volume #4 issue#33

August 16, 2007

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News

PALS Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at Cherry Valley PLD
The Board of Directors of the Prairie Area Library System will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cherry Valley Public Library District, 755 East State Street, Cherry Valley, IL 61016. For further information call 309-799-3155 ext. 3163.

Save the Date!
PALS will host an "All PALS" meeting on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, available by videoconference at all eight neighborhood locations. This meeting will be an update on various topics/projects by PALS staff and an opportunity for neighborhood networking. Watch for more details in a few weeks.

Bus Ride to ILA Exhibits
PALS is once again proposing to offer a bus ride from each of the Service Centers to ILA Exhibits at the 2007 Conference in Springfield. Because of a change in the ILA Exhibits schedule, the ride is being offered on Wednesday, October 10th with arrival planned in time for the Opening Lunch Reception at 12:30 PM and the bus will leave for the return trip at 5 PM. The cost of the ride is $30. Besides the Service Centers, pickups may be offered at Rochelle, Peru, and Dwight.
We ask you to please register in http://palsnet.info/events as soon as possible. Because of the financial commitment involved in using a bus, we will need at least 20 riders per point of origin registered by September 5th. If we do not meet that goal then we will endeavor to arrange an alternative ride for registrants.
Questions about the rides should be addressed to Nancy Smith at nancys@palsnet.info or x4466.
It is the practice of the PALS business office to invoice the member library for the ride after the event.
If you need other financial arrangements made, please notify Debbie Fowler at debbief@palsnet.info.

PALS Offers Group Purchase of USB Headset with Microphone
PALS has organized another group purchase for a USB headset with microphone. This Plantronics DSP-400 Headset will be a good one to use with our OPAL and WIMBA meetings and workshops, and, of course, you can use it for many other things as well. Please do note that your PC must have a USB port in order to use it. Our price on this unit is $37.00 per headset with a flat $7.99 per order shipping charge for up to five headsets. If you would like to order more than 5 headsets, please contact Kacy Kelly for shipping charges. If you are interested in ordering, please contact Kacy Kelly at kacyk@palsnet.info and include the following information: Library Name and Delivery Address (i.e. shipping address), Delivery Code, and Quantity Desired. Orders will be processed as they are received, and you will receive a bill directly from PALS. Deadline for the group purchase is Friday, August 31, 2007.

Events/Continuous Learning
CLeO: All continuous learning events sponsored by PALS are open to all staff or representatives of member libraries. Registration is required for all PALS continuous learning programs. To register, visit the PALS CLeO at http://www.palsnet.info/events/

Information on registration, how to set up a CLeO account, and PALS procedures for continuous learning can be found on the PALS website at: http://www.palsnet.info/services/cl/default.asp

PALS Events by Month

Fall 2007 LTA Classes from College of DuPage
It's not too late to register! You can still begin your Library Technology certificate or degree this fall in the nationally known College of DuPage Library Technology Assistant Program! Already have your degree? Then brush up on the workplace and technology skills that can make a difference in your career. 'LTA Your Way' means we offer on-campus, two-way video, and Internet classes to fit your busy schedule. See our website at http://www.cod.edu/LTA or contact Linda Slusar, LTA Program Coordinator, for more information at slusar@cod.edu, (630)942-2592.

PALS to Offer Two CPLA Courses
In partnership with the Public Library Association, PALS has been selected to offer two Certified Public Library Administration courses. For information about the Certified Public Library Adminstrator program: http://www.pla.org/ala/pla/plaevents/cplacourses/CPLAcourses.cfm

*On October 24-25, 2007, PALS will host "Serving Diverse Populations."
The event will be held at the Rockford Public Library Main Auditorium at 215 N. Wyman St, Rockford IL 61104.

*On April 1-2, 2008, PALS will host "Current Trends."
The event will be held at the Moline Public Library at 3210 41st St, Moline IL 61265.

For more information about these events, please contact Dawn DiVenti, Library Services Coordinator, Continuous Learning,
dawnd@palsnet.info

Fall Classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The University of Wisconsin/Madison has recently issued their Fall 2007 Continuing Education Series. Several of the classes are online, some on-site in Madison, or you can register for "Books & Beauty in Western Ireland: A Librarians' Trip scheduled in February/March. For details go to http://www.slis.wisc.edu/continueed.

