• CE compliance forms are due July 15th. If you are keeping your library's CE information in RPLS CLeO, you do not need to complete this form. If you are meeting your CE compliance by other means and not recording them in CLeO, you will need to complete this form.
• Academic Profile sheets (pdf) are due August 15th.

The new location will feature a bit more space and integrated operations with our long-time fiscal agent, the Illinois Public Health Association. It will be less than one block north of the Illinois State Library.

We invite members of RPLS to stop in after July 13 to see the new facility. The Clearinghouse provides library and information to families, professionals and anyone else in Illinois interested in early childhood and disability issues. It is one of the only libraries in the nation devoted to early childhood intervention.

Congratulations to the second group of RPLS Librarians and staffers to successfully complete the Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation: Anna Adermann, Connie Butts, Kathy Collett, Barbara Collins, Carole Dodwell, Robert Edwards, Annette Heintzman, Carol Moore, Chris Oyer, Kelly Pigati, Mary Ann Pohl, Monica Reynolds, Donna Rutledge, Jane Schmidt, Becky Troxell and Lee Wiley.

Remember RPLS LLSAP libraries must have at least one staffer pass the Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation by June 30, 2008. The Database standards Committee is offering review preparation courses every other month to help reduce performance anxiety. There is additional information about the Barcode Performance Evaluation, as well as a practice test, on the RPLS Website.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Kathryn Harris (MS '71) Since graduating from GSLIS, Kathryn has worked in various libraries around the country, including the Lincoln Library (Springfield’s public library), Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield), Florida International University (Miami, Florida), Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Library, and the Illinois State Library. In 1990, she joined the staff of the Illinois State Historical Library where she has served as the Director since 1996. In March, 2004, Kathryn became the Library Services Director at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Kathryn was also involved with the planning and development of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum which opened in October, 2004. She is also involved in planning the “storyline” for the exhibits that are in the Museum which opened in April, 2005.

Kathryn is actively involved in various organizations that relate to both history and libraries. She served on the Executive Board of the Illinois Library Association; and also served as Past President of the Association (2003 - 2004). Kathryn is on the Board of the Abraham Lincoln Association and was past president of the Sangamon County Historical Society. In addition, Kathryn has served as the President of the Rolling Prairie Library System and she is a member of American Association of University Women, a professional women’s organization.

RPLS FARM PROGRESS SHOW MARKETING ITEMS: RPLS has "farm fresh marketing items" for sale. RPLS has a t-shirt, polo shirt, canvas tote bag, and yard sign for sale. Each of these items have the "Think Outside the Barn @ your library" logo on them. Please visit the RPLS Farm Progress web page for more information about these items. Please turn in your order forms by Monday, July 2, 2007 attention Angela.

SUMMER CAMP FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIANS: The Event That Fits You to a T! Featuring the Shirt Swap: Have library or reading related shirts that you would like to trade? Bring them along and make a deal!

When: Tuesday, July 10 @ RPLS

Where: RPLS Headquarters at 345 W. Eldorado, Decatur, IL 62522

• 8:30-9:00 ~ Registration
• 9:00-2:30 ~ Choose the sessions that fit you best by registering in RPLS CLeO.

Cost: The cost to attend the Summer Camp for School Librarians whether in whole or in part is $7.00 ~ Please pay by Friday, July 6th. Please make checks payable to RPLS, sent to Angela’s attention.

*Please contact Rachel Miller if you find that you will miss a favorite session because of a schedule conflict. If registration warrants, we may be able to repeat a session. Questions? Contact Rachel Miller rachelm@rpls.ws or Angela Thompson angelat@rpls.ws  or call 217-429-2586.

Note: To receive a reminder please e-mail Angela your summer e-mail address.

If the Illinois State Library does not receive a signed contract from a library, they have no recourse other than to make them inactive OCLC members and remove their OCLC symbol from the translation tables for the batchloads.

So that the Illinois State Library can ensure that no library is dropped from the LLSAP batchloads and OCLC unless there is a clear intention to terminate membership, Please remember (particularly the LLSAP members) to sign and return your ILLINET/OCLC contracts in a timely manner.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Suzanne Schriar
ILLINET/OCLC Services Director
Illinois State Library
300 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62701
217-785-1533
sschriar@ilsos.net

For questions please contact Louise Greeene at 429-2586 ext. 108.

