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G2S Project Code: 2022-GA-92298
State: Georgia
Fiscal Year: 2022

Grantee
Georgia Public Library Service

Project Director
Director Name: Evan Michael Bush
Director Phone: (470) 707-7346
Director Email: ebush@georgialibraries.org

General Information
Title: Youth Services
State Project Code: GA98148-60
Start Date: 10/01/2022
End Date: 09/30/2023
Abstract: The GPLS Youth Services department sought to transform families by helping create the pre-conditions necessary to becoming lifelong readers and learners. This year GPLS supported this goal by providing professional development and support for libraries and library staff who lead youth literacy programming (including Summer Reading), our updated 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative, Prime Time Family Reading, and The Georgia Peach Award. Youth Services offered a comprehensive array of support for Children’s and Young Adult service practitioners across the state of Georgia that included consultations, virtual and in-person trainings, and networking opportunities provided through the maintenance of a listserv for 400+ Children’s staff, and a listserv for 100+ Young Adult staff.
State Goal: Learning

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$215,862.38

$0.00

$215,862.38

Intent(s)
Improve users' formal education.
Education
Literacy

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Youth Services Outreach
Narrative: The Director of Youth Services spent significant time each month in consultation with library staff across the state. Twice this year (spring and fall) a communications count was taken over a two week period. This biennial count was used to estimate the number of professional communications and consultations with library directors and staff. In 2022, the Director of Youth Services averaged 6,678 annual communications/consultations. Next year we will be using a different method of tracking to more accurately reflect consultations. Trainings were offered both virtually and in-person covering story time basics and movement activities for birth to age 11, summer reading, library programming, Prime Time Family Reading Time, and the Beanstack online reading program, with a total attendance of 684 library staff in attendance. GPLS continued to partner with multiple organizations including, the Georgia Humanities, the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, the Collaborative Summer Library Program, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, as well as collaborate with other community organizations such as Get Georgia Reading, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, and Luluma.
Intent: Improve users' formal education.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 6,678
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 557

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: Yes
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 407
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 6

Activity Details
Title: Summer Reading
Narrative: As an annual program, Summer Reading at Georgia public libraries brought children and families into local public libraries for reading and activities and helped to keep children and families engaged in learning during the out-of-school time. All 407 local libraries throughout Georgia offered a summer reading program geared towards the needs of children in their communities. Children were encouraged to read during the out-of-school time to help prevent summer slide. Library staff helped children select reading materials and provided literacy-enhancing programs such as storytelling, music, creative arts, and performances. This was the fourth year Beanstack was used as a digital means of tracking reading and participation. GPLS provided Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) manuals and print materials to support the statewide summer reading program. GPLS also partnered with the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy to provide supplemental mini-grants to all 60 library Systems in Georgia for the implementation of Summer Reading.
Intent: Improve users' formal education.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 36,273
Number of electronic materials acquired: 408
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 407
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 2

Activity Details
Title: Prime Time Family Reading Time
Narrative: Prime Time Family Reading Time, created by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, focused on reading, discussion and storytelling through illustrated children’s books. The program was designed specifically for under-served families with children ages 6 to 10 to help economically and educationally vulnerable families bond around the act of reading and talking about books. GPLS partnered with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, and the Georgia Humanities to host 14 sites around the state serving 2,124 children and adult caregivers. Each Library site hosted a six week Prime Time program that provided hot meals, free books, and an introduction to library services. In addition to the six week program, GPLS also provided 120 Prime Time Spark Boxes (family literacy kits) from private grant funding to families across the state who had difficulty accessing the library for various reasons.
Intent: Improve users' formal education.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: In-person

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 60
Number of sessions in program: 6
Average number in attendance per session: 25
Number of times program administered: 14

