansion was provided jointly by the state and the Warren P. and Ava Sewell Foundation.

The real geek squad
Representatives from several Georgia library systems recently met at the Henry County Library in McDonough to discuss joining Georgia's previous participants in the national "Geek the Library" campaign. One of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's latest initiatives is to add 1,000 more libraries to the popular library-awareness campaign, which the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) facilitates. Pictured from left are Assistant Director Courtney Lumpkin and Director Lace Keaton of the Newton County Library System; James O'Neal, extension services librarian at the Middle Georgia Regional Library System; Carrie Zeiger, executive director of the Flint River Regional Library System; Jenny Powell, field marketing manager for OCLC and the Geek the Library campaign; Bea Mengel, youth services librarian for the Clayton County Library System; Carolyn Fuller, director of the Henry County Library System; and Daryl Fletcher, director of the ConyersRockdale Library System.

6
Georgia Public Library Service News February 2013

Jennifer Wiggins

Legislators meet with librarians at GCPL's annual Hot Dog Day
The Georgia Council of Public Libraries (GCPL) held its
annual Hot Dog Day at the Capitol Jan. 29.

Strategic planners
At its Dec. 13 meeting, the Troup-Harris Regional Library (THRL) board of trustees approved "LEARN: Lifelong Educational Achievement, Resources and Networking," the strategic plan crafted by Library Director Keith Schuermann and his planning team. The team identified lifelong learning as the unique, timeless purpose of the library, and several focus groups and intensive community analysis identified the need for expanded technology and programming as critical to ensure the purpose is met. The THRL Strategic Planning Team included (top row, left to right, standing): Anton Flores, Laurie Eubanks, consultant Lyn Hopper, Carol Todd, Holly Haskins-Fehr, Angela Shin, Debbie Marino, Debra Robertson, Dexter Wells and Pat Guida; (middle row, on bench) Linda Mack, Josephine Bray, Carrie Brkich, Becky Langston and Kay Durand; and (seated on ground) Schuermann. Members not pictured are Bob Patterson and Connie Blackmon.
Three Georgia library systems among latest ALA grant winners
The American Library Association has selected 44 public
libraries in 21 states to receive one-time grants of $5,000 to $15,000 to add or expand literacy services for adult English language learners in their communities. This funding will help libraries build their print and digital ESL collections, increase computer access and raise the
visibility of library services for immigrant populations.

Staff

"It was a fabulous event with more than 100 legislators attending to eat the Varsity's famous `naked' and chili dogs and to talk about libraries," said Carrie Zeiger, executive director of the Flint River Regional Library System and 2012-13 GCPL president. "The crowd was patient despite the long lines for food, and everyone seemed receptive to hear about the power of transformation that the library can have in each individual's life."
Dozens of library directors, staff members, Friends and trustees attended and volunteered their time to work at the event. GCPL is a nonprofit organization founded in 1975 to provide legislative advocacy and continuing education and to promote the best interests of public libraries throughout Georgia. I
Left: Sen. Lester Jackson III (DSavannah), the Senate's Democratic deputy whip, talks with Live Oak Public Libraries Director Christian Kruse. Below: Rep. Ed Rynders (R-Albany) chats with Lisa Rigsby, director of the Camilla-based DeSoto Trail Regional Library, and Anne Isbell, director of the Americus-based Lake Blackshear Regional Library.

Staff

The latest "American Dream Starts @ your library" grant recipients include the Athens Regional Library System, the Piedmont Regional Library System and the Ocmulgee Regional Library System (ORLS).

Bowen

"Our team is looking forward to

implementing our proposals to help English learners,"

said Anne Bowen, director of Eastman-based ORLS.

"Forty-three other libraries were also awarded this grant,

but we believe we are the proudest!" I

7
February 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

Lindy Moore/West Georgia Regional Library System

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 Dustin Landrum, assistant

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

Turning Tides
Hunter Moore (front) and Carson Moore of Temple, Ga., practice their skills at two of the Dog River Public Library's early literacy stations. Part of the West Georgia Regional Library System, the public libraries in Douglas County have received grants totaling $27,000 this year for computer equipment from the Tides Foundation of San Francisco, the funding agency of Google. Six new early literacy stations are now in use at all three branches, and a new mobile laptop lab will soon be set up for joint duty at the Douglasville and Lithia Springs branches, enabling both to offer computer classes.

1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
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