Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 7, no. 3 (Dec. 2009)

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

volume 7, issue 3 I December 2009

PINES celebrates 10 years of service, savings

As Georgia's Public Information Network for Electronic
Services (PINES) celebrates the start of its second decade, no matter which symbolic 10-year anniversary you choose to apply, the comparison will fit.
Like tin, PINES is strengthening. Like aluminum, PINES is durable. Like diamond, PINES is valued.
"PINES has evolved from a fledgling loan program at fewer than 100 facilities to a thriving network of nearly 290 public libraries and service outlets," said Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "Based on the costs for individual systems to provide the same services offered by PINES, we estimate that it has saved the state millions of dollars in its first decade."
According to PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney, PINES has saved Georgia's public libraries more than $11 million in one-time costs and, exclusive of

staff salaries, nearly $61.5 million in ongoing costs over a 10-year period.
From the start, the goal of PINES was to create a statewide, borderless library -- one that eliminated geographic and socio-economic barriers and would provide equal access to information for all Georgians. The
program went live at 98 libraries in 26 public library systems on Dec. 15, 1999, offering a shared catalog of approximately 1.8 million items. It achieved its largest annual growth in 2001, when 111 libraries in 16 systems were added. PINES issued its 1 millionth card in May 2003 and its 2 millionth card in November 2008.
Today, PINES is in use at 51 library systems across the state, and it covers 140 counties. It is the lifeblood of 281 libraries and service outlets. Together, participating PINES facilities offer citizens a shared catalog of more than 10
See PINES, page 7

Dinah Paris

GLA honors Paris for advocacy, Cooley for service to organization

Each fall, the Georgia Library
Association honors outstanding support of Georgia's libraries. At this year's awards banquet, held Oct. 8 in Columbus, the organization honored Lamar Paris, Union County commissioner and member of the local library's building committee, and Susan Cooley, director of the Sara Hightower Regional Library System in Rome.
Paris received the 2009 Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award, designed to honor an individual who

is not employed by a library or library system, but who has made outstanding contributions in support of libraries. Cooley was recipient of the 2009 Bob Richardson Award, presented to a GLA member who, through donations of time and effort, has made significant contributions to the betterment of the organization.
"Commissioner Paris has been a supporter of our libraries as long as I have known him even before he
See GLA, page 2

Union County Commissioner Lamar Paris expresses his thanks to Mountain Regional Library System Director Donna Howell.

GLA
Continued from page 1 was commissioner," said Donna Howell, director of the Young Harris-based Mountain Regional Library System. "The county is the major funding agency for library operations in Union County, and we have been able to maintain or increase library funding during each year of his tenure in office. This is no small feat given the state of the economy.

with sincerity and conviction, it strengthens support for our libraries at every level. Our library system has benefited greatly from Commissioner Paris' active involvement in the community, his farsighted view of what the library can be in the community, and his willingness to share that vision and enthusiasm with those in our community and throughout the state."

"Each year, Mr. Paris issues a proclamation in honor of National Library Week and National Friends of Libraries Week highlighting the role libraries and Friends of Libraries play in our community, and he invites library staff and friends members to attend and speak at each of those events."
Perhaps most importantly, Howell continued, "in 2008, he included funding for library renovation and expansion in a countywide capital SPLOST referendum. He promoted this at every opportunity and articulated his vision for what our library could be and worked closely with our Friends of the Library to get the word out. That initiative passed with 80 percent of the vote."
Paris also assisted Howell in applying for a state capital outlay grant to renovate and expand the Union County Library, attended Library Day at the Capitol to make legislators and state officials aware of the project and the need for it, and made several follow-up trips to the Capitol in support of the project, which was included in the FY2010 state bond package.
"His persistence paid off," Howell said. "When elected leaders like Mr. Paris believe in libraries and articulate their support for them

"I was honored and touched to receive this award, knowing how truly special an award it is," Paris said, "and I want to thank Donna, our local library staff and our Friends of the Library group for demonstrating to me over the years how important the library is to our community, our region and our state."

Paris, who was recently elected president of ACCG (Association County Commissioners of Georgia), said he hopes to assist in promoting the importance of Georgia's public libraries in that organization when his term begins in April 2010.

