A newsletter for friends and employees of Georgia's public libraries volume 10, issue 6 I June 2013 Courtesy Atlanta Braves Courtesy Atlanta Braves Program ambassadors Hudson (top) and Uggla Braves, GPLS join to promote summer reading This summer, the Atlanta Braves are partnering with Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) for the 2013 Atlanta Braves Summer Reading Program, "Home Run Readers." This new educational outreach program encourages students to build a love for reading, as well as advance their reading skills during the summer months. Home Run Readers rewards students in grades K-12 throughout Georgia by providing one free Braves ticket for each participant who reads at least one book about sports or good sportsmanship. Discounted tickets for accompanying family members and friends will be available for $7 each. All-Star pitcher Tim Hudson and All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla will serve as Atlanta Braves ambassadors for the Home Run Readers program. "We know that reading and literacy will provide a platform for success and the keen knowledge to make wise decisions not only in school, but throughout their entire lives," said Executive Vice President of the Atlanta Braves Derek Schiller. "The Atlanta Braves are proud to provide a reward for the hardworking kids in the state of Georgia." Reward tickets can be redeemed for any of the five following games: I Sunday, June 30, versus the Arizona Diamondbacks; I Tuesday, July 2, versus the Miami Marlins; I Monday, July 29, versus the Colorado Rockies; I Thursday, Aug. 1, versus the Colorado Rockies; and I Sunday, Aug. 11, versus the Miami Marlins. "We are extremely pleased and excited about this partnership and to be able to offer these wonderful reading See Braves, page 5 Staff Governor signs 2014 budget, OK's multiple library projects On May 7, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law the state's $19.9 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 repairand-renovation projects and to replace aging computer equipment. 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. Another $1.6 million will fund a 6,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of the Perry Library in Houston County. The budget also includes $900,000 to help construct and fund renovations for the Mountain Regional Library System's Towns County Public Library in Hiawassee. Taking part in a June 3 community celebration of the approved funding for the Towns County Library are (from left): Rep. Stephen Allison (R-Blairsville), Towns County Commissioner Bill Kendall, Mountain Regional Library System Director Donna Howell, Branch Manager Debbie Phillips and Sen. John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa). Of the $3,995,000 approved by the governor for Major Repair and Renovation (MRR) grants for public libraries, $2 million is specifically earmarked for the purchase of new public-access computers to replace aging and obsolete equipment statewide. The remaining MRR grants will pay up to 50 percent of approved costs associated with needed structural repairs; roofing projects; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs; and required life safety, accessibility and code compliance projects at 44 facilities in 30 counties across the state. I State welcomes Greater Clarks Hill, Marshes of Glynn systems On July 1, public libraries in Columbia, Lincoln and Warren counties will become members of the new Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System. The system is named for Clarks Hill Lake, the 111-square-mile reservoir on the Georgia-South Carolina border north of Augusta. The system's headquarters will be at the Columbia County Library in Evans. Public libraries in its three counties previously were members of the East Central Georgia Regional Library, which will continue to serve patrons in Richmond and Burke counties. Also effective July 1, the Brunswick-Glynn County Library and the St. Simons Island Public Library will become part of a new system, Marshes of Glynn Libraries. The new library system takes its name from a Sidney Lanier poem written in 1875. A popular city park in Brunswick takes its name from the same source. The two Glynn County facilities previously were members of the Three Rivers Regional Library System, which will continue to serve patrons in Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Long, McIntosh and Wayne counties. Headquarters for Marshes of Glynn Libraries will be in Brunswick. All public libraries in the Greater Clarks Hill, East Central Georgia, Marshes of Glynn and Three Rivers systems will remain members of PINES, the state's public library automation and lending network. Contact information and website addresses for the new systems will be available at www.georgialibraries.org on July 1. I 2 Georgia Public Library Service News June 2013 Google introduces indoor mapping to libraries With Google Earth, you start in space. Then you mouse-scroll down to North America. Then to the U.S, to Georgia and to Rome. Continuing to scroll, you arrive at street level in front of the RomeFloyd County Library. Then ... you go inside. Indoor Google Maps is a small but growing project that video-maps the interior of public places, allowing users to experience a 360-degree virtual tour of a location. So far, the project has mapped the interior of structures across the globe using floor plans and on-site digital video recording. In the United States, Google Maps has floor plans and indoor mapping in place or planned for major airports, museums, universities, casinos, shopping malls and, of course, libraries. This feature of the already popular website will allow anyone to vicariously visit a location long before actually being there. For instance, if someone asks you to meet them at a specific restaurant in the main food court at HartsfieldJackson International Airport, you will be able to see exactly where it is and how to get there. You will also be able to use indoor Google Maps to chart the best course through