GOLD GALILEO Conference early-bird registration ends Aug 2 #ggconference

Early-bird discounted registration for GOLD GALILEO Conference ends at 5PM, Monday, Aug 2 http://tinyurl.com/2c85bpb

Turn-On Your Passion for Resource Sharing!

Got pins?

Toni Zimmerman
Director, Resource Sharing & Interlibrary Cooperation
Georgia Public Library Service
A Unit of the BOR Univ System of GA
1800 Century Place, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
P(404)235.7129
F(404)235.7201
tzimmerman@georgialibraries.org
www.georgialibraries.org

2010 Proposed amendments to the Constitution & Bylaws

The membership of GLA is to be notified 30 days prior to a business meeting of GLA. Proposed amendments to the GLA Constitution & Bylaws which will be discussed and brought to a vote at the GLA Business Meeting during Georgia COMO in Athens.

2010 Proposed amendments to the Constitution & Bylaws

For rural libraries, the GOLD/GALILEO Conference is like an approaching comet: It moves! #ggconference

Journal entry from a GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Advisory Committee Representative - Conference Musings - On behalf of small public libraries and rural communities - July 26, 2010 - Susan Stephens, Director, Chattooga County Library System, Summerville, GA

“It moves, nevertheless!”

I am not sure why this quote, attributed to Galileo Galilei, strikes such a chord with me or why it makes me think of libraries. I just know it does. Galileo is said to have whispered this after he was forced to recant his position on the earth’s movement around the sun. Perhaps it conjures up perceptions about my own rural county library system - its movement slow and steady, a stationary apparition amidst a whirling nebula of more showy activity. But if I had time-lapse photos of the library system, I could prove it moves.

I could show that users of the library have transformed themselves from a single dominant group whose families have lived in the region since before the Civil War to several multilevel and multicultural groups that include first generation immigrants from Asia, India, Central and South America, Europe and Africa. I could show that computer use has migrated from one barely used word processor to a whole area full of high speed computers with people waiting their turns to access the Internet, search for jobs, continue their education and stay in touch with families and friends around the world. I could show that people who have physically never traveled farther than 10 miles from the county line are traveling the cosmos through the resources offered by PINES, GALILEO, and GOLD. I could demonstrate without question that “it moves, nevertheless!”

The GOLD/GALILEO conference offers a constellation full of opportunities for librarians serving rural Georgia to get ideas on what exactly will make their libraries continue to move. We must remember that rural is not synonymous with insular, and those of us at rural libraries can bring world-class resources to those who will never get to see Atlanta, much less the other side of the world. We must advocate to ensure that rural communities are not undeserved just because their populations are smaller. We must commit ourselves to the knowledge that our library users are different but are never "less." So mark August 13 on your calendar, and see how your library and community can take its place among the stars and thrive in the 21st century.

Register now

To the future, GOLD and GALILEO!

Susan

Susan Stephens
Director
Chattooga County Library System
360 Farrar Drive
Summerville, GA 30747
706-857-1806 (voice)
706-857-7841 (fax)

Toni Zimmerman
Director, Resource Sharing & Interlibrary Cooperation
Georgia Public Library Service
A Unit of the BOR Univ System of GA
1800 Century Place, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
P(404)235.7129
F(404)235.7201
tzimmerman@georgialibraries.org
www.georgialibraries.org

Georgia Wednesday Webinar Series

The Georgia Library Association and Georgia Public Library Service are pleased to announce the August sessions of the Wednesday Webinar series, which highlights trends, innovation, and best practices in Georgia Libraries. The webinars feature Georgia speakers, but registration is open to anyone, anywhere. Topics are chosen to be of interest to employees of all library types, and each session is approved for one Georgia Continuing Education (CE) contact hour each.

Free Learning: Developing No Cost, Online Learning for Patrons and Staff
Presented by Jay Turner

• Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 10:00am - 11:00am Eastern Time
• Separate registration is required for each hour-long session.

Jay Turner, maverick Training Manager of the Gwinnett Public Library knows that keeping library staff current and up-to-date when valuable resources (time and money) are decreasing can be challenging but not impossible. He uses free and low cost authoring tools to create customized e-learning courses to meet his library's specific learning needs. Attend this webinar and learn how you, too, might use these tools to your library's advantage!

Tech Tips Training Series
Presented by Karen Douglas

• Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 11:15am - 12:15pm Eastern Time
• Separate registration is required for each hour-long session.
  

The "Tech Tips" series at the Athens-Clarke County Library was created in 2009 to provide public and staff training on current software, technology, and social media trends. "Tech Tips" sessions have included live, how-to demonstrations including Facebook, Adobe Photoshop, Skype, Twitter, Podcasting, YouTube, eBay, etc. as well as recorded sessions available for those unable to attend the face-to-face training sessions. Join Karen Douglas as she describes various aspects of this highly successful program.... including finding trainers, scheduling sessions, necessary equipment, advertising and creating a video recording of the session.You'll leave with an arsenal of tips for setting up your own version of "Tech Tips" in your library.

Please contact a member of the Wednesday Webinar planning team with questions or ideas:
Sarah Steiner, Georgia Library Association, PACE Chair, ssteiner@gsu.edu
Pat Carterette, Georgia Public Library Service, pcarterette@georgialibraries.org
Buffy Hamilton, Wednesday Webinars Steering Committee, buffy.hamilton@gmail.com

Shifting the e-revolution in libraries into hyperdrive!#ggconference

Journal entry from a GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Advisory Committee Representative - Conference Musings - On behalf of large public libraries - July 21, 2010 - Deborah Mack, Electronic Resources Librarian, Atlanta Fulton Public Library System, Atlanta, GA

Hello friends,
I'm writing to share a few orbital observations from a fellow procurer librarian.