Customer Service Conference from UW-Madison, SLIS
Spend two lovely days in Madison this fall... Insights and Solutions for Customer Service September 10-11, 2007
This conference will help your library rise to its customer service potential! Over two days, speakers will help you rediscover your sense of humor, invigorate your dedication to patrons, address challenges with technology and diversity, and add a creative spark to how you approach customer service. Click here for a full conference schedule.

Monday, September 10
Keynote: The Power of Humor for Librarians or How Dincerella Slopped Her Dripper
Breakout Sessions:
Creative Problem Solving Techniques - Dr. Bob Kann
Library Service Desks and Computer Help Desks: What can we learn from each other? Ken Frazier and Cathy O'Bryan, UW-Madison
Perspectives on Customer Service: A Panel Discussion - Paul Nelson, Director, Middleton Public Library; Erika Linzner, Reserve Collection & Circulation Supervisor, Madison Area Technical College; Christina Wagner, Librarian, Madison Public Library; Pamela Phillips Olson, Psychotherapist, Midwest Center for Psychotherapy; Tana Elias, Reference Librarian, Madison Public Library
Talking ‘Bout My(space) Generation: Social Networking & Teens - Sara Van Cleef, UW-Madison

Tuesday, September 11
Customer Service as if Your Library Depended on It - Pat Wagner, Pattern Research Questions?

Contact Anna Palmer, ahpalmer@wisc.edu or 608-263-4452

Member News

Name Change for the St. Ambrose University Library
On Friday, Aug. 3, in a special meeting of the St. Ambrose University Board of Directors, the board voted to remove the late Bishop Gerald O'Keefe's name from the St. Ambrose library. The board's decision was based on the recommendation of an ad hoc committee of the board appointed by St. Ambrose University President Edward Rogalski to investigate a request to remove O'Keefe's name from the library. The request maintained that the removal was warranted because of the bishop's failure to take the necessary precautions to protect children from clergy sexual abuse that occurred during his tenure as bishop of the Davenport Diocese. Guided by the university's naming policy, the board determined that the request justified the removal of Bishop O'Keefe's name from the SAU library. While a very difficult decision, the board felt it was the right thing to do for the university, as well as a step taken in the spirit of promoting healing within the diocese and, in a larger sense, for all victims of abuse. The library will be referred to as the St. Ambrose University Library until such time that the board is able to determine the appropriate course of action for its renaming.

Sterling Storytelling Festival!
The Sterling Public Library is proud to announce that the 5th Annual Sterling Storytelling Festival will take place Friday, August 31 and Saturday, September 1, 2007. Friday night's program, from 8:00-10:00 PM is for the mature audience. The tellers will entertain the audience with adult appropriate stories. Saturday programs start at Noon with mountain dulcimer music, and the storytelling starts at 1:00 PM. Stories continue throughout the day and into the evening. The festival closes at 9:00 PM. Featured tellers this year are the always popular Oba William King and Sadarri and Company. New to the festival this year is nationally known teller Judith Heineman who's speciality is Grimm's Fairy Tales. Minnesota native Al Batt, straight from the Batt Cave, also joins the lineup of tellers this year.

Call the Sterling Public Library at 1-815-625-1370 for ticket prices and directions.

Congratulations To Homer Township Public Library!
BIG READ GRANT Celebrates The Maltese Falcon through a multi-library collaboration and partnership! The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded a BIG READ grant to four communities partnering to read together led by their libraries: Homer Township Public Library, Orland Park Public Library, Frankfort Public Library District, and the Tinley Park Public Library. The Big Read, launched nationally in 2006 by the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest, encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss a single book. Activities take place Sept.-Oct., 2007. The four communities have coordinated several quality programs to enhance the “one book, one community” program to support reading classic literature.

Homer Library staff created a community BIG READ web site at http://homerlibrary.org/thebigread/thebigread.asp and proudly notes that they were a key grant writer for the proposal.

