October 30, 2008 Issue

Prairie Views: Newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

Help Wanted! Great Opportunity!

Volunteers are sought to fill the remaining term for one vacant position on the PALS Board of Directors. The vacancy to be filled is for a public library trustee seat. The term of office ends June 30, 2009. The vacancy will be filled by appointment with action, hopefully, taken at the Board's November 18, 2008 meeting. This is a great way to see what the PALS Board of Directors does without committing to serve for the normal three year term. Deadline for nomination submission is November 14, 2008.

To apply and for more information, visit Help Wanted!

New Library Supplies Discount

As announced in September, as of November 1, 2008 PALS is revising what we will carry on our delivery vehicles to focus on transporting resource sharing materials as effectively as we can. The list of what PALS will and won't deliver is part of the Delivery Member Services Guide.  As part of this change, PALS will no longer be re-selling library supplies that we stock and ship out to members when requested. Instead, we are negotiating new discounts from vendors so that members can still receive good pricing but materials are shipped directly from the vendor.

A newly negotiated discount is with Brodart, Inc., for library supplies and furniture. Details of the new discount can be found on the PALS website under the library supplies section of the Discounts and Group Purchases area.  Please be aware that you need to login to the PALS website to access this information.  PALS staff is also working on several other new discounts which will be announced as they are finalized. 

PALS does have a limited amount of Brodart library supplies left that are available first come, first served until they are gone.  Please use the attached order form and fax your order to PALS at 309-799-7916. Your library will be billed for the supplies.  

If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Roman (ext 3152) or Judy Hutchinson (ext 3150).

Continuous Learning

LTA101

The Joliet Junior College and Kankakee Public Library are pleased to announce the offering of LTA 101 at Kankakee Public Library on Wednesday evening starting late January from 5 till 8 pm.  Kankakee Library Director Cynthia Fuerst will be the instructor.  If you live in the Kankakee Community College District, please present a completed “Request for Approval” form  to Kankakee Community College Admissions Department.  The LTA (Library Technical Assistant) program is a Certificate Program. These forms must be processed prior to enrolling in the LTA courses offered at Kankakee Public Library. 

Registration for courses at Joliet Junior College begins: Monday, November 3, 2008 at 12:01am. If you are a new student at JJC, please complete the “New Student Application”.  Registration information is as follows:

Operator Assisted Phone Registration

Available to returning students (full and part time) and new part-time students.

Phone Numbers:

• Joliet and surrounding areas: (815) 744-2200

• Lockport: (815) 838-2174

• Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Lemont areas: (630) 679-9479

• Crete, Orland Park and Tinley Park: (708) 367-1647

• Morris and surrounding areas: (815) 942-4580

• Other communities in the college district: (800) 369-2200. (This toll-free number is for registration only. Your call cannot be transferred to other offices.)

The course name is Introduction to Libraries : LTA101-U1 (23037)

OPAL Auditorium Events:

Free Online ALA Connections Salon: Political Connections

On Friday, November 21st we will hold another of the monthly ALA Connections Salons.  The topic for November is  -- you guessed it -- political connections. Staff members from the ALA Washington Office will be our special guests.  Details are below.  There's no need to register.  The main discussion will last about an hour, with plenty of time afterward for informal discusions.  

To access this and all upcoming OPAL free online events, please visit the following webpage:  http://www.opal-online.org/progschrono.htm

If you're a first-time user of OPAL, here is a webpage containing basic information and tips: http://www.opal-online.org/firsttimetips.htm

Free Online Casual Conversation with John Budd

The OPAL (www.opal-online.org) Casual Conversation series continues in December with special guest John Budd.  See below for details.  Everyone is invited.  There is no need to register.  It's free.  It'll last about an hour.

 To access this and all upcoming free online programs, please visit the following webpage:  http://www.opal-online.org/progschrono.htm

WWII Documentary Premiere

After a year in the making, the Kankakee Public Library is about to premiere

its first ever documentary produced entirely by KPL staff - A City at War:

Soldiers of Kankakee, which chronicles the experiences of six Kankakeeans in

World War II.  The premiere is Wednesday, November 5 at 7:00pm on our

library's newly constructed 4th floor (also being premiered that night).

