Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 7, no. 6 (June 2010 )

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

volume 7, issue 6 I June 2010

Merle Arnold

Fire destroys library
in Twiggs County
More than 15,000 books, along
with a valuable trove of Twiggs County historical documents, were lost on April 25, when the Twiggs County Library in Jeffersonville suffered extensive fire damage. Investigators blame the blaze on a direct lightning strike from the storms that blew through the county around 4 o'clock that morning.

Thomas Jones

Legislature sends
2011 state budget
to governor
The state Legislature has sent its
recommended budget for fiscal year 2011 to Gov. Sonny Perdue. The governor has until June 8 to sign or reject the budget, which includes two significant library construction projects that were added to the governor's original recommendations.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, but the 4,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 1985, was virtually destroyed. "Only a few filing cabinets could be salvaged," said Thomas Jones, director of the Middle Georgia Regional Library (MGRL) System .
Jones said the library hopes to reopen in a temporary facility this month and that a 1,200-square-foot office space near downtown Jeffersonville appears to be the most likely location. The temporary facility will contain a basic reference collec-

Top: Firefighters attempt to contain the blaze at the Twiggs County Library. Above: Only a few file cabinets could be saved from the damaged building.
tion, children's books from the local bookmobile's collection, current bestsellers and computers on loan from Central Georgia Technical College. According to Joyce Faulk, branch manager, the library still plans to
See Fire, page 2

"Our elected officials clearly recognize the critical importance of public libraries during these tough economic times," said State Librarian Dr. Lamar Veatch.
"Working with so tight a budget forced a number of difficult decisions this year, and we are pleased that our capital construction program -- which combines state and local funding -- ultimately received this level of support from the governor and the General Assembly."
See Budget, page 2

GALILEO introduces online training modules for library staff

As GALILEO celebrates its 15th birthday this year, the
state's Web-based virtual library is introducing a wealth of enhancements, including a new statistics reporting tool, an improved content management system and a strengthened GALILEO toolbar.

these self-paced, tip-filled courses encourage exploration within GALILEO's 100+ databases and can provide both transcripts and audio content. Accompanying quizzes provide feedback for both correct and incorrect answers, making them learning tools as well.

Perhaps more importantly to Georgia library and media center staff, however, GALILEO is now offering new Flash-based online training modules.
Aimed at new or new-to-Georgia librarians and paraprofessionals as well as to seasoned library staff,

"We designed these modules for the public library community but have tried to make sure we have content for all communities," said Courtney McGough, business systems analyst for GALILEO Support Services for the University System of Georgia. "From a needs analysis we
See GALILEO, page 4

Budget

Continued from page 1 The library projects to be funded
are a $3.9 million expansion of the Cherokee Regional Library System's LaFayette-Walker County Public Library and a $2.1 million renovation of the Athens Regional Library System's Madison County Public Library. The budget also includes an allocation of $140,000 to cover the land acquisition needed for parking at the Uncle Remus Regional Library System's Greene County Library in Greensboro.
"We are very excited about the impending state funding for our project," said Lecia Eubanks, director for the Cherokee Regional Library System. "Our building was constructed in 1969 and was last renovated in 1990. The funds in the state budget will allow us to
Fire
Continued from page 1 participate in Georgia's Summer Reading Program.
Twiggs County residents can use the local bookmobile and other Middle Georgia libraries until plans gel for restoring service. Because the Macon-based MGRL is part of the PINES statewide lending network, residents can also use their home computers -- or public-access computers at other Middle Georgia libraries -- to request books from member libraries across the state.
As for a permanent facility, Earl Dennard, Twiggs County Library board chair, said that "all options are being considered for rebuilding or using an existing building." Dennard noted that plans for a new facility will include improved and updated Internet and wi-fi services and an increased number of public-access computers. I

renovate the existing 20,000 square feet of space and add another 7,000 square feet to help us to meet the demands we are experiencing.
"Our computer and Internet usage has increased 29 percent in the past two years," Eubanks said, "and with only 11 public-access computers, we can't keep up. We are planning for at least 40 publicaccess computers in a dedicated lab or computer room setting. Our users will be ecstatic!"
The project will also include study/conference rooms, an expanded children's section and space for both a coffee shop and a Friends store. In addition to the $2 million in state support, the project will draw from $1.9 million in local SPLOST funds. Eubanks hopes to put the Walker County project out for bid in early- to mid-2011, and it should take about a year to complete.
Kathryn Ames, director of the Athens Regional Library System, revealed similar expansion plans for the Madison County Public Library in Danielsville. "This addition will enable the library to expand computer access for the residents of the county, improve services for children and provide new services for the community as a whole," Ames said.
"We plan to enlarge the children's area to better separate it from quieter areas of the library, and we will design the space to focus on our Every-Child-Ready-to-Read principles, which means more educational activities for younger children. We will also have a homework center; establish a separate teen area with computers; enlarge what are the only public meeting spaces in the county; and provide a business center with fax, copier and printers."

