Georgia Public Library Service news, Vol. 8, no. 2 (Oct. 2010 )

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

volume 8, issue 2 I October 2010

Erika Ruthman

Taryn Brown

Summer Reading Program
makes big splash statewide
Once again, a wide variety of popular programming filled Georgia's
libraries to the brim with children and teens this summer. Although final figures will not be known until the state's 61 library systems file their annual reports, it's clear that another record number of participants took advantage of the state's annual Summer Reading Program.

"The numbers were truly outstanding," said Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS. "Between the cute graphics of animals enjoying a water park and the fabulous slate of programs offered across the state, families flocked to their local libraries."

This was Georgia's third year as a member of the nationwide Collaborative Summer Library Program, a consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. The theme for 2010 was "Make a Splash @ Your Library."

According to Taryn Brown, youth services and community relations librarian for the Bainbridge-based Southwest Georgia Regional Library System, more than 1,250 children and teens from the area participated in the program this year.

Top: Jake Pressley, a 10-year-old Smyrna resident, takes a summer reading break at the Central Cobb County Public Library in Marietta. Above, from left: The Gadson family -- Elisia, LaTiffany, Jimmy and Johnny -- set new reading records in Bainbridge.

"Many children read at least 20 books to complete the program,"

she stated, "but one family went substantially above and beyond this

number and read more than 7,500 books!"

See Summer, page 2

GPLS, GLA introduce continuing education Webinar series

Georgia Public Library Service is
partnering with the Georgia Library Association's Professional and Continuing Education Interest Group to offer the bimonthly Wednesday Webinar Series. The free, online professional development seminars highlight trends, innovation and best practices in Georgia libraries.
"In order to establish the program quickly, we began a trial

phase in June, offering two webinars each month through the summer," explained Pat Carterette, director of Continuing Education for GPLS.
"To our knowledge, no other state has such a series that focuses on what's happening in these areas at their local libraries, and so far, attendance has been overwhelming," she said. "Between 70 and 170 people have attended each session."

Presenters so far have included Georgia library staff representing all types of libraries. Movers and shakers like Buffy Hamilton, founder of "The Unquiet Library" at Creekview High School in Canton; Cliff Landis, Web services librarian at Georgia State University in Atlanta; and Bobbi Newman, digital branch manager for the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries in
See Webinars, page 7

Amy Billings

Summer
Continued from page 1
The family of Bryan and Ida Gadson of Bainbridge -- Jimmy, Elisia, Johnny and LaTiffany -- read 7,594 books this summer.
"These ranged from picture books to biographies and from mysteries to nonfiction books," Brown said. "The youngest child, LaTiffany, a second-grade student at West Bainbridge Elementary School, read the most of all. She read about two dozen books a day for a total of 2,238 over the summer. Her oldest brother, Jimmy, an eighth-grade student at Bainbridge Middle School, was the top reader in the Teen Vacation Reading Program, reading 1,214 books.
Ida Gadson said that she is very proud of all her children and hopes that they will continue to read throughout their lives. "Reading is a part of our daily lives," she said. "We always read at least five or six books every day, even during the school year."
The Fortson Library in Hampton, a branch of the Henry County Library System, had its best summer

ever, said Children's Services Coordinator Tracy Ralston. "Our attendance was higher than ever before, and our sign-ups and completions were up by more than 70 over last year," she said. Big draws for the branch included programs that featured McGruff the Crime Dog, Perry the Pirate, Smokey the Bear and the Chick-fil-A Cow.
"We also had our first `Hero Day' to honor the local heroes of our town's military, police, firefighting, EMT and 911-response units," Ralston said.
Nineteen teenagers became heroes to the Vidalia-based Ohoopee Regional Library System, which relies heavily on the help of its "VolunTeens" during the summer.
"This year they helped us sign up participants, keep reading logs, read to and with children who needed special assistance to reach grade level, and shelve and reshelve hundreds of children's books," explained Dusty Gres, the system's director. "They helped us set up programs and clean up afterward and assisted with crafts. Nine

Events and Outreach Specialists (from left) Nicole Wilson, Amy Walker and Leigh Atkinson lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of the Baby Shark song during the Summer Reading Program kick-off event at the Hamilton Mill Branch in Gwinnett County.
members of the group who are also members of the library's Teen Advisory Board also wrote and performed puppet shows throughout the region."
Public Services Librarian Martha Powers estimated that the "VolunTeens" performed more than 600 hours of service during the Summer Reading Program. "We couldn't have had such a successful summer without them," she said.
Georgia had a statewide Summer Reading Program attendance of about 400,000 in 2009, and nearly 1.5 million children attended programs at their local public libraries during the fiscal year. Circulation of children's materials last year exceeded 18.7 million items.

