Sunday, July 15, 2007

Georgia Then and Now

Then...

1936

71% of the population was without any(paid or free) library service
2,079,793 people without a local public library
115 counties without a single library within their borders

1975

36 regional public library systems served 147 counties
11 single-county library systems
1 county not in any library system, supported only by local funds

Now...

58 library systems
100% of Georgia public libraries have free high speed Internet
5,804 public access work stations



Brown, Patrica L., and Beverly A. Rawles. "Public Libraries in Georgia: a Working Paper." Battelle Columbus Laboratories, 1975.

Did You Know? Facts About Georgia's Public Libraries. Georgia Public Library Service, 2007.

Harris, Susie M. "Regional Library Development in Georgia." North Georgia College, 1948.

Hopper, Lyn. "Tools for Trustees: the Georgia Public Library Manual." Georgia Public Library Service: Geogia's Library State Agency. 2007. Georgia Public Library Service. 16 Mar. 2007 .

2 comments:

dsingleton said...

Thanks for this historical perspective! We forget how far we've come, and that it hasn't been that long since there were unserved counties in Georgia. Actually, the last county (Glascock) without a public library facility added a facility in 1999, I believe.

--David Singleton (GPLS)

Leann said...

1999? That amazes me. I guess it shouldn't but it does.