Live Oak Public Libraries hosts the PINES 20th Anniversary Celebration today, Wednesday, December 4, 2019. A reception will take place from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Bull Street Library.
State Librarian Julie Walker and
Georgia Public Library Service will present PINES' impact over the years. The special event will include friends of the community, local officials, library leadership from across the state, and University System of Georgia dignitaries.
New PINES branding will be revealed at the celebration, and guests will have the opportunity to view the finalists of the patron-designed PINES anniversary edition library card contest and vote for the winner.
PINES IMPACT
Georgia Library Public Information Network for Electronic Services, or
PINES, creates a statewide borderless library that eliminates geographic and socio-economic barriers, and the initiative is one way that Georgia Public Library Service provides a forward-thinking, scalable service that strengthens access to information and saves taxpayer money.
PINES has changed the way consortia work with innovative software development and infrastructure that has been adopted and copied worldwide.
Over its 20 years, PINES has saved Georgia’s public libraries $12 million in one-time costs and more than $79 million in ongoing costs. These savings have allowed libraries to use limited funds on other needed resources and services for patrons.
Nearly two million Georgians have PINES library cards throughout every county in the state. PINES offers equity in access to information through its shared collection of 11 million library materials that anyone with a PINES card can have delivered to their home library, no matter where they live in Georgia.
PINES also provides automation, training and courier services to libraries for a fraction of the $24 million that would be required to pay for the same services on a system-by-system basis. With an annual budget of $1.1 million, the PINES program costs less than 58 cents for each cardholder.
Live Oak Public Libraries joined PINES in February 2018.