Tracy Ralston Devin Farmer

"Attendance for 2010 looks to be even stronger," Black said.

Left: Syed Ali, a patron of the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library in DeKalb County, holds his personalized READ poster. Right: Smokey the Bear entertains and educates Lorelei Self, Ethan Self and Brinlee Parker at the Fortson Library in Hampton.
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Georgia Public Library Service News October 2010

Georgia public libraries' Summer Reading Program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to Georgia Public Library Service under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. I

Atlanta's annual Dragon*Con convention "gets its geek on"

Geekdom might have enjoyed its perfect storm during

Melinda Gates Foundation. The campaign's website, at

Labor Day weekend, when a group of library volunteers

www.geekthelibrary.org, provides information about how

took the Geek the Library campaign to Atlanta's

people can get active and support their local library.

Dragon*Con, the world's largest annual multimedia pop

culture convention. Now in its 24th year, the annual four-

PINES Bibliographic Projects and Metadata Manager

day event is composed of approximately 3,500 hours of

Elaine Hardy organized the troupe of GPLS employees

panels, seminars, demonstrations and workshops that

who volunteered at Dragon*Con. "I was very pleasantly

focus on science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics,

surprised at the enthusiastic response the table

literature, art, music and film.

generated," she said. "It was far busier than I had

imagined. So many people came up praising libraries in

"I've heard Dragon*Con referred to as `Nerdi Gras,'" general -- and their own, in particular. Their comments

said Richard Sanders, director of the Hart County

were heartening for us all."

Library and also one of the

Staff

many convention directors

GPLS volunteers Stella

on the event's all-volunteer

Cone, Teneka Taylor, Dr.

staff. "Every time I came by

Lamar Veatch, Diana

the Geek table, interested

Very and Gina Zuniga

people were there,"

also worked at the table,

Sanders said. "I sincerely

distributing information on

believe that Dragon*Con is

libraries and encouraging

an excellent venue for

conventioneers' support.

promoting the Geek

campaign and libraries in

"There was an element

general, and I'm very

of surprise to see `the

grateful to everyone who

library' at an event like

was able to spend time

this," said Jenny Powell,

behind the exhibition table,

OCLC's field marketing

talking to the attendees." One "Future Warrior" strongly "suggested" that his friends sign one of

manager for the Geek the

the "I Geek..." blackboards at this year's Dragon*Con.

Library campaign, "and we

Geek the Library is a

believe that our Facebook

community-based public awareness campaign of the

and Twitter postings about Dragon*Con created a buzz

Dublin, Ohio-based Online Computer Library Center

among attendees.

(OCLC), aimed at heightening awareness about the

critical funding issues that public libraries face. It features

"Librarians and staff from multiple states stopped by

local advertising that introduces "geek" as a verb and

to pick up information on how they can implement the

encourages the public to talk about what they "geek" -- campaign, and many educators in the crowd voiced their

whether it's superheroes, Shakespeare or art.

interest in utilizing elements of Geek the Library in their

classrooms. I truly think this was a fabulous event to aid

Georgia served as one of two pilot programs for the in exposure of the Geek the Library campaign, and I hope

campaign, which is funded by a grant from the Bill &

that we can be present again next year." I

Friends of Georgia Libraries sponsors fall workshop in Wilkes County

Friends of Georgia Libraries (FOGL)
will sponsor a fall workshop on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 9 a.m.1 p.m. at the Mary Willis Library in Washington.
Bill Starr, director of the Georgia Center for the Book; Diana Very, director of LSTA, Statistics and

Research for GPLS; Virginia Willis, author and television producer; and Lynn Lilly, program chair for the Statesboro Regional Public Library, will lead a panel discussion of topics that include finding author speakers, getting grants for programs and creating proper working relationships with authors.

The luncheon speaker will be acclaimed chef and author, Virginia Willis, whose cookbook, Bon Apptit, Y'all!, was recently named to the 2010 list of "25 Books All Georgians Should Read."
For registration information, visit www.georgia-friends.org. I

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October 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

Courtesy of Path2College 529 Plan

Athens youngster wins $5,529
toward a college savings plan
Setting summer reading goals is a challenge many
students take on to help them prepare and remain focused for the coming school year, and this summer, one Athens student's participation in Georgia's Summer Reading Program paid off in more ways than one.