The library's front entry and circulation work area will be reconfigured to allow for self-check units and increased efficiency. The library board is also considering fundraising ideas that would allow for an outdoor reading area.
Ames said she hopes to have design work finished this summer and be ready to bid the project this fall. The facility will remain open during construction, with the possible exception of a few days when construction crews will work on a new front entrance to the building. The project's $2.1 million cost includes $1,517,200 in state funds and $582,800 in local funds.
"We are very appreciative of the support from our legislative delegation, the Madison County Commission, GPLS and the library board for their work on this project," Ames said. "This library's focus on families and education is essential to our goal of building and maintaining well-educated communities."
Overall, Georgia's public libraries maintained state-level funding for fiscal year 2011, avoiding further painful reductions to already-strained budgets, explained Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "The total state funding of $35,051,419 includes a small increase reflecting the state's population formula," she said.
"Libraries and GPLS will still struggle to sustain operating hours and services with budgets that are at least 20 percent below two years ago," Walker concluded, "but we feel fortunate to have escaped additional budget reductions, and we are grateful to our legislators for recognizing the increasingly essential roles that public libraries play in communities across Georgia." I

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Georgia Public Library Service News June 2010

Donna Howell

High-flying PINES program celebrates 10th anniversary
Georgia's Public Information Net-
work for Electronic Services (PINES) officially celebrated its 10-year anniversary May 12 at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins.

The location was fitting, with numerous airplanes honoring the history of military aviation providing an inspirational backdrop for a program that, in spite of a few rolls and loops over the years, has dramatically increased the payload and velocity of interlibrary lending across Georgia.

Julie Walker, deputy state librarian; David Singleton, former deputy state librarian, now director of library experiences for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (N.C.); Elizabeth McKinney; and Elaine Hardy, bibliographic projects and metadata manager, take a moment to celebrate. All are among the individuals who have been instrumental in the development and growth of the PINES program.

"PINES provided the first statewide library card in the world with a single bibliographic and patron database," said PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney. "We've gone from lending approximately 6,000 items in FY 2000 to nearly 600,000 in FY 2009. That increase is the equivalent of going from 7.6 miles an hour to breaking the sound barrier!"
According to McKinney, PINES has also 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 during its first decade. "We have shown the world a new model for cost savings through PINES' economy of scale," she said.
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. Today, PINES is in use at 281 libraries in 51

library systems covering 140 counties across the state. Together, participating PINES facilities offer citizens a shared catalog of more than 10 million items that can be accessed by a single library card that is welcomed by all.
Nearly 100 people attended the program's anniversary event, which concluded the 2010 PINES Annual Meeting. I
Atlanta-Fulton reopens combined branches

GPLS releases best-ever PINES annual survey results
Chris Sharp, PINES program manager, unveiled the results of this
year's PINES User Satisfaction Survey to those attending the 2010 PINES Annual Meeting.
Better than 19 out of 20 respondents (95.9 percent) in this year's survey stated they would recommend the PINES system to friends, Sharp said. More than five out of six respondents (84.6 percent) said they use the catalog at least weekly to renew books online, place holds on books, determine fines or see what items they have checked out. The complete survey results are available at http:// www.georgialibraries.org/public/pines.php. I

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library
System held a celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of its Bowen/Bankhead Library on April 16. This library combines the previous Bowen and Bankhead branches, which closed in summer of 2009, when those housing communities were closed. The new location at 2685 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway provides double the space of the old facilities and features public computers, books, DVDs, meeting space and a variety of free programs each month. I

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June 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