The documentary features local veterans Anne Chandler, Vivian Lock, Eugene

Toler, Frederick Ziemer, Harvey Yarno, and Col. James Kasler, who tell their

stories of humor, survival, and uncommon bravery. Mr. Toler speaks of

witnessing the ravages of the holocaust first hand. Mr. Yarno tells of three

unimaginable days adrift alone at sea.  Col. Kasler talks of photographing

Nagasaki just hours after its destruction in nuclear fire. This film will

serve as a permanent archive of local people called to make history during

the world's darkest days.

The documentary was edited and interviews conducted by Steve Bertrand of the

Kankakee Public Library.  If any of you have questions for Steve, you can

email him at sbertrand@lions-online.org.  The documentary will be available

for downloads on our website  after the premiere.

What:  Premiere of the documentary A City at War:  Soldiers of Kankakee

When:  Wednesday, November 5th 7:00pm

Where:  Kankakee Public Library, 201 E. Merchant St. in Kankakee

Author Event

Join nationally acclaimed Quad Cities authors Susan Caroll, Kimberly Cates, and Leslie Langtry for a fascinating look into the lives of working writers. A question and answer session will follow the discussion. Books will be available for purchase and autographing.

 Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 6 pm

Gold Room of the Moline Public Library

Registration is required for this event. Please visit the Reference Desk or call 309-736-5737 for more information.

New Book by PALS Author Helps You Motivate Kids to Read!

Why does the girl borrow books about fishing every time she visits the library?

She’s “hooked” on them. Because they’re quick and fun to read, riddles can “hook” even reluctant readers and keep them coming back for more. Riddles also improve vocabulary, comprehension, and oral reading; enhance deductive and inductive thinking skills; and promote libraries as places for fun.

Drawing on her work with children in schools and public libraries, Rock Island School District librarian Dee Anderson offers

·         easy-to-implement ideas on motivating kids to read with riddles

·         a folk tale

·         scripts for puppet skits

·         sample PR handouts

·         reproducible games and patterns

·         hundreds of carefully selected riddles, some exclusive to this book.

 Besides riddles on popular topics like animals, holidays, and sports (arranged alphabetically by subject for easy reference), Reading Is Funny! shares two chapters of riddles about  libraries, reading, and popular books like Corduroy, Charlotte’s Web, Junie B. Jones, and Harry Potter.

For Sale

 Manteno Public Library has metal shelving for sale.  Currently they have

 8 green single faced 78" H and 10 double faced 42" H metal shelving

available.  They are asking $100.00.  They will have more available to sell.

Jeanne Mueller - Director

Phone: (815)-468-3323

Email: jmmueller@manteno.lib.il.us

The Sterling Public Library has 2 multi-media rotor stands for sale. Stand measures six levels high and holds oversized paperbacks, videos, DVD’s, or audio books, and is light oak in color. The stands can be yours for $125.00 a piece and buyer must pick-up.

Anyone interested may contact Lacey at the library @ (815)625-1370 or e-mail lchriest@sterlingpubliclibrary.org

Public Library News

District Library Legal Seminar

Attorney Phil Lenzini will conduct a Legal Seminar especially for District Libraries via OPAL on Monday, November 17th.  He will cover the most recent legislation impacting District Libraries including Working Cash Funds.  He will also cover Annexation issues, District relationships with other entities and Election procedures.  Phil will also respond to participant questions but attendees are asked to submit those questions in advance to nancys@palsnet.info in order to enable him to provide a more complete answer.  To register, go to http://www.librarylearning.info/?LibSys=PALS.   This session is recommended for district library administrators and trustees.

Nominating Petitions

There seems to be some confusion about nominating petitions for the upcoming Board elections. 

For District Libraries this is what applies:

(75 ILCS 16/30‑20)

Sec. 30‑20. Nomination of candidates; ballot.
    (a) Nomination of candidates for election as trustees shall be by petition, signed by a number of qualified voters equivalent to at least 2% of the votes cast at the last election for library trustees, or 50, whichever is less, residing within the district, and filed with the secretary of the district within the time provided by the Election Code. No party name or affiliation may appear on the petition.
    (b) The names of all candidates for the office of trustee shall be certified by the secretary to the proper election authority, who shall conduct the election in accordance with the Election Code.
    (c) The ballot for election of trustees shall not designate any political party, platform, or political principle.
(Source: P.A. 92‑355, eff. 1‑1‑02.)