Calvin Fetner was presented with $5,529 toward his college savings Aug. 26 at Athens-Clarke County Library. Amber Fetner entered her son, Calvin, and was randomly selected as the statewide winner of the Make a Splash Save for College Sweepstakes, which was held this summer at libraries across Georgia.
"Currently, we invest a little each month in our children's accounts, but we are thrilled to have received such a generous investment in Calvin's future. This will really give him a good head start," said Fetner. "We are grateful for this gift, and I hope this encourages more people to open 529s for their children and participate in the Summer Reading Program!"
Calvin's local library, the Athens-Clarke County Library, also received $1,000 for its children's and teen's department through the sweepstakes. "We truly enjoyed providing this sweepstakes for our young readers during this year's Summer Reading Program," said Kathryn Ames, Athens Regional Library System director. "It was a wonderful way to highlight the importance of literacy and higher education. We couldn't be more pleased and proud that one of our readers was chosen as the winner. Calvin and his family are regular library visitors, and the family attends many of our programs. We are thrilled to

Fetner was dwarfed by his oversized check for $5,529.
share in Calvin's moment by receiving funding to support our children's and young adult areas."
"We are also happy that our local library will also receive money," said Fetner. "My mother and grandmother are both retired librarians, so we really appreciate the importance of strong libraries. The Athens-Clarke County Library is such a family-friendly place with so many resources for children and youth. The librarians know our children, and we always feel so welcome there."
Additionally, the Grayson Library in Gwinnett County was the Georgia library with the greatest number of entries, and the DeKalb County Library System was the Georgia library system with the greatest percentage of their registered users entered. Each system was awarded $1,529 for its children's and teen's materials and programming.

Literary festival comes to Statesboro
The 12th annual Georgia Literary Festival will be
held Oct. 22-23 at the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building on the campus of Georgia Southern University (GSU) in Statesboro. The festival is sponsored locally by the Statesboro Regional Library and GSU. Initial funding is provided by the Georgia Humanities Council through the Georgia Center for the Book.
More than 20 noted authors will take part in the festival including Ferrol Sams, Tina McElroy Ansa and Pulitzer Prize-winner Natasha Trethewey. I
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Georgia Public Library Service News October 2010

"Libraries across the state continually work to make reading fun and get kids involved in the Summer Reading Program and reading year-round," said Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for GPLS. "We want to congratulate these winners as their efforts have helped them receive additional funding that will improve the services we can offer to our state's children and youth. We hope that by raising awareness through programs like this, even more families will read with their children throughout the year to help them improve their literacy skills and better prepare them for their future."
Almost 5,300 Georgia children were entered in the inaugural Make a Splash Save for College Sweepstakes, which is a partnership between the state of Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan and Georgia's public libraries. I

Center for the Book announces list of 25 books for young Georgians

The Georgia Center for the Book
has selected 32 prize-winning authors and illustrators with Georgia connections for its inaugural list of "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read." The list was announced Aug. 26 in Decatur, and many of the authors and illustrators on the list will participate in free public readings at libraries and schools throughout Georgia during the next two years.
"We know this list is going to be a wonderful, valuable asset for parents, teachers, librarians and young readers of all ages across the state," said Bill Starr, executive director of the center. "We believe it's going to prove helpful in guiding youngsters to some of the finest writing available for them."

For middle readers in grades 4-8, the list includes Freedom Train by Evelyn Coleman; A Yellow Watermelon by Ted Dunagan; The Tree That Owns Itself and Other Adventure Tales From Out of the Past by Gail Karwoski and Loretta Johnson Hammer; Joseph by Shelia Moses; Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman; Alexander the Great Rocks the World by Vicky Alvear Shecter; Honey Bea by Kim L. Siegelson; A Taste of Blackberries by the late Doris Smith Buchanan; Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder; and Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles.
For young adults in grades 7 and higher, the center selected Peaches

by Jodi Lynn Anderson; I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen; The Maze Runner by James Dashner; Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin; Pure by Terra McVoy; and First Shot by Walter Sorrells.
Starr said he envisions more lists in future years. "There are many, many excellent books and writers and artists we want to recognize and honor, and we will do so with the release of new lists at least every three years, much as we do with our popular adult lists," he said. More information about the center, its lists and honored authors is available at www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. The center is hosted by DeKalb County Public Library. I

GPLS-Laura Bush scholarship deadline nears

Books selected for the inaugural "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read" list were chosen by the writers, educators, librarians and media representatives who comprise the center's advisory council. They include picture books Little Duck by the late Liz Conrad (illustrator); 14 Cows for America by Carmen Deedy (author) and Thomas Gonzalez (illustrator); Soap, Soap, Soap Jabn, Jabn, Jabn by Elizabeth Dulemba (author and illustrator); The Origami Master by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer (author) and Aki Sogabe (illustrator); Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin (author) and James Dean (illustrator); The Monster Who Did My Math by Danny Schnitzlein (author) and Bill Mayer (illustrator); and This is the Dream by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander (authors) and James Ransome (illustrator).
For early readers in grades K-3, the list includes Lola Schaefer's Mittens. The graphic novel Owly by Andy Runton is also included.

