Julie Walker, Assistant Vice Chancellor & State Librarian

Julie Walker
Vice Chancellor for Libraries & Archives State Librarian

A 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 variety 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!

About the Georgia Public Library Service

Georgia Public Library Service empowers libraries to improve the lives of all Georgians.

We provide innovative, scalable library technology and services; staff training and best practices; grant administration and more to create equity in library experience for patrons, no matter where they live.

We also work with elected officials to ensure they understand 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 Mission

The Georgia Public Library Service: Empowering 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.

Statement on Objectionable Digitized Content

Georgia Public Library Service’s digitization projects derive in large part from physical documents housed within Georgia’s public libraries or at partnering historical societies, museums, and similar institutions. These materials are made broadly, publicly, and freely available as part of the historical record and for educational purposes.

Georgia Public Library Service and its partners recognize that users may encounter some items within these collections that contain offensive language, imagery, or other forms of objectionable content. Such materials document the past and should be viewed within the context of their original time period.

Providing online access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors depicted therein. GPLS is committed to upholding the principle of equal and free access to unaltered historical information.

For libraries and archives seeking additional information and resources, see Tufts University’s bibliography: Additional Reading: Potentially Harmful Language in Archival Description or Harvard Center for the History of Medicine’s Guidelines for Inclusive and Conscientious Description.