Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 6, no. 5 (Apr. 2009)

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

volume 6, issue 5 I April 2009

Staff

Library Day brings together 300 legislators and advocates
Almost 300 library advocates
celebrated their love for and support of libraries at the annual Georgia Library Day, held Feb. 26 at the Floyd Building in downtown Atlanta.
The sold-out event was again co-sponsored by the Georgia Library Association (GLA), the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology (GAIT), the Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) and Georgia Public Library Service.
Among the morning's highlights was the address delivered by Sen. Jack Hill (R-Reidsville), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hill commended Gov. Sonny Perdue's budget recommendations for fiscal year 2010, which included almost $19 million to assist with the design and construction of 11 important new library projects throughout the state. "I don't think you could invest in a better piece of infrastructure than libraries," Hill said.
Other speakers included Jim Cooper, president of GLA; Dr. Lamar Veatch, state librarian; Pam Smith of the Georgia Department of Education; Merryl Penson, executive director of Library Services for the University System of Georgia; Giselle Escobar, president of GAIT;

Sen. Jack Hill (right) delivers opening remarks at the 2009 edition of Georgia Library Day.

Sen. Jim Butterworth (R-Cornelia) welcomed several attendees to the Capitol. From left: Butterworth; Donna Howell, director of the Mountain Regional Library System; Teresa Haymore, Fannin County librarian; President Janice Cochran and John Cochran of the Friends of the Libraries of Towns County.

Susan Grigsby, president of GLMA; Christian Kruse, chairman of the Georgia Council of Public Libraries; and Wally Eberhard, president of Friends of Georgia Libraries.

Following the program, attendees walked across the street to the Capitol, where they visited a number of legislators to thank them
See Library Day, page 2

Staff

Library Day
Continued from page 1 for their support and to further advocate on behalf of their local libraries. Attendees then returned to
the Floyd Building for lunch.

Rep. Bob

Smith (R-

Watkinsville), vice

chairman of the

House

Appropriations

Smith

Committee,

hosted an

afternoon gathering for library

directors and board members who

have capital projects recommended

by the governor on this year's list.

Enjoying the Library Day festivities are (from left) Miriam Baker, manager of the Morgan County Library; Dr. Babs Johnston, a member of the Morgan County Library board of trustees; and Jeff Tomlinson, director of the Uncle Remus Public Library System.

Held at the Capitol, the meeting afforded library representatives and advocates the opportunity to express their enthusiastic support for the construction projects in their communities.

"We are grateful to have such wonderful advocates across the state," said Veatch.

"Their presence here, especially in such troubling economic times, resulted in a most successful Library Day and sent a powerful message that Georgia's citizens believe in the value of libraries." I

Anne Isbell, director of the Americus-based Lake Blackshear Regional Library, chats with Rep. Lynmore James (D-Montezuma).

Governor, Legislature restore funds to `09 public library budget

On March 13, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law the
state's Amended Fiscal Year 2009 budget. The amended budget includes the restoration of $442,884 of public library funding from the governor's original reduction of $3,339,892. Based on General Assembly recommendation, the final reduction will now total $2,897,008.
Gov. Perdue has taken a number of steps to ensure the FY 2009 budget does not spend more than the state will collect. In February, he reduced the revenue estimate by a total of $2.6 billion, more than 10 percent of the

state's original $21.1 billion budget. Those cuts have been softened by strategic use of the state's rainy day reserve fund and the recognition of funding from the federal stimulus package.
Georgia Public Library Service is one of only two units in the University System of Georgia to have 2009 funds restored. According to Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker, the money will be used for sorely needed new materials and could be distributed to library systems across the state as early as this month. I

2
Georgia Public Library Service News April 2009

Staff

GPLS co-sponsors inaugural Evergreen International Conference
Just as evergreen trees brighten
winter landscapes, the first international conference for Evergreen open-source library software will illuminate the practical aspects of its use and stimulate creativity to spur its future growth.

To be held May 20-22 at the Georgia Classic Center in Athens, the conference will bring together Evergreen developers, administrators, users and supporters, along with numerous advocates of open-source software and other interested parties. The theme for the conference, which is sponsored by GPLS, Equinox Software and SOLINET, is "Branch Out With Evergreen."