Applications are now being
accepted for the second round of scholarships in Georgia Public Library Service's "Librarians Build Communities" program.
The three-year program, which will provide scholarships to prepare 45 students to be public librarians and provide them with expertise in community building, is funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.
In collaboration with the Valdosta State University (VSU) Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, GPLS is providing each qualifying student with a full in-state tuition scholarship to the 39-semester-hour program. The first 15 students are beginning work in the current semester and will complete their course work within the three-year grant period.
Fifteen additional scholarships will be awarded for spring semester

2011 and another 15 for fall semester 2011. To be considered, applicants must be accepted into and attend the VSU MLIS program. Applications for the VSU MLIS Program and the "Librarians Build Communities" scholarships are separate. The deadline for spring 2011 admissions is Oct. 15, 2010, and the scholarship application deadline is Oct. 30.
Applications will be reviewed and participants selected by a committee that will include representatives from GPLS, VSU and the Georgia public library community. Students will be selected based on potential for successful graduate study, interest in public library community building, and commitment to work in a Georgia public library for at least three years following graduation.
For additional information about the program and the application processes, visit the VSU website at http://www.valdosta.edu/mlis/. I

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October 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

NEWS IN BRIEF



After 18 years of service as director of the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo, Alan Kaye retired from that position on Sept. 30. The library's associate director, Janet Boudet, has been named acting director.

Kelly Lenz has been named director of the South Georgia Regional Library in Valdosta. She previously held the position of assistant director of Public Services for the system and has been serving as its interim director since July.

Alison

Lenz

Weissinger, adult

service coordinator

for the DeKalb County Public Library

in Decatur, has been appointed the

system's acting interim director.

Emily Almond has been promoted to director of Information Technology for Georgia Public Library

Almond

Service. She was previously PINES software development manager.

Teneka Taylor,

administrative coordinator

for Georgia Libraries for

Accessible Statewide

Services, has earned her

Master of Library and

Taylor holds her degree.

Information Science from

the University of North Texas, which operates a distance

education program in Georgia.

The Roddenbery Memorial Library has received a $2,000 grant from Target to begin a program called Imagination Station. The project will lead to the creation of art classes at the library, with the goal of helping youngsters in Grady County discover and develop their artistic skills.

The Georgia Library Association has donated $500 to the Twiggs County Library in Jeffersonville, which suffered extensive fire damage on April 25. I

Staff

GPLS employees to present at COMO

The Georgia Council of Media
Organizations (COMO) will give the state's library community an opportunity to "Celebrate With One Voice" at the Classic Center in Athens from Oct. 13 to 15. GPLS will be among the most visible organizations at the 22nd annual convention.
Deputy State Librarian Julie Walker and David Singleton, director of Library Experiences for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (N.C.), will copresent "In the Eye of the Storm: Leadership Through Adversity."
David Baker, director of Communications, will lead "Telling Your Library's Story Through Photography," while Elaine Black, director of Youth Services, will present as a part of the Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers. Pat Carterette, director of Continuing

Education and program adviser for the conference, will serve as moderator for "Staff Day Success: Creating an Event Valued by All." Diana Very, director of LSTA, Statistics and Research for GPLS, is serving as this year's Public Library Division chair and as coordinator of the annual authors' reception. GPLS is also sponsoring a pre-conference: "The Customer Experience @ Your Library," presented by Andrew Sanderbeck of the People~Connect Institute in Waynesville, N.C.
Master of Library Science certified and licensed librarians can earn contact hours for recertification by bringing continuing education verification forms (available at www.georgialibraries.org) and completing them at COMO. For additional conference information and registration materials, visit www.georgiacomo.org. I

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Georgia Public Library Service News October 2010

Written in the stars
More than 300 professionals from Georgia libraries attended the 21st annual GOLD/ GALILEO Users Group Conference at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens on Aug. 13. With GALILEO enjoying its 15th anniversary, PINES celebrating its 10th anniversary and GOLD "coming of age" in its 21st year of resource sharing, Georgia's libraries had good reason to celebrate, said Toni Zimmerman, director of Resource Sharing for GPLS. From left are Caroline Cason Barratt of the Miller Learning Center at the University of Georgia; Zimmerman; and keynote speaker Tom Sanville, director of Licensing and Strategic Partnerships for LYRASIS.

