Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 6, no. 2 (Oct. 2008)

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

volume 6, issue 2 I October 2008

Staff

Facilities Summit adds to libraries' `go green' efforts

Libraries across the country are
increasingly recognizing green building and sustainable construction as trends worth following. Georgia's public library systems are embracing the green movement and are hoping to take advantage of the energy savings, productivity increases and positive public perception that it brings.
Federal and state government initiatives in the form of tax rebates and credits, heightened demand by communities and dramatic improvements in the quality and variety of sustainable materials are among the many additional factors driving libraries to "go green," explained Nathan Rall, director of Library Facilities, Planning & Construction for GPLS.
"Fifteen public libraries are currently in design or construction utilizing capital outlay funding from the state," Rall explained. "I anticipate that number to increase to 20 or so by the end of the year. In addition, DeKalb County currently has two libraries under construction and seven more in design with no state capital outlay funding. And green building is drawing considerable interest from everyone."
To help educate members of the Georgia library community about green building and best practices
See Summit, page 2

Glass act
At a retirement party in his honor, Steve Schaefer received an impressive gift from Carol McElheney, chair of the Jasper County Library board of trustees. McElheney spent part of her summer making a stained-glass wall hanging featuring Brer Rabbit, the Uncle Remus Regional Library System's symbol and mascot, to thank Schaefer for his 27 years of service as library director. "Carol and I became friends and spent a lot of time chewing the fat over the years," Schaefer said. "The stained glass is already hung up and in a place of honor." Schaefer's retirement party was held on Aug. 29 at the Morgan County Library in Madison. More than 130 attended. Uncle Remus serves citizens in Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Morgan, Putnam and Walton counties. Jeff Tomlinson, who previously served as the system's assistant director, succeeded Schaefer as director in July.

Emory-UNT learning program expands to meet demand for future librarians

Sixty Georgians, including several
current public library employees, are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn an accredited master's degree in library and information science from the University of North Texas while staying safely within the confines of their home state.
Emory University, the University of North Texas and the Atlanta University Center's Woodruff Library have joined to offer a three-year, distance-learning degree curriculum between 2008 and 2010 using a

$700,000 grant from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. Graduates of the distance-learning opportunity, which is accredited by the American Library Association, will develop expertise in digital knowledge management, said Martin Halbert, director of library systems for the Emory University Libraries.
"Librarians of the future must be able to create, use and preserve not just paper, but digital text, audio and
See Learning, page 7

Staff

Summit
Continued from page 1 that apply to construction and maintenance, GPLS sponsored its first Facilities Summit Sept. 9 and 10 at the Columbus Public Library. Approximately 50 library directors or their representatives, and even a few of their architects, attended.
The entire opening day slate, led by experts David Greenebaum of SOLINET and Kelly Gearhart of the Southface Energy Institute, was devoted to green building, sustainability and LEED. Short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED is a third-party certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED certification validates a project's green features and verifies that the building is operating exactly the way it was designed to. LEED certification is available for all building types.
The summit's second day included morning sessions on capital outlay and funding by Rall and Diana Very, director of LSTA, Statistics & Research for GPLS; an introduction to radio frequency identification titled "RFIDo or RFIDon't," by Michael Imsand of Integrated Technology Group; and "Furniture: Fun, Funky and Functional" by Dan O'Dell of Hale Manufacturers.
Greg Heid, director of the Newton County Library, and Kathryn Ames, director of the Athens Regional Library System, then conducted a session aimed at helping Georgia libraries develop building programs. Heid has served as a consultant for public library construction projects for more than a decade, while Ames has served as

Nathan Rall (right) welcomed nearly 50 attendees to the GPLS Facilities Summit, including Barbara Osborne-Harris, director of the Coweta County Library System.
consultant on 21 building projects, with five more currently underway.
Afternoon workshops included "Selecting and Working with Your Architect" by Scott Gordon of BRPH Inc.; a session on engineered wood design titled "What's Good with Wood?" by Stan Smith of APA, The Engineered Wood Association; a follow-up program on sustainability, "Green Isn't Just for Buildings" by SOLINET's Greenebaum; and a final session on space planning for libraries, conducted by Maureen Arndt of 702 Design.
"The summit is something that all directors and probably a significant number of other library staff members in Georgia really need," said Alan Kaye, director of the Roddenbery Regional Library in Cairo. "It allowed us time to immerse ourselves in the world of design and construction of public buildings, which is foreign territory for the vast majority of librarians.
"We finally have a full explanation of LEED certification for buildings and its importance in the