Partner Information

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: AUGUSTA-RICHMOND COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 823 TELFAIR STREET
City: AUGUSTA
State: GA
Zip: 30901
Name: BARTOW COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 429 WEST MAIN STREET
City: CARTERSVILLE
State: GA
Zip: 30120
Name: CHEROKEE REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 305 SOUTH DUKE STREET
City: LAFAYETTE
State: GA
Zip: 30728
Name: COASTAL PLAIN REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 2014 CHESTNUT AVENUE
City: TIFTON
State: GA
Zip: 31794
Name: COBB COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 266 ROSWELL STREET
City: MARIETTA
State: GA
Zip: 30060
Name: FULTON COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: ONE MARGARET MITCHELL SQUARE
City: ATLANTA
State: GA
Zip: 30303
Name: KINCHAFOONEE REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 913 FORRESTER DRIVE, SE
City: DAWSON
State: GA
Zip: 39842
Name: PIEDMONT REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 189 BELL VIEW STREET
City: WINDER
State: GA
Zip: 30680
Name: WEST GEORGIA REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 710 ROME STREET
City: CARROLLTON
State: GA
Zip: 30117
Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 41
Agree: 3
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 39
Agree: 5
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 39
Agree: 5
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 4: I am more aware of resources and services provided by the library.
Strongly Agree: 41
Agree: 2
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 1
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 5: I am more likely to use other library resources and services.
Strongly Agree: 39
Agree: 3
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 1
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 1
Non-Response: 0

Activity Details
Title: Early Literacy
Narrative: This year, Youth Services rebranded their statewide 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten early literacy program by creating updated artwork, a digital toolkit, a new digital tracking platform on Beanstack, and additional funding for implementation. In addition to providing early literacy trainings for library staff around the state, GPLS also continued their Seasons of Song early music literacy pilot that launched last fiscal year. This program uses music, movement and singing to promote early brain development and reading skills in children birth to age 7. GPLS also provided early literacy professional development opportunities in partnership with the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy and their Emergent Literacy virtual learning series. Working in collaboration with Get Georgia Reading and other state agencies and nonprofits, GPLS continued to support the common agenda that all children in Georgia will be on a path to reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.
Intent: Improve users' formal education.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: In-person

Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 60
Number of presentations/performances administered: 15
Average number in attendance per session: 46

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 407
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 3

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Youth Services played a vital role in providing public libraries the building blocks for early literacy, community connection, library usage, and life-long learning. As shown in the abundance of statewide consultations and well attended trainings, there was a clear need for even more support and training for youth services staff in the field. At a recent training, 40.4 percent of the participants had not previously received any youth services training prior to attending. Four summers have now passed since the pandemic and there was a noticeable resurgence of participation in the statewide Summer Reading Program. The tools and strategies that GPLS provides, such as Beanstack, were themselves effective well beyond the summer reading window and purpose. Beanstack became a major asset to many libraries around the state in engaging the public with year round literacy activities, as well as the primary implementation tool for the GPLS’s new 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative. The Prime Time Family Reading Time has continued to be successful in serving children, ages 6-10, and bringing in new families who have not previously been library users. As an extension of this, GPLS distributed 120 Prime Time Spark Box literacy kits so far from private grant funding to families with difficulty accessing the library for various reasons, including transportation.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
There was a large turnover in youth services staff in libraries across the states. This large influx of new staff demonstrated an increased need for training and support, specifically in early literacy and story time practices. GPLS will be providing more in-person trainings around the state, as well hosting its first Youth Services Conference in the spring of 2024. Youth Services staff will also be providing more digital youth services content on the GPLS website for staff to access throughout the year.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Libraries across the state had a major turnover in youth services staff, many of which did not have access to quality training. Coupled with pressures over book bans, title selection and program content, library staff have access to the most up to date training for youth services practitioners. The training that the state library will potentially provide can enable staff to adequately support the wide range of children, young adults and diverse families in their communities. What has successfully worked for GPLS, and the library staff over the past year, was providing engaging, in-person, quality professional development opportunities that are geographically accessible. Early literacy continued to be the foundation of youth services. GPLS maintained its commitment to providing a wide array of topical trainings for statewide library staff throughout the year, maintaining support for vital programs such as Prime Time, Summer Reading, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and the pilot early music literacy program Seasons of Song.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Project Staff
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Administrative Records
Review Surveys
Direct Observation
Participant Observation
Did you collect any media for the data:
Photos
Videos
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Statistical Methods
Qualitative Methods
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
Targeted Sample – We selected based on a desired characteristic, e.g. age.
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Comparison of a reported output or outcome to an assigned target value: Comparison to data from previous program year.

Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeYes; The Director of Youth Services filled a training gap that worsened due to the high turnover in the youth services staff in Georgia public libraries. The training was often held in-person statewide, meeting libraries where they are at and where there was the most need.

Project Tags: early literacy, summer reading, Prime Time