Another excellent plan is the The Online Disaster-Planning Tool. Medium and large libraries might find this plan particularly useful.

The 2008 Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grant applications will be mailed on July 2. The grant application and all supporting documentation must be postmarked on or before October 15, 2007 or hand delivered to the Illinois State Library no later than 4:30 p.m. on October 15, 2007. For questions please contact Mary Downing at 217-782-5506 or 800-665-5576 after June 11th.

The databases available on this offer are:

Home Improvement Reference Center
Auto Repair Reference Center
Small Engine Repair Reference Center
Consumer Health Complete
Salud en Espanol (Consumer Health Complete Spanish version)
Points of View Reference Center
History Reference Centers
Science Reference Center
and
NextReads

Links to the databases and feedback form, along with contact information can all be found on the Library Partnership Trust website.

Pricing information will be added soon to the LPT website, but it may go lower depending on how many libraries participate. Some bundled pricing for specific database groups will also be considered.

Note: The preliminary pricing has been added to the LPT/EBSCO website. While currently labeled for North Suburban Library System, it is for all Illinois public libraries.

For further assistance, as noted on the LPT website, contact Heidi van Gennep or Dale Lawrence.

Registration information is now available on the ISLMA web site -You can register online, by mail, or fax. 

Ever feel overwhelmed by the challenge of staying on top of all the new tools and technologies that are emerging in the Web 2.0 world? Is it a struggle to have the time to learn how to use the tools and incorporate them into the school library program?
Spend a day this summer learning, playing, and discovering how you can harness these tools within your school library program. 

The Web 2.0 Tools and School Libraries Workshop is being offered at throughout the state. Choose the location and date that works best for you:

University High School in Normal, Illinois on Wednesday, 6/27
Highland Middle School in Libertyville, Illinois on Thursday, 6/28 

The workshop will explore the application of a variety of Web 2.0 tools in school libraries. Best practices in School Library 2.0 will be examined. Participants will have the opportunity to try-out these tools and create a blog, wiki, or one of the other tools that is shared for use in their own libraries.  The sessions will be facilitated by ISLMA members Erin Wyatt, Anita Beaman, Sarah Hill, and Katie Kirsch. 

The fee for the workshop is $60.00 and CPDUs will be available to  participants. Lunch is not provided as part of the sessions.  Please plan on bringing a sack lunch or going out for lunch during the designated lunch hour.

Winner to receive trip to 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game.

Applications are available for "Batting for literacy @ your library," a new award in conjunction with the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program. The award will honor an individual librarian who has used baseball to enhance literacy or library service.

The recipient will be awarded a trip to the 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game, an annual exhibition game between two major league teams at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. The trip will include a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and museum.

Applications and guidelines are available online. Librarians can nominate a colleague or themselves. Submissions should include a one-page description of how the nominee has used baseball to enhance literacy or library service and must be accompanied by examples of baseball-related programming, publicity for programming or other supporting materials. Applicants are encouraged to send examples of how the nominee promoted the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program.

All applications must be received by September 1, 2007. Nominees must be ALA members in order to be eligible.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library, developed by ALA and the Baseball Hall of Fame, encourages kids between 9-18 years of age to go to their library, check out a baseball book and write about how a character inspired them. The program runs through September 1, 2007. More information and free tools to help librarians promote the program locally are available at www.ala.org/baseball.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is a Founding Partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries.

07-209

WEBJUNCTION ILLINOIS WANTS YOUR PICTURES!: As part of the upcoming launch of WebJunction Illinois later this year, developers want to create a "group portrait" of the Illinois library family. They're looking for photos of your libraries, your library staff and volunteers, programs at your libraries, special collections, artwork and artifacts - basically the people, places and things that comprise libraries in Illinois. School, public, special or academic libraries and regional library systems are all invited to be a part of this historic project. Go to the LibraryU homepage to find out how to upload to the Illinois Libraries Flickr photo group, then look for the results of your contributions to take center stage when WebJunction Illinois goes live this summer. Please be sure that your library has a release for photos that you upload that include images of any people other than library staff.