future of communities across the state," he continued. "Also of critical importance to me was learning the etiquette of selecting -- and partnering with -- an architectural firm. The concept of linking a thorough community-needs analysis, a good long-range plan, an appropriate building program and a design-andconstruction team makes perfect sense when you have time to discuss the process from end to end."
Claire Leavy, director of the Lee County Public Library in Leesburg, was equally impressed. "I loved it," she said. "The summit was exceptionally beneficial to me. I left it with a more comprehensive and professional outlook toward building programs and the processes that are involved."
"We must do this again, on a regular basis if possible," Kaye added, an idea that Rall greets with great enthusiasm.
"People certainly seemed interested in the subject matter this year," Rall said after the final sessions concluded. "They were very attentive throughout the sessions, and they asked a lot of questions. There's certainly no shortage of material to keep people captivated at future summits. There's a wealth of addition subjects to address, and the subject matter touched on this year is ever-evolving. Best practices change from year to year, and we have to keep up with them."
"Our mission at GPLS is to empower libraries to improve the lives of Georgians," concluded State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch, "and this two-day event is an excellent example of what we are doing to encourage visionary leadership and to facilitate collaboration, education and innovation within the state's library community. We look forward to sponsoring the Facilities Summit on a yearly basis." I

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Georgia Public Library Service News October 2008

Staff

Lustberg wows crowd of 160 at PINNACLE

On Aug. 19, GPLS brought
acclaimed public speaker, teacher and coach Arch Lustberg to Athens.

According to Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker, the workshop was part of the inaugural PINNACLE (Public Library Institute for New and Creative Leadership Education) class curriculum. But it was open to all of Georgia's public library community, which seized the opportunity and increased attendance to eight times the size of the core group. Through practical scenarios and audience participation, Lustberg taught approximately 160 library staff members how to communicate effectively, how to deal with confrontation and conflict and how to respond to crises and criticism.
"This was concrete, real-world advice to a very enthusiastic library crowd," Walker said. She pointed out that Lustberg also presented a number of simple but powerful techniques for use in library advocacy -- skills that could be very important during the current economic downturn.
"I was thrilled to have another opportunity to see Arch Lustberg in Georgia," said Kathryn Ames, director of the Athens Regional Library System. "I attended his workshop as a new director more than 20 years ago, and it literally changed my life. I have not looked at communication or presentations in the same way since."
PINNACLE class members Ted Bazemore, virtual services librarian with the Clayton County Library

Arch Lustberg (left) shares an anecdote with Joe Forsee, director of the Northwest Georgia Regional Library, and Dr. Lamar Veatch, Georgia's state librarian.

System, and Jimmy Bass, director of the Newnan-Coweta Public Library, were equally impressed by their first brush with the Arlington, Virginiabased speaker.

"This was a metapresentation -- a presentation about presenting," Bazemore said. "He gave us many useful tips on communicating, such
as telling us to `act as if you're telling someone a secret.'

"My favorite

piece of advice,

though, was for

use in dealing

with emotional,

Bass

knee-jerk

questions,"

Bazemore said. "He suggested we

`always ask ourselves what the

question would be if it was asked by

a decent person' and then answer

that question. That's great approach,

and I'll use it."

Bazemore praised Lustberg for "a fantastic job of coaching three guinea pigs" that the speaker

selected to join him for onstage critiques of their personal presentation styles. "I'm sure glad he didn't pick me!" Bazemore said, noting that Bass, whom he described as a "great sport," was not so lucky.
"It was an honor to perform even a small part in the show," Bass said after his Bazemore critique. "In tough-love terms, he kindly let me know there was indeed room for improvement in the windup and delivery of my pitch. I will never look at advocacy and asking for money for libraries in the same way after this workshop. I know now that it is all about the story and the smile -- and about being likeable. It's tough to do, but Mr. Lustberg pulls it off with aplomb."
Walker agreed. "I'm confident that every attendee will use the skills and techniques they developed from attending this unique and entertaining session," she said. I

3
October 2008 Georgia Public Library Service News

Leigh Wiley

Summer Reading participants swarm libraries, catch reading bug

Informal polls taken by GPLS in
September indicated another year of both record attendance at programs and record numbers of registered children for the annual Summer Reading program.