For Local Libraries (village, town & township) this is what applies:

(75 ILCS 5/4‑3.3) (from Ch. 81, par. 4‑3.3)
    Sec. 4‑3.3. Nominations for the position of library trustee including the first board of library trustees shall be by petition, signed by at least 25 legal voters residing in the incorporated town or village (except a village under the commission form of government) or township and filed with the clerk of such incorporated town, village, or township within the time prescribed by the general election law. Such clerk shall certify the candidates for library trustees to the proper election authorities who shall conduct the election in accordance with the general election law. All candidates must be residents of the incorporated town, village or township involved. The ballots shall not designate any political party, platform or political principle.
(Source: P.A. 95‑65, eff. 1‑1‑08.)

http://www.ilga/gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=16

If you have election questions, the Board of Elections website has a great deal of information.

Around the State & Nation

State Library Announces the 2009 Small Public Library Institute (SPLMI)

Illinois State Library has announced the 2009 Small Public Library Institute (SPLMI) for public library directors that are new to the position and/or new to Illinois public libraries.  Many PALS member libraries have attended this institute over the years learning about things and making contacts that have been invaluable to them.  Check with one of your neighbors if you want to know more about the “SPLMI experience.”

Registration is limited so it is important to get your application in early.  You can find more information and the application on the Illinois State Library website.

ALA Seeks $100 Million in Stimulus Funding As U.S. Libraries Face Critical Cutbacks, Closures

(ALA, Washington) - The American Library Association (ALA) is asking Congress for $100 million in stimulus funding to aid the nation’s working families during the current economic crisis.  Aid is sought to stem the bleeding of critical library services that help Americans with job searches, small business development, financial literacy and other essential assistance in hard economic times. Read more...

Cheerios® is Serving Up More Books through Spoonfuls of Stories®

The next time you're at the grocery store, check out the cereal aisle for . . . BOOKS! That's because First Book's longtime partner, Cheerios is again serving up five million wonderful children's books -- free inside boxes of Cheerios cereal. In fact, for the past seven years, Cheerios, through its Spoonfuls of Stories program, has been featuring award-winning and popular books from Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. For the first time ever, three million of the books are specially printed in both English and Spanish.

The books featured this year are:

• Duck for President, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin;
• When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, written by Elise Broach and illustrated by David Small;
• Romeo and Lou Blast Off, written and illustrated by Derek Anderson;
• Monkey and Me, written and illustrated by Emily Gravett;
• Diego's Wolf Pup Rescue, adapted by Christine Ricci and illustrated by Art Mawhinney. 

Advocacy News

 Illinois Law Regarding Election Day

Grant News

Apply for a Travel Grant to the ALA Annual Conference

 There is now easy access to the entire list of travel grants (http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/grants/pubresearchtravel/index.cfm) offered by ALA and its divisions and round tables on the new website. The time to get your application together is now, because the deadline for most of the awards is the first business day in December.

ALA 2009 Scholarship On-line Application Now Available

Scholarship money is available for future librarians. The American Library Association (ALA) has more than $300,000 for students who are studying library science or school library media at the master's degree level. Scholarships typically range from $1,500 to $6,500 per student per year. The application and instructions are available on-line at www.ala.org/scholarships. The application deadline is March 1, 2009.

There are many types of scholarships available for the study of librarianship, for students who are interested in Children's Librarianship, Youth Librarianship, Federal Librarianship, New Media and Library Automation. In addition, there are also scholarships available for minorities, persons with disabilities and for people who are already employed in libraries but do not have an MLS.

To be considered for one of these scholarships, applicants must attend a masters program in library and information science that has been accredited by the ALA. Applicants interested in school library media must attend a program that meets ALA curriculum guidelines for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Complete guidelines and instructions are available on the Web site.

The scholarship process is open annually from October through March. For more information, visit www.ala.org/scholarships or call the ALA Scholarship Clearinghouse at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4279.

Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant Helps Libraries Achieve Success

2009 Deadline Extended

(ALA, CHICAGO) The deadline for the 2009 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week has been extended until November 14.

U.S. libraries of all types are invited to apply for a $3,000 grant that will be awarded to the best public awareness campaign that promotes the theme “Worlds connect @ your library” during National Library Week (April 12-18, 2009). Application forms and guidelines are available on The Campaign for America’s Libraries Web site.

All proposals must use the “Worlds connect @ your library” theme, which incorporates The Campaign for America's Libraries’ “@ your library” brand, on promotional and publicity material supporting National Library Week activities.  Guidelines for using the brand are available on the campaign Web site  under the “download logos” section.

The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, and is administered by the Public Awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA).

Information is also available from the ALA Public Information Office. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 2148. E-mail: mmcfarlane@ala.org.

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