Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 10, no. 5 (Apr. 2013 )

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

volume 10, issue 5 I April 2013

General Assembly adds three library facilities,

computer funding to state's FY 2014 budget

On March 28, the Georgia General Assembly adopted its
$19.3 billion budget for fiscal year 2014. The budget includes $4.5 million in bond funds for three new library construction projects and $3,995,000 in bonds to fund repair-and-renovation projects and to replace computer equipment statewide.
The largest grant, for $2 million, will be used to expand the Piedmont Regional Library System's Jefferson Branch in Jackson County. Following construction, the facility will also serve as the system's headquarters.
"This is a busy public library at the heart of Jefferson, where our programs often draw hundreds of children and adults," said Director Beth McIntyre. "Turnover rate of materials is also the highest in the region, and computer use is constant. The current 4,500-square-foot facility outgrew its capacity many years ago."
McIntyre explained that the mayor and City Council

of Jefferson placed a new library among their highest priorities this year. "The city purchased a former Food Lion building for adaptive reuse, and it will house a 17,000square-foot library as well as the city's Police Department."
Another $1.6 million will fund a 6,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of the Perry Library in Houston County. The project will bring larger children's and publicaccess computer areas to the facility, along with greater accessibility and improved ventilation. "We are beyond thrilled that our project has been given the green light," said Houston County Public Library System Director Karen Odom.
"The staff and patrons at all of our branches are excited, because almost everyone here is aware of the confinements faced in the current building. We are all looking forward to having a more modern, updated facility to serve our community."
See Budget, page 2

A student gets an early peek at the Scott exhibit.

Witness to the Holocaust exhibit to tour libraries

Thanks to a new exhibit that will soon
embark on an extensive tour of Georgia public libraries, citizens across the state will be able to gain a uniquely local perspective on the role of African-Americans in World War II as well as the struggles of the civil rights movement and its connection to the lessons of the Holocaust.
Curated by the Georgia Commission On the Holocaust, "Witness to the Holocaust: WWII Veteran William Alexander Scott III at Buchenwald" is a photographic essay focusing on one of Atlanta's leading African-American citizens, whose family founded the Atlanta Daily World. William A. Scott III later became that newspaper's editor, as well as

a tireless civil rights leader, businessman, radio show host, artist, poet and public servant. The exhibit brings to life Scott's experiences as a World War II photojournalist and as a witness to the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Plans call for the exhibit's first stop to take place at the Cherokee Regional Library System's Dade County Public Library in Trenton, where the exhibit will be on view for approximately two weeks in mid-to-late May. Future tour stops and supporting programs are in the works for at least eight other library systems around the state later this year and in early 2014. Tour details will be announced at www.georgialibraries.org. I

Courtesy Georgia Commission On the Holocaust

Budget
Continued from page 1
The General Assembly also included $900,000 to help construct and fund renovations for the Mountain Regional Library System's (MRLS) Towns County Public Library (TCPL) in Hiawassee, doubling its size to approximately 8,000 square feet.
"We are ecstatic to receive this grant and can't wait to get started with the renovations," said Dr. Jounida Bradley, library board chair. "I am most happy for the children of Towns County. They have been crowded into a small area where there's hardly any room to move, thus hampering their learning experiences. But they will now have a much larger space to call their own."
The state bond funding allows MRLS to take advantage of local SPLOST funds that were approved last year by more than 90 percent of Towns County citizens, explained Donna Howell, the system's director. "Our system consistently ranks near the top of the state's per capita library use figures," Howell said.

"TCPL is the smallest of our libraries, code compliance projects at 44

and it has experienced exponential

facilities in 30 counties across the

growth in use since it was built in

state.

1989. We are excited that we will be

able to provide the facilities, collec-

Specific grants range in size from

tions and services that our users need less than $1,000 for life-safety

and deserve."

improvements at

Also included in the General Assembly's pro-

"These are exceptional

the Ball Ground Public Library in Cherokee County up to $100,000

posed budget is $3,995,000 for

examples of

each for new roofing or HVAC

Major Repair and Renovation (MRR) grants for public libraries. That figure includes $2 million

local-and-state partnerships."
-- Dr. Lamar Veatch

projects in Clarke, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, Richmond and Walker counties. All

specifically for the

State Librarian projects require

purchase of new

matching local

public-access

funds to complete.

computers to replace aging and

obsolete equipment statewide.

