volume #5 issue#7

February 14, 2008

System News

Condolences
Our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families and friends of the Northern Illinois University Students, Faculty and Staff.

Closed
All 3 service centers of the Prairie Area Library System will be closed on Monday, February 18 in observance of President's Day.
No deliveries will be made that day.

Statistic Time
It's that time again that we ask our members to do a statistical count in delivery. The weeks we are counting are February 25 through March 7. Please look for your forms to come out in the delivery next week.
The delivery department thanks you for helping us with these counts.

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

Member News

Bix Birthday Bash Back at Davenport Library
It’s time for Davenport Public Library’s 14th Annual “Bix Birthday Bash,” a festive time of live music celebrating local jazz sensation, Bix Beiderbecke. Join us on Tuesday, March 11, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Fairmount Street Library (3000 N. Fairmount Street) as the “Bix All Star Band” plays your favorites. The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society will also be selling hot dogs at bargain prices, as well as giving out free birthday cake and refreshments. Everyone is invited to this special free event. Put on your dancing shoes and come to the Library!
For more information, visit http://www.davenportlibrary.com.

Congratulations
to the Robert Rowe Public Library District who won a Teen Tech Week Mini-Grant! The grants give each winning library $450 cash and $50 worth of official Teen Tech Week products to offer inventive activities, resources and services to celebrate Teen Tech Week, March 2-8. The 2008 Teen Tech Week Mini Grants are made possible by Teen Tech Week 2008 Corporate Sponsor Dungeons & Dragons, a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Visit the ALA news release to see the complete list of winners.

Missing Books - members are welcome to post information about materials that are missing in transit. As with all Prairie Views submissions, please send

Book lost in transit
Book was sent from EDLY -East Dubuque District Library to Cary Area Library NSL

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.

Sycamore Public Library
Contemporary literary criticism, vols. 1-123
Twentieth-century literary criticism, vols. 1-83
Nineteenth-century literature criticism, vols. 1-50

If interested, contact:
Larry Zevnik
Phone: (815)895-2500
Email: larryz@sycamorelibrary.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.

Youth Services Assistant
Busy library in growing community serves 29,000+ in western suburbs of Chicago. Seeking an energetic, creative person with a strong commitment to public service to join our Youth Services team.
* Responsibilities include reference and readers' advisory service, collection development, and planning and presenting programs for children. The ideal candidate will be flexible and self-motivated; have strong interpersonal skills; experience in programming for children; knowledge of children's literature; familiarity with library computer applications; and the ability to deal with the pressure of public service work in a busy environment. The schedule includes daytime hours, one evening per week and a weekend rotation for a total of 25 hours per week, with a base salary of $15.02, D.O.Q.
* The position requires completion of the LTA certificate plus 2 years experience working with children, or a B.A./B.S. degree in a related field with 1 year experience working with children. Applications accepted until position filled.

Please submit application, resume and 3 references to:
Kristi Miller-Pease
Head of Youth Services
Geneva Public Library
127 James Street
Geneva, IL 60134
or to kmiller@geneva.lib.il.us
(Phone:630-232-0780, ext.243)

Full Time Adult Services
Hinsdale Public Library is seeking a friendly, innovative, energetic librarian to join our Reference and Adult Services Department. *Responsibilities include reference and readers’ advisory service, collection development, adult programming, as well as contributing to special projects and all department and library activities. Strong readers’ advisory skills are a must. 37.5 hours per week, including evening and weekend rotation.
* MLS/ALA is required. Salary begins at $36,000 and includes a comprehensive benefits package.
* Applications accepted until March 21, 2008.

Send letter, resume and 3 professional references to:
Nancy Marvan
Office Manager
Hinsdale Public Library
20 E. Maple
Hinsdale, IL 60521
or nmarvan@hinsdalelibrary.info.
Hinsdale Public Library is an equal opportunity employer.

Media Information Services
Department Chairperson Media Information Services, Lockport Township High School Dist 205.
Position available due to retirement starting August 2008. Media Certification and Type 75 required.
Position is posted on the lths.org web site.
Please apply ASAP online.

If more information is needed, please contact Todd Werner, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel at Lockport Towhship High School -
Phone: 815-588-8103

Reference and ILL News

I-Share
Please update your links and bookmarks to the I-Share catalog (formerly called ILLINET Online; consortium catalog of 71 Illinois academic libraries), because it has a new address. A couple schools recently reported not being able to access I-Share, and I-Share tech support thinks the problem may be caused by the school networks blocking the immediate “redirect” which happens when the old address is used.
The new address for I-Share is: https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/uc/ (Note that it begins with https and not just http.)