museums to optimize your experience. Standing at an entrance looking about for signs or clues to a particular direction might become a thing of the past. At the Rome-Floyd County Library, headquarters branch of the Sara Hightower Regional Library system (SHRL) and the Northwest Georgia Talking Book Library (NWGATBL), having their floor plans and a virtual tour available to their patrons raises many questions and hopes for an all-new library experience. "What I saw was better access for all people," said Delana Hickman, director of SHRL, when she was contacted by a Google representative asking if they could add all branches in the regional system to indoor Google Maps. It wasn't long before representatives appeared with smart phones to Hickman record the public spaces in the system's four libraries and the NWGATBL, which is located inside the main branch. Indoor mapping is something Pat Herndon, director of Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), wants to have for all of Georgia's talking books centers. "Libraries should always seek ways to remove barriers to access," Herndon said. "Indoor Google Maps is another way that mobile technology can help break down those barriers. Accessibility comes in many forms, from curb cuts to accessible signage and now handheld audible directions within a building. Technology continues to provide opportunities for all library customers." "It's a great moment in our ability to provide access for all, regardless of any limitations," said Hickman, who is also a former director of the NWGATBL. "I'm hoping it will encourage some of the talking book patrons to venture out more and feel more confident with making physical visits to the library." Two such patrons, who are already comfortable with physical library visits, also have high hopes for this project. Maia Santamaria, executive director of the Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living (NWGACIL), and Christina Holtzclaw, the organization's assistant director, are both legally blind and use guide dogs. NWGACIL promotes the idea that the freedom to make choices, including mistakes, empowers those with disabilities to further their community involvement. Regarding indoor mapping, Santamaria said, "It's an interesting idea -- as long as it's regularly updated." She added that losing a landmark or having outdated information can cause disorientation, but that instant access to indoor Google Maps, coupled with accessibility features on a smart phone, "would be great." Holtzclaw related how she wishes such maps had been available for a trip she once took to Washington, D.C. She had to personally map and define routes through Hartsfield-Jackson and Reagan International airports as well as the Washington Metro system. This process took her two months, as opposed to being able to pull location information up instantly on her smart phone and potentially have GPS voice navigation aid her in getting to her destination. "It would have been a great time-saver," she said. "Even with dogs, we have to tell them which direction to go." Santamaria, Holtzclaw and Hickman have hopes that See Mapping, page 7 3 June 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News Path2College 529 Plan Sweepstakes begins fourth year In an effort to help children across the state strengthen their educational foundation and inspire families to think about the financial foundation that is needed for continued education, Georgia Public Library Service and the state's Path2College 529 Plan are once again partnering for the Summer Reading Program and Path2College 529 Plan Sweepstakes, which will award a child with a $5,529 college savings contribution. On May 28 at the Perry Public Library, the Houston County, Peach County and Middle Georgia Regional Library systems hosted Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan kick-off event for the 2013 Summer Reading Program, "Dig Into Reading," and the Summer Reading Program Sweepstakes, "Reading Makes Cent$." This is the fourth year GPLS has partnered with the Path2College 529 Plan on this statewide initiative, designed to encourage kids to read throughout the summer and remind their parents and grandparents about the importance of saving for college. "The Path2College 529 Plan Sweepstakes is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for parents and grandparents to jump-start college savings plans for their young readers," said Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "We're very happy to be entering our fourth year of raising awareness of summer reading through this program, and we hope to see more families participate this year than ever before. What a great way to celebrate summer, reading and all that your library has to offer!" Children across the state who were born in 1997 or after and who participate in the Summer Reading Program at their local library can enter for a chance to win a $5,529 college savings account contribution. "Reading is such a fundamental part of a child's education, and encouraging reading at an early age is vital to a child's educational success," said Mitch Seabaugh, director of Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan. "Similarly, creating a financial plan designed to save money early and regularly for college is crucial to help offset the everrising costs of a college education." Staff Last year, nearly 460,000 Georgia children participated in the Summer Reading Program, and more than 3,600 entered the sweepstakes. "Families across Georgia have opened Path2College 529 Plan accounts for over 103,000 current and future students as of Dec. 31, 2012," said Seabaugh. "If we reach a small percentage of the people who participate in the Summer Reading Program, we can put more children on the path to college, and that is our ultimate goal." Welcoming the crowd at Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan Sweepstakes kick-off event at the Perry Public Library are (from left): Maira Hernandez, children's services specialist for Peach Public Libraries; Thomas Jones, director of Middle Georgia Regional Library; Billy Tripp, director of Peach Public Libraries; Julie Walker, deputy state librarian; Mitch Seabaugh, director, Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan; Karen Odom, director of Houston County Public Libraries (HCPL); Yolanda Young, children's services specialist for HCPL; and Dr. Lamar Veatch, state librarian. 