A significant virtual audience exists outside the public library galaxy, and our goal is to tap into that base. Public Librarians are grappling with the needs of patrons who no longer physically visit the library. Figuring out the best mixture of formats — “downloadables,” CDs, DVDs, etc. — to acquire for this audience is no small feat. Sessions such as "Increasing your online magnitude...” will make for lively discussions on how to reach the virtual audience through Web site usability fundamentals. The if-you-build-it-they-will-come concept does not hold true here, with Google lurking on the faint outskirts of our galaxy. Hearing the collective voice of our patrons and gathering feedback from them is essential. Why fly to the moon and beyond only to miss the thrill of dancing among the stars?

Does growing-up mean we can't ever grow back down?

Public Librarians will also look forward to hearing nuggets from "When Generation Y Asks ‘Y Not,’” which promises vital insight on a sometimes misunderstood young audience that is dramatically influenced by Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools. If the public library does not cooperate creatively with this group’s expectations, Generation Y may stop asking altogether, turning bright futures into black holes - devoid of critical thinking skills. We must not forget this generation of future stakeholders, and now is the time to shine a light on a segment of library users whose needs are sometimes as hazy as the Oort Cloud!

Is there a pay-off to heeding this field-of-dreams-type virtual voice?
I can't predict if large public libraries will experience a heaven-feels-just-like-Iowa euphony but one thing is for certain: This year’s GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Conference will help us (hyper)drive the e-revolution in libraries!

Why not beat the path of the earlybird and save some green by registering by August 2nd?

- Or -

Pull a believer's ease-his-pain response by contributing to our Resource Exchange!
Thrive GOLD and GALILEO! "Cent'anni" (A hundred years [of good health / luck]) (Italy) -- DB

Debora S. Mack
Electronic Resources Librarian
Atlanta Fulton Public Library System
One Margaret Mitchell Sq.
Atlanta, GA. 30303
Telephone: 404-730-1971
EFax: 404-224-1190
Email: debora.mack@fultoncountyga.gov
www.afpls.org

Toni Zimmerman
Director, Resource Sharing & Interlibrary Cooperation
Georgia Public Library Service
A Unit of the BOR Univ System of GA
1800 Century Place, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
P(404)235.7129
F(404)235.7201
tzimmerman@georgialibraries.org
www.georgialibraries.org

2010 GLA Award Winners Announced

The GLA Board has approved the recommendation of the 2010 GLA Awards Committee to present awards at the COMO XXII GLA Banquet in October as follows:

The Bob Richardson Memorial Award to Sarah Steiner, Georgia State University, Social Work & Assessment Librarian

The Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award to Dr. Melvin Steely, University of West Georgia, Georgia’s Political Heritage Program

Honorary GLA Membership to Callie McGinnis, retired from Columbus State University Libraries

The Library Support Services Award to Brad Baxter, UGA Libraries, Systems/GALILEO Support

The McJenkin-Rheay Award to Tessa Minchew, Georgia Perimeter College - Clarkston, Systems/Catalog Librarian

The Nora Symers Paraprofessional Award to Heidi Benford, Clayton State University, Acquisitions Assistant

Congratulations to these awardees!

Also, many thanks to those who took the time to nominate colleagues across Georgia. The Awards Committee had some tough decisions this summer, so if your nominee is not listed above, please consider a 2011 nomination.

No need to travel to a "Galaxy Far Away" to break astronomical use barriers! #ggconference

Committee Representative - Conference Musings - On behalf of large academic libraries - July 15, 2010 - Denita Hampton, Coordinator, Access & Media Services, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Wow! Has it really been 21 stellar years? That's an affirmative - Georgia library collaboration has come of age. GOLD began providing statewide electronic ILL in 1989, GIL brought universal borrowing to the USG libraries in 2005 and GALILEO (15) and PINES (10) are celebrating milestone birthdays!

Georgia academic libraries have endured a long, lean year of decreased budgets, staff downsizing and fewer resources. But that hasn't made us mean or a machine - times may be tough but through creative relationships with GALILEO, GIL, GOLD and PINES we still meet many of the diverse needs of our users. Collaborative sharing and sage use of technology helps us, in the words of John Lennon, “all shine on – like the moon, the stars and the sun!”

Our prime directive mandates that we provide borderless, transparent, unlimited and easy access to knowledge for our students, but attaining this goal or helping students be universally self sufficient in obtaining that may raise a few questions.

What new databases can we acquire?

The GOLD/GALILEO Conference this year will offer the annual training showcase, which this year will include white-hot sessions on “GALILEO for Library Websites” and “ProQuest 5000”!

How can academic libraries provide a better user experience?

Learn several ways to strengthen your library’s “Force” by attending our “When Generation Y asks ‘Y Not?’” session!

What’s free for my institution?

Attend the “Open Access and Scholarly Communications” session, and a galaxy of options will be illuminated!

Join in this spectacular celebration of collaboration by attending the 21st GOLD/GALILEO Users Group Conference on August 13 in Athens. The conference promises to shine brightly for academic libraries! Please visit our Web site for more information, including registration and session information.

You can also live up to your new sleek image by contributing material to the resource exchange. Click here to find out how.

Health and long life to you GOLD and GALILEO! -- Denita

Denita Hampton
Coordinator, Access & Media Services
Georgia State University Library
(404)413-2822
dahampton@gsu.edu

Toni Zimmerman
Director, Resource Sharing & Interlibrary Cooperation
Georgia Public Library Service
A Unit of the BOR Univ System of GA
1800 Century Place, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
P(404)235.7129
F(404)235.7201
tzimmerman@georgialibraries.org
www.georgialibraries.org