IMMEDIATE OCTOBER 14, 2004

GIL EXPRESS SYSTEM IMPLEMENTED AT ABAC

TIFTON - 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. Abraham Baldwin College is part of this new system.

Called GIL Express, the new system allows all faculty, staff and students of the college to make online or in-person requests for any of the items contained in the general collections of 35 libraries throughout the state. This will allow ABAC students and faculty to obtain the materials needed from a wider variety of sources.

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 has been a part of the campus library for years, providing access to multiple information resources for educational use.

Through GIL Express, the ABAC campus will 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 million titles, including 2.6 million titles that are held by only one library in the USG.

ABAC’s GIL Express will have unique holdings that reflect differences in curriculum, faculty research interests and collecting policies completely separate from its fellow USG libraries. The system is geared for capabilities specific to the individuality of ABAC.

Communication between all of the libraries in the USG also plays a crucial role in the implementation of GIL Express. This allows ABAC, as well as other colleges, to share information that may not be attainable within their own library.

The USG serves approximately a quarter of a million students, all of whom have access to GIL Express. For more information on GIL Express and the GIL Universal Catalog, visit http://gil.usg.edu.

###