4 Georgia Public Library Service News June 2013 In addition to the $5,529 that will be awarded to the winning participant, Georgia libraries have a chance to win a monetary gift for their participation in the Summer Reading Program Sweepstakes. The library of the sweepstakes winner will receive $1,529. Also, the library See Sweepstakes, page 5 Staff Braves Continued from page 1 incentives to young people and families across the state," said Dr. Lamar Veatch, Georgia's state librarian. "A program that encourages education while providing fun for the entire family is a true treasure. Home Run Reading and its related events will be excellent examples of our three organizations' joint commitment to every community in Georgia." Rhiannon Eades Additionally, the Braves will host GPLS Days at Turner Field on three separate dates. GPLS and local library staff will be on hand to enable those fans who don't already have a library card to sign up for one at the stadium. The GPLS Days are slated for June 30 against the Diamondbacks, Aug. 18 vs. the Nationals and Sept. 15 as the Braves take on the San Diego Padres. Home Run Readers is open to all Georgia students in grades K-12 and runs through Aug. 11. Program rules, a list of suggested titles, registration information and redemption forms are available online at www.braves.com/reading. I Opening night The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust's "Witness to the Holocaust: WWII Veteran William Alexander Scott III at Buchenwald" exhibit began its yearlong tour of Georgia public libraries on May 16 at the Cherokee Regional Library System's Dade County Public Library in Trenton. It now travels to libraries in Vidalia, Hazlehurst and Savannah for stops in June and July. Future tour stops are in the works for other libraries around the state later this year and in early 2014. Attending the opening night event are (from left): Jane Cohen-Legge, 2009 Georgia Distinguished Educator of the Year; speaker Dr. Jerome S. Legge, associate provost for academic planning and a professor at the University of Georgia; Sandra Craine, program coordinator for the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust; Dade County Branch Manager Marshana Sharp; Cherokee Regional Library System Director Lecia Eubanks; and Assistant Director and Community Service Librarian Darla Chambliss. Sweepstakes `Miracle' on Baxter Street Hortense Bates (left) and Renna Tuten, volunteers with Friends of Athens-Clarke County Library, served cookies and lemonade at a reception following the April 7 dedication ceremony for the newly renovated and expanded facility. More than 100 people attended the event, which also marked the library's 100th anniversary. Continued from page 4 with the greatest number of sweepstakes entries and the library system with the greatest percentage of registered users entering will each win $1,529. "We have seen the Summer Reading Program grow with each year, allowing more children and families to be exposed to books, stories, programs and the library's resources," said Karen Odom, director of the Houston County Public Library System. "Path2College, along with summer reading, allows children the ability to get a jump start on an education that will be of great value for the rest of their lives." Families have until Aug. 15 to enter the sweepstakes. Visit www.Path2College529.com to learn more about the Path2College 529 Plan, obtain official rules or open an online account. No purchase is necessary. Void where prohibited. Summer Reading Program activities at public libraries are offered for children, teens and adults. Check with your local public library for a calendar of readingrelated events and programs. I 5 June 2013 Georgia Public Library Service News NEWS IN BRIEF Courtesy Coastal Plain Regional Library Jessica Everingham has been appointed director of the Waycrossbased Okefenokee Regional Library System. Linda Floyd is now director of the Dalton-based Northwest Georgia Regional Library. LYRASIS board of trustees and will serve a three-year term beginning July 1. Created from the 2009 merger of SOLINET and PALINET, LYRASIS is the nation's largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals. Alan Harkness has been named director of the Columbus-based Chattahoochee Valley Libraries. He most recently served as assistant state librarian for library development at GPLS. Effective July 1, Mary Lin Maner will become the first director of the new Greater Maner Clarks Hill Regional Library System, which will be based in Evans. Gary McNeeley is now director of the Dawson-based Kinchafoonee Regional Library. Effective July 1, Geri Lynn Mullis will become the first director of Marshes of Glynn Libraries in Brunswick. Kathryn Youles has been named director of the Sylvania-based Screven-Jenkins Regional Library System. She follows Wendy Weinberger, who retired April 30. Staff Directors Barry Reese of the Twin Lakes Library System in Milledgeville, Leigh Wiley of the Worth County Library System in Sylvester and Roni Tewksbury of the West Georgia Regional Library in Carrollton have been elected to serve three-year terms on the PINES Executive Committee. On May 20, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced the award of more than $6 million in grants to approximately 725 schools, nonprofits and literacy organizations to support adult, family and summer literacy programs. Included among the recipients are the Chattooga County Library System in Manifold Greatness Tifton-Tift County Public Library employees Trina Jones as Lady Mary (left) and Mack Freeman as King James (right) pose with artist/student worker Jesse Carpenter, who created the