Atlanta — July 12, 2001

University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch announced today the appointment of Dr. J. Lamar Veatch, Jr. as state library director and assistant vice chancellor of library development and services.

Veatch will head Georgia’s Office of Public Library Services, which administers state and federal funding for 58 public library systems statewide. He will assume his new post October 16, 2001.

Veatch will permanently fill the position that has been held by Thomas A. Ploeg, who has served as acting state library director for an extended period.

Veatch currently serves as the state library director in Alabama, where he has been a leader in developing an on-line virtual library similar to GALILEO, Georgia’s nationally recognized statewide electronic library. He also has served as director of public libraries in Vidalia and Louisville, Ga., as well as in Colorado and Texas.

“We welcome Dr. Veatch home to Georgia,” said Chancellor Portch, “and look forward to his leadership in the public library community as we further strengthen the partnership between public libraries and higher education.”

A native of Atlanta, Veatch holds an associate of arts degree from Young Harris College, a B.A. from the University of Georgia, and a master’s degree in librarianship from Emory University. He also earned an advanced master’s degree and Ph.D. in library science, both from Florida State University.

Veatch has been an active member of the American Library Association, serving on a wide variety of committees, including the Committee on Accreditation. He served as chair of the Administrative Roundtable for the Texas Library Association, and currently is serving as treasurer for the Alabama Library Association. In addition, he has published articles on a broad range of public library topics in refereed journals.

The Board of Regents assumed responsibility for the administration of the state’s Office of Public Library Services in July 2000, as a part of Gov. Roy Barnes’ education reform legislation. The OPLS department was transferred to the University System from the Department of Technical and Adult Education.

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