"Susan Cooley's work in the field of librarianship and her commitment to the Georgia Library Association make her an ideal candidate for the Bob Richardson Award," said Dr. Gordon Baker, director of libraries at Clayton State University, in his letter of nomination.

"Susan has been a member

Cooley

of GLA for almost 20 years," Baker

said. "During that time, she has

taken on a number of leadership

roles within our organization,

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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2009

including serving on the Public Relations Committee and being a member of the Georgia Librarian/ Georgia Library Quarterly/GLQ Editorial Board. Since 1997, Susan has served as the editor of the magazine, taking it from a very solid professional journal to an up-todate, cutting-edge periodical."
In addition, Baker said, Cooley has served as chair of the state Collection Development Committee for GPLS, as a member of the state FY2009 Budget Advisory Committee, as a member of the GALILEO Steering Committee and as a mentor for the inaugural class of PINNACLE, the Public Library Institute for New and Creative Leadership Education.
Cooley, who could not attend the ceremony but sent her comments, thanked Baker for nominating her and paid tribute to two mentors.
"I have great respect for Gordon as a librarian and for his tireless advocacy of the Georgia Library Association," she said. "I don't believe that I would have been able to achieve what I have in my professional life without the support and mentoring of two individuals. So I would like to dedicate this award to the late Charles Beard and David Singleton.
"These two exemplary librarians taught me the importance of supporting our state library association. They taught me the value of partnerships with all types of libraries and their staff. They taught me to lend my support or expertise to any library that needs help in any way. And they taught me that volunteering for any library event or program is essential for the continued growth of our profession." I

Randy Thompson

Live Oak opens Savannah's
first LEED-certified building
Live Oak Public Libraries cut the ceremonial ribbon for
Chatham County's first LEED-registered building on Nov. 18. Numerous state and local elected officials, civic leaders and neighborhood groups attended the ceremony for the Southwest Chatham Branch in Savannah.

"We are very excited to open this new 50,000square-foot LEED-certified building," said Director Christian Kruse. "We're even more proud, however, of how the community has flocked to it in the few short weeks since its opening. The public has embraced this wonderful new building and everything it has to offer. In this day and age, it's heartwarming to see just how important public libraries are to our community."

The Southwest Chatham Branch is the second largest library in the 20-facility Live Oak system.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. LEEDcertified projects cost less to operate and maintain, are energy- and water-efficient and contribute to the health and productivity of their occupants. The new library will cost at least 30 percent less to operate than an average building of similar size, Kruse said.
The $15 million facility first opened to the public on Oct. 20. It boasts approximately 100,000 books, DVDs, Blu-ray, CDs and audiobooks, and it features a 200-seat auditorium that will be available for public use.

The exterior and children's department of the Southwest Chatham Branch.
Its children's department features a three-dimensional live oak tree made of steel that wraps around a 10-foot column and has an 18-foot canopy. For teens, the library offers four study rooms and two teen study lounges. The library also features a public-access computer room that seats up to 50 and a Friends of the Library store. I

IMLS helps Evergreen spread branches in Pacific Northwest

The Institute of Museum and Library
Services has awarded a $998,556 grant to the King County Library System (KCLS) in Seattle for its project entitled "Empowered by Open Source."
The goal of the project is to empower libraries to actively engage in the design and optimization of their own system software. The project will use Evergreen, the popular software program developed by Georgia Public Library Service.

During the project's first phase, KCLS will work with three partner institutions to create and develop the critical infrastructure components that have traditionally been provided by ILS vendors and establish a peer-to-peer support model for open-source libraries.
Joining KCLS will be the Peninsula Library System of San Mateo, Calif.; the Orange County Library System of Orlando, Fla.; and the Ann Arbor District Library of Michigan.

