Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 13, no. 3 (Dec. 2015)

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

volume 13, issue 3 I December 2015

Kathy Pillatzki

GPLS awards libraries $380,000 in STEAM grants
Georgia Public Library Service awarded 38 grants of
$10,000 each this fall to build resources for art education and continue the development of resources in science, technology, engineering and math at the state's public
libraries. The funding was part of the annual federal Grants to States program that GPLS received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

"Building on the success of last

year's similar collection development

grants, we wanted to offer a

Everingham

competitive minigrant program to help libraries put art into the mix,

turning them from STEM to STEAM -- science,

technology, engineering, art and math -- projects,"

explained Jessica Everingham, assistant state librarian

for library development and support.

Receiving grants were the following library systems: Athens Regional, Bartow County, Chattahoochee Valley, Chattooga County, Cherokee Regional, Chestatee
See STEAM, page 2

Nico Renje (left) and Joseph Jakes show off the Mindstorms robot they built Sept. 20 at the CoderDojo McDonough sessions at the McDonough Public Library. CoderDojo McDonough is a nonprofit group that teaches Henry County youth to code with help from mentors and other students. The library purchased the Mindstorms kits with STEAM grant funding administered by GPLS.

Assistive technology devices now available statewide

As a key component of the new
model for Georgia's provision of library services to the blind and others whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in audio format or braille, Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) has begun supplying a suite of assistive technology devices to every public library system in the state.
"We are committed to the goal that every library will become a member of the Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) network, and that they will be equipped to make library

programs, services and collections accessible to all users," said State Librarian Julie Walker. "As our model moves from providing service that was delivered only through a few subregional locations to one with a more comprehensive and holistic approach, furnishing these essential pieces of assistive technology equipment will reinforce our promise to enhance and expand the state's services in this area."
The GLASS network of talking book libraries gives Georgians ready access to materials from the free national library program that is

supported and administered by the Library of Congress and the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS).
Eventually, by using all 400-plus public libraries as community contact points for NLS service and by ensuring that staff at every library in Georgia is trained to make appropriate referrals, Walker said, "GPLS hopes to raise awareness of GLASS to the levels enjoyed by other services, such as GALILEO and the annual Summer Reading Program, that are sponsored and coordinated
See GLASS, page 3

Photo courtesy Coastal Plain Regional Library System Whitney Crouch

STEAM
Continued from page 1 Regional, Clayton County, Coastal Plain Regional, Coweta County, DeKalb County, DeSoto Trail Regional, Greater Clarks Hill Regional, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Henry County, Houston County, Lake Blackshear Regional, Lee County, Live Oak, Marshes of Glynn, Middle Georgia Regional, Moultrie-Colquitt County, Northeast Georgia Regional, Ocmulgee Regional, Oconee Regional, Okefenokee Regional, Piedmont Regional, Pine Mountain Regional, Roddenbery Memorial, Screven-Jenkins Regional, Sequoyah Regional, South Georgia Regional, Statesboro Regional, Thomas County, Troup-Harris Regional, Twin Lakes, Uncle Remus Regional and West Georgia Regional.
IMLS stipulated that STEAM resources could include books or DVDs on any of the STEAM subjects; materials for programming, such as Lego bricks, art supplies or robotics kits; or technology tools, such as 3-D printers, MakeyMakey invention kits or Raspberry Pi credit-card sized computers.
"By providing tools and resources that children often do not have in their homes or schools, a public library has the potential to be a place of exploration and enrichment for young minds," said Leard Daughety, director of the

Seven-year-old Luna Griffis attended the first Pop-Up Makerspace program held at the Coastal Plain Regional Library Headquarters in Tifton. She built a colorful castle with the library's new magnetic tile set, which was purchased with STEAM-grant funding.
Oconee Regional Library (OCRL) system, which used its grant to acquire a set of STEAM-related titles for each of its member libraries, along with Lego Duplos (oversized bricks designed for children aged 18 months to 5 years old) and regular Lego bricks for older children. OCRL held its inaugural "BUILD!" event at the Laurens County Library on Nov. 4 and subsequently put many of the children's creative works on view in display cases at the library.

"I've had a great time last month visiting several of our grantees," said Elaine Black, director of youth services for GPLS. "I attended the Thanksgiving Story and Legos program at the Clarkesville-Habersham Library, where Circulations Clerk Ashawna Green read the classic Cranberry Thanksgiving and then helped children create and race their own self-propelled Lego cars.

