#04-283
Oct. 7, 2004

GIL Express gives USG library patrons access to more than four million titles

AMERICUS--The libraries of the institutions in the University System of Georgia (USG) have implemented an automated system that gives authorized users quick and easy access to more than four million titles. 

Called GALILEO Interconnected Libraries, or GIL Express, the new system allows USG students, faculty, and staff to make online or in-person requests for any of the items contained in the general collections of 35 libraries throughout the state. 

The system features an easy-to-use interface, immediate patron validation and automatic tracking of materials. Most requested materials are delivered within three days. 

"The development of the Universal Catalog and the implementation of GIL Express will extend accessibility to collections and enhance circulation services throughout the University System of Georgia, including Georgia Southwestern State University's users," said Vera J. Weisskopf, director of the James Earl Carter Library. "We are delighted to be a part of this wonderful cooperative effort." 

GIL Express is the most recent evolution of GALILEO Interconnected Libraries (GIL), which is the second phase of the University System's GALILEO initiative. GALILEO--which stands for Georgia Library Learning Online--is a World Wide Web-based virtual library that provides access to multiple information resources. The community of more than 2,000 GALILEO institutions includes the USG, K-12 schools, public libraries, adult technical institutes and colleges, and a group of private academic colleges and universities. 

Implemented in September, GIL Express replaced the USG borrowing card that used to be required for students, faculty, and staff who wanted materials from a USG library other than the one at their home institution. 

Through GIL Express, patrons have access to the Universal Catalog, which combines the individual collections of the libraries at the 34 USG institutions and the Gwinnett University Center. The Universal Catalog contains over 4.3 millions titles, including 2.6 million titles that are held by only one library in the USG. All USG libraries have unique holdings that reflect differences in curriculum, faculty research interests and collecting policies. 

GIL Express is the result of the USG library faculty and staff's dedication to "bricks and clicks" service. This means complementing the services available through the on-campus library locations with the Internet. 

The USG serves approximately a quarter of a million students, all of whom have access to GIL Express. 

"This is the product of years of hard work on the part of the USG libraries' faculty and staff," said the University of Georgia's Claire Colombo, who is the chair of the GIL Express Task Force. "We've had a vision that our patrons would be able to quickly and easily borrow material from across the system's libraries. GIL Express is the realization of that cooperative effort." For more information on GIL Express and the GIL Universal Catalog, visit http://gilexpress.usg.edu and http://giluc.usg.edu. The GALILEO Interconnected Libraries Project is managed by Library Services of the Office of Information and Instructional Technology. 

For more information on the GIL Project visit http://gil.usg.edu or contact Merryll S. Penson, executive director, Library Services.

PHOTO AVAILABLE: Headshot of Vera J. Weisskopf, director of the James Earl Carter Library

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