At least eight more libraries are expected to join the project within the three-year grant period.
"I see this IMLS award as further external validation that Georgia's public libraries have been on the right track with Evergreen and opensource software development," said State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch. "Software enhancements that arise from this grant will benefit all Evergreen users, including those served by our PINES libraries." I

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December 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

Dina Willis

Tifton library comes home after three-year renovation
The Coastal Plain Regional Library System held a rededi-
cation ceremony for the Tifton-Tift County Public Library on Nov. 1. According to Director Carrie Zeiger, planning for the renovated library began in 1998 when the library needed to address a leaking roof. In 2001, voters approved a special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) that included $1.5 million for library renovations.
"When we realized this was not enough," Zeiger said, "the library trustees began working with our legislators, and we eventually were awarded a 2005 Georgia library capital outlay grant by the legislature and Gov. Sonny Perdue. That $1.765 million allowed the three-year project to begin.
"It was a down-to-the-dirt, off-with-the-ceiling-androof, hello-new-metal-stud-walls renovation," she explained. "We took both connected buildings down to the shells and built them back up, adding 1,830 square feet of space.
We split our old circ desk and are using half upstairs as a reference desk and half downstairs as the children's desk. We saved all of the old windows from the former post office building, and they are among the highlights of the renovated facility."
The building also features a new Young Adult Room; a genealogy room; a self-contained board room with Internet, kitchenette and restrooms; an enlarged work space for staff; additional public restrooms; and an Internet caf. The library also converted to RFID (radio frequency identification) technology for its circulation activities.

Participants in the rededication ceremony included (from left): trustees Jim Lavery and Eunice Mixon; George Lee from the office of the lieutenant governor; trustee Kim Rutland; Victoria Horst, branch manager; trustees Filiberto Hernandez, Bertha Williams and Loraine Sullivan; former Sen. Joseph Carter; Dr. Hal Henderson, chair of the Tifton-Tift County Public Library board of trustees; trustee Lennie Vollmer; Carrie Zeiger, director; trustee Marianna Keesee; Tifton Mayor Jamie Cater; Dr. Jo Griffeth, chair of the Coastal Plain Regional Library board of trustees; trustees Lorenzo Williams and Bea Cater; Grady Thompson, Tift County Commission chairman; and trustee Dotty Royal.
The library closed its temporary facility, housed inside a former Walmart building, on Sept. 25 and spent the following few weeks moving back to its renovated home. Zeiger said a number of celebratory programs were held during opening week, including presentations by genealogist Melody K. Porter and author Danny Schnitzlein. I

Staff

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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2009

Illuminating career paths
Three of Georgia's newest library directors discussed the many paths on the road to library leadership with their presentation "Sharing the Leadership Journey" at this year's Georgia Council of Media Organizations Convention, held in Columbus Oct. 9. From left are Barbara Osborne-Harris of the Coweta County Public Library, Thomas Jones of the Macon-based Middle Georgia Regional Library and Lace Keaton of the Waycross-based Okefenokee Regional Library System.

Dalton library sponsors bus offering help with prescription drugs

On Nov. 13, the Dalton-Whitfield Public Library hosted
the Partnership for Prescription Assistance's (PPA) "Help is Here Express" bus. The library, part of the Northwest Georgia Regional Library System, worked with the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership to sponsor the free event.

more than 2,000 cities in all 50 states. The buses are equipped with computer terminals and mobile phones so people can find out if they may be eligible for help
getting their prescription medicines. Specialists are aboard to make sure the application process is quick and easy.

John McPhearson

According to Deputy Library Director

Fogarty worked with Nancy

Nick Fogarty, PPA helps qualifying

Kennedy of the Healthcare Partnership

patients without prescription drug

to bring the bus and the service it

coverage get the medicines they need

provides to northwest Georgia. "This

for free or nearly free. Its mission is to

was an opportunity that we couldn't pass

increase awareness of patient assistance

up," he said.

programs and boost enrollment of those

who are eligible. The organization offers

"The downturn in the economy has

a single point of access to more than 475 public and private programs, including nearly 200 offered by pharmaceutical companies.

