January 22, 2010 issue

Prairie Views: Newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

SYSTEM NEWS

Thank You!

to all who contacted Governor Quinn, Comptroller Hynes or other elected officials on Wednesday in support of Illinois Library Systems. The first payment for this fiscal year which began on July 1, 2009, was released on Thursday, representing about 1/3 of this year's funding. We will need to keep up our advocacy efforts to make sure all appropriated funds are eventually released this year. But, we appreciate your support and willingness to advocate on our behalf!

MEMBER LIBRARY NEWS

Des Plaines Valley library officials hope third referendum is charm

Our Condolences

to Colleen Waltman, New Lenox Public Library, on the death of her father this week.

and to Jill Van Acker, Princeton Public Library, on the death of her sister-in-law Mary Ellen Van Acker this week.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Colleen and Jill and their families during this difficult time.

Family Story Time Has a New Partner – P.A.W.D.

Pups Assisting with the Disabled (P.A.W.D) and the Davenport Public Library have started an exciting new partnership that will allow children an opportunity to read to dogs.  These dogs will give new, shy, or inexperienced readers a friendly and non-judgmental audience that will increase the child’s confidence and growth in reading. This partnership will be part of the Tuesday night Family Story Time and will take place at the Fairmount Branch Library on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Updating Your Profile in L2

As a way to stay in touch and to network with others within L2, make sure your user profile is up-to-date. Access your profile from the “Signed in as:  Your Name” link at the top of the page in the gray box. Click on your name (white lettering) and then the Edit profile link at the right in order to see your profile options:

Email address, Bio, basic information - basic demographic and personal information you wish to share with others
For Non-member accounts, please enter your Title and Company.  Adding a personal biography is encouraged.

Change Password – enter and confirm a new password

Library Association – modify the library you work at (or add a second association if you happen to work or serve on the board at another library)

Social Networking/IM connections – link to your profile on popular networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, WebJunction Illinois, Flickr, LibraryThing and more.  Enter your username for the services you want others to visit.

Picture – upload a photo or graphic image.  Ideally, share a photo so others can place people and faces they have met in training or meetings.  To add a photo to your profile, choose the “Change Photo” link from the Edit Profile page.  Browse to your local photo file to upload the image.  Images should be square in size, approximately 150 x 150 pixels.  Once the photo is loaded, the new image appears in your profile and will be used in any event roster.

Announcing a Free Online Program: How Green is Your Library, Anyway?

Thursday, February 11, 2009 at 1:00 Central
Location: OPAL Auditorium
How Green Is My Library: A Conversation with the Co-Authors Ned Himmel and Sam McBane Mulford

How green is your library, anyway? While there is a broad spectrum of ecological sophistication within libraries nationwide and some regions are at the forefront of sustainable design and operations, others are just beginning or have yet to integrate materials recycling into their daily practice. Ned Himmel and Sam McBane Mulford are the authors of the recent book, How Green is My Library?, published by Libraries Unlimited. Join us for an informal discussion with the authors about their book and the ideas, information, and recommendations it contains. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate.  There is no need to register.

If you are new to OPAL, here are some getting started tips.

The complete list of upcoming OPAL online events. 

We plan to record and archive this event, which will be added to the OPAL archive.

FREEBIES, EXCHANGES & FOR SALE

Reddick Library has to giveaway

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
2nd Ed. 2000 29 Volumes

If interested please email emchapman@reddicklibrary.org

YOUTH SERVICES & SCHOOL LIBRARY NEWS

Getting Teens to Library Programming Wednesday, April 7, 2010 9:30am – 12:30 pm State-wide Library System Video Conference Cost $10

(Please write check to Metropolitan Library System. The mailing address is 125 Tower Drive Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527. Attention: Yvonne Riley)  Note: When registering, be sure to select the library system location where you will be attending the workshop.

Attend this state-wide video conference from the comfort of your library system service center and take away ideas from a panel of Teen librarians on how they successfully get teens involved at their libraries.

· Alexandra Tyle-Annen & Heather Colby, Homer Township Public Library

· Joe Marcantonio, Plainfield Public Library

· Teri Rankin, O`Fallon Public Library

· Jennifer Lara, O’Fallon Township High School

· Virginia Freyre, Algonquin Area Public Library

· Amanda Ghobrial, West Chicago Public Library

Register at: www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=9248

Youth Media Awards for 2010 Announced

Caldecott:
Winner: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Honor:All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon
Honor: Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman
Newbery:
Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Honor: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Honor:  The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Honor:  Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Honor:  The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
Printz:
Winner:  Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Honor:  Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Honor: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Honor: Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Honor: Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes
A full listing of all of the ALA Youth Media Awards is available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/ymawrap2010.cfm

Consumer Product Safety Commission releases Report to Congress on CPSIA

Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its Report to Congress regarding difficulties encountered with enforcing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The report notes that used books have emerged as a particular problem due to the retroactive nature of the law, adding that the retroactive applicability of the lead limits creates problems for libraries. Additionally, the report reaffirms the Commission’s belief that Congress did not intend to impose the strict lead ban — as imposed by section 101(a) of CPSIA — for ordinary books. However, the report states that the CPSC does not have the flexibility needed to grant an exclusion for ordinary books.  “In order to address this issue, Congress may, with some limitations, choose to consider granting an exclusion for ordinary children’s books and other children’s paper-based printed materials,” the report states. In August, the CPSC confirmed that libraries have no independent obligation to test library books for lead under the law.