Final numbers will not be in until early 2009, when library systems submit their annual reports, explained Elaine Black, director of Children's Services for GPLS, but she estimated that more than a quarter of a million children across the state participated in programs during the past summer.

"Folks really

responded to the

catchy theme and

fun illustrations

of this year's

`Catch the

Reading Bug`

Black

program," said

Black. "I think libraries around the

state outdid themselves with great

decorations and fantastic programs

that incorporated the theme,

encouraged reading and promoted

the fine family fun of visiting your

public library."

Black said she was thrilled to observe firsthand several impressive programs around the state, including those in Bainbridge, Carrollton, Donalsonville, Fayetteville, Lawrenceville and Norcross. "Each library system that I visited was abuzz, so to speak. They were presenting creative, innovative programs that were fun and that captured the spirit of summer reading."

"We had several great programs this summer," said Taryn Brown,

children's services librarian for the Southwest Georgia Regional Library System in Bainbridge. "The program that drew the largest attendance was Okefenokee Joe's `Earth Day is Everyday.' He did a phenomenal show for us that expanded on this year's theme by featuring live snakes. We had more than 240 people at our headquarters library for this one program, and needless to say, there was a lot of squirming by program attendees."
In a similar slithery mode, the Worth County Library System hosted worm races for its younger children, said Director Leigh Wiley. "Believe it or not, all the kids wanted to take home the pond worms that they used in the races. Yuck!"
This was Georgia's first year as a member of the nationwide Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), Black pointed out. CSLP is a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.
Because teens have different development needs than children, Georgia's public libraries also strived to meet the needs of teens this summer with the bug-themed "Metamorphosis @ Your Library." In addition to encouraging teens to read for pleasure, the program provided teens with opportunities to engage in activities such as volunteering at the library or performing charitable work in their communities.
By visiting local middle schools during lunch periods and handing

The Worth County Library System hosted worm races for younger children this summer.
out program calendars, Wiley noted that Worth County increased teen participation by more than 90 percent this year.
Brijin Boddy, head of Columbus-based Chattahoochee Valley Regional Libraries, said her system conducted its entire 2008 teen program online. "Our goal was to try and reach beyond those teens who walk in the library's doors," Boddy said. Although the number of teens who signed up was slightly lower than the year before, the number of teens completing the program was far higher, spurring Boddy to call the experience a successful one.
Houston County Public Libraries also set its sights on enticing more teens to participate in Summer Reading, according to Director Marsha Christy. The system did it by introducing a program that allowed teens to earn "book bucks" that could then be used at an endof-summer silent auction featuring prizes such as MP3 players, prepaid cell phone cards, movie certificates and gift cards. More than 320 teens participated.
"Our librarians were overwhelmed with the turnout and are already thinking of how they will top the program next year," she said. I

4
Georgia Public Library Service News October 2008

Thrashers-Hawks Reading Challenge enjoys statewide boost

From Chickamauga and Cherry Log to Vidalia and Villa
Rica, throngs of kids and teens signed up to participate in this year's Atlanta Hawks-Atlanta Thrashers Check-It-Out Reading Challenge.
The popular reading program has grown steadily, from an initial two counties in 2005 to 10 in 2007, then expanding statewide this year. Once tickets are distributed for the 2008 Challenge, the teams will have awarded nearly 50,000 Hawks and Thrashers tickets to the young readers who participated.
The Cobb County Library System's Mountain View branch signed up the most participants of any facility this year, followed closely by that system's Merchant's Walk branch and the Alpharetta branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library.
"We are very happy with the response this year," said Karin Beckman, group sales and service executive for Atlanta Spirit, which owns the two teams and Philips Arena. "Having a statewide program has been our hope from the beginning, and we hope that everyone found this year's edition challenging, fun and rewarding. We thank everyone for signing up, and we cannot wait to see them at Philips Arena in the coming months!"