A greener makerspace
A surprisingly green makerspace emerged this summer in Ellijay at the Sequoyah Regional Library System's Gilmer County Library, where the local Master Gardeners developed a garden that can not only be enjoyed by any visitor, but can be used as a teaching and learning environment. The Master Gardeners had their eye on a small, unused area of the library grounds that they believed would be a perfect location to construct and develop a demonstration garden they would name the DIG (for Discover, Inspire, Grow). The DIG consists of eight elevated garden beds, an underground sprinkler system, a pressurized rainwater collection system and an outdoor classroom area with benches. Four of the garden beds contain permanent plants including berries, native plants, herbs and perennials. Although the DIG requires virtually no tap water, it does require maintenance, which the Master Gardeners provide every Tuesday morning. This fall, the group will host "Make and Take" workshops at the library and in the DIG.
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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2015

"I visited the Hall County Spout Springs branch afterschool program "Let's Experiment: Marble Runs," in which the kids built their own marble runs using paper tubes and duct tape under the watchful eye of Library Assistant Lauren Tennyson. From there, it was on to the Commerce Public Library's inaugural meeting of the Lego Education WeDo Club, where enthusiastic elementary students built dancing birds alongside Branch Manager Angel Tuggle. I was also impressed by my visits to the Sequoyah Regional and Gwinnett County library systems, where I was able to see all the wonderful materials purchased with the grant funds.
"Systems around the state are putting these funds to work, offering incredible programs for children and teens, as well as some for adults, too." I

Catalogers Conference coming to Unicoi Lodge in January

The 2016 Georgia Public Library
Catalogers Conference will be held Jan. 25-27 at Unicoi State Park and Lodge in Helen.
This year's conference will include an update on the Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME), a Library of Congress project that will become the future basis of bibliographic description, replacing MARC 21 with a format focused on linked data.
Robin Fay, portal manager for Athens Technical College/ATCx3 Consortia and a metadata, Web and social media consultant for libraries, will lead the BIBFRAME session.
The conference will also include

sessions on best practices for cataloging graphic novels, conducted by Linh Uong, collection management/ PINES operations librarian for the Northeast Georgia Regional Library System; and creating and maintaining local holdings records in OCLC by Tina Jordan, assistant director of the Chestatee Regional Library System.
Elaine Hardy, PINES and

collaborative projects manager for GPLS, will conduct additional
sessions on assigning Dewey numbers and Faceted Application of Subject Terminology subject headings.
In addition, several "CatFests" will provide attendees with chances to collaboratively solve problems in assigning subject headings, original cataloging, database cleanup and other technical services areas. I

GLASS
Continued from page 1 by the state but that serve readers in every community."
According to Pat Herndon, director of GLASS, GPLS will issue to each system one desktop MagniLink S video magnifier, two Mobilux Digital Touch portable magnifying devices and one MagniLink Voice "reading machine." The video magnifiers are basically cameras that attach to a computer and convert images of items placed below its lens to a magnified image on the computer monitor, Herndon explained. "The magnifier can be adjusted for size of magnification and for color contrast. This allows a person with low vision to read books -- or their mail and personal Herndon correspondence -- while on a public-access computer in the library."
The LVI MagniLink Voice reading machines are text-to-speech devices that use optical-character readers to translate print into audio, thus opening the library's book collection to patrons with vision impairment. The machines can read pages one by one

or, when scanned with audio output saved to a flash drive, can convert and store up to 100 pages of audio that can be listened to as a single stream.
"GPLS was also able to purchase an accessible computer keyboard for every branch library in Georgia," Herndon said. "These keyboards have largeprint, high-contrast, black-on-yellow type designed to give users with low vision an easier and more accurate way to type."
The equipment was distributed to Georgia's public library systems in November, Herndon said.
Walker noted that one of the stated goals of GPLS's Five Year Plan for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States Program is that Georgia's public libraries will provide accessible equipment and software to make all the resources and programs meet or exceed ADA standards. "This equipment purchase, completed using federal LSTA funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is a strong step forward in inclusiveness for our patrons with print impairments, not only in selected locations but in every library system in Georgia," she said. I

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December 2015 Georgia Public Library Service News

Photo courtesy University System of Georgia

Book on Georgia's salt marshes now available in all state libraries
Thanks to a National Science Foundation grant, more
than 400 Georgia public libraries will receive copies of And the Tide Comes In...: Exploring a Georgia Salt Marsh, an educational children's book written by University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences professor Dr. Merryl Alber.