"We are thrilled and thankful

that the House and Senate have

If approved by the governor, the joined to support the state's public

coming year's $1,995,000 in MRR

libraries -- both with these new

grants will pay up to 50 percent of

construction projects and with much-

approved costs associated with

needed funding for updating existing

needed structural repairs; roofing

facilities," said State Librarian Dr.

projects; heating, ventilation and air Lamar Veatch. "These are excep-

conditioning (HVAC) repairs; and

tional examples of local-and-state

required life safety, accessibility and

partnerships.

Kimberly Brown/The Northeast Georgian

"We are especially appreciative of the $2 million in recommended appropriations for the replacement of approximately 3,000 obsolete computers that have been in use for as long as seven years. Based on the current state average, each of those computers has seen about 12,200 hours of use. Replacing these machines with updated models is vital to our libraries' ability to deliver the digital services that are essential to our citizens."

PINES pioneer
The Northeast Georgia Regional Library (NGRL) held a retirement celebration March 20 at the Clarkesville-Habersham County Library to honor Martha Richardson, the system's assistant director for technical services. "Martha was instrumental in the development and testing of Georgia's PINES network," said Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker, "and is fondly thought of by library staff across the state because of her ever-present humor, patience and knowledgeable guidance in the early days of PINES." Richardson has been with NGRL for more than 13 years.

All library-associated bond funds were added by the House and Senate to Gov. Nathan Deal's original budget recommendations for FY2014. The revised budget now awaits the governor's approval and signature. I

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Georgia Public Library Service News April 2013

GPLS introduces cloud-based learning platform

Beginning July 1, Georgia Public
Library Service (GPLS) will deliver a multitude of e-learning opportunities to eligible library staff across the state using the cloud-based Skillport learning management system (LMS).
Skillport will provide access to more than 3,000 self-paced courses; 20,000 online instructional books; and hundreds of videos supporting business, information technology and desktop computing skills. Online mentoring and practice tests Turner will also be available for most leading certification exams.
"I hope that library staff throughout the state will be as excited about this program as I am," explained Jay Turner, director of Continuing Education for GPLS. "Not only can library employees use Skillport to grow expertise for the jobs they already have, but they can explore subject areas that help meet their future professional goals -- and do so at no cost to their respective library systems."
In addition to offering traditional computer-based courses, Skillport will provide content that is optimized for mobile devices such smart phones and tablets so that staff can take learning on the go. It also features tools such as wikis and blogs, along with a Facebook-like tool called "inGenius" that is geared to allow staff to take advantage of social learning. "We learn more and more quickly when we learn together," Turner said.
Although Skillport is primarily intended for employees of Georgia's

public libraries, GPLS hopes, depending on availability of open licenses, to make the system's content available to:
I employees of academic libraries that serve not-for-profit Georgia colleges or universities
I employees of any Georgia public school library
I employees of GALILEO
I trustees of all Georgia public library systems; and
I students of library science at Valdosta State University.
"The new software allows users to rate and recommend courses,

books, videos and job aids and see the ratings and recommendations that other users have given to all content in the catalog," Turner said.
"Learners will have more control over their user profiles and learning histories, too. Not only will Skillport help e-learners keep a record of their learning from within the online course catalog, but users can also manually add external learning events, such as learning sessions at national and state conferences."
GPLS is working with several library continuing education providers to include archives of their
See Skillport, page 4

Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities honors Georgia's Youth Services director

The Louisiana Endowment for the

Humanities (LEH) has named Elaine

Black, director of Youth Services for

Georgia Public Library Service, a

recipient of an LEH 2013

Humanities Award.

Recognized for her work

with the LEH-created

PRIME TIME Family

Reading Time program

in Georgia, Black will

receive the organization's

Public Humanities Pro-

gramming Award at a

ceremony in Darrow, La.,

on April 6.

Black

PRIME TIME is a national awardwinning family literacy program that serves low-income families throughout Louisiana and in numerous other states.

