Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 7, no. 1 (Aug. 2009)

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

volume 7, issue 1 I August 2009

Blake Walker

Savannah gets its geek on
Georgia's library leaders, Savannah and the surrounding communities celebrated the launch of the Online Computer Library Center's (OCLC) "Geek the Library" awareness campaign on June 23. Participants enjoyed free food, participated in a variety of events and discussed what they "geek." Top: Lois Roberts, director of the Statesboro Regional Library; Lyn Hopper, assistant state librarian for library development for GPLS; and Cathy De Rosa, vice president for the Americas and global vice president of marketing for OCLC, model three of the tees given away at the event. Above: Storyteller Sha Dishong, children's librarian at Live Oak Public Libraries' Bull Street branch, reads to a group of children by the fountain in Savannah's Johnson Square. For more information on the campaign, visit www.geekthelibrary.org.

Kill-a-Watt program helps Georgians save money, energy
Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) has
finalized a new partnership with the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) that will bring more people to libraries and enable all patrons to save money on their electric bills by "going green."
Beginning in August, public libraries around the state will introduce the "Kill-aWatt" loan program. Its goal is to help residents measure both their energy consumption and the efficiency of the electric appliances in their homes.
Citizens will be able to check out a "Killa-Watt" Energy Detector Toolkit at any branch library. The "Kill-a-Watt" unit measures energy consumption by the kilowatt-hour -- the same unit of measurement that utilities use. It can estimate the electrical consumption and costs associated with each appliance by the hour, day, week, month or even an entire year. Each toolkit will also include instructions on how to use the meter, what the information means and tips about energy consumption.
The program will dovetail with the Governor's Energy Challenge, a voluntary program operated by GEFA to promote energy efficiency among the business, government and residential sectors, challenging Georgians to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent.
"These detectors are a great way for consumers to see how much it costs to leave on appliances, computers and printers and to see how much money devices such as phone
See Kill-a-Watt, page 2

Libraries to play bigger role in helping people find work

Georgia's public libraries have always been great
resources for job seekers, but they are about to take on an even bigger role in helping unemployed Georgians find work. Beginning in September, 39 public library systems across the state will help citizens sign up for Be Work Ready, a program that will give them access to free training and assessment tools and allow them to earn monetary incentives as they refine current skills and learn new ones.
Part of the Georgia Work Ready program that was established by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2006, Be Work Ready is a one-of-a-kind initiative that encourages unemployed Georgians to earn a Work Ready Certificate or to improve their skills levels through free, online skills gap training. Funding for the initiative comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
When an individual earns a bronze-, silver- or goldlevel Work Ready Certificate, they are eligible for a $50 incentive; those who earn a platinum-level certificate are eligible for $100. When individuals improve their Work Ready Certificate levels in any way, they are eligible for a $100 incentive. The incentive can be used to offset expenses incurred by their job search. The program is based on the nationally accredited WorkKey assessment developed by ACT Inc. (formerly the American College Testing Program), a not-for-profit organization that provides assessment, research and information services in education and workforce development.
The opportunity to earn a Work Ready Certificate is offered at no cost via the state's network of technical

colleges and validates an individual's skill and knowledge levels to potential employers.
When an individual is ready to start the Be Work Ready program, a trained staff member from a participating library will create a personal account for them within the KeyTrain database. This user account provides the student access to the KeyTrain software and allows the database to keep track of their progress. Once an account has been created, the student can use any computer with Internet access to complete their specific objectives. Once courses are completed, students can schedule certificate tests at any local technical college.
Library systems participating in Be Work Ready are as follows: Athens Regional, Atlanta-Fulton, Bartow County, Brooks County, Catoosa County, Chattooga County, Chattahoochee Valley Regional, Cherokee Regional, Chestatee Regional, Clayton County, Cobb County, Conyers-Rockdale, DeSoto Trail Regional, Elbert County, Hart County, Hall County, Henry County, Houston County, Jefferson County, Kinchafoonee Regional, Lake Blackshear Regional, Live Oak, Newton County, Northeast Georgia Regional, Ohoopee Regional, Peach County, Piedmont Regional, Pine Mountain Regional, Roddenbery Memorial, Sara Hightower Regional, Sequoyah Regional, Southwest Georgia Regional, Statesboro Regional, Thomas County, Troup-Harris Regional, Twin Lakes, Uncle Remus Regional, West Georgia Regional and Worth County.
For additional information about the program and its components, visit www.gaworkready.org, www.begaworkready.org and www.keytrain.com. I