"This book is part of the Long Term Ecological Research Schoolyard Series, which seeks to engage children and their families in learning about the earth's ecosystem," said Alber. "To date, most of our distribution for this book has been focused on the coast, but working with GPLS and the library systems provides a way to make it available statewide."
The book was written with children of all ages in mind. Each page contains two sections, one with more simple information for younger children and one with more complex information for older children. Alber also worked with a group of teachers to design a series of activities for grades 2-7 that are available online for use in conjunction with the book.
"Georgia's public libraries are so grateful to Dr. Alber and the National Science Foundation for putting a copy

Walker (left) and Alber
of her outstanding book in every library in the state," said State Librarian Julie Walker. "With its focus on coastal Georgia and its relevance to students of so many ages, it's a particularly valuable addition to our libraries' collections.
"As a unit of the University System of Georgia, GPLS and its parent organization often work hand in hand to achieve the same main goal, and this gift exemplifies our partnership with the system as we all strive to create a more educated Georgia," said Walker. I

Kathryn Scholl

Troupers turn out
At an Oct. 27 groundbreaking ceremony, Keith Schuermann (right), director of the Troup-Harris Regional Library System, praised elected officials, trustees, staff and community members for their collaboration and efforts to help drive the planning stages of the

new Hogansville Library. When completed in fall of 2016, the 11,200-square-foot facility will provide an approximately 300 percent increase in floor space, with similar expansions of materials and services to the Troup County community.

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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2015

Photo courtesy Marshes of Glynn Libraries Photo courtesy AFPL

Metropolitan line
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library (AFPL) System opened the seventh new library in its building program on Oct. 1 with the grand opening of the 25,000-square-foot Metropolitan Library. More than 300 people attended the ceremony. Among those lending a hand at the Metropolitan Library ribbon-cutting ceremony were Patrick Johnson, ai3 Architects; Paul Kaplan, AFPL board member; Fulton County Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr.; Stephanie Moody, library board chair; Gayle Holloman, interim library director; and John Thomas, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Foundation and board member.

Hot Dog Day at Capitol set for Jan. 27
The Georgia Council of Public Libraries will sponsor its
annual Varsity Hot Dog Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. The event, which begins at 11:30 a.m., gives library staff members, trustees, Friends and other supporters from across the state the opportunity to meet with their elected officials in the General Assembly and voice their support for public libraries. I
GPLS to update Tech Loaner Kits
The GPLS IT Department is
upgrading its tech loaner kits for public libraries, replacing older items with new and burgeoning technologies such as littleBits, an easy-to-use kit of electronics for simple inventions; Miracast, a wireless HDMI video streaming device; 3-D pens; 3-D scanners; and Intel Compute Sticks, which are full computer systems inside housings about the size of an average flash drive.

Photo courtesy Athens Regional Library System

Celebrating Georgia Pre-K Week
Marshes of Glynn Libraries board member Jane Lafferty reads to children at the Brunswick-Glynn County Library as part of a program celebrating Georgia Pre-K Week, held this year from Oct. 5-9. Sponsored by Voices for Georgia's Children and Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, the annual event allows state and community leaders to gain firsthand experience in the delivery of high quality learning opportunities to preschool classrooms and at public libraries across the state.

"We also hope to deploy a 3-D printing kit and Virtual Reality kit in the very near future," said Daniel Zeiger, IT system administrator.
For more information or to reserve a kit, please visit the Georgia Libraries Tech Center at galibtech.org. I

Reading and rolling
As part of the Athens Regional Library System's "Reimagine Your Library!" advocacy campaign, four members of the Classic City Rollergirls stopped by the Athens-Clarke County Library this fall to pose for a READ poster and help staff members put together a behind-the-scenes video for use on the Web. The posters are shot, edited and printed in-house, then displayed in the system's 11 branches.
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December 2015 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



The board of trustees of the

Elbert County Library System has

named Janet

Burroughs as

director.

Burroughs has

served as the

system's assistant

director for more

than five years

and has been its

Burroughs

interim director since July. She

previously worked with the Athens

Regional Library System for more

than 20 years.

Sara Boyd has joined the Statesboro Regional Public Libraries as regional youth services librarian. She previously served as youth services assistant at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City, N.C. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from Saint Leo (Fla.) University and a master's degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Cindy Hatchell also joined the system as its manager of youth and family services. For the past 10 years, she served as youth services librarian at

the Bell County Public Library in Middlesboro, Ky. Darlene Alessi has joined the system as manager of the Statesboro-Bulloch County Library. She previously served as office manager in the Sojourner Truth Library at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in professional studies. She earned a master's degree in information science from the University at Albany (N.Y.).

