Prairie News

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

• Wednesday, September 1 -  Public Library District IPLAR filing deadline.
• Wednesday, September 1 - Special Library Profile Sheets are due.
• September 28 - 30 - Illinois Library Association Annual Conference, Navy Pier, Chicago
• Thursday, September 30 - ILL and Reciprocal Borrowing statistics are due.
• October 7 -8 - Reaching Forward South Conference.
• Friday, October 15 - Illinois Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grant application is due. 
• October 28 - 30 - Illinois School Library Media Association Conference, Pheasant Run, St. Charles
• Thursday, November 18 - Family Reading Night
• Friday, December 10 - Deadline to enter Letters About Literature

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TRI-CITY LIBRARY IN BUFFALO IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!: The Tri-City Public Library District opened quietly on Monday, August 9.  On Tuesday, August 17, we were approved for membership in the Rolling Prairie Library System by the RPLS Board.  We are scheduled to begin receiving RPLS delivery tomorrow and will be getting delivery service on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Library hours are:  Monday  1 pm - 8 pm; Tuesday 10 am - 4 pm; Wednesday 1 pm - 8 pm; Thursday 10 am - 4 pm and Saturday 10 am - 1 pm.  We are closed on Friday and Sunday.

We have already entered approximately 950 books in the RPLS database as of today - all donations, with more to come!

We are planning our "official" Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at our temporary home at the Buffalo Village Hall for Saturday, September 25.  More details will follow later.

We want to thank so many of you for your support, advice and books that you have shared in the past few months as we have worked to get this library open.  We are really looking forward to working with you in the future!

Chet Brandt
Tri-City Public Library District
600 South Main Street, P.O. Box 211
Buffalo, IL 62515
217-364-8181
Email: librarycb@comcast.net

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LIBRARYONTHEGO!: LibraryOnTheGo is going strong! Over 300 patrons have tried out this new service. The collection now contains 474 titles and has had 817 checkouts since July 1st. During the month of September, the 10 consortium libraries with digital branches will be offering their patrons a chance to win an MP3 player and other gadgets in random drawings as part of a “Grand Opening”.

If your library is interested in being part of this exciting new service, please contact Louise Greene at louiseg@rpls.ws. New libraries will be processed in September, set up and trained in October, acquiring new titles, and GOING LIVE as part of the consortium on November 1st. More IPODs, MP3 Players and eReaders for Santa Claus to deliver throughout RPLS territory come December…..

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LITERACY GRANTS: Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded $5.85 million in FY11 Adult Literacy Grants to help students develop and enhance their reading, writing, math and language skills. “The state of Illinois has some of the finest literacy programs in the nation, and I am pleased to provide 171 local literacy providers with funding that will allow them to help adult students achieve their utmost potential,” White said. “Nearly 23,000 students are served by these programs. 8,800 volunteer tutors generously offer their time to provide training. Our local literacy programs allow students to obtain skills that put them on the path to lifelong learning. I will continue to do all I can to ensure that every citizen of this state has access to quality literacy programs.” The Adult Literacy Program is administered by the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library Literacy Office and awards grants in three categories:

• Adult Volunteer Literacy Grants provide training for volunteers who tutor adults over the age of 16 in basic reading, math, writing or language skills. Participating literacy providers may include libraries, volunteer tutoring organizations, community based organizations, community colleges, regional offices of education, schools (individual & public), pre-school programs, school districts, domestic violence shelters, and correctional facilities.

• Family Literacy Grants provide educational services to parents and children to enhance their basic reading, math, writing or language skills together and separately. Participation by the whole family increases the benefits of the instruction. Projects must partner with an adult literacy provider, child-at-risk agency and a library.

• The Workplace Skills Enhancement Project provides on-site instructional services to the employees of Illinois businesses to enable the employees to increase their basic reading, math, writing or language skills, keep their jobs and increase their chances for promotion. Eligible employees read at or below the 9th grade level. Grantees must match the grant award and may also provide instructional services to prospective employees. The fiscal agent and submitting agency may be either the educational partner or the business partner.