GALILEO

Continued from page 1 performed with large and small regional library systems, we learned that our online training needs to be basic, guided and programmatic and that the training needs to include incentives in the form of continuing education units that involve no travel and no cost."
The introductory module, "Great Things to Know About GALILEO," packages information from each of the self-paced learning modules with information on using them in a professional development or continuing education program in the library.
The 10 introductory modules show the GALILEO Library interface, the user view designed for public library users, but the content is intended to be appropriate for GALILEO orientation in all kinds of libraries. Topics for the initial courses include:
I Discovering Georgia History

modules and instructions are available through WebJunction Georgia (http://ga.webjunction.org), the GALILEO training page (http:// help.galileo.usg.edu/librarians/ training/online/) and the GPLS Web site (http://www.georgialibraries.org/ lib/training/).
"This is an especially good way to help identify paraprofessionals who might be interested in furthering their education and laying the foundation for a career in libraries," said Pat Carterette, director of continuing education for GPLS.
"It is also a good way for support staff -- those in public service roles as well as those in behind-the-scenes roles -- to build their knowledge about the highquality database resources available at the library. The more one knows about the services provided by the library, the better customer service they will be providing."

Course modules will be updated yearly, or sooner if needed, and additional modules will be introduced when appropriate subjects are determined through feedback from users and supervisors. Library staff can request training and suggest new training topics online at the GALILEO training page.
"As someone who's spent a lot of time creating library training and who can't afford to create such training in my current job in the current economy, I really appreciate the GALILEO folks taking the time and trouble to make such fantastic training available," said Alan Harkness, director of the Piedmont Regional Library System.
"These modules are exactly what we need for training front-line staff in how to use -- and promote to customers, friends and family -- the wonderful resources available through GALILEO." I

I Finding Articles Quickly
I Finding Full-Text Magazines
I Finding the Best Databases for a Topic
I Finding the Next Book to Read
I Helping College Students I Helping K-12 Students I Helping with Genealogy
Questions I HeritageQuest Online I Using Advanced Database
Features I Using GALILEO to Help Patrons
Each module is designed to take approximately 30 minutes to complete, McGough said. Upon successful completion of each quiz, participants receive a printable certificate showing that they have earned 0.5 continuing education units. All

Center for the Book announces fourth list

of "25 Books All Georgians Should Read"

The Georgia Center for the Book
announced its fourth list of "25 Books All Georgians Should Read" on April 29. More than 75 people, including 15 of the honored authors, attended a private reception at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur prior to the public announcement ceremony at the Decatur Public Library. The events drew more than 230 people, including 17 of the 25 authors whose books were included.
"The list is our way of celebrating the rich harvest of writers and writing we are blessed with in this state," said Bill Starr, the center's executive director. "We hope to use it to build bridges between readers and writers all over

the state. We'll be getting the list into public libraries and schools throughout Georgia and sending authors to libraries for free appearances in behalf of the list and the books it contains."
The complete 2010 list is online at www.georgiacenterforthebook.org.
"This list is a wonderful way to draw attention to Georgia's writers and get everyone reading these good books," Starr said. "We have great partners making this happen: the Georgia Humanities Council, the University of Georgia Press, Georgia Public Library Service and Lenz Marketing of Decatur. We couldn't do it without them." I

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Georgia Public Library Service News June 2010

GOLD/GALILEO collaboration comes of age Aug. 13

Hand in hand with their observance of milestone
birthdays for PINES and GALILEO in 2010, Georgia librarians will soon celebrate another coming of age when the GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Conference turns 21 this summer.
"The number 21 symbolizes progression, growth, maturity, legitimacy and civic involvement," said Toni Zimmerman, director of Resource Sharing and Interlibrary Cooperation for GPLS. "Our 21st birthday and the theme `collaboration comes of age' will be cause for both celebration of and respect for all that Georgia's libraries have accomplished through creative collaborations. Adding to the celestial pathos of this year's theme is the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's Starry Messenger, a published work that changed our view of the solar system and our place in it. Surely that's a clear omen that the continued partnership of the GOLD and GALILEO communities will bring a zenith of educational and economic opportunities to Georgia's citizenry."
The annual conference will take place this year on Aug. 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel in Athens. The event draws librarians, paraprofessionals and technical staff from academic libraries, public libraries, schools and special libraries throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Its goal is to provide a forum for continuing education and professional development related to the use of Georgia's interlibrary lending and resource sharing network, GOLD,

