About Georgia Public Library Service
Welcome from the State Librarian
Georgia’s public libraries are the heart and soul of their communities. They are strong, vibrant, and relevant to users with a wide variety of needs, hopes and dreams. From toddlers learning to read to students preparing for life beyond high school to older adults looking to stay active in retirement – our libraries offer a range of programs and resources to keep citizens engaged in all phases of life.
Our libraries are open and welcoming to all, serving the educational, recreational, and informational needs of our communities. Our role in educational support, family literacy, and economic development cannot be overstated. Here in Georgia, our library leaders work diligently with elected officials to ensure our libraries will continue to be successful in meeting the immediate and long-term needs of citizens.
On behalf of the Georgia Public Library Service and libraries across the state, I invite all Georgians to visit their local library. If you’re a frequent visitor, you’ll experience the service and resources you’ve come to expect. If this is your first visit in a while, you’ll be amazed and delighted by the advances in library design, technology, and programming!
Julie Walker
Vice Chancellor for Libraries & Archives and State Librarian
Improving lives and transforming communities – FY2025
Libraries are worth the investment.
Read our 2025 Year in Review
Year in Review FY2025 (PDF)
Our Mission
Georgia Public Library Service empowers libraries to improve the lives of Georgians.
We achieve our mission by:
- Providing and encouraging visionary leadership;
- Ensuring equal access to information and technology;
- Promoting the value and joy of lifelong reading and learning; and
- Facilitating collaboration and innovation in the broader library community.
We provide innovative, scalable library technology and services; staff training and best practices; grant administration and more to create a quality library experience for patrons, no matter where they live.
We also work with elected officials to highlight the critical role that libraries play in meeting the immediate and long-term needs of citizens.
Georgia Public Library Service is the state library administrative agency and a unit of the Board of Regents, University System of Georgia.
Our Work
Georgia’s libraries are a model of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
ADMINISTERING GRANTS
GPLS administers more than $45 million in state and federal grant funds to public library systems and GLS for the support of statewide activities.
Grants support salaries and travel for professional librarians, purchases of books and materials, maintenance and operation of facilities, and the purchase and development of technology systems for library staff and users.
By the Numbers FY25 (PDF)
EMPOWERING LIBRARY STAFF
GPLS provides a broad range of consulting and technical assistance on topics such as resource sharing, outreach support, digitization, marketing, and facilities planning.
Services also include training library trustees, assisting with recruitment and hiring of administrators, and providing leadership in advocacy and governmental relations.
We also offer a wide variety of continuing education for library professionals.
ENCOURAGING LIFELONG LEARNING
GPLS provides many ways for libraries to share both physical and digital resources statewide, ensuring access to a consistent set of books, ebooks, audiobooks, databases, and more.
All libraries also have access to GALILEO, with tools for lifelong learners, from language learning to job skills to genealogy resources.
ENSURING ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL
Georgia Library Service (GLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled is a free braille and talking book library service for individuals whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in audio, braille or other adapted formats.
GLS has almost 600,000 annual checkouts, and users who are unable to visit a library can obtain materials by mail free of charge.
GLS also cooperates with all of the state’s library systems to give Georgians ready access to materials from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY
GPLS helps secure discounts through the federal E-Rate program, enabling all libraries to provide free high-speed internet for their communities. In 2024, this saved public libraries $4,553,588 in internet service payments.
We assist public library staff through professional development and technical support for network, hardware, and software issues. GPLS also shares Technology Loaner Kits so libraries can gain experience with new tech devices without having to purchase them.
MANAGING THE STATEWIDE LENDING NETWORK
PINES is a lending network of more than 300 public libraries in 145 counties. Anyone who lives in Georgia can get a PINES card. Cardholders have access to a shared collection of more than 11 million items that can be delivered to their home libraries free of charge.
PINES is managed by GPLS staff and is provided at no cost to Georgia library systems. By utilizing economies of scale, PINES has enabled libraries to reduce software expenditures by approximately $10 million a year.
STRENGTHENING EARLY LITERACY
GPLS provides resources and assistance for libraries to support youth learning and development, through expertise in children’s and teen services, planning, training, and family literacy.
We also coordinate the annual statewide Summer Reading Program, funding opportunities, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, and the Prime Time Family
Reading program.
More than 1 million children, youth, and caregivers attend programs designed for them by Georgia’s public libraries throughout the year.
