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GALILEO Celebrates 30 Years

GALILEO, an initiative of the University System of Georgia, is celebrating 30 years of service to the state. Launched Sept. 21, 1995, GALILEO provides free, electronic access to high-quality educational and library materials to every Georgian.

Initial resources included indexing, abstracts and access to 1500 full-text journals for USG academic institutions. At the time, only 3 percent of Americans were using the Internet. Today, GALILEO gives access to hundreds of thousand materials enjoying more than 50 million searches a year.

– (View our anniversary video below!) –

“It has stood the test of time by always seeking new ways to serve,” said Chancellor Emeritus Stephen Portch, who led the University System of Georgia when GALILEO launched. “I was confident that librarians, as “doers”, could be totally relied on to deliver. And you have done that superbly for these 30 years.”

It took an infusion of $10 million for GALILEO to get off the ground, and the initiative–and its staff–have paid that back in dividends. Statewide, GALILEO has saved Georgia libraries more than $131 million through central licensing.

Its programs now extend to the Digital Library of Georgia, which has surpassed 4 million digitized pages and Affordable Learning Georgia, which has saved Georgia college students nearly $200 million in textbook costs.

“In 1995, when Governor Zell Miller approved the launch of Georgia’s first public virtual library, he could not have imagined the kind of success it would have on our state,” said Chancellor Sonny Perdue in a special video message. “These savings remain in our state and contribute to Georgia’s prosperity.”

Perdue chaired the Senate Higher Education Committee in 1993-1994, helping GALILEO’s architects to receive legislative support.

Over time, GALILEO grew to include not only USG university and colleges, but also private colleges and schools, public libraries and every Georgia public school student–more than 1.7 million learners from kindergarten to 12th grade.

“GALILEO is more than a database. It’s a doorway. And for thirty years, it has opened that door to every learner in Georgia who had the courage to knock,” said Rachel Kinsaul, Georgia’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, who attended GALILEO’s anniversary event earlier this week.

Librarians from across the state, Georgia school leaders, USG officials and GALILEO staff past and present gathered to commemorate this stellar milestone in Athens, Ga. on Sept. 22. Speakers thanked staff for their dedication, highlighted personal and professional connections, and reminisced about the early days of GALILEO.

GALILEO pioneers Merryll Penson (executive director 2000-2016), Ralph Russell (retired university librarian for Georgia State University) and Brad Baxter, GALILEO’s only employee serving the entire 30 years, were in attendance and recognized for their efforts.

Related articles and videos

Anniversary Video