volume #4 issue#50

December 20, 2007

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News

Holiday Schedule
The offices of the Prairie Area Library System will be closed on Monday, December 24, 2007, Tuesday, December 25, 2007, Monday, December 31, 2007 and Tuesday, January 1, 2008 in observance of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There will be no delivery service on these days. Prairie Views will also not be published on December 27.
Happy Holidays to all!

PALSGroup Cataloging Policies and Procedures
The PALSGroup Technical Services Users Group (TSUG) and its subcommittee have been working hard on a policies and procedures manual so that libraries will do things in the same way and make it easier for patrons to find materials. At this time, several policies and procedures have been approved by TSUG, the Administrative Council, and the Delegates Assembly. We do expect all PrairieCat member libraries to follow the policies and procedures that have been approved by TSUG and the Administrative Council (AC) because the assumption is that the Delegates Assembly (DA) will ratify them. The latest version of the policies and procedures manual can be found on the PALSGroup Secure Site under Technical Services Users Group, Miscellaneous Technical Services Documents, Technical Services Policies and Procedures Manual (http://members.prairiecat.info/pgss/tsug/miscdocs.php). If you do not have a login for the Secure Site, please contact your director or administrative librarian for it.

There are two policies that we have had an issue with that I would like to highlight. First, item category 2 is a mandatory field. There must be a value in that field. That field is where the information for the Kids Catalog is pulled. Second, any item published every 3 years or more often is to be added to the serial record, not the individual volume record. If there is a year in the title, it is recommended that you search by the title to see if there is a serial record in PrairieCat. If you do not find one, it is recommended that you search FirstSearch/OCLC for a serial record before determining that the individual volume record is the one to use. There is a list of the approved Item types, Item categories, and Locations on the secure site under Frequently Accessed Documents (http://members.prairiecat.info/pgss/fad/). It is important to use this list when adding your items as there are some terms from the previous systems still in the dropdowns in Workflows.

Please pass this information on to any staff that work in or with Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Serials. Please remember that any staff that add items to the database, regardless of their title, is responsible for knowing these policies and procedures. If you have questions about the policies or procedures please contact Mary Louise Brown at x3253 or maryb@palsnet.info; Sandy Tedder at x2713 or sandyt@palsnet.info; or Merideth Willett at x3257 or meridethw@palsnet.info.

Union List Member Agreements
If you have returned your signed PrairieCat Union List agreement but have not yet been contacted for your access information to the PrairieCat secure site, please contact Len Lindquist (lenl@palsnet.info, x4472).

PALS Needs a Piece of Your Mind!
Make it your New Year’s resolution to attend a 2-hour PALS Strategic Planning Direction Setting meeting early in January at a location near your library. A face-to-face input session has been planned for each neighborhood early in 2008. At these sessions, attendees will be asked questions and give responses that will be used to revise PALS Long Range Plan.

Who should attend? Anyone connected by employment or volunteer role to a member library, has a knowledge of library system services, and wants to share their opinion is urged to participate. PALS planning effort needs to reflect the width and depth of member library staff and volunteer leadership.

When and where can I attend? Attend one the eight meetings listed below.
Coal Valley Service Center, Thursday, January 10, 2:00–4:00 pm
Highland Community College West (Elizabeth), Tuesday, January 8, 9:30–11:30 am
Limestone Public Library, Thursday, January 17, 3:00–5:00 pm
LaSalle Public Library, Tuesday, January 8, 9:30-11:30 am
Rockford Service Center , Tuesday, January 8, 9:30-11:30 am
Joliet Public Library, Black Road Branch, Tuesday, January 8, 10:00-12:00 pm
Sterling Public Library, Tuesday, January 8, 9:00-11:00 am
Sycamore Public Library, Thursday, January 10, 10:00-12:00 pm

Register today at http://www.palsnet.info/events/

Are other activities planned? Yes, but the PALS Strategic Direction Input meetings will be one of the best opportunities for members to provide input to the planning process. In early March, representatives from the PALS Board, Librarian’s Planning Committee, PALSGroup Administrative Council, and PALS staff will meet in Mendota for a day-long planning event. On May 7, at PALS Day, we’ll preview our new Long Range Plan at one of the sessions that day. Later in May the PALS Board will act on the plan and by the end of month, we’ll send it to the Illinois State Library as part of our funding application for 2008-2009.

Please help us get off to a good start by attending one of the PALS Long Range Planning Input Session at one of these eight convenient locations.

PALS Board Meeting Rescheduled for April 15, 2007
The PALS Board of Directors has rescheduled their cancelled August 21, 2007 meeting for April 15, 2008 at the Kankakee Public Library.
Please direct any questions to Cori Swanson at 309-799-3155 x3136.

