Greetings from Hall County

Hello everyone. I first must apologize for not blogging before now. I meant to right after the planning meeting but life got in the way of my best intentions. Actually we had a flood (water pipe broke) at the main branch of the Hall County Library System where I work on Thursday, Jun 21. We did not reopen until Wednesday Jun 26. I am exhausted. I am also proud to be a part of such a great team. Everyone banded together to put the library back together after dismantling a lot of the adult non-fiction section and the children's department. Needless to say I have been busy.

I did want to comment on the Strategic Planning Committee meeting held on June 20. I found the whole process fascinating and illuminating. After receiving reports from the various groups represented in the Committee we had a vision time. We were asked to think outside the box and envision Georgia libraries as they could be without budget, building, techonological or transportation constraints. It was truly a work of fiction. However like any good book it was satisfying, thought provoking and worthy of conversation. After we brain-stormed and came up with some very clever and worthwhile suggestions we were then challenged to think of ways to implement some of them into our plan at the September meeting.

The whole process was not only enlightening but also exciting. Can we build Georgia libraries the way we envisioned they could be? Only time will tell. Until next time, keep dry and make sure your water fountain pipes are solid otherwise you too could be moving books from shelves to boxes and back to shelves again.

Leslie James

Introduction

Hello, my name is Leann Boyd and I work at William S. Smith Library at South Georgia College as the Information Services Librarian. I provide instructional and reference services and give library tours. I am in charge of staff development and manage collection development.

I am thrilled to be one of the two graduate students chosen and look forward to working with the GPLS Strategic Planning team. I take classes online through Valdosta State University’s MLIS program. I plan to do my capstone course this fall and graduate in December.

Currently I am researching the history of GPLS and Georgia libraries for the planning team. I have a background of studying and researching history but I have never researched history for the purpose of strategic planning. I am excited to be working on this project and look forward to learning new skills.

Introduction

Hello everyone please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leslie James and I work at the Gainesville branch of the Hall County Library System.

I am excited to be one of two graduate students chosen to work with the GPLS Strategic Planning team. The University of Alabama has an online MLIS program that enables me to take graduate level courses from the comforts of home. Without this technology I would not be able to obtain my MLIS. My plan is to finish all classes and graduate by the end of summer 2008.

Currently I am writing an environmental scan for the planning team which is progressing nicely. This is a new adventure that is both challenging and exciting. Challenging because I have never worked on a project of this magnitude and exciting because I have the opportunity to not only be a member of the planning team but also to learn new skills that will benefit me in my chosen profession. Admittedly I do not know much about planning for the future of libraries but I am well acquainted with planning in general. I am married, 16 years, with three children ages 9, 13 and 15 each attending a different school. As mentioned earlier I work full time for HCLS. As part of my job, I maintain the Foundation Center materials and workshops. I also select all adult fiction, large print, CD audios, audiobooks, DVD's and Spanish language materials. Somehow in the midst of all these activities I have managed to keep my sanity and thrive.

What else can I say? I am very excited to be working with Lyn and GPLS and grateful for the opportunity.

Leslie James

Welcome to the Strategic Planning Blog

This will be a blog about the strategic planning process for the Georgia Public Library Service. See our Strategic Planning Page on the GPLS site for more details.