GPLS has been responsible for the fourth-highest number of affiliate PRIME TIME sites, having implemented 60 PRIME TIME programs, with another seven

scheduled for 2013. GPLS secured funding from the LEH through a National Endowment for the Humanities expansion grant and
provided its own funding and resources for 50 PRIME TIME programs.
LEH Deputy Director and PRIME TIME Director Miranda Restovic and Senior Consultant Faye Flanagan attribute part of the program's success in Georgia to the initiative of Black, agreeing that her six-year tenure at GPLS has provided the stability that a state needs to preserve the infrastructure of PRIME TIME.
"From the beginning, this outstanding director of Youth Services has been deeply committed to the expansion of PRIME TIME in Georgia and has coordinated and managed all of the aspects of the PRIME TIME sites," said Restovic. I

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April 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

Upgrade brings more modern, user-friendly interface to PINES

Georgia Public Library Service
upgraded its PINES catalog, used at more than 275 participating libraries around the state, on March 21.
PINES -- short for Public Information Network for Electronic Services -- offers Georgia citizens a shared catalog of almost 10 million items, with a single library card that is welcomed in all member libraries.
"We hope that PINES library card holders will find this to be a more modern and more user-friendly interface," said PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney.

browsers, including the most recent versions of Internet Explorer and Safari."
Pages should load faster with fewer display problems. Navigation from within the catalog back to initial search results and to the new search page will also be easier.
"The former `Bookbags' feature is now called `My Lists,'" McKinney explained. "It enables users to sort materials lists by title, author and publication date as well as to place holds directly from the list and move items from one list to another."

"This upgrade brings many improvements and new features to the PINES catalog, chief among them improved compatibility with most mobile devices and with more Web

More improvements, including a dedicated PINES catalog for children, are in the pipeline and will be added to the service in the near future, McKinney said. I

Staff

Share-A-Rama!
Approximately 130 children's and youth services librarians attended the annual "Share-A-Rama," held this year on March 18 at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. The event enables library staff to meet and share the best, most creative ideas for Summer Reading programming. Teresa Jones of the Carrollton-based West Georgia Regional Library System coordinated the March 18 event with Daniel Summers, Jr., marketing director of the Center for Puppetry Arts.
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Georgia Public Library Service News April 2013

Skillport
Continued from page 3
webinars in Skillport so that library staff will have access to relevant and topical content in one place. The Georgia Library Association already has agreed to be one such provider.
"As a part of Skillport's implementation, we are redesigning the continuing education portion of the GPLS website," Turner explained. "We'll be converting it from a static Web page to a blog, so that learners can more easily find training and continuing education articles and resources. It should also enable them to contribute to larger conversations around the state about education in libraries."
Skillport conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines of the Worldwide Web Consortium, so content will be highly accessible by those learners using assistive technologies.
"I'm excited to see how GPLS can further grow and enhance our CE program with the implementation of this tool," Turner concluded. "We believe it will dramatically increase our available learning content and features, while saving money for the state and allowing GPLS to work more directly with other units of the University System of Georgia. It is an all-around win for everyone."
Library staff around the state should note that, with the introduction of Skillport, GPLS will end its five-year-old partnership with WebJunction. Current WebJunction users should complete any courses in which they are now enrolled before June 30. Funding for the Skillport LMS is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to GPLS under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. I

Georgia's libraries invite kids to `Dig Into Reading'

If you or someone you love digs reading, 2013 will be a
great year to participate in the annual Summer Reading Program (SRP) at Georgia's public libraries. The theme for this year's children's program is "Dig Into Reading," while the teen program's slogan is "Beneath the Surface," and the adult program is "Groundbreaking Reads."
Each year, libraries use the SRP to promote family literacy and demonstrate to kids and young adults that reading is fun. More than 1.4 million people attended a children's program at one of Georgia's public libraries in 2012, and circulation of children's materials exceeded 17 million items for the fourth consecutive year.
According to Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS, studies have shown that school-age children who continue to read throughout their vacation from school maintain or improve writing, vocabulary and reading skills, while children who do not read are more likely to see skills decrease. "Research shows that participation in library programs during the summer can significantly reduce the `summer slide,' wherein children lose academic gains made during the school year while out for the summer," she said. "Summer Reading allows children and families to self-select reading materials, which can also boost future learning."
The artist for this year's children's program, Scott Nash, is best known as the illustrator of Catch That Baby! and Uh-oh, Baby! He is also the award-winning illustrator of the Flat Stanley adventure series and Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields.
The teen program artist this year is writer/illustrator Duncan Long, who has authored 13 novels including Anti-Grav Unlimited, the Spider Worlds trilogy and the Night Stalkers series.
Shane Rebenschied created the illustrations for "Groundbreaking Reads" using a combination of photo