Kill-a-Watt

Continued from page 1 chargers can waste when they are left in an outlet after completing a charge," said Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker. "We are delighted for public libraries to partner with GEFA and help people reduce unnecessary energy consumption."
Susan Cooley, director of the Sara Hightower Regional Library in Rome, is a strong advocate of the new program. "I think it is great that our patrons can now begin reducing their carbon footprints by visiting the local library to check out a `Kill-a-

Watt' detector," she said.
Cooley plans to spotlight the detectors and their availability at libraries on the August episode of "Be Green," Cooley an awardwinning environmental awareness show that she co-hosts with Mary Hardin Thornton, director of Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful. "Be Green" is part of the prime-time, public-access

programming that the Rome Floyd County Library offers through the local cable television system's Public Education and Government Channel, Channel 4.
Although libraries in Illinois, Maine and New Hampshire have implemented similar programs on a smaller scale, Georgia's "Kill-a-Watt" library loan program will be the first such program of this scale in the United States. The program is funded through a grant to GEFA from the U.S. Department of Energy. I

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2009

Courtesy Southern A&E and West Georgia Regional Library System

New library draws nearly
half of town's population
More than 150 library supporters came to celebrate the
grand opening of the new Ephesus Public Library in Heard County on June 14. Noting that planning for the new library began in 2002, Mayor Denney Rogers congratulated the attendees on their patience and perseverance. "The entire community is excited that the library is finally a reality," he said.

In addition to Rogers, speakers for the event included Rep. Randy Nix (R-LaGrange), State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch, West Georgia Regional Library Director Jim Cooper, Heard County School Superintendent and library board Chairman Benji Hyatt and Heard County Commissioner June Jackson.

The new library is a 6,100-square-foot facility that includes a meeting room and 10 computers available for
public use. The book collection includes more than 4,500 children's and adult books, and more are on order. Funding for the $1.2-million facility included $650,000 in state funds and $610,000 in local funds.

"This community of 388 residents

is indeed fortunate to have a library

Cooper

of this size and quality," said Cooper. "Through the PINES network, the

library is connected to other libraries throughout Georgia,

and Ephesus citizens have direct access to over 10 million

books for their use."

The branch manager for the Ephesus Library is Donna Alvis. Her assistant is Judy Rogers. Both have lived in Ephesus for most of their lives. "We are so blessed to be in a community that gives so much support to the library," Alvis said.

Top: The new Ephesus Public Library opened to the public on June 14. Above: The oldest and youngest attendees participated in the library's "book opening" ceremony. From left: Kayla McWhorter holding 8month-old Tessie, Lonnie Rogers, Bernice Rogers, and Ila and Carlton Crenshaw.
The building is adjacent to the Ephesus Elementary School, and many of the features of the building complement the school. The tower at the top of the building recalls the bell tower of the old Ephesus school dating from the 1920s. The original bell from that schoolhouse has been restored and is on permanent display in the lobby of the new library.
Veatch said that he is delighted with the new facility. "I can't recall ever attending a grand opening where half of the city's population attended the event," he said.

Mayor Rogers recalled the days of his youth when his late mother, Vivian, set up a small library for the Ephesus community in her home to house books brought by the West Georgia Regional Library bookmobile. Rogers said that his mother "is smiling as she looks down upon this event today." Rep. Nix expressed his appreciation for being included at the grand opening and emphasized how important the library is to the community. "Even though this project was begun before I was elected as your representative, I am pleased about the library and the resources it will provide."

