Welcome to the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System. There are six libraries and one bookmobile in our system. The Lake Blackshear Regional Library System is part of the statewide PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) system.Your library card may be used at any one of our facilities, as well as any PINES library throughout the state. Materials checked out at one PINES library may be returned to any other PINES library. You support your public library, and we are here to serve you.

GETTING A LIBRARY CARD

A library card is available at any library or on the bookmobile if you reside or own property in Georgia. Proof of current address or property ownership is required.

Proof of address for permanent residents is:

1. a photo I. D. showing a current local address and a valid date

OR

2. a photo I. D. without a current address AND one item attaching your name to your current address. These items might include

a. an item of mail showing the current address with a legible postmarked date

b. a current rent or utility receipt

c. an official government document with the current address and a recent date.

GETTING A CARD FOR A CHILD

A parent or guardian is required to sign for children under the age of 18. There is no minimum age requirement to get a card, but it is the parent's responsibility to cover fees and fines for their children up to 18. Parents should be aware that a child with a library card has the right to check out any library materials. It is a parent's responsibility to supervise what their child checks out.

CHILDREN'S SERVICES

During the school year, the Lake Blackshear Regional Library offers Story Time each Tuesday morning at 10:30AM in the children’s department. The Summer Reading Club is held in June and July and features professional storytellers.

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library has the Accelerated Reading lists for all public and private schools in Sumter and Schley County. Come to the library and let us show you how to reserve AR books. When your reserve books come in, you will get an email, text, or phone call telling you that your books are ready to be picked up.

The library also offers a large collection of audiobooks on CDs and preloaded MP3 players. These are perfect for the reluctant reader or for children who have difficulty reading on their own.

Our growing Young Adult section is geared towards high school aged young people. This collection of popular fiction is continually updated and rapidly expanding. As well as novels by current authors, our collection includes a large variety of graphic novels.

If you have any questions about library services for children or young adults, or you would like to schedule a special visit to the library with your classroom, contact Beth Tanner at the library (229-924-8091).

PROCTORING

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library offers proctoring for online and written exams. Click here to read and print out our full Proctoring Policy.

UNATTENDED CHILDREN

The staff of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System is not responsible for unattended children. The authorities will be called if any children are disruptive or are still here when the library closes. A copy of the Unattended Child and Youth Policy is available at each circulation desk.

PUBLIC COMPUTERS

All of the libraries in our system offer computer access. To use an Internet computer, a preson must have a valid PINES card and be at least 16 years of age. Persons under 16 years of age may not access an Internet computer without a parent or legal guardian (who has a current PINES card) sitting beside them. A free copy of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System Internet Use Policy is available at the desk.

Several of our libraries also provide access to computers with word processing programs only. These non-Internet computers can be used by patrons of any age, with or without a PINES card.

LOAN PERIODS

• • 2 weeks for books and audio cassettes
  • 2 weeks for magazines and newspapers
  • 1 week for videos, with no renewals
  • 1 day for audiovisual equipment

RENEWALS

Books, audios, magazines or newspapers may be renewed twice by a library staff member either at the circulation desk with your PINES card, by phone with your PNES card number, or by logging onto your library account at http://gapines.org. Reserved items and videos may not be renewed.

FEES

• • $0.20 cents per day for each overdue book, audiobook (CD or cassette), magazine, or newspaper
  • $.50 per day for each overdue videocassette or DVD

HOLDS

Library staff members can place holds on items for you. Holds may be placed on any circulating item owned by the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System. New items with a publication date of less than three months must be picked up at the owning library. Items aged three to six months may be picked up at any Lake Blackshear Regional Library System library. Items newer than six months do not travel outside the system. There is no fee for placing holds.

ONLINE CATALOG

Using the website http://gapines.org, you can connect to the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System catalog from the library, home, office, or classroom. Use the online catalog to:

• • Search the online catalog
  • Request that an item be held for you at a library location of your choice
  • Check your fines and fees
  • Check the status of your holds

ACCESSING THE CATALOG FROM HOME

To access your library account from home, you will need to take the following steps:

• • Visit your the library with your PINES card and ask a staff member to update your account information and set up your temporary password
  • Go to www.lbrls.org and click on Library Catalog.
  • Use your library account number (the barcode on your PINES card) and temporary password to log on to your online account.
  • It will force you to change your password after you log in the first time.

DIGITAL SERVICES:

The Library offers access to digital collections through Libby and Kanopy (via Overdrive) as well as eRead Kids through GALILEO. Libby includes ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, while Kanopy offers thousands of movies for streaming. Both collections have mobile apps and can be accessed using your valid PINES library card.