Youth Services and School Library News

The Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its 2008 Summer Teacher Institutes.
The institutes provide educators from grades 4-12 across the nation with the opportunity to engage in intensive study and exploration of a specific topic using the staff expertise and facilities of the Library of Congress. Participants in our Summer Teacher Institutes will:
* Discover Library of Congress primary source materials
* Develop strategies for teaching with primary source digital content
* Engage in inquiry learning in hands-on workshops
* Learn from Library of Congress subject matter experts
* Network with other teachers from across the country to share ideas and experiences
* Leave with a plan for creating a lesson or activity to be used with their students.

The four sessions are:
June 18-20 Creating the United States What was it like to live in the United States as it became a nation? What was involved in creating the founding documents and in shaping the government of this new republic? Teachers will learn about the development of the United States, the important documents and ideas that helped to bring it into being, and the ways in which they continue to shape our nation today. Teachers will also visit a new exhibition at the Library highlighting the founding documents and learn ways to bring this exhibit and other related Library resources into the classroom.

July 22-25
Advanced Session: Using Library Resources to Create Lessons Teachers who have attended the Library's previous summer institutes, or who have served as American Memory Fellows, now have the opportunity to build on their skills with this advanced institute. Participants will work closely with Library specialists to improve their skills in searching the Library's Web site, to learn more about using collections at the Library, and to develop primary source-based teaching materials for use in their own classrooms. In addition to attending training sessions with Library staff, participants will undertake intensive individual research in the Library's collections to discover primary source documents that support their teaching goals. By the conclusion of the institute, each participant will have created the initial stages of a lesson plan or other primary source-based learning experience that they can take with them and integrate into their teachin! g. For previous institute participants or American Memory Fellows only.

July 30- August
1 Incorporating Primary Sources into the Teaching Process This institute will help teachers take advantage of the instructional power of primary sources, the documents and objects left behind by participants in past events. Though most teachers are familiar with the importance of primary sources, many are unsure about how to use them in the classroom or how to help students use them in projects. In this workshop, Library of Congress specialists will introduce participants to the unique characteristics of primary sources, while helping explore some of the millions of digitized primary sources available on the Library's Web site. Participants will look at ways to introduce students to primary sources, as well as to help them understand how to use, and cite, primary sources in projects of their own.

August 13-15
Immigration The United States is a nation of immigrants. In the earliest grades, students begin learning about the uniqueness, complexity and diversity of the U.S., all of which can be greatly attributed to the immigrant populations that shaped it. This session will focus on identifying and using primary sources that explore different aspects of the immigrant experience, and that illuminate the ways in which immigrants have left their mark on the nation's civic and cultural life. Activities will also focus on how those already living in America reacted to the arrival of immigrants, and to the issue of immigration overall.
The Summer Teacher Institutes are open to all grade 4-12 educators, including teachers, librarians and media specialists, and technology coordinators in public, public charter, private or religiously affiliated schools, as well as home schooling parents. Content is geared to professionals working with students from upper elementary to high school.
Participants may only attend one session and must have experience using the Internet for research. It is also strongly recommended that participants have some experience using PowerPoint or other presentation software. The number of participants for each session is limited to 20. There is no charge for the institute or materials. Participants will be responsible for transportation to and lodging in Washington, D.C.

The deadline to apply for the Summer Teacher Institutes is March 15, 2008
Please visit our Web site to register for this event: http://memory.loc.gov/learn/summerinstitute/
Please send any questions about the Institutes to summerinstitute@loc.gov

Public Library News

Virtual PLA
Can’t go to PLA in person? Consider attending virtually. The Public Library Association (PLA) is offering the opportunity to participate in this year’s Conference from the comfort of your computer. It will include live interactive webcasts, handouts and other supporting presentation materials, online poster sessions, and discussion boards. On Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28 there will be 5 live programs and 1 short author-interview event. To be included in the VC are Weeders Attract More Readers, What Does It Take to Be Good at Reference, Why Do We Dewey: Redesigning for a Customer-centered Experience, Off Your Seat and On Your Feet! Proactive Reference Customer Service, Dangerous Ideas: What if Libraries…?, Handling Upset Patrons: From the Irate to the Insane, Gamers in the Stacks, and Technozoo.
Registration fees are $200 for PLA members, $255 for ALA members, $295 for nonmember, and $75 for students. Visit http://www.placonference.org/virtual_conference.cfm for more information and to register

Academic Library News
No News this week.