and the statewide virtual library, GALILEO.
Each year, the conference showcases new collaborative trends in library resources and highlights current partnerships. Along with a spotlight session about GALILEO's first 15 years, "Collaboration Comes of Age" will include two sets of concurrent programs and
updated versions of the popular training showcase. Sessions will feature presentations that demonstrate how dynamic Georgia libraries are using creative collaborations, emerging technologies and highly adaptive communication styles, tools and trends to meet the multifaceted needs of information seekers.
This year's keynote speaker will be Tom Sanville, longtime head of the pioneering consortium OhioLINK who joined LYRASIS in April as its new director of licensing and strategic partnerships. "Tom will explain why `coming of age' does not simply mean reaching a plateau of effectiveness or benchmarking efficiency," Zimmerman said. "He plans to show us how consortium-based activity must be exploited to its fullest extent to leverage our limited economic resources and make librarians the future's most relevant information providers!"
This conference is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to GPLS under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. Links to registration materials and hotel information will be available later this month at www.georgialibraries.org/lib/gold.html. I

Staff

Keystone's Mitake Burts (left) helps Diane Gunderson of the Montana Talking Book Library.

Columbus library hosts national KLAS conference

The 2010 KLAS Users' Conference was
held April 20-22 at the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries' Columbus Public Library. The conference brings librarians from across the country together with the staff of Keystone Systems to explore creative ways to use KLAS, the Keystone Library Automation System, to improve quality of service to patrons with special needs.
"We assist patrons every day using KLAS, and our staff members work very hard to provide the best service possible," said Stella Cone, director of Georgia

Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) and current president of the national KLAS Users' Group.
Nearly 60 library staff from around the country attended the event, including Suzanne Barnes, outreach coordinator of the Columbus Library for Accessible Services. "I always gain a better understanding of the ways in which we, as librarians serving people with disabilities, can offer more progressive, useful and timely service to our customers," Barnes said. I
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June 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



After a 42-year career in libraries, including 15 years as director of the DeKalb County Public Library, Darro Willey will retire effective Sept. 30. During his tenure, Willey has overseen the planning and construction of 13 library projects from a 2006 DeKalb County Library Bond Program. Also retiring, effective May 31, is Assistant Library Director Magda Sossa. Sossa has enjoyed a 34-year career in libraries, the last 16 years in DeKalb County.
Julie Walker, deputy state librarian, completed The University System of Georgia's Executive Leadership Institute, a comprehensive 100-hour development program designed to enhance leadership skills and prepare participants for potential high-level advancement within the system.
John Szabo, director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, is one of two public librarians elected as new members of the LYRASIS board of trustees. His term will begin on July 1. LYRASIS is the nation's largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals.

Sharon Cleveland, branch

manager of the Sara Hightower

Regional Library System's Cedartown

Public Library,

graduated from

the Georgia

Academy for

Economic

Development's

2010 Region

One Multi-Day

Training Pro-

gram on May

4. The program

includes

Cleveland

training in the basics of

economic and community develop-

ment, plus specialized segments on

topics such as entrepreneur and

small-business support.

Susan Sexton-Cooley, director of the Rome-based Sara Hightower Regional Library, has been presented with a national humanitarian award from Soka Gakkai International USA, the Buddhist Association for Peace, Culture & Education. The award was presented April 3 at a peace prayer ceremony that was part of the "Rome-Floyd Spring Into Peace" activities in Rome. I

ASCLA taps Cone for advisory team
The Association of Specialized and
Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) has selected Stella Cone, director of Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS), to serve as a member of a new national project advisory team.
The team is charged with overseeing a revision of the 2005 Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The revision will take into consideration a number of significant changes in the operation of network libraries and in the development and use of new technologies that have occurred since the standards were last revised.
Tom Peters, chief executive officer of TAP Information Services, is the project director. Working team and advisory team members consist of representatives from NLS, the National Federation of the Blind, the American Council of the Blind, NLS Regional Libraries, the Blinded Veterans Association and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies.