Deborah Moorman

11-year-old leads

Northwest Georgia

Ocilla fundraiser
When 11-year-old Ashley Alder-
man of Ocilla heard that her beloved local library was having funding troubles and might have to cut its hours or cut someone from its already straining-to-keep-up staff, she began thinking of ways she could help her "second home" stay open.
Thus was born the idea for a fundraiser Alderman dubbed "Eat and Read." With support from friends, family members and the local Brick Oven Pizza restaurant owned by her parents, Chuck and Terry, Alderman raised $845 on Sept. 11 by selling pizza, cupcakes, hot dogs, lemonade and other items by the restaurant's main entrance. All proceeds were donated to the Irwin County Library.
"Approximately 60 people showed up during the time of the fundraiser to eat, hang out and have a good time," said Library Manager Deborah Moorman. "Ashley and her fund raiser were written about in The Ocilla Star and The Tifton Gazette, and our local TV station, WALB in Albany, also reported on the event."
Webinars
Continued from page 1 Columbus, were among the first presenters. Topics thus far have included transliteracy, social media, e-learning and financial literacy. Georgia librarians attending webinars can earn continuing education units for the state's public library recertification program.
"Even though we are primarily marketing the webinars to Georgians, dozens of attendees have joined us from multiple states across the United States as well as from

Ashley Alderman (center), her Aunt Kim (left) and 13-year-old sister Jessica welcome customers to the Ocilla library benefit.
Moorman estimates that between 500 and 600 people use the library every week and that Alderman visits virtually every day to read and to study and play games on the library's public-access computers.
"She comes here every day, and when she comes in the door, she gives me a hug," said Moorman, noting that the entire staff is grateful for Alderman's efforts on their behalf.
"It is amazing what a determined child can do," she said. "Ashley set her goal and then worked very hard to obtain it. We are very proud of her." I
other countries," Carterette said, citing domestic participants from as far away as Oregon and Wyoming and international participants from India and Germany.
The next Wednesday Webinar will be held Nov. 17. Information about all upcoming sessions can be found at www.georgialibraries.org/ events/webinars. A full archive of all past sessions is available at www.georgialibraries.org/events/ wednesday_webinars_archives. I

Regional Library joins PINES network
On Oct. 18, the Northwest Georgia
Regional Library (NWGRL) will officially join the state's Public Information Network for Electronic Services (PINES). A program of the Georgia Public Library Service, Georgia Library PINES is the public library automation and lending network.
NWGRL will become the 51st library system in the state to become a PINES member. With its inclusion, PINES will provide service for 285 libraries and affiliated service outlets in 143 Georgia counties.
Georgians with a PINES library card have access to materials beyond what is available on their local shelves and enjoy the benefits of a shared collection of 10 million books and other materials that can be delivered free to their home library.
"NWGRL is looking forward to joining the PINES network," said Library Director Joe Forsee. "Other library directors have told me how much their library patrons enjoy being PINES library users, and there are a number of other advantages to having the same hardware and software as most neighboring library systems, including some financial savings for our library system."
The Calhoun-Gordon County Library, the Chatsworth-Murray County Library and the DaltonWhitfield County Library began reregistering patrons for the new system in September. By midOctober, the new online catalog will be available from workstations within all three facilities, as well as for users logging in from home. I

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October 2010 Georgia Public Library Service News

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
PAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 213

CONTACT US
Georgia Public Library Service 1800 Century Place, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30345-4304 404.235.7200 404.235.7201 fax www.georgialibraries.org
Lamar Veatch, state librarian
David Baker, editor
Georgia Public Library Service News (ISSN 1546-511X) is published bimonthly by the Georgia Public Library Service, the state agency that supports public libraries and works with them to improve the quality and variety of library services available to Georgia citizens of all ages. This publication is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Georgia Public Library Service under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. Information presented in this newsletter will be provided in alternative formats on request. For more information about Georgia's libraries and literary events, or to post an event, visit our online calendar at www.georgialibraries.org

Staff

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

Leading crowds to Slaughter
New York Times best-selling author Karin Slaughter (center) joins GPLS staff members Elaine Black (left) and David Baker at the Georgia table in the Pavilion of the States at the 10th annual National Book Festival on Sept. 25. Slaughter's appearance, along with that of Georgia author and poet Natasha Trethewey, resulted in huge crowds at the Georgia table and contributed to record numbers for the event as a whole. Organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, the festival was held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. More than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets participated.