cutouts as part of Tifton's Renaissance Faire. The event kicked off the local visit of "Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible," a traveling exhibition celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. Following its stop in Tifton, the exhibit moved to Conyers, where it is on view at the Nancy Guinn Memorial Library through July 12. Summerville; the Elbert County Public Library in Elberton; the Oconee Regional Library's Harlie Fulford Memorial Library in Wrightsville, Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library in Sandersville and Treutlen County Library in Soperton; the Henry County Library System in McDonough; the Three Rivers Regional Library System's Ida Hilton Public Library in Darien and Wayne County Library in Jesup; the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo; and the South Georgia Regional Library Foundation in Valdosta. Effective July 1, Ben Carter will serve as interim director of the Conyers-Rockdale Library System. Diana Tope has been named interim director of the Catoosa County Library System in Ringgold. Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker has been elected to the Successful leaders University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby (left) presents Elizabeth McKinney, PINES program director, with a certificate for her participation in the inaugural Board of Regents' University System Office Leadership Development Program, "Leading for Success Advanced." McKinney was one of seven University System of Georgia leaders who successfully completed the four-month leadership program. 6 Georgia Public Library Service News June 2013 Peach Public Libraries has received a $5,000 grant from the Flint Energies Foundation for the purchase of new children's books for its libraries in Byron and Fort Valley. The grant is part of Flint Energies' Operation Round Up program, which supports worthy causes in the 17 counties served by the electric cooperative. Staff Mapping Continued from page 3 technological advancements will continue to boost confidence levels in people who are blind or have physical disabilities. "People often forget mobility impairment isn't always limited to those with physical disabilities," Santamaria noted. From left: Jones, Powers-Jones, Johnson-Spurlock, Abdurrahman, Wilson and Black The three agree that making it possible for people to know the size of an area, the location of desired services or the dimensions of a restroom would be a major step in getting more disabled people out of their homes and interacting with the public more regularly. Holtzclaw said, "It would be great for enabling many disabled to be spontaneous." Georgia hosts CSLP Annual Meeting State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch welcomed more than 80 attendees from 40 states to the national Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Annual Meeting at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta on April 16. This is the first time the four-day event has been held in Georgia. Pamela Johnson-Spurlock of the Thomas County Public Library and Kaleema Abdurrahman of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System were winners of this year's competitive application process to receive scholarships to attend the meeting. They also served as goodwill ambassadors for Georgia. CSLP is a consortium of states and U.S. territories working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their respective public libraries. By combining resources, public libraries throughout the country can purchase posters, reading logs, bookmarks, certificates and a variety of reading incentives at significant savings. 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, "These five ladies did an absolutely wonderful job in helping the meeting run smoothly," said GPLS Youth Services Director Elaine Black. "They were so incredibly welcoming, cheerful and helpful to the 86 other attendees who came to Atlanta from every corner of our country. This meeting could not have happened without them." Incoming CSLP President Jasmine Rockwell, children's & youth services coordinator for the South Dakota State Library, declared the event a huge success and one of the best in the organization's 26year history. "It really was fantastic," she said. I Several smart phone applications are available for people with disabilities, from apps that scan money and indicate the denomination to apps that photograph objects and tell the user what it is, such as a receipt and its total. And the list of apps is growing. Santamaria said that, with smart phones and the inherent potential of indoor Google Maps, "It opens doors for so many things that haven't existed. The past few years have been a quantum leap." I PINES sets uniform limits for DVDs, games, VHS The PINES Executive Commit- tee has voted to globally limit the number of DVDs, games and VHS tapes that can be simultaneously checked out to 15 for each item type. Effective July 1, this limit will be enforced within the Evergreen software, making checkout limits uniform across all PINES member libraries. I 7 June 2013 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 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 Snakes alive! Julia Huprich (left), manager of digital services for the Cobb County Public Library System (CCPLS) and host of "The Library Show" on TV23, the county's public-access channel, welcomes Carvel Bennett and Ed the red-tailed boa constrictor to the program's June edition. Bennett, educator instructor for Zoo Atlanta, discussed the multiple missions of Zoo Atlanta, along with its partnership with Georgia's public libraries and the Zoo Atlanta Family Pass program. In addition to their broadcasts on TV23, full episodes of "The Library Show" are available on the CCPLS website at www.cobbcat.org/library-show, as well as from the county's website and on YouTube. 1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304 A Unit of the University System of Georgia PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 213