Staff

Sweetening the pots
Courtney Lumpkin (center left), assistant director for youth services with the Okefenokee Regional Library System (OKRLS), supervises several of the children who attended the Appling County Public Library's open house and dedication ceremony for its new children's room and garden on May 17. "We had a big turnout," said Lace
Keaton, system director, "and everyone pitched in to help our landscapers plant flowers in the new garden." The flowers in the garden are all plants named in the titles of
popular children's books.
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Georgia Public Library Service News June 2010

Cone will serve on the project's advisory team as a representative of regional libraries. "I was recommended for the position by a regional librarian who was a member of the 2005 working team," Cone said, "and I am thrilled that ASCLA selected me to serve in this capacity."
The American Library Association plans to adopt and publish the revised set of standards in 2011. The project is funded by a grant from the Library of Congress and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I

Georgia libraries awarded ALA "American Dream" grants

The Athens Regional Library System (ARLS) and the
Cairo-based Roddenbery Memorial Library (RML) system are among the 70 public libraries in America that have been selected by the American Library Association (ALA) to receive $5,000 grants as part of "The American Dream Starts @ your library" literacy initiative funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The grant funds will be used by the libraries to build innovative literacy services for adult English language learners.
"This grant will enable us to significantly enhance materials, services and programming for English language learners between now and the end of December," said Alan Kaye, Roddenbery's director. This includes an expansion of the print and digital literacy collections, more English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and expanded outreach to immigrant organizations.
Under the guidance of Branch Manager Aida Quiones, Athens Regional's Pinewoods branch is one of five libraries selected to receive a second $5,000 grant.

The new award is based on the library's Phase 1 accomplishments, its plans for Phase 2 and its acknowledged ability to serve as model and mentor for other organizations.
"It is always nice to be recognized for doing a good job and with our Pinewoods branch, that's easy," said ARLS Director Kathryn Ames. "We will use our Phase 2 grant to increase publicity for our English language programs -- including the promotion of our Hispanic branch through the use of bus placards -- and to buy additional materials to support a book club based in the Pinewoods Mobile Home Park. We'll also be able to purchase other materials to support English language learning in our community."
"The American Dream Starts @ your library serves 70 communities, reaches thousands of adults and helps libraries change lives across generations," said Dr. Camila Alire, ALA 2009-2010 president. "ALA deeply appreciates Dollar General's generous support and applauds their vision for a more literate America." I

Inaugural Technology Boot Camp earns participants' rave reviews

Georgia Public Library Service held
its first Technology Boot Camp April 27-29 at Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge.
"Our primary goal with this event was to bring technology support personnel together to share experiences and ideas, and we believe it was a success on every level" said Tim Daniels, assistant state librarian for technology and Daniels infrastructure for GPLS. "Each of the state's public library systems was invited to send their lead technology person to the conference so they could discuss and gain new ideas regarding current library technology issues." Forty-five of the 61 library systems did so.

"From large systems to small, from urban systems to rural, from single-county systems to regional, every library group was represented," said Nicol Lewis, information technology and infrastructure manager for GPLS.
"We also had representatives from a variety of support organizations, including Kevin Moore from the Information Security Office of the Board of Regents, Katie Gohn from GALILEO, Ed Maioriello from the University System of Georgia's Office of Information and Instructional Technology and Michael Mills from Apple Computers."
Conference demonstrations and topics included "Setting up Firewalls," "Getting to Know Information Security" and a number of roundtable talks about specific library technology issues. For three full days, Lewis said, attendees

networked and helped each other learn to solve common library technology issues. "Because so many of the technical personnel in our library systems are lone soldiers, this was a great opportunity for individuals to meet and exchange ideas," she said.
"Attendees I talked with agreed that networking opportunities and their conversations with colleagues were a highlight of the event," said Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker. "The new relationships formed at boot camp will allow IT staff from libraries across Georgia to call on each other with questions and receive practical solutions for many of the problems they experience."
GPLS funded the Technology Boot Camp through a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. I

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June 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

Barry Massey

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

We dig libraries!
The Mountain Regional Library (MRL) System held a groundbreaking ceremony May 18 for the expansion of the Union County Public Library (UCPL) in Blairsville. About 100 people attended the festivities. Turning the first dirt (from left) are: Susie Brendle, librarian; Jounida Bradley, MRL board chair; Jim Conley, mayor of Blairsville; Jane Collins, UCPL board chair; Donna Howell, MRL director; Rep. Stephen Allison (R - Blairsville); Dr. Lamar Veatch, state librarian; and Lamar Paris, Union County commissioner. Paris included funding for library renovation and expansion in a 2008 capital SPLOST referendum and assisted Howell in applying for a state capital outlay grant to help fund the library's expansion.

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