At the conclusion of the program, Mayor Rogers asked for anyone younger than 1 year old or anyone over the age of 90 to participate in a ceremonial "book opening" for the library. Eight-month-old Tessie McWhorter was the youngest participant in the ceremony, and Lonnie Rogers, Bernice Rogers, Ila Crenshaw and Carlton Crenshaw were the participants aged 90 and above. Rogers stated that "the library will be used by all citizens -- from the youngest to the oldest and everyone in between." I

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August 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

Staff

Karin Beckman

Library earns top grades from Bainbridge High
The Decatur County-Gilbert H.
Gragg Library earned an "A+" from the staff and students of Bainbridge High School this spring.

Diana Very

As construction nears completion for a new high school that will open this fall, glitches in the Internet connectivity of the current school's computer network made it impossible for students to complete their online courses for Spanish II through Rosetta Stone.

Angel Tuggle

"The vice principal called us in March and explained the situation," said Assistant Director for Technology, Training and Develpment Catherine Vanstone. "We offered to help."

Vanstone updated the library's computers with the needed software and worked with co-branch manager Shelley Sudderth to coordinate early access to the library for the affected students.

From late March through the end of the school year, Spanish II students were allowed to enter the library at 8:15 each morning, 45 minutes before the library opened to the public, and complete their online course requirements for each day. Bainbridge High School administrators have been thrilled with the arrangement.
"In many ways, this partnership benefits the library as much as the school," Vanstone said. "It's an excellent introduction for these students to the library's services, and it shows that we are a vital member of the community that wants to step up and provide what our community needs." I

Summer readin'... had me a blast
With a wide variety of events at public libraries across the state, attendance figures for Georgia's Summer Reading programs "are off the chart," said Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS. "At some libraries, we're seeing double the number of participants that we had last year." Top left: Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawk entertained dozens of summer readers at the Bartow County Library System's main library in Cartersville. Top right: Lekha Makkuni of Suwanee brought her sons Nikhil, 10, and Rohit, 6, to the Gwinnett County Public Library's Collins Hill branch in Lawrenceville for a chance to meet Thrash, the Atlanta Thrashers' mascot. Harry and Thrash traveled to nearly a dozen libraries this summer to promote the fifth annual Check-It-Out Reading Challenge. Center left: The Lee County Public Library's Gloria Barton, children's librarian, and Sharon Williams, library associate, welcome Clifford the Big Red Dog to the Leesburg Library. Above: Alex (left) and Arnold (right) Gutierrez and their little brother Brandon Bautista joined in the spirit of this year's "Be Creative @ Your Library" theme at a program at the Piedmont Regional Library's main branch in Winder.

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2009

Center for Book author program drawing crowds

In an effort to provide free program-
ming for more public libraries across the state, the Georgia Center for the Book has launched a series of author tours that will bring more than a dozen noted Georgia authors to dozens of communities between now and March.
The programs will be part of the center's "All Georgia Reads" and the Georgia Humanities Council's "We the People" programs. Participating authors come from the center's most recent list of "Books All Georgians Should Read."
"We're delighted to find so much enthusiasm among libraries and writers to participate, and we're very pleased to be able to help make those connections," said Center for the Book Executive Director Bill Starr. "This is a wonderful way for the center to carry out its statewide mission of expanding literary opportunities for libraries, and thanks to our close partnership with the Georgia Humanities Council, we can do that without having to charge the libraries a fee."
Among writers who have expressed their interest in appearing at public libraries around Georgia in the coming months are Tina McElroy Ansa, Amy Blackmarr, David Bottoms, Erskine Clarke, Pearl Cleage, James C. Cobb, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Renee Dodd, Tayari Jones, Terry Kay, Hank Klibanoff, Pearl McHaney, Judson Mitcham, Janisse Ray, Leonard Todd, Natasha Trethewey and Philip Lee Williams.
"The program is proving to be a great opportunity for Georgia writers to have new exposure to readers in areas they have seldom visited," Starr said. "We think this is a win-win proposition, and we look forward to

carrying it into the fall of 2009 and the early months of 2010."
McHaney, Todd and Klibanoff kicked off the series with appearances earlier this summer, with the latter's appearance at the St. Simons Island Public Library drawing more than 100 people. Mitcham is set to speak at the Cherokee Regional Library in LaFayette on Aug. 6, with Bottoms scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Lake Blackshear Regional Library in Americus.
Kay will talk about his works on Sept. 29 at the Catoosa County Library in Ringgold and again on Oct. 20 at Young Harris College as part of a joint program presented by the school and Mountain Regional Library System.
Bridgid Broderick, director of the Catoosa County Library System, said she and her staff are thrilled to be part of the series. "September is Literacy Month in Catoosa County," she explained, "and Mr. Kay was especially interested in participating, because we selected his book To Dance with the White Dog for our `One Book, One Community' celebration."