Kevan Worthy has joined GPLS

as library associate. He previously

worked as an

assistant library

customer service

representative for

the Memphis

Public Library's

East Shelby

branch. He

earned a

Worthy

bachelor's degree in psychology

from Tennessee State University in

Nashville.

Stephanie Irvin has been promoted to outreach librarian for GPLS's Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) unit. In addition to traveling around the state to provide community outreach services, she will be responsible for the GLASS website, social media sites and newsletter.

Staff

honored on Oct. 8 at the 27th annual Georgia COMO Library Conference in Athens.
On Oct. 20, the Digital Library of Georgia's "America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia" received the 2015 Award for Excellence in Documenting Georgia's History from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council.
Tracy Walker, youth services coordinator at the Dawsonvillebased Chestatee Regional Library System, won the chance to attend the 26th annual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah, through the event's newcomers contest. Held each Labor Day weekend, the festival features some of the best storytellers from around the world, including numerous Grammy and Emmy Award winners.
Sandy Lansford-Smith of Powersville passed away Oct. 26. A lifelong supporter of libraries, she had served on the Peach Public Libraries' board of trustees since 2007. I

Boyd (left) and Hatchell

Margie Young, a member of the Friends of the Brunswick-Glynn Library, has received the 2015 Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award from the Georgia Library Association. She has served on the library's board of trustees, as the Friends' vice president and president, and is currently chair of the Friends' book store committee. She was

Checking up
On Oct. 28, Nathan Rall (left), GPLS's director of library planning and construction, and State Librarian Julie Walker (right) presented a ceremonial check for $2 million to Helen Poyer, director of the Cobb County Public Library System, one of six public library systems that received state funding for construction projects this year.

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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2015

Staff

Apogee at Amicalola
Twenty-one of the 22 Georgia librarians selected to participate in PINNACLE, GPLS's comprehensive leadership program, attended a retreat at Amicalola State Park during the week of Oct. 26. Walt McBride, senior public service associate for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, led the sessions with the assistance of GPLS's Wendy Cornelisen, assistant state librarian for library innovation and collaboration, and Julia Huprich, director of training and continuing education.
From left are Pauline Abidde, director of the Dougherty County Public Library; Miguel Vicente, director of the Valdosta-based South Georgia Regional Library; Huprich; Adrianne Junius, youth services director for the Hall County Library System; Micah Newsome, young adult librarian for Evans-based Greater Clarks Hill Regional Libraries; Richard Groves, director of the Catoosa County Library System; Cornelisen; Oscar Gittemeier, librarian for the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System; McBride; Leslie Clark, branch manager for the Gwinnett County Public Library; Stephen Houser, director of the Milledgeville-based Twin Lakes Library System; Julia Simpson, branch manager for the Jefferson-based Piedmont Regional Library System; Jennifer Lautzenheiser, director of the Macon-based Middle Georgia Regional Library System; Angela Stanley, Heritage Room librarian for the Athens Regional Library System; Machelle Hill, library manager for the

Coweta County Public Library; Denise Funk, principal librarian for DeKalb County Public library; Alexandra Beswick, central region manager for the Cobb County Public Library System; Katie Burnett, branch manager of Chattahoochee Valley Libraries' North Columbus branch; Martha Powers-Jones, director of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Library; Teneka Williams, manager of the Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services Distribution Center in Morrow; Leslie Partridge, assistant director of the Lee County Library; Cynthia Kilby, director of the Manchester-based Pine Mountain Regional Library System; Kristin Eberhart, outreach services manager for the Augusta-Richmond County Library System; and Jean Mead, assistant director of the Hart County Library System. Elaine Black, director of youth services for GPLS, was unable to attend.
PINNACLE 2015-16 will continue with six three-day sessions to be held every other month at various public libraries across the state. Topics will include analytical and creative problem solving, planning and process improvement, managing change, financial management, performance measures, human resource management, ethical use of power, conflict resolution, coaching and group dynamics, media relations, leadership in a political environment and delivering effective presentations.

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December 2015 Georgia Public Library Service News

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

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

Julie Walker, 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

Band on the run
Twenty-one runners braved the 5:55 a.m. start time to participate in the fifth Pat Carterette Memorial Run/Walk in Athens on Oct. 8. Since 2011, the Georgia Library Association and GPLS have hosted the annual event as part of the Georgia COMO Library Conference to honor our beloved colleague who lost her battle with cancer that year. As director of continuing education for GPLS, Carterette's work positively influenced hundreds of librarians across the state. Sales of this year's commemorative T-shirts raised more than $1,100 for scholarships. PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney (front row, left) organized the event.