Secretary White urges persons interested in becoming volunteer tutors to contact the Illinois Adult Learning Hotline at 1-800-321-9511.

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2010 Illinois History:  Read All About It!: Join staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Presidential Library & Museum for a lively lunch hour discussion of Illinois history topics.  You are welcome to bring your lunch and your thoughts on what we’ve been reading.  Dates are the third Tuesdays every other month unless otherwise noted, and are held at noon in the Library Classroom.  Related materials from the library’s vast and varied collections will be displayed during our discussions.

With spring comes planting time and farmers are getting into the fields in a timely manner this year.  With that in mind, please join our upcoming book discussion at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

If you have fond memories of coming of age on an Illinois farm in the latter half of the 20^th century, or you wonder what it was like to be a farmer during this time of tremendous technological development, grab a copy of the book and join us.  As always, participants are welcome to bring their lunch so that you may nourish body and mind if you like.  Sessions last about one hour.

• Tuesday, September 21 - Libby Hill. The Chicago River: a Natural and Unnatural History. Chicago, Illinois: Lake Claremont Press, c2000.
• Tuesday, November 16 - Doris Kearns Goodwin. Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, c2005.

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BUILDINGS AND BIRTHDAYS WITH FRED SCHLIPF:

When: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Where: RPLS Board Room
Presenter: Fred Schlipf

As a library Director or Board member, do you know when or how to plan a remodel or addition, or when to just start over with a new library building? Do you need to make better use of the space inside your library? If you are not sure where to start in answering these questions join us at Rolling Prairie Library System, Wednesday, September 15th for "Buildings and Birthdays with Fred Schlipf.

Dr. Schlipf, Instructor of the Library Buildings course at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and former Director of the Urbana Free Library, has been a building consultant for over 30 years. Fred will describe the library planning, design and construction process, including information on evaluating existing buildings, planning new space, hiring and working with consultants and architects, and maintaining services during construction.

After the formal presentation, there will be time for a limited number of 30-minute, one-on-one sessions with individual libraries, so sign up before they are gone! Contact Angela for an appointment.

We will have cake and coffee to celebrate Fred's birthday.

Learning Objectives

• library planning, design and construction process
• evaluating existing buildings
• planning new space
• hiring and working with consultants and architects
• maintaining services during construction

Please register in L2 for this event.

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SPRUCED UP WITH SPARE CHANGE:

When: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 (9:30 AM - 12:00 PM)
Where: RPLS Board Room
Cost: Free
Presenter: Tracy Utzmyers

Not all library renovations have to be big ticket items. Little things can make a big difference. Get ideas about things you can do to change the look of your library without breaking the bank. Designer Tracy Utzmyers will show you simple ideas that you can take back to your library and use.

Want some personalized suggestions for your library from Tracy? Send in pictures of your library’s problem area along with a description or explanation and Tracy will include suggestions and comments in her presentation. Please submit all pictures and documentation electronically to Angela Thompson no later than Sept. 1, 2010.

By day, presenter Tracy Utzmyers is the Assistant Director of Production at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, by night, and several weekends she heads up her own interior consulting business, specializing in large spaces, on tight budgets. Her specialty is finding new and fun uses for the things you already own. Her best friend is a librarian, so is her mother, they were bound to ask her to come take a look at their spaces eventually. To date she has done spatial consultation, and foot traffic pattern designs for five major libraries in Illinois, and Missouri. She loves clean lines, and inviting spaces!

Please register in L2 for this event.

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"SPREAD YOUR WINGS" AT THE REACHING FORWARD SOUTH CONFERENCE FOR LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF: The Reaching Forward South Conference will be at the Northfield Inn in Springfield on October 7-8, 2010.  Our theme this year is “Spread Your Wings.” This conference is a wonderful opportunity for cost effective staff development. The conference fee is $70.00, which includes all Thursday and Friday activities, including a light supper on Thursday and lunch on Friday.