Bettendorf Library Will Close August 20th Through September 3rd
The Bettendorf Public Library Information Center will be closed August 20 through September 3. The library will install new carpeting and paint walls. Those of you that want to watch our progress can go to our “Carpeting blog” at http://www.bettendorflibrary.com/blog/

Davenport's Main Library Closing for Renovations
The Davenport Public Library Main Street location (321 Main Street) will be closed Tuesday, September 4, through Sunday, September 23, for a large-scale renovation project.

East Dubuque District Library Closing to move location
The East Dubuque District Library will be closed September 1, 2007 through September 22, 2007. They are moving to a larger building. New address will be 350 Wall Street, East Dubuque, IL 61025. Open House at the new location will be held on Sunday, October 7, 2007 from 1:00 to 4:00PM. Join us in our celebration.

Missing Books - we've added a new section to Prairie Views where members are welcome to post information about materials that are missing in transit. As with all Prairie Views submissions, please send to prairieviews@palsnet.info.

No Missing Books this week.

Freebies/Exchanges/For Sale/Wanted

Prairie Area Library System offers a means for members to share discarded items to needy libraries. Procedures are outlined in the Reference Member Services Guide http://www.palsnet.info/services/reference/reference_guide.asp They are also outlined below.

Libraries wanting to offer up materials can email to Prairie Views, providing the following information:
*Library's name and phone number
*Title(s) of the items discarded

A list will be compiled for inclusion in the weekly Prairie Views newsletter. Anyone interested in freebies are to contact the library directly, (no earlier than Monday following the listing). Members are responsible for making their own arrangements. The PALS van delivery may be available for transporting items, as space and time permits. Contact your Service Center Delivery Manager to arrange for delivery of large shipments.

PALS Members - please remember that you are asked to not request or release any items whether they are Free or For Sale until Monday following the publication of the announcement in Prairie Views. This gives library staff a chance to see the message and request the materials if they are interested. Thanks for your cooperation - we have had several complaints in recent weeks about items being released before Monday.

No Freebies.

Job Openings
Jobs can be submitted on the PALS website at http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ or by sending them to prairieviews@palsnet.info. All jobs submitted by either method will be included in Prairie Views for one week and will be posted for 120 days on the PALS website unless the library posting the job requests that it be removed before 120 days. Visit http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ to views all the job ads that PALS currently has posted.

Certified Library Media Specialist
Lockport Township High School district 205 has re-opened a search for a Certified Library Media Specialist. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please apply online at lths.org.
Questions, please contact Todd Wernet, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel at 815-588-8104.

Circulation Assistant
Fountaindale Public Library District, which proudly serves the diverse communities of Bolingbrook and Romeoville, Illinois, is seeking a public service-oriented individual to provide circulation services in our Bolingbrook library.
* Duties include checking materials in and out at the Circulation desk and on the phone, issuing and renewing library cards, and collecting overdue materials. This is a 20-hour per week, part-time position including evening and weekend hours. A high school diploma plus one year of related circulation or customer service experience required. Spanish language skills are a plus.
* Starting salary: $10.55 per hour Closing date: When position is filled.

Send cover letter, resume and three references, including contact information, to:
Pris Gotham
Fountaindale Public Library District
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
personnel@fountaindale.lib.il.us

Reference Librarian
(PART-TIME)
University of St. Francis (Academic Library)
The University of St. Francis Library seeks a flexible, dependable, enthusiastic, progressive, and service oriented professional to join our pool of reference librarians.
* Primary responsibilities include providing reference assistance (in person, via telephone, and electronically), teaching library instruction classes as needed and creating access tools and guides to the library collections.
* This is a part-time (up to 20 hours/week) position, with a strong possibility of both daytime and evening/weekend hours. Full/Part Time & Hours: Part Time - Hours: Up to 20 hrs/week
* Requirements: Qualifications include an ALA-accredited MLS or an equivalent combination of education and experience, excellent communication and training skills, the ability to work well with faculty and students, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
* Salary: beginning - $12.97

Contact Information:
Julie Dahl
Head of Public Services
University of St. Francis Library
600 Taylor Street
Joliet, IL 60435
Phone: 800-735-7500
Fax 815-740-5083