The Thrashers and Hawks will each sponsor three "Georgia Public Libraries Nights" at Philips Arena this fall, when participants can use the free tickets they earned by reading. Participants' family members, as well as all Georgia public library employees and their friends and families, will also receive steeply discounted admission on those nights.
"Georgia Public Libraries Nights" with the Thrashers will be Friday, Oct. 10 (opening night), versus the Washington Capitals; Friday, Nov. 14, versus the Carolina Hurricanes; and Sunday afternoon, Nov. 30, versus the St. Louis Blues.
Hawks' games are Saturday, Nov. 1 (opening night), versus the Philadelphia 76ers; Friday, Dec. 5, versus the New York Knicks; and Sunday afternoon, Dec. 21, versus the Detroit Pistons.
"It's great to have so many options like this to encourage kids to read," said Elaine Black, director of Children's Services for GPLS. "We believe the sports connection has helped open the door for more kids than ever before to visit their public libraries and join our Summer Reading programs." I

Final push needed for Georgia Center for the Book license plates

With the deadline for applications
looming, the drive for new license plates developed by the Georgia Center for the Book and promoting the state's public libraries is reaching its peak.
The plates, approved by Georgia voters in 2006, are available at county automobile licensing offices throughout the state, said Bill Starr, executive director for the center. Application forms can also be found online directly at http://motor.etax. dor.ga.gov/ forms/pdf/motor/MV_ Special_ Interest_License_Plate_ Application.pdf. If that's too long for you, visit www.georgialibraries.org and follow the links from there.
A project of the Georgia Council of Public Libraries, the special tags

will each bring a yearly donation of $10 to the Georgia Center for the Book. Those funds will then be used to purchase books for the state's public libraries.
With the application, the state charges an initial one-time manufacturing fee of $25 for the production of a special-interest license plate. Subsequent renewals will cost $25, not including the regular annual registration fee. Provided 1,000 applications are received prior to Dec. 31, the Georgia Center for the Book plates will be manufactured. If not, all application fees received will be refunded.
Darro Willey, Director of the DeKalb County Public Library, which is the sponsoring agency for the

Georgia Center for the Book program, noted that help is needed.
"We are still several hundred applications short of our goal," he said, "but we are hoping that this last-quarter push will spur people's interest and put us over the 1,000plate minimum."
"Downloading the application form, signing up for the tags and mailing it into the local tag office are simple processes," said Starr. "It's so easy, even I can do it. And the rewards are significant. Each plate allows its owner to show their personal support of Georgia's wonderful public libraries and enables them to help generate money to help those libraries buy books." I

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October 2008 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



The North Georgia Talking Book Center at the Cherokee Regional Library in LaFayette will merge with the Rome Subregional Library, part of the Sara Hightower Regional Library System. By year's end, the North Georgia Talking Book Center will become an outreach center for its current 10-county service area, while the Rome Subregional Library will provide all reader's advisory and customer services. Circulation services will move to the Georgia Library for Accessible Services in Atlanta.

The board of

trustees of the

Catoosa County

Library System in

Ringgold has

announced that

Bridgid

Broderick has

been appointed

library director.

Broderick

Broderick

previously served as branch services

librarian for the Ocmulgee Regional

Library System in Eastman. She also

worked with the Jacksonville (Fla.)

Public Library System as branch

manager, youth librarian and

reference librarian for 14 years. She

began her Catoosa duties Sept. 1.

Macon State College. Online registration begins Nov. 1.
The Columbus Public Library, a branch of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Libraries, will host "381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story" from Nov. 2 through Jan. 11 as part of a 14-city national tour. The exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest and the 381-day bus boycott that followed, igniting America's civil rights era. For information, visit www.thecolumbuslibrary.org.
Friends of Georgia Libraries will sponsor its annual fall workshop on Nov. 15 at the Fayette County Library in Fayetteville. This year's speaker will be Susan Schmidt, past president of Friends of Libraries USA. Details will be available soon at www.georgia-friends.org.
The Gwinnett County Public Library will present the second annual Gwinnett Reading Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. The system is also offering the program "Let's Talk!" a free English conversational

program for non-native speakers. Classes allow participants to meet people from other countries, discuss cultural differences and share global perspectives on opportunities and challenges involved in living in the United States. For information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org.
Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has announced the list of museums, libraries and archives that have been selected to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. The bookshelf includes an essential set of books, online resources and a user's guide that can positively affect the ability of small libraries and museums to care for their collections. Four Georgia public libraries and library systems will receive the bookshelf. They are the Cherokee Regional Library System in LaFayette; the Lee County Library System in Leesburg; the Middle Georgia Archives, which is located in the Macon-Bibb County Library and is part of the Middle Georgia Regional Library System; and the Ohoopee Regional Library System in Vidalia. I

Courtesy of Jefferson County Library

Janice Daniel

is the new assis-

tant director for

the Jefferson

County Library

System. She

comes to the

system from the

Okefenokee

Daniel

Regional Library

in Waycross,

where she was children's services

coordinator and interim director.

