FOCUS ON LITERACY
The PINES Library Access for Youth (PLAY) program gives students free access to public library materials and online resources, and as of Friday, includes Jones County students.
The Georgia program is a partnership between school systems and public libraries with the goal of improving literacy for students.
The announcement of Jones County’s acceptance into the program was made in a Sept. 30 email to board members of the Middle Georgia Regional Library by Jennifer Lautzenheiser, MGRL director.
“I’m so thrilled to share that we have confirmation from PINES that the Jones County student files have been transmitted. The Jones County PLAY Cards will become active Friday, Oct. 7, just in time for Jones County Schools’ fall break,” she said. “Welcome to PLAY Card, Jones County.”
What that means is all Jones County Schools students in grades K-12 are automatically enrolled. Parents had the opportunity to opt out of the program before the student files were transmitted and can opt out of the program at any time.
Students without a library card can now use their student numbers to access both physical and digital materials at the Jones County Library. Students will be able to check out as many as five items at a time, and there are no late fees.
They can also request items from any PINES affiliated library, and they will be delivered free to their local library branch for pickup. PINES ( Public Information Network for Electronic Services), which is part of Georgia Public Library Service, serves patrons in all 159 Georgia counties.
According to the Georgia Public Library website, the PLAY Card program was developed by the Georgia Public Library Service to give more youths access to their local public library and the tools they need to build literacy skills.
The program is a statewide initiative, but individual libraries and school systems forge local agreements for how to implement the PLAY Card in their community.
More than 100,000 students in Georgia have access to their public libraries because of the program.
Jones County School Superintendent Charles Lundy signed the PLAY Card agreement in May. Lundy is a member of the Jones County Library Board of Trustees and was supportive of the program. His only hesitancy was the automatic inclusion of students. The option for parents to opt out before the program was implemented made the difference.
It was hoped that the PLAY Card program would be active when students returned to school in August, but technical difficulties in submitting the files caused the delay. Clinton Burston, Jones County Schools Executive Director of Accountability and School Improvement, worked diligently with PINES technicians to work out the issues.
Burston’s response when thanked for his efforts was, “Anything to improve literacy.”
Jones County Library Branch Manager Julie King said she could not be more excited for Jones County students.
“We are so thrilled to be able to partner with the Jones County Board of Education to offer the PLAY Cards to our students,” she said. “We feel this is going to open up so many opportunities, which were not available to some students before.Since the students will be able to access printed materials and online resources using their student number, it will be much easier to help them get the resources they need in a quick and easy way.”
The Jones County Library is located at 146 Railroad Street and is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
For more information about what is happening at the library, visit its Facebook page, Jones County Library, or call 478-986-6626.