Children’s Services Manager
The Des Plaines Valley Public Library District, with branches in Lockport and Crest Hill, Illinois, is seeking an experienced, energetic, and innovative Children’s Services Manager. This individual will be expected to provide a diverse range of professional children’s library services including managing staff at multiple facilities, planning and presenting library programs, collection development, staffing the Children’s Services desk, instructing patrons in the use of electronic and print resources, and a variety of related tasks within a growing Children’s Services Department. This newly-created position reports directly to the Library Director.
* Minimum qualifications: MLS from an ALA-accredited graduate program and 3+ years experience working in an active children’s department. Supervisory experience is strongly desired. All applicants should have computer experience, including Internet and the use of online databases, and ability to work days, evenings and weekends. Knowledge of the Sirsi/Workflows Database is a plus. Applicant will also be required to travel between our two facilities, as needed.
* Salary range begins at $41,412.80 and increases commensurate with experience and qualifications. The District offers an excellent benefit package which includes IMRF benefits, paid sick and annual leave, and medical, vision and dental insurance.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Interested parties should submit their resume to:
Scott Pointon via e-mail at spointon@dpvlib.org ; via fax at (815) 838-9131 or via mail to:
Scott Pointon
Des Plaines Valley Public Library District
121 E. 8th Street
Lockport, IL 60441.
Application can be submitted through September 14, 2007. The Des Plaines Valley Public Library District is an equal opportunity employer. Visit our website at www.dpvlib.org to learn more about our District.

Youth Librarian
Eldridge, IA, Scott County Library System.
The Scott County Library System invites applications for the Youth Librarian position. This is a full-time position in Eldridge, IA. Eldridge is five miles from Davenport and the Quad Cities. The library has a strong commitment to youth services and is looking for a creative, energetic individual. The Children's Librarian creates, implements, and presents agency and community programs for children ages 1-12 years and child related programs for parents, caregivers and teachers. This position also provides reference and reader's advisory services and interprets the Library's policies and procedures, develops and maintains a reference and circulating collection for juvenile patrons. In addition, this position will be asked to support the delivery of young adult and reference services.
* Qualifications: MLS from an ALA accredited program; effective oral and written communication skills; knowledge of current developments, trends, practices and philosophy in library services. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. May graduates are encouraged to apply.

Please send a cover letter, resume and names of three professional references to:
Paul H. Seelau, Director,
Scott County Library System
200 N. 6th Avenue
Eldridge, IA 52748
or email pseelau@scottcountylibrary.org

Librarian
The Marengo Public Library District is looking for a special person to fill a new position. The Librarian will be responsible for: helping staff and patrons find information and use new technology, collection development, and preparing/presenting training classes for the staff and public. *M.L.S. required. Up to 14 hours a week. $16.00 per hour.

Applications are available upon request at the library and will be accepted until the position is filled.
Please direct questions about the position to Mary Hanson at 815-568-8236 or by e-mail mhanson@marengopubliclibrary.org

Reference and ILL News

Free Trial for ASK?AWAY
If you're a library that's been curious about our popular Ask?Away virtual reference program (www.askawayillinois.info) but haven't signed up, you now have the chance to try Ask?Away for four months absolutely free! The free trial will run from Aug. 15 - Dec. 15, 2007. Academic and school libraries are especially encouraged to participate. To take advantage of the free trial, contact Debra Aggertt, ISL Virtual Reference Coordinator, at daggertt@ilsos.net or 217-558-1945.

RUSA Offers Four Internet-based Courses Focusing on Reference and User Services Training
ALA, CHICAGO—The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), offers participants the opportunity to receive specialized training in reference and user services by registering for one of the following continuing education courses:

* Business Reference 101, November 5 – December 7, 2007, a business reference course for library staff and researchers that teaches the process of business research and both free and fee-based resources.
* Marketing Basics for Library, September 4 – October 11, 2007, a new RUSA online course designed as an introduction to marketing, which focuses on the uses of marketing and explains basic marketing tenets using the framework of libraries. A course project will involve students creating a marketing plan for a library.
* Readers’ Advisory 101, October 1 – November 9, 2007, trains library staff on how to use readers’ advisory tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal and experiment with methods to offer Readers’ Advisory services.
* Reference Interview, September 17 – October 22, 2007, course focuses on the methods of evaluating reference service, behavioral aspects of reference service and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need.