The goal of the conference is to offer a blend of cutting-edge and tried-and-true events. These will include an all-day developers' "hackfest"; an opening-night reception and vendor exhibit; a slate of engaging and challenging speakers; and three program tracks to meet the respective needs of technical staff, front-line users and library administrators.
Keynote speakers include Joe Lucia and Jessamyn West. Lucia is the university librarian and director of Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova University. His advocacy for open source led his library to develop Vufind, an open-source discovery layer for library catalogs. West is a Vermont-based librarian, technology advocate, blogger/writer and champion of open-source software who gained fame on YouTube with her video documenting the installation of the Ubuntu operating system on a public library computer.
GPLS staff members will also deliver numerous presentations at the conference. Among their topics

PINES staff members will present a number of programs at the inaugural Evergreen International Conference. From left: Elizabeth McKinney; Julie Walker, deputy state librarian; Dawn Dale; Tim Daniels, assistant state librarian for Support Services and Strategic Initiatives; Katherine Gregory; Elaine Hardy; Emily Almond and Bin Lin.

are: "The Emotional Impact of Open Source" by Elizabeth McKinney, PINES program director; a panel presentation on migrating libraries to Evergreen that will include Katherine Gregory, PINES services specialist; "You're Live ... Now What? How to Build a Support Infrastructure to Maximize Your Investment in Evergreen" by Emily Almond, PINES software development manager; and "Easy to Learn, Easy to Use" by Dawn Dale, PINES HelpDesk manager.
"Two additional GPLS-led presentations will be particularly noteworthy for attendees not yet using Evergreen," McKinney explained, "because they will emphasize the consortial aspects of PINES and provide advice on how other state and regional libraries might benefit from creating their own similar consortiums using Evergreen."

These programs are "Bibliographic Database Integrity in a Consortial Environment The PINES Experience," jointly presented by Bin Lin, PINES cataloging specialist, and Elaine Hardy, PINES bibliographic projects and metadata manager; and "PINES: Evergreen Voices of Experience," a panel discussion about the benefits and lessons learned by GPLS staff and PINES member library staff since Evergreen was introduced in 2006. Chris Sharp, PINES program manager, will serve as moderator.
The Evergreen open-source library software initially was developed to support Georgia's PINES network, a resource-sharing consortium with more than 275 member public libraries. In 2007, GPLS received a prestigious Technology Collaboration Award and
See Evergreen, page 7

3
April 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

Libraries urge children to be creative this summer

With "Be Creative @ Your Library,"
this year's annual Summer Reading Program, Georgia's public libraries will help children expand their imaginations and strive for originality.
According to Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS, the program's dual goals are to promote family literacy and to demonstrate to kids that reading is fun.
"Studies continue to show that school-age children who read throughout their vacation from school maintain or improve their writing, vocabulary and reading skills," Black said. "Reading as few as five books over the summer months can help children maintain or even build their reading levels so that when school begins, they are ready to move forward. Children who do not read during their vacation are more likely to see those skills decrease."
This will be Georgia's second year as a member of the nationwide Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), Black explained. 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.
By combining resources and working with a commercial vendor to produce materials designed exclusively for CSLP members, public libraries in participating states can purchase posters, reading logs, bookmarks, certificates and a variety of reading incentives at significant savings.
"Our first year with the program proved to be a great thing for

children," Black said. "Those who visited relatives in other states during their summer vacations could travel the country and be part of the same program."
Based on figures included in the annual reports of Georgia's public library systems, the 2008 program set a new record for attendance, with more than 410,000 children attending programs.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia will participate this year, Black said, and the consortium is known for delivering an extremely unified and highquality program. "The themes and slogans are voted on each year by the membership," she explained. "State library staff members make suggestions, and their master list is whittled down to a top five. Representatives from each member state then vote for their choice from that list."
David Catrow, a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist based in Springfield, Ohio, created the art for this year's program. The awardwinning illustrator of numerous books for children, Catrow's honors include a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year award for Kathryn Lasky's She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head. Among his other popular works are Plantzilla

Goes to Camp by Jerdine Nolen, Lu and the Swamp Ghost by James Carville and Patricia C. McKissack and Are You Quite Polite? by Alan Katz.
Public libraries across Georgia will support the 2009 summer reading 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 and magic shows. 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.
Georgia's libraries also hope to meet the evolving development needs of teens this summer with "Express Yourself @ Your Library," a comparable program that is also part of CSLP.
The 2009 teen artwork was created by Brad Sneed of Kansas City, Kan. He is the illustrator of more than a dozen popular books, including Big Bad Wolves at School by Stephen Krensky, The Boy Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris and I Heard Said the Bird by Polly Berrien Berends.
"Express Yourself @ Your Library" encourages teens to read for pleasure at times when
they are not in school. Various aspects of the program also
See Reading, page 5

4
Georgia Public Library Service News April 2009

Jason Duignan

Hawks, Thrashers sponsor fifth Check-It-Out challenge
In partnership with Georgia Public Library Service, the
Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers will once again challenge young readers to spend part of their summer's free time reading -- and earn basketball- and hockey-related rewards in the process. Designed to enhance this year's "Be Creative @ Your Library" summer reading program, the 2009 Hawks-Thrashers Check-it-Out Reading Challenge will target young readers entering classes from preK to grade 12 for the 2009-10 school year.