New Illinois Statewide Delivery to Commence January 2, 2008
The Intrasystem Library Delivery Service (ILDS) has operated in Illinois for more than 25 years. The statewide delivery service is getting a slightly new name and will be expanded starting January 2, 2008. The new name is Illinois Library Delivery Service (still ILDS). The other big difference is that all Illinois academic libraries that are governing or associate members of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) will now be direct stops on ILDS.

PALS member libraries that are also new ILDS locations will be receiving training from CARLI on proper shipping procedures. For non-CARLI libraries, the main change is getting used to a new ILDS label and new ILDS codes. There are now a number of training materials on the PALS website at: http://www.palsnet.info/services/delivery/default.asp. We would ask that all staff at non-ILDS libraries that processes interlibrary loans or returns materials review this information and ask questions. All libraries should begin using the new ILDS label as of January 2, 2008.

PALS Day 2008 Registration Is Now Open
Mark your calendars now for PALS Day 2008 at Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Our day will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Transportation details will be provided at a later date.
Registration is now available in CLeO, so please register at your earliest convenience. For additional information, please contact Dawn Diventi dawnd@palsnet.info or Nancy Smith nancys@palsnet.info, PALS Day 2008 Co-coordinators.
We look forward to spending a great day with you at Starved Rock!

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

LTA Classes at Kankakee Public Library
Interested in pursuing your Library Technical Assistant Certificate? We are thrilled to offer LTA 101 at Kankakee Public Library for the spring semester. Please contact Catherine Suchy at csuchy@jjc.edu if you have any questions.

LTA 101 Intro to Libraries taught by Cindy Fuerst on Wednesdays from 5 till 8 pm. The course runs from Jan 7 to April 30th.

For registration information, click on http://www.jjc.edu/ES/registration/regmethods.asp. The Joliet Junior College has a cooperative agreement with Kankakee Community College, so students living withing Kankakee Community College boundaries will not be charged out of district rate - however, students must go to Kankakee Community College to verify eligibility for this process. Please contact me if you have any questions at the email above.

Member News

Our Condolences
To Randy Struthers of the Plano Community Library District staff, whose mother Sharon Mangerson just passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with Randy and his family at this difficult time.

Retirement Reception
The Board of Trustees of the Bettendorf Public Library invites you to join us in honoring Library Director, Faye Clow, for her 30 years of service to our community. Please join us at a Retirement Reception, Friday, January 11, 2008, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., program at 7:00 p.m. at The Lodge, I-74 at Spruce Hills Drive, Bettendorf. Cash bar.
Regrets only 563-344-4177 or gbarrett@bettendorf.org.

Missing Books - 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.

New England Patriots by Mark Stewart J 796.332 STE 31523101034605 checkout to Polo CUSD from BYLY

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.

Reddick Library has to giveaway :
Ulrich's periodicals directory- 45th ed. 2007. 4 vols.
If interested please email emchapman@reddicklibrary.org

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.

Library Director
The Hillside (IL) Public Library Board of Trustees is looking for its new Library Director effective May 1, 2008. This village library serves a small, friendly, community of just over 8,000, in the western suburbs, within easy access of Chicago. With a budget of just over $800,000, FTE staff of 10.6 and a technology current building of 13,800 sq. ft., (computer lab of 24 pc’s) this library plays a vital role in the life of its diverse residents. The Director reports to a 7 member elected board dedicated to supporting library service. The Library has co-sponsored with the village, diversity fairs, centennial celebrations, and other unique programs and services that support the library mission.
* Qualifications: ALA accredited MLS and five years of progressively responsible public library experience. Leadership qualities include a commitment to dynamic library service, excellent interpersonal skills, an interest and skill in grant writing and a willingness to play a role in the life of the community. Knowledge of Spanish a plus.
* Position available: May 2008
* Minimum starting salary: $70,000 plus excellent benefits.

Submit a letter of application, resume and three references by January 26, 2008 to:
Mary Jane Kepner
Kepner + Associates
309 W. Harris
La Grange, Illinois 60525.
For more information contact Kepner + Associates at m.kepner@sbcglobal.net. No e-mailed applications accepted.

Library Director
Geneseo Public Library District, Geneseo, Illinois, seeks enthusiastic leader with experience in a building project. Must have and exhibit prior success working w/personnel, community leaders and a Board of (7) elected Trustees. Experience managing a library, public relations, fundraising, public speaking, short and long term planning vision for the library and excellent verbal and written skills.
* The position requires a minimum of 5 years of public library administration and/or MLS from an ALA accredited library school program.
* Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Residency required.
* Excellent benefits package included. Position open March 1, 2008; current library director is retiring. The library has an annual budget of $507,260, staff of 1 full-time employee, 17 part-time employees and an annual circulation of 145,928. The library district serves 13,102 residents including the City of Geneseo.
Visit the library's website at http://www.geneseo.lib.il.us

Please send resume and three references to:
Geneseo Public Library
ATTN:Mr. Don Bailey
218 South State Street
Geneseo, Illinois, 61254
before November 30, 2007.