07-210

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR REACHING FORWARD SOUTH: Plan to send your support staff to Reaching Forward South on September 21st and 22nd at the Northfield Inn Springfield, IL . This year's conference theme is Outside of the Box. You may register by mail for the conference. Online registration will be soon available. Registration deadline is: September 15, 2007. No refunds will be made after September 22, 2007.

07-211

MISSING ITEMS: Please check your shelves for the the following books: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey 332.024R, Afternoon Tea Cookbook by Linda Hewitt 641.53H, and Pocket Guide to Depression Glass and more, 1920s-1960s 748.2F. These books belong to the Vespasian Warner Public Library, Clinton. If you find any of these books in your library please return them to Vespasian Warner Public Library, Attention: Tom Rudasill.

Please check your shelves for the following audiobook cassettes: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. There were seventeen in the set and eight are still missing from the set. These audiobook cassettes belong to the Weldon Public Library. If you find any of these cassettes in your library please return them to Weldon Public Library, Attention: Lori Weaver.

07-212

On the Road Again: We go on the road this time to Ireland. Where Doris shows us that while you can take the System Consultant out of the System, you can’t easily remove their love of library site visits.

07-213

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES: Visit RPLS's online grant notices page.

07-214

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: Visit RPLS's online job notices page.

07-215

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AT RPLS: You may register for any of these events on-line at RPLS CLeO, if you have any questions please contact Angela at angelat@rpls.ws or (217) 429-2586. In order to allow RPLS Staff the time and opportunity to update our course offerings to comply with Statewide standards, we will be canceling any classes that do not have three people signed up for the class at least 3 working days before the class meets. You will receive an email the day the decision is made.

Ed2GO - Rolling Prairie Library System offers six-week computer-based training courses at your own desktop at a very reasonable cost, which can now be paid online with your credit card or sent directly to RPLS. Courses are starting on June 20th.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN THROUGH FIRSTSEARCH: Are you checking your OCLC message file? If you aren't, or you don't even know what this is, you need this workshop. You will learn how to do Inter-Library Loans through FirstSearch including, how to do basic searching, how to make a request, how to use the request manager for borrowing and lending. The workshop is a must for LLSAP and Weed & Feed libraries. This workshop is being held at RPLS on July 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

FIRSTSEARCH/SILC/I-SHARE: Learn how to search for materials in FirstSearch, SILC and I-Share at this workshop being held at RPLS on July 26th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

BARCODING BASICS IN DYNIX HORIZON: This is the basic, barcoder-level "searching and tagging on" class. This workshop is being held at RPLS on July 24th from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. It also being held on August 16th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

COPY CATALOGING WITH OCLC CONNEXION AND DYNIX HORIZON: You will learn to properly download, install, and configure the OCLC Connexion software for use in their library. Be sure to review the prerequisites for this class. This workshop is being held  at RPLS on July 26th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. It is also being held on August 23rd from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

BARCODE CERTIFICATION PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: The RPLS Training room will be open from 9 am until 4 pm for individuals to come complete the Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation. The average time to complete the evaluation is an hour and a half. In order to avoid waiting at computer terminals, it is recommended that you contact Doris with your estimated time of arrival for taking the Certification Performance Evaluation. It is suggested that you plan to arrive before 3 pm in order to have adequate time to complete to the Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation. This workshop will be held at RPLS on July 9th and August 8th from from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

SUMMER CAMP FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIANS: Shirt Swap: Have library or reading related shirts that you would like to trade? Bring them along and make a deal! Cost: The cost to attend the Summer Camp for School Librarians whether in whole or in part is $7.00 ~ Please pay by Friday, July 6th. Please make checks payable to RPLS, sent to Angela’s attention. This workshop is being held at RPLS on July 10th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Choose the sessions that fit you best!
*Please contact Rachel Miller if you find that you will miss a favorite session because of a schedule conflict. If registration warrants, we may be able to repeat a session. Questions? Contact Rachel Miller rachelm@rpls.ws or Angela Thompson angelat@rpls.ws  or call 217-429-2586.

Note: To receive a reminder please e-mail Angela your summer e-mail address.

