The Eatonton-Putnam County Library hosted a celebration July 16, in recognition of the Azalea Regional Library System (ARLS) being named 2021 Library of the Year by the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS). GPLS is the government agency that provides management, support and primary funding of 60 statewide library systems that include nearly 390 facilities. The City of Eatonton and Putnam County also contribute significant funding to local library operations and staffing.
“Of course we were elated, and the state did say that it was probably their biggest applicant pool yet, so we were doubly honored to be chosen from so many other library systems in the state that are doing really incredible things,” Azalea Executive Director Stacy Brown said at the Eatonton event. “We are just very proud and honored to be recognized.”
Also in attendance were Eatonton Mayor John Reid, Councilmember Janie Reid, ARLS trustees, Eatonton library manager LaChelle Jordon with her staff and many local library patrons.
“I’m more than honored to be a part of this system. It has really done a lot for, not just me, but for everyone here at this library, every member that is a part of it,” Jordon said. “I’m ecstatic about being a member here.”
Following an initial regional celebration in February at Azalea’s headquarters in Madison, each of nine ARLS libraries that serve a collective population of about 175,000 throughout six counties--Putnam, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Morgan and four libraries in Walton county--are alternately hosting their own events this year.
The Azalea system submitted its application for the award last October, Brown explained, and learned of its selection late in the year. In a press release announcing the decision, GPLS credited the Azalea Library Service for providing “programming and services that demonstrate knowledge and care for their communities,” particularly in light of adapting to the COVID-19 era while maintaining high degrees of accessibility and functionality.
“So many people work together to support and promote our libraries and this achievement would not be possible without the collective hard work, commitment and heart for service demonstrated by our incredible staff, volunteers and trustees,” Brown said at the time.
“We also appreciate our dedicated and supportive patrons, Friends of the Library groups, local funding agencies and community partners. This recognition of our important work is a great accomplishment and one for which we can all be proud.”
Brown said community support, flexibility and adaptability toward providing library services and customer-service initiatives were among several attributes ARLS demonstrated to earn its prestigious recognition. She said Eatonton’s mayor and the Putnam County Board of Commissioners each sent official letters of support to GPLS, with many Putnam County residents and library patrons also sending letters, as did several local businesses and service organizations.
“So there was a lot of support coming in from the people who use the library. And we’ve been able to establish a relationship with (Pulitzer Prize-winning author) Alice Walker. When she came out here to Eatonton to celebrate her birthday she did an event here (at the library) and that helped, too, I think,” Brown said.
“And since then, she’s been giving us books that we can give to students during the summer creative writing contests here. We’ve been able to award these books that she’s donated to us to these students. So it’s a really nice collaboration with someone who is from Eatonton and also is an internationally recognized author. Just a wonderful partnership.”
Brown also mentioned her member libraries’ positive response to the COVID crisis as a strong attribute.
“You know, we just have really great programming here and that was a huge part of it. Our region itself was only shut down for two weeks and then we started providing curbside service and just made sure that people had what they needed,” she said.
“Our staff, they were really able to think creatively, outside the box, and provide virtual programming and other ways that we could meet community needs, even during the thick of the pandemic. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”