Hawks basketball mascots Harry the Hawk and SkyHawk will make appearances at Atlanta-area libraries to promote the program, as will Thrashers hockey mascot Thrash. The popular reading program has grown steadily, from an initial two counties in 2005 to 10 in 2007, then statewide last year. Since the program's inception, the teams have awarded nearly 50,000 Hawks and Thrashers tickets to the young readers who have participated.

Souvenir bookmarks promoting the program will be available at participating library branches beginning in late May. Registration will begin on June 1 and will again be conducted online. Any child enrolled in grades pre-K-12 in the state of Georgia may participate by having a parent or guardian log on to www.checkitoutreading.com, either on a home computer or a public-access computer at the library. Parents and guardians may register each child in their household for the program.
"The Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers are dedicated to improving the lives of Georgia's youth, and our education programs are one way we are able to do just that," said Tracy White, Hawks and Thrashers senior vice president of sales and marketing. "With last year's statewide program we were able to encourage students throughout Georgia to read. We hope that more kids than ever before will sign up for 2009, and we look forward to seeing them at Philips Arena in the fall."
As part of their partnership with GPLS, the Hawks and

Thrash takes time out to read to Little Thrash at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's East Point branch.
Thrashers will each sponsor three "Georgia Public Libraries Nights" next season, with discounted admission for employees of the state's public libraries and their friends and families. "It's great to have so many options like this to encourage kids to read," said Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS. "We believe our connection with the Hawks and Thrashers helped open the door for more kids than ever before to visit their public libraries last summer and join our summer reading programs."
For additional information on the Check-it-Out Reading Challenge and other Hawks and Thrashers programs, visit www.hawks.com and www.atlantathrashers.com. I

Reading

Continued from page 4 provide teens with multiple opportunities to engage in constructive activities, such as volunteering their time at the library or doing other charitable work. "It encourages teens to express themselves in creative ways and to build positive social interactions with their peers and adults," Black said.

The Summer Reading Program 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. For more information on literacy activities, "Be Creative @ Your Library" or "Express Yourself @ Your Library," visit www.georgialibraries.org. I

5
April 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



Georgia State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch has been appointed to the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Review Board on Principles of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship. This group of 11 is tasked with reviewing the proposed OCLC policy on use of WorldCat records, obtaining input from the profession and making recommendations to the organization's board of trustees. OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing the rate of rise of library costs.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has

reappointed Susan Whittle to a

five-year term on the Georgia State

Board for the

Certification of

Librarians. The

director of the

Southwest

Georgia Regional

Library in Bain-

bridge, Whittle

will serve on the

board until

Whittle

Jan. 1, 2014.

one of five recipients nationally of the DEMCO award. The Lee County Library was also awarded a Teen Tech Week Mini Grant by the Young Adult Library Services Association of ALA in February.

The Friends of Georgia Libraries 2009 Spring Workshop and Annual Meeting will be held in Warner Robins on Friday, April 17. The event's keynote speaker will be Patricia Sprinkle, author of 20 mysteries, two nonmystery novels and five nonfiction books. For registration information, visit www.georgia-friends.org.
Georgia Public Library Service has announced that the PINES annual meeting will be held May 1920 in Warner Robins and the 20th anniversary GOLD/GALILEO User's Group Conference will be held July 31 in Athens. For the latest information on both events, visit www.georgialibraries.org.
The Gwinnett County Public Library has been awarded the 2009 John Cotton Dana Public Relations

Employee of the Year
Darro Wiley (left), director of the DeKalb County Public Library, congratulates 2008 Employee of the Year Pao Ku at the library's annual systemwide training session on Feb. 16. The library's board of trustees praised Ku's expert technical skills and lauded the network administrator's unwavering dedication to helping staff resolve computer glitches as playing a major role in the success of library operations. Ku received a certificate and a $300 savings bond. He has been employed with the library since August 1997.
Award by the American Library Association. "[This award] is a tribute to the success of the Gwinnett Reading Festival and to the hard work of our new public relations director, Michelle Long," said the system's director, Nancy Stanbery-Kellam. I

It's 1 billion and counting for GALILEO

Leslie Partridge, a librarian with the Lee County Library, has been awarded a $1,000 New Leaders Travel Grant from DEMCO, a national library supply company. Partridge will use the grant to attend the Public Library Association's Spring Symposium in Nashville this month. She will also attend the American Library Partridge Association's annual conference in July, where she will be recognized as

