New Forsyth County Library Opens

Hampton Park Library Celebrates Grand Opening
(3/18/2010 Press release from Hogan Construction, LLC)

CUMMING, GA — On March 21, 2010, the Hampton Park Library is celebrating its dedication and grand opening. A construction project ten years in the making, the new Hampton Park Library is the jewel of the Forsyth County Library System, one of the finest in the country.

Built on a four-acre site, the new 22,858 square foot Hampton Park Library offers a variety of features that increase exemplary meeting and educational opportunities for North Forysth, one of the fastest developing areas in the state of Georgia. The unique design takes advantage of the spacious site and maximizes the aesthetic appeal of this new facility.

Built with the preservation of the environment in mind, the library includes innovative sustainable features such as a gray water irrigation system and wide roof overhangs that shade windows from heat and ultraviolet rays. Low maintenance, native water plants comprise the landscape and filter runoff from the parking lot. Once inside, library patrons can peruse the 60,000 item collection in a comfortable environment designed to resemble a mountain lodge,
with exposed beams and warm, autumn colors.

The library includes a 100-seat meeting room, self-checkout stations, children’s area, nonfiction, fiction, reference, a magazine room and 38 public access computers. The architecture firm Pope Partners and construction manager Hogan Construction Group are honored to be a part of this great initiative for the improvement of our local community, the preservation of the environment and the benefit of the citizens of Forsyth.

GaCOMO Call for Proposals

The website for the annual GeorgiaConference of Media Organizations conference is now available. The conference is jointly sponsored by the Georgia Library Association, Georgia Association for Instruction Technology, and the Georgia Library Media Association.

On the site you will find the presentation proposal form. The deadline for submissions is May 31st.

COMO will be held October 13-15 in Athens with the theme "Celebrate With One Voice" to show the solidarity of all the organizations who put this together.

Job Hunting Workshop

WHAT: Job Hunting Workshop
WHEN: April, 17th, 2010
WHERE: Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library

TIMETABLE
10.00 Tour new building
10.15 Meet & Greet
10.30 Welcome and introductions
10.40-11.10 John Szabo, Atlanta-Fulton County Library Director.
11.10-11.30 Lesley Barber, Principal Librarian DCPL, presenting Optimal Resume Database.
11.30-12.00 Christian Steinmetz, GSU Library Creative Manager: On Public Speaking.
12.00-12.10 Coffee Break
12.10-12.40 Dianne Smith, Human Resources Officer, Emory University.
12.40-13.00 Panel discussion: Joe Hurley, Data Services Librarian, and Kat Hart, Electronic and Continuing Resources Librarian at GSU.


Contact hours: 2
Please register in advance at:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/603201191/?ref=eivtefrnd

Text the Library Services Covered by the AJC

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's higher education reporter recently wrote about several Georgia libraries that offer or are considering implementation of services to allow users to text a question. Agnes Scott College and Georgia State, Savannah State and Valdosta State University were mentioned:

Library text messaging latest trend on campuses

Doing Frontline Advocacy From Where You Sit

Date: Monday, April 26, 2010

Time: 10:00am-2:30pm - Check in and coffee starting at 9:30

Location: DeKalb County Public Library - Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St. Decatur, GA

Anyone can and should get involved in advocating for their library from anywhere they sit in the library. Be part of the movement of frontline librarians and other library staff who are trained to articulate the value of their libraries to people they know best. Help fight the funding cuts of our libraries in Georgia! All levels of library staff, including administrators, are invited to attend.

Presented by ALA President Camila Alire.

More details and Schedule and Printable Registration Form
are available.

Paulding County Breaks Ground on New Library

ACWORTH, GA - On February 25, 2010, Hogan Construction Group broke ground on the new North Paulding Library on Harmony Grove Church Road.

Built behind Fire Station 11, which Hogan completed in December 2009, North Paulding Library features five distinct wings and state-of-the-art networking capabilities. The 10,500 square foot library includes Nonfiction, Reference, Children's, Fiction, Reading and Administrative spaces and will be open to the public in October 2010.