Youth Services Children's Programmer
Geneseo Public Library District, which serves a population of 13,102 resident is opening a search for a Children's Programmer.
* Job requirements listed are a must: education or experience in executing programs specifically geared for children including storytelling and crafting; coordinate programs in conjunction with other community groups which feature children's activities; excellent interpersonal skills, rapport with children, previous library and computer skills.
* Hours, 15 - 20/wk, would include some evenings, and occasional Saturdays.
* Benefit package; wage depends on experience and qualifications. Start date in December.

Contact by sending resume to:
Brenda I. Fowler Director
218 South State Street
Geneseo, Illinois 61254

Youth Services
Lincoln Library, the Public Library of Springfield, Illinois, is seeking an individual to assist customers in the Youth Services division. (Springfield serves a population of approximatley 116,000.)Responsibilites include making the most effective use of materials and information available in the library in a variety of ways from assisting customers with computer databases to handling difficult reference questions using specialized tools which would require professional judgement in methods and tools used. Evening and weekend hours required.
* Masters degree in Library Science required.
* Rate of Pay: $19.46 hourly. Position covered by AFSCME Local #3738

Apply To:
City of Springfield Office of Human Resources
Room 309 Municipal Center West
Springfield, IL 62701
Deadline to Apply: 5 p.m. on December 28, 2007
Phone: 217-789-2440 FAX: 217-789-2118

Reference and ILL News
No Reference and ILL News this week.

Youth Services and School Library News

It is time for the PALS annual survey of favorite kids' books for 2007.
We need your input. Please think about your favorite book published in 2007 for the following categories-- preschool/primary, intermediate, young adult, and non-fiction for any age group. Fill in the info on the survey for the age groups that you serve. The link below will take you to the quick survey (no mailing or faxing this year!) http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gTC5bI2Z02w4HtyHwYlkNA_3d_3d
Please respond by Jan. 22nd. Then we will compile everyone's submissions and send out the bibliography electronically.
Thanks for sharing your favorite new titles.

Public Library News

2008 Illinois Library Law
Soon to be published in January 2008 and available February 2008 is the new 2008 Illinois Library Law. We will have copies to purchase in February from the at the Prairie Area Library System.

If you are interested in ordering a copy please email
Brenda Roman
brendar@palsnet.info

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards ALA $950,000 to Improve the Public's Access to Essential Internet Resources in America's Public Libraries
(ALA, WASHINGTON) — The American Library Association's (ALA's) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is launching a major project to increase the benefit that the nation's public libraries obtain from the federal E-rate program. This effort will include data collection and developing and implementing strategies to make it easier for libraries to participate in the program. The E-rate is the biggest single source of funding for libraries' telecommunications and information services. And while many libraries rely on E-rate to make connectivity affordable, many others have difficulty taking full advantage of this essential program.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will support ALA's work to develop and provide training and consulting services for libraries so that more libraries can successfully navigate the cumbersome E-rate application process. ALA will also work to improve the E-rate program in the long-term, for example, by advocating for simplification of E-rate's application and disbursement processes. According to the recent findings of ALA's Libraries Connect Communities report (2006-2007), virtually all of America's public libraries now offer public access to the Internet. However, many of those libraries have difficulty funding the ongoing connectivity costs needed to sustain broadband connections to the Internet that are robust enough to support library users' access to key online services like education, E-Government services, small business support, and more. Dr. Alan Inouye, Director of OITP, says this project is a big step toward helping libraries meet their connectivity needs. “Because of the complexity of the E-rate program, many individual libraries don't even apply for funding or are denied funding for simple errors,” said Linda Lord, Deputy State Librarian of Maine and Chair of ALA's E-rate Task Force. “This project by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA will be tremendously helpful to public libraries in obtaining the funding that they desperately need for telecommunications services.”

Academic Library News
No Academic Library News this week.

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
No E-Rate Corner this week.

New Books at PALS
No News Books at PALS this week.

