GLASS creates its own accessible reading material through its operation of the Glass Recording Studio. This year, due to COVID restrictions on face-to-face meetings, the recording studio only produced two books which staff uploaded to the NLS BARD online collection. GLASS Outreach has used the recording studio to record an audio version of the GLASS quarterly newsletter, HourGLASS. This recording is uploaded to YouTube and is linked to the GLASS website.

Digital audiobooks created by GLASS were downloaded 383 times in FY20 by talking book patrons and libraries across the NLS network of libraries, a 43% increase over last year’s usage of GLASS recorded content.

This has been a year of amazing change for the GLASS Distribution Center. GLASS circulation has transitioned from traditional circulation of digital talking book cartridges to circulation of cartridges created by Duplication on demand. A local copy of the BARD database of NLS content is synchronized nightly. Through a combination of NLS provided equipment and software and a new interface with the GLASS ILS KLAS (Keystone Library Automation System), a customized cartridge holding as many as ten titles per cartridge is created for patrons. KLAS keeps a list of titles in a queue for patrons, such that when a cartridge is returned a new cartridge is created. Patrons in cooperation with reader advisors can set parameters for their service. Distribution Center staff no longer has to pull outgoing materials nor re-shelve incoming materials. The team has spent from January to September returning NLS materials for recycling. This has been a major undertaking that has allowed the Distribution Center to move from an 11,000 sq ft warehouse to a 1500 sq ft office. By counting titles lent from the distribution Center, circulation has jumped tremendously. In preparation for the DoD transition, staff did a large data purge of customers who did not meet our circulation usage requirements. Even with that, circulation increased tremendously. Though the service was shut down for approximately four weeks due to COVID,  circulation remained slowed but robust. 

Staff at GLASS Atlanta provide a range of library services via the telephone, e-mail and walk-in services. Staff provides patrons with assistance in using the library’s adapted computers and assistive technology. They provide reference assistance, information & referral, and programming. The Technical Support Librarian works to update and maintain the integrity of the library catalog, enhancing customer access to library resources. Staff supports customer access to NLS resources, Bookshare resources and other community resources, including resources from Georgia’s participating PINES libraries. Programming is creative, innovative and very responsive to the interests of the community of print-impaired readers. COVID impacted all of these services, yet with a creative and energetic staff they continued to both assist patrons and provide remote programming. This year GLASS staff served 14,559 patrons. Of those patrons, 1589 are registered BARD users and 253 are enrolled in the PINES -GLASS partnership program to borrow large print items. Reader Advisors answered 17,153 calls from patrons. They hosted 526  in-person visits to the library from October until mid-March when the library closed to public access. Even before COVID, most library programs were hosted remotely. These programs continued after the shut-down, even with staff working from home. GLASS hosted 55 programs, with 458 participants. Programs included:  Peer Support, iPhone Class, Keyboarding Classes, Male BookClub, Make the Connection Book club, For Grown Folks only Bookclub and the children’s summer reading program. 

The 2020 summer reading program was held from July 1- July 31. GLASS was able to participate in the statewide contract for BeanStack to provide a virtual summer reading experience. Though our participation was much lower than in previous years during which we could work closely with partner agencies, we did have some avid participants. We awarded our most active participant with an iPad mini as his prize for finishing all of the online challenges. 

Prior to the COVID shutdown, GLASS Atlanta staff provided a variety of in-person book discussion groups for those who could visit the library. Both before and after the shutdown, GLASS coordinated several remote book discussion groups via telephone. The book clubs are for diverse audiences. Some programs targeted male readers, others to those who wished to read and discuss books with themes specific to adult audiences. This year GLASS staff had been hosting remote peer support groups via conference call telephone meetings. This continued throughout the shutdown and was very important to participants during this time of social isolation. A very special program that took place prior to the shutdown was the GLASS Got Talent Holiday Show and Luncheon. Approximately 80 people attended to enjoy singing and other musical performances from GLASS patrons. They enjoyed a barbecue luncheon and holiday desserts after the show. A local public library partnered with GLASS to allow them to use their theater for the performances. 

Staff at GLASS Atlanta encourage eligible readers to enroll in Bookshare with accounts provided by GLASS. This provides access to over 900,00 accessible titles in a variety of accessible formats. For users who cannot navigate or function with computers and downloading, GLASS staff downloaded 286 books onto digital content on behalf of users. Those users who could independently access Bookshare downloaded an additional 10,464 titles.

GLASS services remain reliant upon making sure that everyone in the state is aware that the services are available to serve the needs of Georgians who are print impaired. As the NLS talking book program serves persons with vision impairment and functional disability which are most often age acquired, there is an ever changing, ever growing set of individuals who need to be informed of GLASS services. The goals for GLASS outreach are to build ambassadors for our program through strong interaction with Georgia’s public library system and through partnerships with key agencies that also serve persons with print impairment, such as centers for independent living, aging & senior service organizations and rehabilitation service  providers. Additionally, the outreach team goes into communities to talk to groups that may benefit from learning about the GLASS program and resources.

GLASS Outreach restructured this year due to state budget cuts. Though the budget cuts were the catalyst for the change, these changes had been proposed several years earlier as a plan to consolidate all GLASS services out of the state library offices in Atlanta.  COVID impacted our ability to move forward with plans as envisioned.  However, by the end of this fiscal year we were recruiting for an Outreach Manager who will carry forward the plan for centralized outreach with the goal of creating ambassadors for the program across the state of Georgia.