Many more digital resources can be found through GALILEO, including eRead Kids and Mango Languages. eRead Kids offers children's books in electronic and audio format. 

INTERLIBRARY LOANS

If the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System does not own a book, chances are another PINES library will have it. If it is not owned by any PINES library, we will be happy to try and borrow it from another library through an Interlibrary Loan. Patrons are asked to pay the postage to mail the book back to the lending library. A copy of the ILL policy and a form to request your book can be found at the circulation desk.

CLICK-A-STORY

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library offers CLICK-A-STORY. On our website is a link that will let you download and listen to a story. The story changes every week and is funded by the Junior Service League of Americus.

FAXING

All of our libraries now offer faxing (sending only) for the public at the cost of $2.00 for the 1st page and $1.00 each additional page.

GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY RESEARCH REQUESTS

The staff of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System will gladly assist you with any genealogy or local history questions that you might have.

In order to determine if your question falls within the scope of the library's resources, you should make initial contact with the library staff at the library serving the area about which you have an interest, by visiting the library, by telephone, by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Crisp County, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Dooly, Schley, and Sumter Counties), or by regular mail.

If after that initial contact, you and the library staff determine that your questions might be answered through further research by the library staff, you will be asked to send the following to that library:

• • A document clearly stating your questions, along with all of the relevant information (i.e. names, birth dates, death dates, marriage dates, city names, county names, etc.)
  • A stamped, self-addressed envelope
  • A check for $10.00 to cover the cost of the $10.00 research fee, which also covers the first 5 copies. Checks should be made out to the library you are contacting.
  • The maximum number of copies you are willing to pay for at $1.00 per copy after the first five.

Please be aware that while all of our counties have local history sections in one or more of their libraries, some of the libraries in our system are small. The staff at those smaller libraries may refer you to another library in our system.

Below is a list of the counties served by our library system and the libraries in those counties:

CRISP COUNTY (Includes the cities of Cordele and Arabi):

CORDELE-CRISP CARNEGIE LIBRARY

115 East 11th Avenue

PO Box 310

Cordele, GA 31010-0310

229 276-1300

Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday 10:00AM-6:00PM

Tuesday 10:00AM-8:00PM

Friday 10:00AM-4:00PM
Saturday 10:00AM-2:00PM

For more information about the Special Collections housed in Cordele, see our brochure HERE. For more information about the Library's Scrapbook Collection, see our list HERE. Hard copies of both of these are available at the Library as well.

 

DOOLY COUNTY (Includes the cities of Byromville, Dooling, Lilly, Pinehurst, Unadilla and Vienna) :

 

DOOLY COUNTY LIBRARY

1200 East Union Street

Vienna, GA 31092

229 268-4687

Monday-Thursday 9:00AM-6:00PM

Friday 9:30AM-4:00PM

ELIZABETH HARRIS LIBRARY

312 Harman Street, P.O. Box 930

Unadilla, GA 31091

478 627-9303

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:30AM-6:00PM

Friday 9:00AM-4:00PM

Saturday 9:00AM-12:00PM

BYROMVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

452 Main Street, P.O. Box 6

Byromville, GA 31007

478 433-5100

Tuesday & Thursday 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM

SCHLEY COUNTY (includes the city of Ellaville):

 

SCHLEY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

54 South Broad Street

P.O. Box 365

Ellaville, GA 31806

229 937-2004

Monday 10:00AM-4:30PM

Tuesday and Thursday 10:00AM-6:30PM

Friday 10:00AM-4:30PM

Saturday 10:00AM-2:00PM

SUMTER COUNTY (includes the cities of Americus, Andersonville, Leslie, DeSoto and Plains.:

LAKE BLACKSHEAR REGIONAL LIBRARY

307 East Lamar Street

Americus, GA 31709

229 924-8091

Monday and Wednesday 10:00AM-6:00PM

Tuesday & Thursday 10:00AM-8:00PM

Friday & Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM

For more information about the Special Collections housed in Americus, see our brochure HERE. Hard copies are available at the Library as well.

PINES

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library System is part of the statewide PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) system.

VOTER REGISTRATION

Public libraries are now mandated as voter registration sites. We are required to ask patrons when they register or update their patron information if they would like to register to vote.

 

BOOKPAGE

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library (Americus) holds a subscription to BookPage, courtesy of the Sumter County Friends of the Public Library, and keeps current copies at the front desk. These are free to the public.