The staff of GALILEO, Georgia's
virtual library, recently celebrated the Internet-based library's 1 billionth search. "GALILEO provides authoritative, premium content and resources not available freely through Google, and obviously learners of all ages value this content," said Merryll S. Penson, executive director of Library Services for the Office of Information and Instructional Technology.
GALILEO is an initiative of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia that provides access to multiple information resources, including more than 100 databases indexing thousands of

periodicals and scholarly journals. It also provides a gateway to Georgia's history and culture as found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, government documents, newspapers, maps, audio, video and other resources. In addition, GALILEO hosts the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
The community of more than 2,000 GALILEO institutions includes the University System of Georgia, public libraries, K-12 schools, and adult technical institutes and colleges, as well as groups of private academic colleges and universities and schools. Access to GALILEO is available from school, library and home computers. I

6
Georgia Public Library Service News April 2009

Athens recognized by Library Journal, wins FINRA grant for financial literacy

Library Journal has recognized the
Athens Regional Library System's (ARLS) Pinewoods Library and Learning Center as one of the top three small libraries in America.
In its February issue, the highestcirculated trade publication for librarians named Pinewoods a finalist for 2009 Best Small Library in America, an annual award sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Now in its fifth year, the annual award showcases libraries providing outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.
"Although the first-place award went to Union County Carnegie Library in South Carolina, we are glowing about this recognition," said Library Director Kathryn Ames. "To be a finalist in a national competition, be profiled on the pages of Ames such a prestigious magazine and receive paid trips to the Public Library Association biannual conference are very encouraging for us.
"The Pinewoods library is a microcosm of everything offered at each of our libraries," Ames said, "so for this branch to be recognized as one of the top three small libraries nationwide speaks highly of our system as a whole."
The Pinewoods branch is located in a doublewide trailer in the Pinewoods North Mobile Home Park, just north of downtown Athens. It was initially intended to serve the 2,000 residents of the park, but under the guidance of Branch Manager Miguel Vincente, the library's popularity grew quickly.

Within months, it had become the primary resource and information center for the nearly 18,000 Hispanic immigrants who live in Clarke County. Pinewoods is often the first stop for many new immigrants who want to learn English and computer skills. Among its specialties are adult education programs, including English as a Second Language classes; family literacy activities; and what Library Journal describes as "a vibrant volunteer-driven after-school tutoring program."
Pinewoods was selected for the honor based on creativity in developing services and programs that can be replicated by other libraries, including outreach to special populations; innovation in introducing and supporting public access computing; success in educating patrons in computer use and measuring the results of technology usage; use of technology to expand the reach of library services; demonstrated community support; sustained cooperation with other libraries; partnerships with other agencies and businesses; and evidence of the library's role as community center.
Library Journal recognized the Athens library system just a few days after it received another national honor from the Financial Industry
Evergreen
Continued from page 3 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for Evergreen's development.
The software is now in use at libraries of every type -- public, academic and special -- in Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and British Columbia. The growing, multinational Evergreen development community has

Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association (ALA), who jointly awarded ARLS a $94,510 grant to support grassroots financial literacy in the Athens community. As a part of the organizations' "Smart Investing @ your library" initiative, ARLS will use the funds to implement a variety of programs and create resources designed to increase patrons' access to and understanding of financial information.
"Public libraries are ideally positioned to serve the financial information needs of their communities and to do so without a sales pitch or a hidden agenda," said John Gannon, president of the FINRA Foundation. "With the help of these programs, Americans can turn to their libraries to get the best available financial information to make smart decisions for their families' financial future."
The FINRA grant will enable ARLS to undertake a basic financial literacy initiative helping low-income workers with low educational attainment; to integrate financial literacy education into GED preparation at five community sites; and to expand partnerships with local organizations, including public schools and the Family and Consumer Economics College at the University of Georgia. I
shepherded Evergreen through a series of releases that have further strengthened Evergreen's consortial qualities while adding popular and useful functionality.
Online registration for the Evergreen International Conference is now open at www.solinet.net. For more information about Evergreen, visit www.georgialibraries.org or http://evergreen-ils.org. I

7
April 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

Ron Leonard

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

Well-grounded
The DeKalb County Public Library system broke ground Feb. 23 for an expansion of its Embry Hills branch. The facility, which will double in size and volumes, is expected to reopen in January 2010 as an 8,000-square-foot branch with a 23,500-volume collection. Leading the ground breaking ceremony are (from left) Trustee Deborah Torbush, DeKalb Commissioner Connie Stokes, Assistant Library Director Magda Sossa, DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis, Embry Hills Branch Manager Deborah Stone and Director Darro Wiley.

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