Hall County Library Director Adrian Mixson said the system holds one of the best kept secrets around.

Galileo, a statewide digital library, is available for free to library users.

"All the major magazines and newspapers are available for you," Mixson said.

"I don’t care what your interest is in — business, science, education."

Galileo, an acronym for Georgia Library Learning Online, was launched as a project of the University System of Georgia in 1995. The database offers access to thousands of scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books and magazines.

"It’s like bringing a major college library to your home," Mixson said.

"It’s one of the best thing the state does for its citizens."

Mixson doesn’t think many people realize that the resource is there.

"I don’t think it gets as much use as it should," Mixson said.

While plenty of information is available through a regular Internet search engine, Mixson said the resources on Galileo are trustworthy because they are reviewed by experts.

"Anything in Galileo is a respected journal," Mixson said. "On the Internet, you can get anything."

The network also helps Hall County Libraries provide materials when the money is not available in the budget to buy physical copies.

Although resources vary by institution — in many cases universities have access to many more resources than individual libraries — Galileo still offers a vast array of information for the individual and at a price anyone can afford.

"It’s free," Mixson said. "All it takes is your library card."