manipulation and hand-painted elements. He has previously worked with a number of publishers, including Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin, Penguin, Random House and Scholastic, as well as for The Washington Post.
Public libraries across Georgia will support this year's SRP effort by offering reading logs, bookmarks and
stickers -- and by hosting activities such as storytimes, puppet shows and other special events such as arts-
and-crafts programs, magic shows and visits from Zoo Atlanta's Zoomobile. As with Georgia's previous programs, children receive rewards for achieving
reading goals. Kids can sign up and get their reading
materials at public libraries across the state, beginning in May.
This is Georgia's sixth year as a member of the nationwide Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a consortium of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and multiple U.S. territories working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.
"Georgia's public libraries have always delivered wonderful, content-rich summer programs," Black said, "and we're very excited that Georgia families will have so many opportunities to dig into reading by participating in this year's edition."
Georgia public libraries' SRP is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to Georgia Public Library Service under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. Visit www.georgialibraries.org for additional information about "Dig Into Reading," "Beneath the Surface," "Groundbreaking Reads" and numerous other family literacy activities. I

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April 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



Carol Stewart, director of the

Clayton County Library System,

retired March 15,

following more

than 40 years of

service to librar-

ies. Stewart

began working in

Clayton County

in 1980 when the

county was part

of the Flint River

Regional Library System. When

Stewart

the Clayton County Library System

was formed in July 1981, she was

chosen to be its director. County

officials, library staff and friends

honored Stewart at a retirement

celebration on March 13. Yvonne

Carmichael, the system's assistant

director for technical services, will

serve as interim director.

Terrell County Librarian Gary McNeeley has been appointed interim director at the Dawson-based Kinchafoonee Regional Library, serving Calhoun, Clay, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell and Webster counties.

Former Library Director Mike Dugan, who retired after serving in that capacity for 18 years, is now serving as interim director of the Dougherty County Public Library in Albany.

Diana Very, director of LSTA,

Statistics and Research for GPLS, has

earned her

Doctor of Public

Administration

degree from

Valdosta State

University (VSU).

She also holds a

master's degree

in library and

information

Very

science from VSU

and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Missouri. Very joined GPLS in 2007.
Elizabeth McKinney, PINES program director, was nominated to and will participate in the inaugural Board of Regents' University System Office Leadership Development Program, "Leading for Success Advanced." She will be one of seven University System of Georgia leaders who will engage in a four-month program consisting of executive coaching, leadership assessments, and group learning sessions focused on innovation, team building, communication, leadership practices, leading change, and conflict management.
Pat Herndon has joined GPLS as director of Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), the network of regional libraries for the blind and physically disabled. She will provide training and consulting services to public libraries across the state and will manage GPLS's efforts to provide books, magazines and other library resources in alternate formats for those citizens Herndon whose visual or physical disabilities prevent the use of conventional print materials.Herndon has more than 30 combined years of library experience in DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. She most recently served as manager for the Gwinnett County Public Library's Hamilton Mill branch.
Maira Hernandez and Andrew Vickers have joined the staff of Peach Public Libraries. Hernandez is the new children's, youth and

Brenda Thomas

Brand awareness
Keith Schuermann (right), director of the TroupHarris Regional Library, congratulates Rushton Dobbins, winner of the system's recent logodesign contest. Dobbins, a 16-year-old homeschooled student with the West Georgia Home School Association, created a design that both the board of the Friends of the LaGrange Library and the regional board of trustees believe best represents the library's core values of community, empowerment and literacy. For his effort, the Friends awarded Dobbins with a $500 scholarship for the purchase of books, technology or other educational supplies.
outreach specialist. Vickers is the new public services librarian.
Marilyn Windham has been appointed to the Peach Public Libraries board of trustees. Windham is a retired educator and author of Peach County The World's Peach Paradise.
Carole Albyn is the new youth services and community relations librarian for the Southwest Georgia Regional Library System in Bainbridge. She holds a master's
See News, page 7

