Gwinnett County Public Schools and the Gwinnett County Public Library have announced an exciting new partnership that will open up the resources of the public library system to students. Branch Out is a new initiative that allows parents to opt in during back-to-school registration to the opportunity for their child(ren) to be issued full access to library services. Once a family has opted in, the school system will provide information about the student to the library that will allow the library to provide an account for the student using his/her student identification number and a PIN.
“We are pleased to be able to work with the library system on this initiative,” says Dr. Jonathan Patterson, GCPS associate superintendent for Curriculum and Instructional Support. “We have great media centers in our schools; however, the public library’s print and digital resources will extend what we are able to provide students. And while many Gwinnett families already are patrons of the library, this partnership will make the public library accessible to many students who did not have access previously. It is a win for our students and teachers, as well as for the greater Gwinnett community.”
The Gwinnett County Public Library is thrilled to be a part of this new partnership with GCPS,” says Charles Pace, GCPL Executive Director. “We are looking forward to providing expanded access to our many online and physical resources to the school children of Gwinnett County. Our programs, databases, and digital resources will continue to help students supplement their studies and discover new interests. Our goal at GCPL is to create a community of lifelong learners and this partnership is an important step towards this goal."
Mary Barbee, GCPS director of Media Services, applauds the partnership and is hopeful that parents will take advantage of this opportunity for their children. “The wide range of resources—especially digital resources—available through the public library will be extremely beneficial to students,” she says. “Through the Branch Out initiative, students will be able to branch out in terms of the types of resources they access for school work. They will have access to numerous new resources not currently available to them through our media centers and schools… and because of the rich digital options, many of them can be accessed from home at any time of the day.”
On Thursday, May 5 at 1:30 p.m., leaders of GCPS and the Gwinnett County Public Library came together at Dacula Middle School to announce an exciting new partnership that will open up the resources of the public library system to students.