Special Library News
No News this week.

Support Staff News
No News this week.

Technology Services News
No News this week.

E-Rate Corner

Some of you have been questioned about your technology plan certifications by the SLC. So it seems like a good time to go over some of the basic information that we covered a few months ago. Certification of a technology plan can take place between filing the Form 470 and the beginning of service, but WRITING the tech plan must happen before the Form 470 filing. Certification can take place between filing the Form 470 and the beginning of service which for this year is July 1, 2008. For this year that means that a new tech plan should be started before the last day to file the 470 which is January 10, 2008, and be certified by July 1, 2008. Since technology plans usually cover about three years, the plan must cover the entire year of the funding program which is July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.

A technology plan is NOT required if you are applying only for basic phone service. Apparently a T-1 line or a DSL line can raise questions at SLC and result in a call by a reviewer to request the certification page of your technology plan. It is very important to make sure that your technology plan covers the period of the E-Rate funding year and that you received certification from the State Library.

Remember that a technology plan is a very good idea even if you do not file for E-Rate so if you have questions about writing your technology plan contact Kacy Kelly at our Coal Valley Service Center at 309-799-3155 x3251 or email kacyk@palsnet.info.
If you have questions about how your technology plan is affected by E-Rate, contact Marilyn at the Rockford Service Center at 815-229-4470 or email marilynj@palsnet.info

New Books at PALS

New titles at CVSG, RFSY, and SWSB
Illinois library laws & rules, in effect January 2008 Prof. Coll. 311.73 Il
Financial manual for Illinois public libraries Prof. Coll. 025.11 Ill

Library News Around the State & Nation

GSLIS Research Center Expands Information Science Scope, Names New Director
The Library Research Center (LRC) at the University of Illinois is expanding the scope of its activities and changing its name to the GSLIS Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS).
With the retirement of Leigh Estabrook in August 2007, Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) Associate Professor Carole L. Palmer has been named director of the reestablished center.
For more information on CIRSS visit http://cirss.lis.uiuc.edu/.

Special Chocolate Reception!
You are invited by the Chicago-North Chapter of the Romance Writers of America to a Special Chocolate Reception! All librarians and booksellers are invited to the Bookseller-Librarian Appreciation Reception Friday, April 25, 2008 7:30-9:30pm Hyatt Deerfield 1750 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015 Meet fifty authors, including guests of honor Debbie Macomber, Eloisa James, and Christie Ridgway. Enjoy our private chat room and the all-conference Chocolate Reception!

Register for this FREE event at the conference by visiting http://www.chicagospringfling.com/booksellers.shtml and filling out the RSVP form, or, RSVP to pan@chicagonorthrwa.com. Register by March 30th to reserve your goody bag full of books!
Visit the Chapter’s website for more information-- http://www.chicagospringfling.com/index.shtml.

Submit a Star and Tell Us About Your Healthy Workplace for National Library Workers Day
(ALA, CHICAGO) - Start the celebration early for National Library Workers Day (NLWD) by telling the world what makes your favorite library employee special. ALA-APA is accepting submissions for the NLWD Stars web site. NLWD is celebrated on Tuesday, April 15, during the American Library Association (ALA)-sponsored National Library Week.

This year, we also want to know how your library administration staff gets and stays healthy. This year, in addition to honoring library staff for delivering stellar service, the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) also wants to hear about library programming, equipment and benefits that are helping staff improve their health. For example, if your colleague teaches a staff yoga class, or you provide low-fat food choices at meetings and events or in vending machines or the library gives staff discounts to local gyms or hosts support groups for staff, let us know. NLWD Stars and workplace wellness initiatives will be featured on the National Library Workers Day site for one year. Self-nominations are accepted. The deadline for submission is April 14. Download the free NLWD poster to decorate your library and let patrons, trustees and colleagues know how to submit a star.

NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. Libraries are encouraged to use National Library Workers Day to focus on the value of their staff, including individuals or units responsible for the number of materials selected, acquired, cataloged, checked out and back in and shelved; for handling requests and sending them to other libraries; for answering reference questions; for planning, publicizing and presenting programs; for developing and maintaining the library's Web site; for managing the library and for other elements of library service.
Ideas for how to celebrate in your library are here: http://www.ala-apa.org/about/NLWDflyer.pdf and http://www.ala-apa.org/about/ideas.html. For examples of workplace wellness initiatives, please see the ALA-APA survey analysis.

