(L to R: Bea Saba, Tom Sloane, Whitney Shephard Yates)
Tom Sloane, the new Executive Director of Live Oak Public Libraries, gave us a pop quiz on history facts (call me the Millennium Master) to segue into the vision of the future of libraries, specifically with our Live Oak Public Libraries. Tom talked about expanding programming and its larger digital collection. He also gave a big shout-out to our girl, Bea Saba, for her hard work as the library system went through some transitioning and challenging times.
Libraries are a place to connect and serve as lifelong learning centers because of its accessibility. Some exciting news to share is that currently there are 470 public computers available for anyone to come in and use. Live Oak is partnering with Comcast in a fiber optic network that will connect its 16 locations (in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty) to thousands of people. What does this mean? The system, to be provided by Comcast, is expected to deliver internet speeds of up to 300 megabits per second, which will allow for movie-streaming and transmitting large files. It could be useful to the small business community and for educational purposes. It could provide access to the community for decades to come.
There are 106,000 active library cardholders with a recorded 1.2 million visits with 1.3 million items (books, e-books, and audio books) borrowed. In addition, there are 3,500 sponsored programs available for children and adults.