While you’re learning more about the conference on the Reaching Forward South Conference website, take the time to nominate someone who is outstanding in your library for a “support staff of the year award?”  Here’s your chance to recognize them…or even nominate yourself.

This year's keynote speaker, Kitty Pope (Executive Director of Alliance Library System), will lead an exciting discussion on “Leading in Tough Times.”  Preview her uplifting spirit in her blog “On a + Note.”  Plan on attend an afternoon “techie Thursday” session, “Web 2 Point Ohhhh!”  Learn more about the technology becoming more important to libraries and their patrons. Thursday night attend our networking event, with finger foods and a motivational speaker. On Friday, choose from 12 different breakout sessions, including “Circulation: Trying to Move Forward While Going in Circles;” “Do It Yourself (DIY) After School Programs;” and “Transform Yourself, Transform Your Library.”  There’s something for everyone, from every kind of library. Shop ‘til you drop at our fantastic vendor tables. Come for the conference, stay for the door prizes! Enjoy a delicious continental breakfast and buffet-style hot lunch on Friday. Take a rare opportunity to get away from the library for a day and interact with other library support staff. To register (pdf), or for more information, visit our website.

Photo by Tracy Pierceall and used with permission.

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LIBRARY SUPPORTERS NATIONWIDE ENCOURAGED TO NOMINATE LIBRARIANS FOR THE 2010 CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK/NEW YORK TIMES I LOVE MY LIBRARIAN AWARD: Nominations are now open for the 2010 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. 

The award invites library users nationwide to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.  Nominations run through September 20 and are being accepted online.

Up to 10 librarians will be selected.  Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December.

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.

In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2012.  The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006.

Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian.  For more information on last year’s winners, visit here.

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JOIN WEBJUNCTION FOR TWO FREE WEBINARS IN AUGUST:

Digitization and Preservation Symposium—August 25, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

WebJunction is hosting a two-hour symposium that will feature four presentations on current trends and practical approaches to library digitization and preservation projects. Our guest panelists will address topics such as designing a digital preservation system using a framework that includes all stakeholders, from library administrators to archivists to IT workers to vendors, harvesting social networking Web sites for preservation and much more. Panelists include:

• Sarai Lastra, Vice Chancellor of Information Resources/Director of Virtual Library at Universidad del Turabo, Puerto Rico
• Sarah McHugh, Statewide Projects Librarian, Montana State Library, including the Montana Memory Project
• Amy Rudersdorf, Director of the Digital Information Management Program, State Library of North Carolina and Lecturer at San Jose State University, School of Library & Information Science<
• Taylor Surface, Senior Product Manager, Digital Collection Services, OCLC.

Register now for this symposium

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• NameTags Plus: Games You Can Play When People Don't Know What to Say by Deborah Shouse 658.45 SHO
• Book Displays: A Library Exhibits Handbook by Anne C. Tedeschi 021.7 TED
• Designing Better Libraries: Selecting & Working with Building Professionals by Richard C McCarthy 722 MCC
• Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the Expectations of Library Customers by Peter Hernon and Ellen Altman 025.5 HER

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SAVE THE DATE! SPECIAL LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION EVENTS:

Date: Friday, September 17
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Name of Event: Annual business meeting
Location: Maggiano's, 516 N. Clark St., Chicago
Speaker: Laura Barnes, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

Date: Monday, October 18
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Name of Event: Museum campus librarians
Location: Portillo's in River North, 100 W. Ontario, Chicago, IL
Bonus speaker: Janice Lachance, CEO of SLA
Cost: $23

Date: Wednesday, November 17
Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Name of Event: Half Day Conference: Re-examining your Briefcase: Competencies, Collaboration and Conversation
Location: Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610
Description: Join us for this half day conference where we will hear a key note speaker talk about embedded librarianship. Then, jump start your skills set by participating in discussions on topics such as writing for publication, dressing for success, and negotiating with vendors. More details, as well as more discussion topics, will be revealed in the upcoming months.