This the first time the Catoosa County Library, which is in its first year as a single-county system, has participated in a Georgia Center for the Book program. For the event, it is partnering with The Learning
Center, a participant in Georgia's Certified Literate Community Program.

"I'm very

pleased to have

Broderick

this partnership with The

Learning Center and its executive

director, Shirley Smith, because I

know she is as committed to

improving literacy rates in Catoosa

County," Broderick said, "and I want

to thank the Georgia Center for the

Book and Bill Starr for making this

author series happen.

"This will be a wonderful opportunity for our citizens in Catoosa to celebrate literature and its power to unite a community, and I'm proud that we are able to offer this event in the inaugural year of our system." I

FOGL elects new officers for coming year
Friends of Georgia Libraries (FOGL) has announced its officers for
2009-10.
Bede Mitchell, dean of the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, was elected president. Elaine Yontz, an associate professor in the Master of Library and Information Science Program at Valdosta State University, will continue as vice president. Arlys Ferrell, president of the Friends of the Fayette County Library, will serve as FOGL's treasurer for the coming year. Lyn Hopper, assistant state librarian for library development, will continue to serve as FOGL's secretary. Liz Camp of the Coweta County Library board was selected to fill a vacancy on the FOGL board. I

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August 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



Steven Dressler has joined GPLS as PINES system administrator. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer software from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., and completed graduate work in information systems at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. As a consultant, he has served as an information systems administrator and trainer for companies such as Oracle Corporation, Medtronic and RedHat Software.

Stella Cone, director of Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services, has been elected president of the KLAS (Keystone Library Automation System) Users Group for 2009-2010.
GPLS has been selected to receive the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History. The included books focus on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting,

collections management and planning, emergency preparedness and culturally specific conservation issues. Institutions submitted applications describing the needs and plans for care of their collections. Hall County Public Library and Chattooga County Library System were also awarded sets of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.
Georgia authors Paula Deen and Carmen Agra Deedy will appear at the 2009 National Book Festival Sept. 26. Organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, the event will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. GPLS will again sponsor and staff Georgia's table in the Pavilion of States. I

Dressler

Robinson

Lamar Robinson is the new library assistant at GLASS, the Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services, where he has worked as a temporary employee since February. A native of Plains, the 10-year military veteran most recently worked as a hazardous materials engineer for General Motors.

Francine I. Henderson was selected by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to attend a national forum on June 16 and 17 in Buffalo, N.Y., entitled "Stewardship of America's Legacy: Answering the Call to Action." Hender- Henderson son is a research library administrator for the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, a special library of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.

Georgia librarians take spotlight at ALA conference

Between presentations, boards and
committees, Georgians made notable contributions at the 2009 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago in July.
Pat Carterette, director of continuing education for GPLS, will serve as president of the ALA Learning Round Table, formerly the Continuing Library Education Network and Exchange (CLENE) Round Table, for 2009-10. She was vice president for 2008-09 and served as chair of the CLENE Training Showcase at this year's conference. Carterette also co-presented "Creating a Culture of Learning at Your Library" with Lori Reed of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (N.C.).
Brijin Boddy, teen services coordinator for Chattahoochee Valley Libraries in Columbus, was among the presenters for the session "It Takes Two: School and Public Libraries, Partnerships That Can Work." She was also named chair of

the Professional Development Committee for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
Susan Cooley, director of the Sara Hightower Regional Library, is serving on the ALA Public Libraries Advisory Committee and on the Public Library Association's National Conference Program Subcommittee.
Jay Turner, training manager for Gwinnett Public Library System, was elected to a two-year term on the Learning Round Table board. He was also a presenter at the ALA/CLENE Training Showcase. Librarian Ben Carter of Gwinnett was appointed chair of YALSA's Web Site Advisory Committee through June 2010. Barbara Spruill, division director of branch services for Gwinnett, was appointed to the Public Library Association's program committee.
Lace Keaton, director of the Okefenokee Regional Library System, served on the ALA Greenwood Publishing Award jury. I