Library News Around the State & Nation

Smoke-Free Illinois
As of January 1, 2008, the Smoke-Free Illinois Act requires that public places and places of employment must be completely smoke-free inside and within 15 feet from entrances, exits, windows that open and ventilation intakes. Beginning January 1, 2008, at 12:01 a.m., business owners and employers shall:
* Not permit smoking at their business or within 15 feet of entrances, exits, windows that open and ventilation intakes.
* Post “No Smoking” signs at each entrance to the place of employment or public place where smoking is prohibited. “No Smoking” signs must comply with the specification in the Smoke-free Illinois Act (see below).
* Remove ashtrays from areas where smoking is prohibited.
There is no requirement for an employer to provide an outdoor shelter for smokers. As part of the workplace, private offices also must be smoke-free since smoking is prohibited throughout the workplace. Additionally, employers may designate additional areas in the workplace as smoke-free.

Requirement to post signs
New administrative rules have been drafted for the non-smoking law and are expected to be finalized in January. The draft rules for signage say:

"a proprietor of a public place or place of employment shall post signs that: 1) Are no smaller than 5 inches by 7 inches; and 2) Contain the international “no smoking” symbol or the words “No Smoking”; the telephone number designated by the Department for registering complaints; the Department’s website for obtaining the complaint form; and letters, numbers and symbols of sufficient size to be clearly legible to an individual of normal vision from a distance of 5 feet. c) Each public place and place of employment where smoking is prohibited by the Act and this Part shall have posted at every entrance, a conspicuous sign, in compliance with subsection (b), clearly stating that smoking is prohibited. (Section 20(b) of the Act)"

Signs that meet these specifications are available to download on the Illinois Department of Public Health Web site. For more information, visit http://www.smoke-free.illinois.gov.

Annual Children's Literature Conference
Northern Illinois University announces the 28th Annual Children's Literature Conference scheduled form March 14 & 15, 2008, at the NIU Holmes Student Center. the theme for this year's conference is Male Call: Boys and Books.

Contact NIU's College of Education Office of External Programs at (815) 753-3005 or by email to mjernber@niu.edu for registration information. Watch their web site for more information about this conference http://www.cedu.niu.edu/oep/conferences

World War II Traveling Exhibit
Available to hosts in Midwestern States is a visit by a “buseum” sponsored by TRACES, a not for profit educational organization created to gather, preserve and present stories of people from the Midwest and Germany or Austria who encountered each other during World War II. The Illinois State Library hosted their “Vanished: German-American civilian internment, 1941-1948 during the past year and is encouraging libraries to look into the Spring 2008 (Mid-March to early June) opportunity to play host to “Behind the Barbed Wire: Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany” which can be scheduled to appear in your community in 2008. For more information about the bus go to the TRACES website, http://www.traces.org/, or conact Eric Brandt at admin@TRACES.org or 651-292-8700.

ALA Book Award Web January 14
(ALA, CHICAGO) The American Library Association (ALA) will provide a free live Webcast of its national announcement of the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery and Printz awards - on January 14 at 7:45 a.m. EST. The award announcements are made as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, which will bring together more than 10,000 librarians, publishers, authors and guests in Philadelphia from January 11 to 16. Unikron, a streaming content provider, will host the ALA’s Webcast.

Online visitors will be able to view the live Webcast the morning of the announcements by going to http://www.unikron.com/clients/ala-webcast-2008 . This link is not yet live, but librarians and others interested in following the action online should bookmark and use this URL - instead of the ALA home page - on January 14. The number of available connections for the Webcast will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The press release announcing all of the winners will be available online at www.ala.org at 10:30 a.m. EST. For ALA Midwinter Meeting participants, the press conference will be held in the Pennsylvania Convention Center Ballroom B and doors open at 7:30 a.m.

Awards to be announced January 14 are:
• Alex Awards for the best adult books that appeal to a teen audience
• Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video
• Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
• Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of books for children and young adults that reflect the best in artistic and literary expression of the Black experience in a pluralistic society
• Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
• May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
• Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequently published in English in the United States
• John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children's literature
• Odyssey Award for excellence in audiobook production for youth
• Pura Belpré Award recognizing a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children
• Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
• Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers

Additional information on the ALA Youth Media Awards can be found at www.ilovelibraries.org/youthmediaawards. Adult book awards also announced during the conference include: Notable Books for Adults, the Black Caucus of the ALA Literary Awards and the Stonewall Awards. For more information on ALA literary awards, please visit: http://www.ala.org/bookmediaawards

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Illinois Library Day Set for April 10, 2008
Mark your calendar now and plan to take part in Illinois Library Day in Springfield on Thursday, April 10, 2008. This is one of the most important days on the library calendar in Illinois, where librarians, trustees and other library supporters have the chance to meet one on one with their lawmakers at the State Capitol. We'll have another march and rally to let everyone know how important libraries are to Illinois. More information as it becomes available, but you can mark your calendar now.

Grant News
No Grant News this week.

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.