GLS Update - by Jen Bell

 

You may remember from a previous blog post that GLASS is now GLS - Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. I will be FCPL’s GLS Ambassador which means I’ll attend meetings and training so I can share information about the program with our staff. I encourage you to take a look at the new GLS website so you can get an idea of everything they offer. They are in the process of updating the site, as well as their marketing materials so I will let you know when those are ready.

While I don’t have very much to share since the Ambassador program hasn’t yet started, I have a couple of updates:

• If you have any printed GLASS applications on hand, please discard those and use the updated GLS application.
• Librarians could always be a certifying authority for a patron with blindness and/or visual or physical impairment but the update now allows us to certify a reading disability as well.
• The latest report from GLS shows that Forsyth County has 115 active GLS patrons, 22 of whom checked out 603 items in June.
• As of June, Forsyth County serves just 3.2% of our eligible blind and print disabled population, which is down from 2020 and 2019 usage. Forsyth County’s eligible population for 2021 is 3,589.
• For comparison to surrounding counties, Cherokee serves 3.93%, Dawson serves 5.92%, Fulton serves 5.28%, Gwinnett serves 3.97%, and Hall serves 5.52% of their respective populations.
• GLS reports that the pandemic and issues with the Postal Service have caused their services to suffer.
• The NLS (the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled) has set a goal of enrolling at least 20% of the eligible population.

 

I will share more as the GLS Ambassador program gets underway.