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Georgia Public Library Service News August 2009

DeKalb County teen trustee brings fresh perspective

Since this past December, Allison
Bailey, a rising senior at Druid Hills High School in Decatur, has held the unique volunteer job of being the first teen member of the DeKalb County Public Library (DCPL) board of trustees.
"With library use and readership of teens on the decline nationally, the DeKalb County Public Library has made improved service to teens a strategic goal," said Library Director Darro Willey. "We've added special teen spaces in our facilities, adapted our marketing efforts to use social networking as a communication tool, and we've developed a teen advisory board.
"It seemed only natural to extend this focus on teens to the policy level by including a teen on the library board of trustees, and we think Allison brings a fresh perspective to the board."

As teen adviser, Bailey offers input to the board about library programs and services that will impact teenagers. When other board members need a teen's perspective, they seek her input, and they encourage her to take part in discussions.
Although the process was a little intimidating at first, Bailey said the other board members have made her feel welcome. "Now, after a few meetings," she said, "I feel comfortable providing input and asking lots of questions."
"The process has been a win-win situation for everyone involved," said Willey.
Bailey was originally appointed while she was a high school junior, but she has agreed to serve another term on the board. Under the board's bylaws, DCPL's Teen Board member

serves a one-year term with the option of a second year renewal.

Prior to her appointment, Bailey served on the library's Teen Advisory
Board, a group of teens that meets monthly to advise library staff on how to better serve teens.

"I've always

been a part of

Bailey

the library, so this opportunity to

serve on the library board seemed

like a good way to communicate

what teens want," she said.

"When library administration considered her commitment to the library, academic excellence, and history of volunteerism, she was the obvious choice," Willey said. I

Homegrown Evergreen software making inroads around the globe

It's no longer a stretch to say that
libraries from Indiana to India are enamored of Evergreen. The first non-North American implementation of the open-source library automation software has gone live in India at the Mumbai-based Mahatma Education Society (MES). MES owns and manages more than 40 institutions, from pre-primary schools to colleges offering postgraduate degrees.
"It has been amazing to watch the map populate with Evergreen installations around the world and to know that no matter the location, library needs really are the same worldwide," said Elizabeth McKinney, PINES program director.
Evergreen was initially developed to support Georgia's PINES network,

a resource-sharing consortium with more than 275 member public libraries. In 2007, the year after Evergreen's introduction, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation honored Georgia Public Library Service with a Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration for the software's development.
Evergreen is now in use at libraries in several states and Canadian provinces and in libraries of every type -- public, academic, school, special and state. Thus far, MES has introduced Evergreen in six libraries at its facilities in India, with plans for further expansion.
"The fast-growing Evergreen community in North America and beyond is a source of strength for libraries and is a testament to the

power of a shared vision," said Jacqueline van Dyk, director of the Public Library Services Branch of the Ministry of Education of British Columbia, which was the first organization outside Georgia to implement Evergreen.
"It is very gratifying for us, and we are extremely proud to see that a project we began here to benefit Georgia's public libraries has been welcomed across North America and now by librarians who are literally on the other side of the world," said State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch.
"A worldwide community of Evergreen libraries and developers can only serve to strengthen the value and usefulness of this software." I

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August 2009 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
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

Golden age
More than 300 librarians from across the state turned out July 31 to help celebrate two decades of library collaboration at this year's GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Conference in Athens. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Georgia's interlibrary lending and resource sharing network, GOLD, and the first of its users annual conferences. From left are organizer Toni Zimmerman, director of Resource Sharing and Interlibrary Cooperation for GPLS; keynote speaker Helene Blowers, digital strategy director for the Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library; and session leader David Singleton, director of Library Experience with the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County in North Carolina.

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