Georgia's PINES program issues 2 millionth library card
GPLS News, November 2008
PINES is a statewide consortium comprised of nearly 280 public libraries and service outlets in 51 library systems covering 140 counties.
WINDER, GA. -- In mid-October, Angel Tuggle, manager of the Piedmont Regional Library System's Winder branch, helped Michelle Benoff of Bethlehem, Ga., sign up her 5-year-old son Andrew for a PINES card. When it and the other new cards issued on Oct. 14 were added to the system, Georgia's Public Information Network for Electronic Services (PINES) had issued its 2 millionth card and achieved a level of popularity that its developers could only have dreamed of nine years ago.
From its inception, the goal of PINES has been to create a statewide, borderless library ‹ one that eliminates geographic and socio-economic barriers and provides equal access to information for all Georgians.
The program went live at 98 libraries in 26 public library systems on Dec. 15, 1999, offering a shared catalog of approximately 1.8 million items. It achieved its largest annual growth in 2001, when 111 libraries in 16 systems were added. PINES issued its 1 millionth card in May 2003.
Today, PINES is a statewide consortium comprised of nearly 280 public libraries and service outlets in 51 library systems covering 140 counties. Together, these participating facilities offer Georgia citizens a shared catalog of nearly 10 million items that can be accessed by a single library card that is welcomed by all.
"This 2-million-card milestone is a great indicator that we are succeeding with our initial goal," said Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "It's very gratifying to us at GPLS that so many library users throughout the state appreciate the PINES system. The popularity of PINES reinforces Georgia's reputation as a national leader in library cooperation and resource sharing, and we are very proud of that standing."
According to PINES Program Director Elizabeth McKinney, this year's PINES User Satisfaction Survey delivered the program's highest-ever satisfaction ratings. For the first time in the survey's five-year history, PINES topped the 90 percent mark in user satisfaction across all questions.
Based on 2008 survey data, 19 out of 20 respondents (94.6 percent) would recommend the PINES system to their friends, with four out of five (81.7 percent) respondents using the catalog at least weekly to renew books online, place holds on books, determine fines or see what items they have checked out.
"Many of the comments we received in this year's PINES user surveys indicate that our users are impressed by ‹ and are grateful for ‹ the ability to use their PINES cards at any member library and to request materials not owned by their local libraries," McKinney said. "The overwhelmingly positive response confirms that Georgians truly see the benefits of PINES."
PINES users may request materials from any participating library to be shipped to a pick-up library of their choice. Intra-PINES loans are provided free of charge to PINES users. Any resident of Georgia may obtain a free PINES card by visiting a participating library.
A complete list of participating libraries and service outlets, along with the full PINES catalog, is available from workstations within all Georgia public libraries, as well as for users logging in from home, at gapines.org.