For additional questions, contact Jessica McGilvray, assistant director for the ALA Office of Government Relations, at jmcgilvray@alawash.org or 1-800-941-8478.

PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS

IPLAR Is Here!

Illinois public library directors should have received an e-mail from the Illinois State Library with everything you need to know about the Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR) FY2010 using the Bibliostat Collect software for data collection. The web-based IPLAR is accessible here.

To access the Bibliostat Collect site, you will need to know your library's User Name and Password. Your library's User Name is your control number and main branch number (00, NOT the letter OO).

Your library's Password is your password for the main branch. If you need assistance with your password contact a PALS consultant.

AROUND THE STATE & NATION

February 10th -- An Important Day for Libraries! All libraries in Illinois should plan to participate in "Snapshot of a Day in the Life of Your Library" on Wednesday, February 10th.

What is it? A celebration of the value of libraries and an opportunity to share with local, state, and federal legislators and other stakeholders just how important and valued libraries are.

When is it? February 10, 2010 has been chosen by the Advocacy Committee of the Illinois Library Association as the day to take a snapshot of what services and programs are provided by libraries that are important to users in public, school academic, and special libraries.

How Can My Library Participate? By collecting data on library use that day and completing a short ILA survey. Here is a form libraries may use on February 10th to record information.

By encouraging patrons to fill out a form on why they’ve come to the library and commenting on why they think the library is valuable. These will be sent to ILA as well.

Why Should My Library Participate? In this time of low budgets for almost all human services, it’s extremely important that the library voice is heard. If we’re not in the conversation, we’ll easily be left out of funding and other types of decisions impacting libraries.

There will not be a 2010 Illinois Library Day in Springfield.  Rather, our efforts will be directed at the district level and establishing those personal relationships.  Our major vehicle/effort to establish those personal relationships, to encourage those visits at the district level will be Snapshot Day.  

The success of this day will be determined by broad participation across the state. While ILA’s Advocacy Committee is viewing this as a direct effort with our elected officials, we can also assume that the ILA Marketing Committee might be viewing this effort from a different perspective --- possibly a broader view of telling our story to the general public and media.

GRANT NEWS

Innovations in Reading Prize

Each year, the National Book Foundation awards a number of prizes of up to $2,500 each to individuals and institutions--or partnerships between the two--that have developed innovative means of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading.

For more information and to apply go to:

http://www.nationalbook.org/innovations_in_reading.html

The deadline is February 17, 2010.

Dollar General and ALA renew literacy partnership - 70 Grants now available for public libraries serving adult English language learners

(ALA, Boston) - The American Library Association (ALA) received a $750,000 two year grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to continue “The American Dream Starts @ your library”.  This new round of funding will help 70 public libraries in Dollar General  communities expand their literacy services for adult English language learners.

To be eligible, the applicant institution must be a public library or a public library with a bookmobile providing literacy services for adult English language learners, and must be within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center, or corporate office. Each funded library will receive a onetime $5,000 grant.

Applications for funding are being accepted online through Sunday, February 28, 2010. Selected applicants will be notified in April, 2010.  To learn more about the American Dream Starts @ your library, the mini grants and to apply online, please visit www.americandreamtoolkit.org.

ADVOCACY NEWS

Librarians and Trustees Meet With Senator Bivins and Representative Sacia

Library directors, staff and trustees from the Bertolet Memorial, Byron, DeKalb, Forreston, Freeport, Highland Community College, Lanark, Lena Community, Oregon, Polo, Stockton Township and  Winnebago Public Libraries met with Senator Bivins and Representative Sacia at the Byron Public Library on January 15.

Janie Dollinger, Lanark Public Library and Ellen Finfrock, Polo Public Library, visit with Senator Bivins

The legislators listened while attendees spoke of double digit increase in circulation of library material, summer reading programs and computer use. Mention was made of buildings that were at capacity without sufficient space to accommodate all the programs that could be presented nor hold all the attendees who want to participate. On occasion, when the room capacity is reached, some potential program participants are turned away. At a time of increased use and demand in libraries, budgets are stretched and some libraries have needed to cut back on hours and staff.

Michael Piper, Executive Director of PALS, spoke on how a library system provides efficiency, manages the databases, offers workshops and training and ties libraries one to another making it possible for the libraries in the 26 counties served by PALS to borrow books and other material from each other.

Senator Bivins and Representative Sacia spoke on the economic status of the state and the dire budget situation. No easy solution lies ahead. Both legislators met with their constituent librarians and trustees and listened to their specific concerns on how to serve the library users in their communities.

Prairie Views is the weekly newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

All subscribers are encouraged to submit contributions and suggestions to prairieviews@palsnet.info. Submissions must be received by Tuesday to appear in the upcoming edition. To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this newsletter, please visit the following link: http://mailman.palsnet.info/mailman/listinfo/pviews