The Georgia Library Association (GLA), Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS), Georgia Association for Instructional Technology (GAIT) and Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) are encouraging library supporters to show their love for Georgia's libraries — and win a prize valued at $100 in the process. In conjunction with Georgia Library Day, the organizations are sponsoring a photo contest ending, appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day. "We hope to pull together a conglomeration of the best, most touching and effective pictures from all kinds of libraries," said Carol Stanley, president of GLA and branch librarian for Athens Technical College in Elberton. "The subject matter is really up to the photographers," she said. "But we hope to rally around the themes of 'A Typical Day In the Life of Georgia's Libraries'; a variation of the National Library Week theme, 'Communities Thrive @ Georgia Libraries'; and American Library Association President Camila Alire's theme, 'Libraries: The Heart of All Communities.' "How do libraries make a difference in people's lives? What would Georgia be like if there were no libraries? What valuable services do libraries provide that can easily go unrecognized and unappreciated? Those are just a few possibilities for people to think about when they unpack their camera bags at their library." Instead of making it a requirement that the photos be taken on one single day, however, the sponsoring organizations want to be able to draw from any recent magical library moments that already have been captured digitally in 2010. "To that end, any digital photo taken between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 of this year will be eligible," said Melissa Underwood, president of GAIT. "This enables us to encourage library supporters to show their love for Georgia's libraries by Valentine's Day." All photos must be a minimum size of 4-by-6 inches with a minimum resolution of 180 pixels per inch. Larger sizes and higher resolutions are welcome, but the maximum acceptable file size is 10 MB. One entry per person per category is allowed. Each photo must be submitted separately in JPEG format to photocontest@georgialibraries.org by noon on Feb. 15. A panel of judges will select the winners representing each of 10 categories following the contest’s end. Categories are:
Judges will select one photo from the category winners as "best overall" and will award its photographer with the grand prize of a library/reading gift basket valued at $100 from GLA and a certificate suitable for framing. First-place winners from the remaining categories will each receive a certificate and a gift bag containing an assortment of library-related gifts. The contest is open to all Georgia residents, including library staff. A full list of rules and the required model releases are available for download from http://gla.georgialibraries.org/photo_contest.htm. A series of posters incorporating all finalists will be displayed during Georgia Library Day, which will be held at the state Capitol on Feb. 25. "I can envision these photo making a wonderful display at the Capitol," said Julie Walker, deputy state librarian. "It's certain to draw the attention of our legislators and help them appreciate how much Georgians value libraries and the services they provide." Winning photographs also will be displayed and their creators recognized at the 2010 Georgia Council of Media Organizations (COMO) conference in Athens this fall. Stanley noted that a number of state library associations, in partnership with state libraries and library systems, have successfully hosted similar library snapshot days. "The American Library Association's Advocacy Coordinating Group is currently discussing the possibility of making a series of such events into a national initiative," she said. Photo Contest RulesPhoto Contest Submission Form
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Photo Contest RulesPhoto Contest Submission Form
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