HORIZON CIRCULATION/PAC: This class is designed to introduce librarians and new circulation clerks to the the features of the Horizon Circulation module. This workshop will be held at RPLS on July 12th from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. It is also being on August 14th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

BARCODE CERTIFICATION PREP CLASS: The RPLS LLSAP Database Standards committee has developed training materials to help prepare RPLS barcoders and catalogers to prepare for the Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation.
Attendance at a training session is not required to take the real Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation, but it is encouraged. The training sessions are offered for your convenience and in order to help alleviate any performance anxiety on the actual Barcode Certification Performance Evaluation. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 1st from from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ASKAWAY ILLINOIS - ANNUAL VIRTUAL REFERENCE REFRESHER: This workshop is required for current chat providers. The goal of this session is to refresh skills, troubleshoot any difficulties encountered in working with patrons, meet other chat providers, and to review standards and guidelines expected of the participants in the statewide cooperative and the global consortium. Reference interviews, session tone, scripts development, dealing with difficult patrons, using resolution codes, global coverage, handling multiple patrons, and managing shared follow up will be among the topics covered. Participants are asked to bring a transcript of a challenging session to share with colleagues. It will be an intensive day and at least two trainers will be on hand to assist attendees. Training will be duplicated at Rolling Prairie Library System in Decatur and at the West Frankfort Public Library in West Frankfort in the Shawnee Library System. Those who cannot attend in August or October will have another opportunity at two additional locations in the Spring. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 8th from from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ASKAWAY ILLINOIS - TRAINING FOR ADMINISTRATORS (NEW OR CURRENT): This workshop is targeted to the new AskAway administrator of virtual reference services in a library. However, current administrators are also welcome to attend. In many cases, the attendee may also be the chat provider. The administrator will be trained in setting up chat accounts, policy pages, library profiles, scripts, link construction, mail management, shared follow up, and how to retrieve and use statistical reports. It will be an intensive half day and at least two trainers will be on hand to assist attendees. Training will be duplicated at Rolling Prairie Library System in Decatur and at the West Frankfort Public Library in West Frankfort in the Shawnee Library System. Those who cannot attend in August or October will have another opportunity at two additional locations in the Spring. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 9th from from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ASKAWAY ILLINOIS - TRAINING FOR NON-CHAT PROVIDERS: This workshop is intended for the school librarian/media specialist and public or special librarian who is not providing chat services but is participating in the AskAway cooperative primarily through email and shared follow-up. Training will focus on the responsible use of the chat service within a school environment, the student as patron, managing email reference questions, referrals and the additional uses students/staff can make of this type of virtual communication. It will be an intensive half-day and at least two trainers will be on hand to assist attendees. Training will be duplicated at Rolling Prairie Library System in Decatur and at the West Frankfort Public Library in West Frankfort in the Shawnee Library System. Those who cannot attend in August or October will have another opportunity at two additional locations in the Spring. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 9th from from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ASKAWAY ILLINOIS - TRAINING FOR NEW CHAT PROVIDERS: This workshop is for libraries interested in providing chat reference and in participating in the statewide and global cooperatives. The goal of this session is to provide a new participant with the skills to begin service through their library. All the chat and email basics, AskAway Illinois operations, and QuestionPoint will be covered. It will be an intensive day and at least two trainers will be on hand to assist attendees. Training will be duplicated at Rolling Prairie Library System in Decatur and at the West Frankfort Public Library in West Frankfort in the Shawnee Library System. Those who cannot attend in August or October will have another opportunity at two additional locations in the Spring. Participants must also have a signed letter of intent on file with the AskAway Illinois Coordinator. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 10th from from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

PUBLIC PER CAPITA GRANT 2008 WORKSHOP: What will be covered: Information on what is new and different. This will be followed by a review of the FY 2008 requirements for the Public Library Per Capita Grants with emphasis on Disaster Planning. Exercises on effective narratives will be conducted. The FY 09 Per Capita requirements will also be reviewed. This workshop will be held at RPLS on August 21st from from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

07-216

PRAIRIE NEWS SUBMISSIONS: The Prairie News is a biweekly publication of RPLS. Notices, meetings, giveaways, career opportunities and other news items of interest to the membership may be submitted.  Items will be edited to fit the space requirements of the newsletter.  The next issue of the Prairie News will be Friday, June 29, 2007.  All submissions should arrive before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, 2007, for inclusion in the newsletter. You may fax submissions to (217) 428-1852, or e-mail them to Doris McKay at  dorism@rpls.ws or Angela Thompson at angelat@rpls.ws