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The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has selected Cobb County (GA) Public Library to receive the Council’s first “Award of Excellence in Public Library Management.” The creation of the award was announced earlier this year to recognize public libraries which have initiated “innovative practices and programs of public library management.” The award includes a $ 1,500 cash prize, underwritten by Library Systems & Services (LSSI).
Cobb County was selected for the innovative way in which it upgraded its growing library automation needs while gaining more control over the system’s day-to-day operation and maintenance.
According to Bill Knott, chairman of ULC’s Award Committee, “Cobb County’s proposal most completely met the four award criteria. These included fulfilling a library need, creating a prototype from which other libraries could easily copy and benefit, minimizing financial outlay, and producing tangible results.” Knott is director of Jefferson County Library in Lakewood, CO.
Gail Rogers, director of Cobb County Public Library, said that as the demand for automation became greater and more complex, the library out-grew its “home-grown local system.” “After an assessment of our existing technological capability and our growing diverse needs, we came to the conclusion that the library and our patrons would be better served by a network of automation software and services readily available from a variety of vendors. The thing that is unique about what we did is that all of the technical support is supplied by the vendor, as we did not have sufficient staff to support this new technology.” The project includes equipment leasing, maintenance, training and help desk support for PC’s, peripheral, software and hardware, telecommunications network equipment, provision of data lines, maintenance and management, and the integrated library system.
Frank Pezzanite, Chief Operating Officer of the Germantown, MD-based LSSI, said: “We are pleased to be associated with the Urban Libraries Council and this important award for recognizing outstanding achievements in library management. It is evident from Cobb County’s experience that today’s librarians need to stay as current with ever evolving changes in library automation as they do with bestsellers and research materials.” |