“RUSA’s growing program of online courses offer timely, relevant and accessible continuing education opportunities on a variety of topics,” said David Tyckoson, president of RUSA. “Participants benefit not only from high quality content that is written by expert instructors in the field, but also from direct interaction with those instructors through frequent chat sessions where students can exchange information and ask questions of the instructors and fellow students.” The easy access of the online courses attracts students that live and work in the US and overseas. The students build their social network during scheduled chat sessions with the instructor and other students, sharing information and ideas on practices used in their organization, state or country. The registration prices for the courses are $130 for RUSA members, $160 for ALA members, $190 for non-ALA members and $100 for students and retirees. For more information about a course or to register, visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaevents/professionaldevelopmentonline/prodevonline.htm

Free PubMed Training
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford is offering a free workshop on PubMed. PubMed is the interface to the Medline database provided by the US National Library of Medicine. This database is freely available to anyone with an internet connection. It is the largest and best known medical literature database with over 17 million citations from over 4,800 international journals. The PubMed for Experts training session is for those who have some knowledge of the PubMed database. It will be held on Wednesday, August 29th, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, Crawford Library of the Health Sciences Computer Lab. The session will begin at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM then we will break for lunch (on your own) and resume at 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM. Holly Ann Burt will be your instructor. She is from the National Library of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region Chicago office. Please extend this invitation to anyone on your staff that would be interested in this training. We have room for 15 people in our computer lab. Please RSVP to Felicity Barrett by August 24 to save you a place. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact her. Hope to see you there!

Felicia A. Barrett, MLS
Assistant Health Sciences Librarian
University of Illinois College of Medicine Library of the Health Sciences
1601 Parkview Avenue Rockford, Illinois 61107-1897
815-395-5660
fbarrett@uic.edu

Youth Services and School Library News

Harvest of Resources at Harold Washington Library
LACONI's Youth Services Section is presenting "Harvest of Resources" at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 28. This is a great event to attend if you book performers for your library because you'll see snippets of their acts and be able to speak to the performers. See flyer for details.

Submit your “wild” ideas!
The iREAD Committee is pleased to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the 2009 iREAD Resource Guide: Read on the Wild Side. To submit suggestions for the 2009 iREAD Resource Guide, simply go to the ILA website (www.ILA.org), click on the iREAD Button (on the left side of the page – shaped like an eye + the word: READ). Scroll down the page that appears – until you find the heading: “Contribute to IREAD” and then under “Submit Ideas for 2009 Guide” you will see “online submission form”. Click on “online submission form”, fill out the form and hit the submit button at the end of the page. Thanks!

Ideas for the 2009 iREAD Resource Guide (theme: Read on the Wild Side”) can be submitted from August 15, 2007 – January 8, 2008.

If you have any questions please contact either Vince Sovanski, the iREAD Chair for 2009 at ghdyouth@glensidepld.org
Or Julie Anne Robbins at jrobbins@gailborden.info or julieannrobbins@comcast.net

Young Adult Services Forum
The Illinois Library Association’s new Young Adult Services Forum geared toward public librarians who serve teens. The North Suburban Library System is hosting an online “community” for discussing any topic pertaining to library service to young adults. This Community of Practice will contain four sections—discussion of teen topics, calendar of upcoming events, directory of members, and other files and Web links.

See the attached welcome letter and directions for subscribing for details.

Public Library News

What Is Your library Doing for National Library Card Sign-up Month?
The American Library Association (ALA) and hundreds of libraries throughout the country are hosting special programs and events to generate awareness of how libraries support education and life long learning. ALA is in the process of promoting Library Card Sign-up Month to members of the press, and would like to hear about how your library plans to celebrate. Event information can now be entered online and will be made available to press members and the community at large. Please enter your event information via the Library Card Sign-up Month page at http://www.ala.org/librarycardsignup, click on "Share your Story." Entered information will post within 24 hours. Thank you for taking the time to tell ALA about your event.

Academic Library News

Top Ten Tools
The Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies has published a web list of top 10 favourite tools of 101 (e-)learning professionals - consultants, analysts, developers, practitioners, academics, etc. The tools they mention could be used for their own personal working and learning or for creating and delivering learning for others. These lists are proving to be a popular resource (see reviews) to discover the wide range of tools that can be used in a learning context, and is demonstrating that e-learning is much much more than online courses.