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“What's New @ WJIL?”:

What are the best practices and planning for a digitization project? How can your staff gain the skills needed to launch or maintain a digital project and what are the implications of launching a long term digital preservation system in your organization? Find out how you can get the answers to these questions and more in the most recent edition of “What’s New @ WJIL.”

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MISSING ITEMS: Please check your shelves for the following books: A People’s History of the United States, 1492 – Present, by Howard Zinn, Call number: 973 Z78. This book never arrived at its destination, Benedictine University at Springfield.  It was returned from the Illinois State Museum in March 2010. The following book Apartment in Athens, call no. F Wes, barcode:37513000238286 is missing. If you find these books in your library please return to Benedictine University at Springfield, Attention: Pamm Collebrusco.

Please check your shelves for the following book: What I Believe by Norma Fox Mazer/ 36828000539330. This item have been in transit for quite awhile and belongs to Taylorville Jr. High School. If you find this book in your library please return to Taylorville Jr. High School, Attention: Mary Ann Lowry.

Please check your shelves for the following books: Season's Eatings: A Very Merry Garfield Christmas by Jim Davis and Car Science by Richard Hammond. These books belong to the Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. If you find any of these books in your library please return them to Lady of Lourdes Catholic School 3950 Lourdes Drive, Decatur, IL, Attention: Addie Heckman. You may also call her at 877-4408 ext.326.

Please check your shelves for the following books: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey 332.024R and Afternoon Tea Cookbook by Linda Hewitt 641.53H. 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 book: The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie DePaola. This book belongs to the Mason City Public Library. If you find this book in your library please return it to Mason City Public Library. Attention: Diane Yoeman.

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

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

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AT RPLS: You may register for any of these events on-line at L2, if you have any questions please contact Angela at angelat@rpls.ws or (217) 429-2586.

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. Courses are starting on  September 15th and October 20th.

HORIZON CIRCULATION: A must for all new LLSAP staff members in order to learn how to use SirsiDynix Horizon Circulation correctly. Also, a good workshop for a refresher course in Circulation procedures. This is being held at RPLS on Thursday, September 9th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

SPRUCED UP WITH SPARE CHANGE: Not all library renovations have to be big ticket items. Little things can make a big difference. Get ideas about things you can do to change the look of your library without breaking the bank. Designer Tracy Utzmyers will show you simple ideas that you can take back to your library and use.

Want some personalized suggestions for your library from Tracy? Send in pictures of your library’s problem area along with a description or explanation and Tracy will include suggestions and comments in her presentation. Please submit all pictures and documentation electronically to Angela Thompson no later than September 1, 2010.

This is being held at RPLS on Wednesday, September 15th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

BUILDINGS AND BIRTHDAYS WITH FRED SCHLIPF: As a library Director or Board member, do you know when or how to plan a remodel or addition, or when to just start over with a new library building? Do you need to make better use of the space inside your library? If you are not sure where to start in answering these questions join us at Rolling Prairie Library System, Wednesday, September 15th for "Buildings and Birthdays with Fred Schlipf.

After the formal presentation, there will be time for a limited number of 30-minute, one-on-one sessions with individual libraries, so sign up before they are gone! Contact Angela for an appointment.

This is being held at RPLS on Wednesday, September 15th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

LIBRARY PARTNERSHIPS: MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SCHOOL AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES: Library Partnerships:  Making Connections between School and Public Libraries will be presented at RPLS on Friday, October 8, 2010 from 1:00-2:30 pm.  Tasha Squires, author of the book by the same name, will talk about creating collaborative partnerships to better serve shared patrons.   More details will be posted soon in L2.  Mark your calendars! 

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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, September 3, 2010.  All submissions should arrive before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 31, 2010 for inclusion in the newsletter. You may fax submissions to (217) 428-1852, or e-mail them to Doris McKay or Angela Thompson.