Proud of the work you do? The ALA Online Store is selling buttons that proclaim "Libraries Work Because We Do". Customizable tools and materials in English and Spanish to help libraries promote National Library Workers Day in their local media are available on the ALA-APA web site. The list of NLWD Stars will be updated weekly. Contact the ALA-APA Office to tell us how you will be celebrating - (800) 545-2433, ext. 2424 or jgrady@ala.org.

Equal Pay Day, April 22, is closely related to NLWD, because libraries are staffed predominately by women, and library workers tend to be underpaid. Equal Pay Day highlights the gap between the wages of men and women. For more information, see the NCPE website at www.pay-equity.org.

National Library Week (April 13-19) press materials, programming suggestions and display ideas can be found on the ALA web site in both English and Spanish. The theme for 2007 is "Come Together @ your library®." The site includes a link to National Library Week products available from ALA Graphics, including posters, bookmarks and key chains.

American Library Association
The American Library Association is pleased to announce that it is working with WGBH Boston on the upcoming national outreach campaign for the film The Truth About Cancer, which will air on PBS April 16th at 9 p.m. (check local listings). The 90-minute documentary film, followed by a 30-minute expert panel, hosted by news journalist and cancer survivor Linda Ellerbee will be the launching pad for events and projects across the country focused on creating community conversations around cancer survivorship.

ALA and WGBH encourage libraries to reach out to their local PBS stations to collaborate with them on events surrounding this film. In addition, WGBH encourages libraries to reach out to its national outreach partners on this project including the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation, YMCA of the USA and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups. These collaborations will provide an excellent opportunity for libraries to develop new—or strengthen existing—community partnerships, while offering a valuable service to their communities.

To assist in these outreach efforts, WGBH will offer extensive online resources, including downloadable handouts, which will be available on http://www.pbs.org/takeonestep starting in March 2008. In addition, a limited number of free Outreach Toolkits including two event posters and a DVD Screener that will include 30 minutes of the film and the full expert panel to libraries that request them. WGBH asks that libraries not hold public screenings using the DVD screener until one week prior to the premiere broadcast.

To order the Outreach Toolkit, please go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/request.html Materials are limited and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. This collaborative project with WGBH is administered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of ALA.
Contact Barbara Macikas, RUSA, bmacikas@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4395.

News from Vendors
No News this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Current Legislative Bills
A synopsis of current Illinois legislative bills:
HB 1727 - proposes mandated Internet filters at all public libraries. (ILA opposes this bill)
HB 2527 - would provide additional funding for public library equalization grants and school libraries. (ILA supports this bill)
HB 4518 - would provide a mechanism for dissolving libraries that fail to actually conduct library activites within three years of creation. (ILA supports this bill) PALS members will know this as Libraries in Name Only (formerly Paper Libraries)
HB 4202 - allow greater flexibility for academic libraries to sell surplus materials. (ILA supports this bill)

Additional information on these and more bills, as well as ILA's position on each of them, can be found on the ILA CapWiz site: http://capwiz.com/ala/il/issues/bills/?type=ST

New Year’s Resolution: Eat More Doughnuts
Before you skip over this item, you may want to take a look at this article on WebJunction.IL. George presents an innovative way to get a place at the table with your legislators and powers that be.

Merola Named Director of ALA Advocacy Office
(ALA, CHICAGO)--Marci Merola, interim director of the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Library Advocacy (OLA), has been appointed the office's first full-time director. She assumed her new duties on Feb. 11. “Marci is a passionate advocate for libraries, and we're pleased that she will be taking on the challenge of helping to develop the resources, networks and training needed by local advocates for libraries of all types,” stated Keith Michael Fiels, ALA executive director. “As the interim director of the new Office for Library Advocacy, Marci has already impressed everyone with her ability to work collaboratively with members and staff on projects like the advocacy institutes and the I love libraries advocacy web site. The new Office for Library Advocacy is off to a great start, and Marci's appointment as its first director will help strengthen all of the association's advocacy efforts.”

The ALA Office for Library Advocacy was established on Sept. 1, 2007 in response to ALA members naming advocacy as one of their top priorities in the ALA Strategic Plan, ALA Ahead to 2010. The Office will focus its activity on providing resources and support to state and local advocacy efforts. Prior to the establishment of the Office, ALA's advocacy activities were coordinated by the Public Information Office.

Grant News
No Grant News.

Just So You Know

2008 IRS Mileage Rates
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (including vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: • 50.5 cents per mile for business miles driven; • 19 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes; and • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations. The new rate for business miles compares to a rate of 48.5 cents per mile for 2007.
Go to http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=151226,00.html for further information.

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.