From left: Amanda Cook, from the constituent services office of the lieutenant governor; Abby Horn of PPA; library Director Joe Forsee and Deputy Director Nick Fogarty.

hit Dalton particularly hard, and the service provided by the bus can make a profound difference in the lives of many of our residents who have experienced

difficulties in paying for their prescription

The PPA currently has two "Help is Here Express"

medicines or who need help in going through the

buses that are traveling across the country, stopping in

application process." I

GPLS debuts HelpDesk improvements

Beginning this month and
continuing through January, GPLS will unveil improvements in its HelpDesk system.
"Since GPLS has, with the introduction of Evergreen, grown into a software provider, we were in need of a service desk solution to track both tickets and project management issues dealing with Evergreen software upgrades and issues," explained Nicol Lewis, technology services manager.
To keep providing clients with the best service and to provide faster online appointment scheduling, Lewis said, GPLS will introduce a new HelpDesk platform using

Numara Software's web-based service desk software, FootPrints.
"This will allow for closer tracking of tickets and incidents, as well as enable us to readily run and distribute both executive- and customer-level reports. Incidents will not fall through the cracks, because the customer and the help desk manager will be able to track where each ticket is in its incident life cycle and work together to address service- level agreements."
FootPrints is well-regarded within the industry for lowering total cost of ownership and simplifying maintenance.
GPLS will run both HelpDesk platforms -- the current homegrown version and Numara's -- concurrently during the months of December and January, Lewis said, launching fully on the Numara platform by early February. I

AMLAS prepares for downtown relocation
The Atlanta Metro Library for
Accessible Services (AMLAS) will relocate to the fourth floor of the Atlanta-Fulton County Library's central branch on Margaret Mitchell Square in early 2010. The facility's new location, across from the Peachtree Center MARTA station, will offer far greater accessibility and more convenient hours than the facility's previous location on Murphy Avenue, said manager Beverly Williams.
The AMLAS grand opening is tentatively set for February. AMLAS is one of 12 Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), Georgia's regional library network for the blind and physically handicapped. I

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December 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



The Kinchafoonee Regional Library board has selected Jean Turn to be the Dawson-based system's new director. She will replace Norris Wootton, who has retired. Turn most recently served as librarian at the Clay County Library in Fort Gaines. She holds a master's degree in information studies and library science from Florida State University. The Kinchafoonee Regional Library serves citizens in Calhoun, Clay, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell and Webster counties.
The Statesboro Regional Public Libraries board has announced that Sharon Rowe will become director of the system on Dec. 1. Rowe, who has more than 20 years of experience as a professional librarian, holds a bachelor's degree in political science

from Valdosta State College and a master's degree in library and information studies from Florida State University. She most recently served as director of the Marlboro County Library in Bennettsville, S.C. Rowe succeeds Lois Roberts, who has stepped down from the position, but who will continue to serve as public services librarian for the system. "The public service side of library work has always brought me the greatest satisfaction in my career, and I can think of no finer way to conclude my career than to be once again active in that arena," Roberts said.
The Athens Regional Library System named Jessie Johnson, Oconee County Library's children's specialist, as winner of the system's 2009 Staff Distinction Award. Johnson has worked at the Watkinsville facility for four years. In that time, said Director Kathryn Ames, Johnson has demonstrated innovation and initiative in serving library patrons. "She plans and implements more than 400 programs each year for families," Ames said, "and she helps each library patron no matter their age feel welcome." Johnson received a plaque at the library system's Staff Development Day in October.

of Georgia Libraries board of directors. Kay is the author of 10 novels, including To Dance With the White Dog, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie.
Gwinnett County citizens won a months-long battle with library officials in October, when trustees voted unanimously to keep all 15 branches of the county system open as full-service libraries instead of converting three facilities to bookless computer centers.
As part of its preparations for opening its newest library branch in Tucker, the DeKalb County Public Library will close the current TuckerReid H. Cofer Library on Dec. 12 in preparation for the move to its new building a few blocks away. Nearly twice the size of the current facility, the new building is expected to open in mid-January. I

Bill Starr Jason Espy

An early Christmas
The Chattooga County Library's main branch in Summerville received a framed piece of art donated by local artist Atteka Abdou (right). Entitled "Can't You Tell? Oscar Loves His Cache of Books," the 30-by-36-inch work has been featured in the international journal New Art International. Abdou is working on her master's degree in painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Children's Librarian Karen Turner (left) says the artwork will be placed on permanent display in the children's section of the library.