Nancy Luikart, Assistant Dean for Library Services at Muscatine Community College, made the list at #73!

NILRC IMLS Educational Funding
The Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC) has secured IMLS funding to support professional library education for a cohort of 20 Masters Degree students interested in community college work. NILRC has partnered with the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The community college librarianship-focused curriculum culminates with a six-month paid internship at one of the grant-partner community colleges. Unique to this program are courses on community college topics which will supplement the student's LIS coursework. In addition, staff from the 10 partner community colleges will actively engage with cohort students throughout the course of the program. In order to participate in this partnership, students must first apply to GSLIS for admission into the Graduate College. Deadline for Spring admission is October 15, 2007. For further explanation of this exciting opportunity, go to http://www.nilrc.org/Introduction.htm

Special Library News
No Special Library News this week.

Support Staff News
No Support Staff news this week.

Technology Services News
No Technology Services News this week.

E-Rate Corner

Below is a note from the State Library regarding a technology planning survey. Please help them out if you can.
Hope you are all sending off your BEAR forms for Year 9 (yellow) that ended 06/30/07. Make sure to give the phone companies enough time to respond and to return a signed page 4 of the form.
For E-Rate questions call Marilyn at 815-229-4470 or email marilynj@palsnet.info
Here’s the survey information. WebJunction staff is assessing ways in which WebJunction and TechAtlas can provide tools that would make the technology planning and approval process for E-rate applications easier. As a part of this study, we are soliciting input from libraries. Please complete a brief survey, which should only take about 10 minutes. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DRemHrlG5ksdTz8hPzIVsw_3d_3dnants

Library News Around the State & Nation

Free Radio Public Service Announcements Now Available for Library Card Sign–up Month in September
CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) announces the release of five new radio public service announcements (PSAs) that are now available to help libraries promote Library Card Sign-up Month in September and the library card as the “smartest card in your wallet.” The PSAs can be downloaded for free at www.ala.org/librarycardsignup and are available in 10, 15 and 30-second MP3 formats. Libraries are encouraged to share the PSAs with local radio stations. Other free tools include sample press materials, a list of “52 Ways to Use Your Library Card” and “Smartest Card” logos. Press materials and “Smartest Card” logos are available in both English and Spanish. Examples from libraries that have used giant “Smartest Cards” in photo opportunities also appear on the Web page. Libraries are encouraged to let the ALA Public Information Office know how they are celebrating Library Card Sign-up Month. Visit www.ala.org/librarycardsignup and click on “Share your story.” The strongest examples will be shared with the press as part of ALA’s national media relations efforts. Observed in the month of September since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when ALA and libraries across the county remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Value of Information Sharing
The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) has announced a call for entries for its 2007 video contest. “The SPARC Discovery Awards challenges you to illustrate in a short video presentation what you see as the value of sharing information. Use your imagination to suggest what good comes from bringing down barriers to the free exchange of information.” First place price is $1000. Video entries must be no more than 2 minutes in length, and the deadline for submission is December 2. Winners will be shown at ALA Midwinter in January. For entry requirements and other details, see the contest’s website http://www.sparkyawards.org/index.php.

ILA Conference 2007
The Illinois Library Association (ILA) Annual Conference will be held October 9-12 at Springfield's Prairie Capital Convention Center. Join your colleagues in making an investment in your skills, your profession, and your community. The ILA Annual Conference will offer more than 70 educational sessions, 150 speakers, 100 exhibitors, and 1,000 of your professional colleagues. It is a vital opportunity to learn from each other, sharing the successes and challenges of the past year, while developing and renewing professional and personal networks.

Early Bird Registration Deadline Approaches: Monday, August 13, is the advance registration deadline for the 2007 ILA Annual Conference. Save money by registering early: https://www.ila.org/events/reg_conf.htm

Conference Hotels:
President Abraham Lincoln Hotel & Conference Center
701 East Adams St.
Springfield, IL 62701-1627
Phone: (217) 544-8800
Toll Free: (866) 788-1860
Fax: (217) 544-9607
Single/Double: $97

Hilton Springfield
700 East Adams St.
Springfield, IL 62701-1627
Phone: (217) 789-1530
Toll Free: (800) 774-1500
Fax: (217) 789-0709
Single/Double: $105/$120

Please mention that you are attending the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference when making your reservation.