Selected through a competitive bidding process, Hogan is providing construction management services for the precinct, which will be complete in October 2010. The West Georgia Regional Library System is excited to increase their library space for the benefit of the North Paulding community with this $1.5 million facility.

Hogan was awarded the North Paulding Library project through a competitive bidding process. The library marks the company's third project with the County. Hogan is currently building Paulding's 160-acre Burnt Hickory Park, which will be completed in December 2010.

Georgia Library Day

Additional information and directions for Georgia Library Day are now available.

A message from Carol, the GLA President:

I’ve had a suggestion that we wear the same color for identification. How about RED?! I know we don’t have time to get this message out, but for those who want to, please wear red. Red scarf and red ties will do!

Winners Announced in Inagural Georgia Libraries Photo Contest

Victoria “Vickie” Horst, has been a photography buff for many years, and her interest paid off in February when her entry was judged the overall “Best Photo” in the inaugural Georgia Libraries Photo Contest. Horst is director of the Tifton-Tift County Public Library, part of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System.

Jointly sponsored by the Georgia Library Association (GLA), Georgia Public Library Service, Georgia Association for Instructional Technology and Georgia Library Media Association, the contest encouraged library supporters to show their love for Georgia's libraries — and win a prize valued at $100 in the process.

More than 70 entrants submitted photos of magical library moments that were captured digitally between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 of this year. A panel of judges selected the winners and honorable mentions representing each of 10 categories.

From the category winners, judges then selected Horst’s photo as "best overall" and awarded her the grand prize of a library/reading gift basket valued at $100 from GLA and a certificate suitable for framing. First-place winners from the remaining categories received a certificate and a gift bag containing an assortment of library-related gifts, while honorable mentions received certificates.

A series of posters incorporating all winning photos will be displayed during Georgia Library Day at the state Capitol on March 10.

"These photos will make for a wonderful display," said Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "They certainly will draw the attention of our legislators and help us show them how much Georgians value libraries and library services."

Winning photographs also will be displayed and their creators recognized at the 2010 Georgia Council of Media Organizations (COMO) conference in Athens this fall, and can be viewed online.

The complete list of winning photographers is as follows:
Best photo of an adult or adults reading
1st Place: Debra Marino, Harris County Public Library
Honorable Mention: Rattanaporn Lloyd, Athens Technical College, Athens Campus

Best photo of a student or students reading
1st Place: Rattanaporn Lloyd, Athens Technical College, Athens Campus
Honorable Mention: Christine Tigue, Stone Mountain High School

Best photo of a child or children reading
1st Place: Martha Goodson, Neva Lomason Memorial Library, Carrollton
Honorable Mention: Margery Bouris, Whitesburg Public Library

Best photo of a person using a talking book center
1st Place: David Evans, Northwest Georgia Talking Book Library, Rome
Honorable Mention: Wanda Daniel, Talking Book Center, Dublin

Best photo of a person using a public-access computer in a library
1st Place: Margery Bouris, Whitesburg Public Library
Honorable Mention: Martha Goodson, Neva Lomason Memorial Library, Carrollton

Best photo of a library-sponsored or Friends-sponsored event
1st Place: Victoria Horst, Tift County Public Library, Tifton
Honorable Mention: Margery Bouris,, Whitesburg Public Library

Best photo showing library advocacy/support in action
1st Place: Chuck Anderson, Dr. Lamar Veatch with Member of General Assembly
Honorable Mention: Amanda Kiriakos, Athens Technical College, Elbert County Campus

Best photo of a librarian
1st Place: Martha Goodson, Neva Lomason Memorial Library, Carrollton
Honorable Mention: Chuck Anderson, R.T. Jones Memorial Library, Canton

Best exterior photo of a library
1st Place: David Morris Jr., North Georgia College & State University
Honorable Mention: Kathi Fly, Woodstock Public Library

Best interior photo of a library
1st Place (three-way tie): Elizabeth Bagley, McCain Library, Agnes Scott College, Decatur; Martha Goodson, Neva Lomason Memorial Library, Carrollton; and Jean Wyant, Central Library, Newnan