GPLS has announced that several new members have joined the Youth Services Quadrant Council. They include Hope Harmon from the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Public Library, Deborah Turner from the Three Rivers Regional Library System's Wayne County Library, Adrianne Junius from the Hall County Public Library and Sharon Cleveland from the Sara Hightower Regional Library's Cedartown branch.
Acclaimed Georgia writer Terry Kay of Athens has joined the Friends

Thunderous welcome
Wil Haygood (right), author of the new biography, Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson, talks with and signs a book for Martha Powers, public services librarian for the Ohoopee Regional Library System. Haygood's appearance at the Vidalia-Toombs County Library was sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book and the Georgia Humanities Council. Sugar Ray Robinson was born in Ailey, a small town in Montgomery County, which is served by the Ohoopee system. A standing-room-only crowd, which included members of Robinson's family, attended the event.

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Georgia Public Library Service News December 2009

PINES
Continued from page 1 million items that can be accessed by a single library card that is welcomed by all.
McKinney pointed out that this year's PINES User Satisfaction Survey delivered the program's highest-ever satisfaction ratings. Better than 19 out of 20 respondents (95.6 percent) would recommend the PINES system to friends, with more than four out of five respondents (82.9 percent) using the catalog at least weekly to renew books online, place holds on books, determine fines or see what items they have checked out.

Staff

PINES since the beginning or who have joined when they were given the opportunity," said State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch.
To commemorate the start of PINES' second decade, Georgia Public Library Service will introduce a new PINES logo on Jan. 1. A variety of PINES-related events will take place during 2010, with the official

birthday celebration set to coincide with the PINES annual meeting in Warner Robins on May 15.
A complete list of participating libraries and service outlets, along with the full PINES catalog, is available from workstations within all Georgia public libraries as well as for users logging in from home, at gapines.org. I

"As we reach the 10-year mark and see how the service has grown, it is gratifying to take a look back at some of the moments that helped define PINES," McKinney said. "PINES provided the first statewide library card in the world with a single bibliographic and patron database. We've gone from lending approximately 6,000 items in FY 2000 to nearly 600,000 in FY 2009, and we have shown the world a new model for cost savings through PINES' economy of scale."

Polishing GLASS
On Nov. 5 in Columbus, Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) held a meeting to discuss a variety of issues facing the state's regional library network for the blind and physically handicapped. Managers and directors from subregional talking book centers throughout Georgia attended. Seated from left are Wanda Daniel of Dublin, Pete Hayek of Athens, Jamie Wendt of Brunswick, Linda Stokes of Savannah, Jackie Atkins of LaFayette and Susan Whittle of Bainbridge. Standing from left are Tinella Pierce of Columbus, Judy Harrington of Macon, GLASS Director Stella Cone of Atlanta, Delana Hickman of Rome, Suzanne Barnes of Columbus, Lecia Eubanks of LaFayette and Vanessa Meadows of Atlanta.

Frederick Stovall

In 2004, PINES was officially designated an "elite cataloging group" by the Online Computer Library Center. In 2007, it received a $50,000 Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration in recognition of the development and release of the Evergreen open-source library automation system. And in May of this year, the PINES community co-hosted the inaugural Evergreen International Conference with 155 attendees from around the world.
"It is with great pride that we celebrate these milestones from our first decade with the millions of users who have either been with

Author honored
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library presented Margie Palatini with its 26th annual Milner Award. The winner is chosen by Fulton County and city of Atlanta elementary schoolchildren, who vote each year for their favorite living author and then get an opportunity to meet the winner in person. The award was created in 1982 by the Friends of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System using a gift from Vera Milner, a former Atlanta schoolteacher. A ceremony was held Nov. 13 at the system's central library. From left are Judy White of the awards committee, Palatini, Cathy Hope of the awards committee and Becky Hamilton, Milner Award executive director.
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December 2009 Georgia Public Library Service News

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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

Green team
"Be Green," an environmental awareness
show hosted by Susan Cooley, director of the Sara Hightower Regional Library System, and Mary
Hardin Thornton, director of Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful, received a 2009 Urban Forestry Award from the Georgia Urban Forest Council.
The award was presented at the organization's annual
conference in Stockbridge on Nov. 5. "Be Green" is broadcast
on the Rome cable television system's Public
Education and Government Channel, Channel 4. Receiving the
award are (from left) Keith Mickler, Floyd
County extension agent; Cooley; and Thornton.

1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
A Unit of the University System of Georgia

Courtesy Georgia Urban Forest Council