Free Exhibit Passes Available: Exhibits are open Wednesday, October 10, 12:30 to 5:00 P.M., and Thursday, October 11, 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Free passes are available to those not registered for the conference at the ILA registration desk.

Join us for the Conference Evening Receptions:
All-Conference Reception: Illinois Library Systems invite you to an all-conference reception on Wednesday, October 10 from 8:00 P.M. to midnight in the Ballroom of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Hotel and Conference Center. Join your colleagues to dance the night away. Pre-registration is not required; however, voluntary donations will be accepted at the door. The reception will feature snacks, a cash bar, and a DJ.

ILA President's Reception at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum - If you haven't yet visited the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, join ILA on Thursday, October 11 for an evening reception. We will have the opportunity to visit the galleries for a private, after-hours viewing. The museum takes visitors from a rustic Indiana cabin to the White House, exploring President Lincoln's life as never before. Artifacts on display at the museum include one of five existing copies of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own hand. Registration includes a buffet dinner and cash bar. Pre-registration is required.

Book Cart Drill Team - 2007 State Championship, Sponsored by DEMCO The 2007 Book Cart Drill Team State Champion will be crowned at the ILA Conference in Springfield on October 10 from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. in the Prairie Capital Convention Center. We need teams from your library to join the fun and compete. We also need volunteers to help with the competition logistics. The Master of Ceremonies for the competition will be Keith Michael Fiels, ALA Executive Director. Judges include John Ison from Demco, ILA President Brad Baker and Allen Lanham from Eastern Illinois University. Prizes will be awarded for artistic impression, technical skills, best costumes, best cart decorations and more. Best of all - the Illinois State Champion will be invited to compete in the ALA World Championship at the 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim. Next stop Hollywood! The deadline for registration is September 14. To register, fill out the application form on page 39 of the preliminary conference program, https://www.ila.org/pdf/2007pre_prog.pdf You can contact co chairs Dee Brennan (dbrennan@oppl.org) at the Oak Park Public Library and Rebecca Teasdale (rteasdale@stdl.org) at the Schaumburg Township District Library if you have questions, or if you want to volunteer.

ILA Swap and Shop 2007!
Gather great ideas for publicity materials and share your own materials with your fellow librarians! Come to Swap & Shop at ILA to collect sample annual reports, event calendars, bibliographies/booklists, brochures, newsletters, and program/event materials from all sizes and types of libraries. Participants can view and take home the materials, which will be set on tables in the Table Talk area of the ILA Exhibits, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 10. For more information contact Alissa Williams at 309-828-6091 ext. 219 or alissaw@bloomingtonlibrary.org. Sponsored by the ILA Marketing Committee.

PALS will be offering rides to ILA on Wed, October 10. Rriders will be able to participate in the ILA Swap and Shop program if interested. ILA Exhibit attendance is free and rides are $30. Register at www.palsnet.info/events.

If you’d like to submit materials for the Swap and Shop, please send 50 copies of your items by October 4th to:
Lisa Pappas
Plainfield Public Library District
15025 S. Illinois Street
Plainfield, IL 60544.
Please mark the envelope “SWAP & SHARE”. Questions? Email Lisa at: lpappas@plainfield.lib.il.us.

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

ILA's Legislator of the Year at Cherry Valley PLD
At Navy Pier during the last ILA annual conference, Congressman Donald Manzullo was honored as the recipient of the McClarren award for the legislator of the year. Congressman Manzullo, 16th district, will be at Cherry Valley PLD on Tuesday, September 21, 9-10 am to meet with constituent librarians. With Denny Hastert announcing that he’s not running for re-election, Manzullo will be the dean of the Illinois representatives. Please join us at this reception for him to let him know what libraries are accomplishing and what value they add to their communities.