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Georgia Public Library Service News April 2013

News
Continued from page 6 degree in library science from Texas Woman's University .
Teresa Jones of the West Georgia Regional Library System, Catherine Wilson of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System, Martha Powers-Jones of the Ohoopee Regional Library System, Pamela Johnson-Spurlock of the Thomas County Public Library and Kaleema Abdurrahman of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System have been named winners of this year's competitive application process to receive scholarships to attend the national Collaborative Summer Library Program Annual Meeting that will be held in Atlanta April 16-19.
The Georgia Library Association is sponsoring its annual library photo contest through June 20. Lists of categories, submission guidelines and contest rules are now available online at gla.georgialibraries.org. I

AMLAS unveils fourth art exhibit

The Atlanta Metro Library for
Accessible Services (AMLAS) will open its latest art exhibit April 4, to coincide with First Thursdays Downtown Atlanta Art Walk.

The show features the works of

two area artists:

Atlanta's Sanjumi

and Deborah

Hudgens Pinson

of Griffin, Ga.,

both of whom

have been

featured in

exhibits at VSA

Arts of Georgia's

Arts for All

Gallery in downtown Atlanta.

Sanjumi's "Angelfish"

With that gallery's April move to

Midtown, where it will be sharing

space in an innovative nonprofit/for-

profit partnership with Mason Murer

Fine Art, AMLAS will become VSA's

sole downtown public exhibition

space.

AMLAS is located on the fourth floor of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's Central Library in downtown Atlanta. Thanks to a partnership between Georgia Public Library Service and VSA, walls at the new AMLAS space serve as gallery space featuring the rotating works of professional artists who have visual

impairments and other disabilities.
AMLAS is part of the GLASS (Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services) network of Talking Book Centers that provide eligible Georgians with access to free audio materials and books and
magazines in Braille through the Library of Congress and the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped. The facility serves qualified patrons in Clayton, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall, Henry, Lumpkin and Rockdale counties.
Now in its 40th year, VSA Arts of Georgia is a nationally accredited statewide organization working with artists and organizations to fulfill its vision of an inclusive community that encourages everyone to enjoy and participate in the arts.
AMLAS and VSA Arts of Georgia welcome the public to view the works of Sanjumi and Pinson from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with extended evening hours each Thursday until 8 p.m. I

Jackie Pate

Read Across Georgia
As part of her Read Across Georgia initiative, the state's first lady, Sandra Deal (left), stopped by the West Georgia Regional Library System's Whitesburg Public Library on March 12. Branch Manager Ruth Fuller talked with Mrs. Deal about the library's reading programs for children and adults and about the working relationships that the library and the Friends of the Whitesburg Public Library have with Whitesburg Elementary School, where she visited earlier in the day.

FOGL plans annual spring workshop
Friends of Georgia Libraries (FOGL) will hold its annual spring workshop
on Friday, April 19, at the East Cobb Library in Marietta. Session topics will be "Twisting Arms Gently: The Art of Raising Funding" and "Growing Friends Membership."
Registration opens at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting will run from 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Cost of the workshop is $20 for members and $30 for non-members, which includes annual membership for the coming year. Lunch and an author presentation are included. Visit www.georgia-friends.org for additional details and registration info. I
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April 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
PAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 213

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

Sam Cheney

Commercial appeal
Staff members of the Commerce Public Library welcomed nearly 700 visitors on Feb. 2, when the newly renovated and enlarged facility held its grand reopening celebration. Part of the Piedmont Regional Library System, the Jackson County facility now features self-checkout equipment, an expanded children's library, a new young adult area, a dedicated Heritage Room with genealogy section, 20 public-access computers and three new touch-screen children's computers. From left are Branch Manager Miguel Vicente and librarians Jill Roper, Catherine Harris, Carolyn Cook, Teresa Marshall, Tami McClung, Candace Campbell, Matt Davis and Marti Mejias.

1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
A Unit of the University System of Georgia