The GPLS Teen Services Conference will be held Friday, Dec. 5 at

Fond farewells
Bonnie Boatright retired from her position of assistant director with the Jefferson County Library in Louisville on Aug. 31. Friends and co-workers gathered to congratulate her at a retirement reception on Aug. 25. From left are Eva Evans, Kathy Hudson, Boatright, Jennie Miller, Mark Braddy and Richard Maner.

6
Georgia Public Library Service News October 2008

Learning
Continued from page 1 video," Halbert said. "They may be working with digital photographs of rare books or with sets of computer data collected by researchers. Digital knowledge management ensures that the librarians of tomorrow create, collect and care for such material appropriately and that they are well-versed in the computer systems they'll be using."
Original plans called for a total of 35 candidates to receive scholarships of $12,800 per person for the program, but demand was so great that an additional 25 spaces were added for students who wanted to participate on their own or are being sponsored by libraries, said Herman Totten, dean of the University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences.
Participating public library employees include: Asha Hagood, Smart Okeh, Nyckki Stanley and Jennifer Sutcliffe of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (AFPL); Roxanne Magaw of the Cobb County Library System; Moshmin Hamid and Dan Le of the DeKalb County Library System; Shamsha Karim of the Forsyth County Public Library; Jarvis Sims of the Hall County Library; and Teneka Taylor of the Georgia Library for Accessible Services.
In addition to public libraries, many university libraries -- including the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Woodruff Library -- are deeply interested in collaborating with Emory's Woodruff Library on this project and in other capacities, said Loretta Parham, director and CEO of AUC Woodruff Library.
"This opportunity to train and support a new generation of library professionals is an especially golden one," Parham said. "Developing digital librarians and

providing scholarships to AUC students and library staff, as well as the larger community, are so timely and will generate great excitement throughout Atlanta and Georgia."

In addition to their online course work, students attend workshops locally that are taught by leaders in the field of digital libraries, serve digital library internships, and enjoy networking opportunities in preparation for their job searches. Classes began Aug. 29.

"The scholarship is an excellent opportunity for those

interested in library sciences," explained Karim, an

information specialist whose future

plans are to work for a public library

in administration. "So far, my

experience has been great. My current

employer, Forsyth County Public

Library, is a growing library system

with plans of opening two new

branches, and therefore there is an

expectation that several opportunities

will become available in the near

Karim

future."

Hagood, a library associate in the Global Access Department of AFPL's central library, concurred. "The program is exceeding my expectations in every way," she said. "I am especially grateful for the Web institute portion of this otherwise online program, because it allows us to meet face to face with our instructors and classmates. This went a long way toward fostering a sense of community and support. Because of the program, I have renewed energy and feel that I now have a vested interest in the proliferation and betterment of libraries." I

COMO to feature GPLS workshops, PINNACLE graduation ceremony

The Georgia Council of Media
Organizations (COMO) 2008 Convention will be held Oct. 15-17 at the Classic Center in Athens.
Three GPLS employees will be conducting workshops at the event.
Elaine Black, director of Children's Services, will be presenting as a part of the Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers. Pat Carterette, director of

Library Continuing Education, will lead three COMO sessions: "A-ha! Ideas to Rejuvenate Your Staff Development Day," "Learning When There's No Time (or Money) to Learn" and "Start Right, Stay Right: New Employee Orientation Programs." She will also assist WebJunction's Kendra Morgan with "Explore WebJunction Georgia." Lyn Hopper, assistant state librarian for Library Development, will conduct "Get

Organized!" and, with retired library director Liza Newsom, "How to Start a Friends Group."
GPLS will also host a graduation ceremony for the 20-member inaugural class of PINNACLE, the Public Library Institute for New and Creative Leadership Education, at this year's convention.
For registration materials, visit www.georgiacomo.org. I

7
October 2008 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
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

The drive is ON!
...and it's time to show your support!
Sign up for the Georgia Center for the Book license plate today. Proceeds will purchase books for Georgia's public libraries. See details, page 5.
Sign up deadline is Dec. 31!

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