Attendance at the informal meet & greet with Congressman Manzullo is especially requested of those who’ve received LSTA grants in the last years. Please use this opportunity to thank the congressman for supporting LSTA funding and mention how not only your library benefited from the grant, but how it also added to making your community a better place to live. Those who’ve not received LSTA grants but wish they had, should take advantage of this opportunity to request increased LSTA funding. This has been on the top three list of issues every year at ALA’s National Legislative Day. Here’s an opportunity to mention the need without incurring the cost of a flight to DC and “bargain” room rates of $200+ for each night’s lodging in DC and needing to miss several busy days out of your library. Bring along your business cards, library promotional material and any brochures that you have on events at your library. Following the meet & greet, you’re invited to stay for the PALS board meeting at the same location. I look forward to seeing many of you and making the strong impression that the 16th district has many libraries and that we need to be listened to!

This is an opportunity to blow your own horn as well as to thank him for his support of LSTA funding. Please register on CLEO http://palsnet.info/events/ For questions please contact inaram@palsnet.info

House Bill (HB) 499, Trustee Petition Signed by Governor
The Governor has signed HB 499. It is PA-95-065. This bill amends the Illinois Local Library Act by making the minimum signature requirement for a nomination petition for the office of library board trustee 25 (now, 50). The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Jim Sacia (R-89, Freeport) and in the Senate by Sen. Todd Sieben (R-45, Geneseo). ILA supported this initiative. http://capwiz.com/ala/il/issues/bills/?bill=9314946

The Governor Signed House Bill (HB) 2782, Public Library District Annexation
HB 2782 was an initiative of the Illinois Library Association. (In particular, thanks to Bev Obert (RPLS) and Sandy Ringstrom (PALS) for working on this bill.) HB 2782, Library Annexation - requires that prior to adopting the ordinance, the library district shall send notice of an annexation under this section, to be considered by the board of trustees of each public library with area within one mile of the territory to be annexed. The library district may in addition provide notice of a proposed annexation ordinance on a Web site maintained by the library district. At any meeting of the board of trustees in which an annexation ordinance under this section shall be considered, the board shall provide a reasonable opportunity for any interested person to make public comments on the proposed annexation ordinance. Within fifteen days of the passage of the annexation ordinance, the library district shall send notice of the adoption of the ordinance, a copy of the map showing the boundaries of the territory to be annexed, and a copy of the text of the publication notice required in this section to the president of the board of trustees of each public library with territory within one mile of the area to be annexed. See http://capwiz.com/ala/il/issues/bills/?bill=9550936

Grant News

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Minigrants
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is accepting applications for the Minigrant Program for Public Schools and Public Libraries. Awards of $500 will be provided to public schools and libraries for programs that encourage literacy and creativity in children. Programs related to the work of Ezra Jack Keats are welcome, but not required. In the past, supported programs have included ongoing pen-pal projects that link otherwise unrelated communities, art projects that culminate in exhibitions, programs featuring guest authors/illustrators, and bookmaking programs. Innovative program ideas are welcome. Applications must be submitted by September 15, 2007.
Visit http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/programs/minigrant.html for details.

LSC and Candlewick Press "Light the Way" with $5,000 grant
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and Candlewick Press are pleased to announce “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved,” a one-time grant of $5,000 for a library conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations. The grant will be presented in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree Kate DiCamillo. Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, speak English as a second language, are in a non-traditional school environment or a non-traditional family setting (such as teen parents, foster children, children in the juvenile justice system and children in gay and lesbian families) and those who need accommodation service to meet their needs.
Criteria and an application for the grant are available now on the ALSC Web site at http://www.ala.org/alsc. The winner and Honorable Mentions will be announced at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, January 11-16, 2008.

For more information on ALSC or the “Light the Way” grant, please contact Diane Foote at 312-280-2162 or dfoote@ala.org .

Just So You Know

No Just So You Know this week.

Prairie Views will be published weekly on Thursdays on the PALS website. PALS member libraries are encouraged to send items for inclusion to prairieviews@palsnet.info by Tuesday of the week you would like your information to appear.

We will send an email reminder each week when the new issue is available on the PALS website. If you do not currently receive email reminders, please send a message to prairieviews@palsnet.info to have your email address added to the reminder mailing list or visit http://mailman.palsnet.info/mailman/listinfo to subscribe or unsubscribe yourself.