Friday, February 8, 2013

East Georgia State College Library in the Spotlight!

The East Georgia State College Library recently had a re-opening in August of 2012 and is now a part of the new Learning Commons. The Learning Commons includes the EGSC Library, the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), the Academic Advising Center, and the Common Grounds Cafe.  All of these institutions work together to offer instructional and learning support services to EGSC students, striving to foster academic excellence and student success. The new Learning Commons environment provides open lines of communication between students and learning support professionals, allowing them to receive all forms of tutoring and research services in one place.

The EGSC Library collection includes over 72,000 items, 32,000 of which are e-books which students can access electronically either on computers at the college or remotely. Free wireless is located throughout the building and two computer labs are located in the EGSC Learning Commons for printing and scanning needs. The EGSC Library also includes both quiet and group study areas with comfortable seating, with four group study rooms as well as two classroom spaces that can be used for collaborative study as well as project work located in the library facility. Students utilize these spaces in a variety of ways, from formal study groups to club meetings. The EGSC Learning Commons has become the destination for students when they are not in classes.

The EGSC Library is also home to two special collections: the Heritage Center and the Ehrlich Military History Collection.  The Heritage Center at East Georgia State College houses print items, images, manuscripts, maps, artifacts, microforms, and digital and audio-visual materials, most items of which relate to the college, local history, regional and state history, and genealogy. As such the collection includes many items that are unique, historical, rare, and/or irreplaceable, most of which have been donated to the college. The Ehrlich Military History Collection began as the donation of the personal collection of military history books and media items of Mr. Benjamin Ehrlich to the East Georgia State College Library and has grown to include books about all types of military history. The East Georgia State College Library counts itself fortunate to have such unique special collections and generous donors.

East Georgia State College faculty, staff and students have shown tremendous support for the new Learning Commons and the EGSC Library, and the EGSC Library staff pride ourselves on offering high-quality services in return.

To learn more about the East Georgia State College Library, please visit http://www.ega.edu/index.php/academics/library

Friday, February 1, 2013

January Monthly Recap of GLA 2013

This is the first of 12 monthly recaps to keep everyone in the loop with GLA events and plans throughout the year. The fun of being in GLA is the relationships with other people with library interests and goals. My hope is to have fun events throughout the year to bring us all together.

We began the year with the GLA Mid-winter Conference on January 11, 2013 at Clayton State University in Morrow, GA. I had a great time and I heard good comments from everyone. We did not schedule a speaker for the morning time slot, but used that time to discuss projects for the upcoming year. Attendees were given the opportunity to say “yea” or “nay” about the ideas. Everyone seemed to approve the ideas and many offered suggestions, so we are beginning the planning process for several events. We ended the session with a grab bag of prizes for everyone in attendance. Everyone was given a ticket and all cheered for each winner. The prizes were cheap, but it was a lot fun! The divisions, committees, and interest groups met during the late morning and after lunch. There is still room for more people to join the teams and have a part in creating an association that meets the needs of the members. 

The list of events for the year is:
•    Library Day, February 14, 2013, 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Capitol. Gathering in Room 123 of the Capitol building and delivering the matted prints to the legislators’ offices. No refreshments available.
•    Executive Board Meeting, March 22, 2013 at Agnes Scott College
•    Tour de Cure, May 11, 2013, Fundraising bicycle ride for Diabetes in Atlanta. If we have enough volunteers we can ride as a team, however, there is a $200 minimum donation to ride per person. http://main.diabetes.org
•    Photo Contest – start taking pictures now through June of your libraries or programs. No photos of animals, even if they live in the library, please. Winners will be put in a calendar for 2014 which will be sold at the GLA booth at COMO 2013.
•    Picnic in July – firm arrangements have not been completed, but the plan is to have a GLA picnic in middle Georgia in mid-July for FUN. We’re hoping to find a State Park or other area with a covered picnic area and restrooms close by. Let me know if you have any ideas. The meat will be provided and everyone will bring a side or dessert. We’ll need registration forms completed so the proper amount of meat is available.
•    The final event is COMO 2013 in Macon, Georgia on October 9- 10-11, 2013. We have lots of areas for volunteers to help create a great conference. Send in a proposal for a presentation of the great work that you’re doing; volunteer for the scholarship booth, the Poster Sessions, or the Authors’ Reception. It should be a wonderful time.

The entire year we’ll be working on a Strategic Plan for GLA 2014-2016 to help the membership work together on a common mission with common goals and objectives. You will probably receive a survey during the next few months to help gather opinions from the membership for the plan. Please give your opinions and suggests.
   
Thanks so much and feel free to contact me for more information or questions and comments.

Diana

Diana J. Very, MPA, MLIS
404-235-7156
dvery@georgialibraries.org