Prairie Area Library System
volume #5
issue#20
  May 15, 2008

 

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know


System News

PALS Board Meeting on May 20
There will be a regular monthly meeting of the Prairie Area Library System Board of Directors on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, from 10 am - 2 pm at the LaSalle Public Library, 305 Marquette St., LaSalle, IL, 61301. A finance committee meeting will take place at 9 am, one hour prior to the board meeting, also at LaSalle Public Library. This month's agenda includes a new Strategic Plan, FY2009 work plan, FY2009 budget, and revised organization chart. Due to pressures from fuel and other vehicle costs and a lack of new income, PALS employment level will decline by nearly 3 positions in FY2009. More information will be sent via PALS Announce after the Board meeting and is available in the posted meeting agenda. The May board meeting agenda can be viewed from the PALS website at http://www.palsnet.info/about/board/0508/boardagenda20080520.doc

Deadline for PALS Board Election Fast Approaching! Vote Now!
Both the PALS Board of Directors and the Librarian’s Advisory Committee are holding their elections for FY2009. If you have not already voted, please do so now! REMINDER: For both elections, we ask that only one ballot be cast from each library agency/school district. Unless we hear otherwise, we expect the library director to cast the ballots. All other ballots will be disregarded. Both ballots are posted on the PALS website and can be submitted electronically or mailed to the Coal Valley Service Center, Attn: Cori Swanson, PO Box 125, Coal Valley, IL, 61240.
Ballot for PALS Board of Directors Deadline is Sunday, May 18, 2008
Ballot for Librarian’s Advisory Committee Deadline is Sunday, May 25, 2008

Even if you are not submitting a ballot, please feel free to take a look at who’s running for office:
Board candidate information
LAC candidate information

If you any questions about submitting a ballot or questions about these committees, please call 309-799-3155 x3163 or email Cori Swanson at coris@palsnet.info.

Last "Official" Week for School Deliveries
Just a reminder that next week (the week ending May 23) is the last "official" week for school deliveries for PALS. However, if your school is open after Memorial Day, or is on a modified year-round calendar, etc., you may contact your delivery hub supervisor to request additional deliveries. The first "regular" week for school deliveries for the fall is the week of August 25. Have a great summer school members!

PMPT Trivia Contest - Week #2
At PALS Day last week, the PALS Marketing Power Team (PMPT) included the first PALS library trivia contest in the event packets. We are going to share the answers to the trivia contest through Prairie Views each week for the next few weeks. If you weren't able to attend PALS Day, the trivia contest is attached for you to try answering all 15 questions. If you would like to submit trivia about your library for our next contest, please send it to Judy Hutchinson at PALS, judyh@palsnet.info.

Question #3: At this library, you have to go outside to get downstairs to the Children's Room?
Answer: Sheffield Public Library

Question #2: This library has the highest volume of PALS delivery for a single building, averaging nearly 2500 items per week.
Answer:Bettendorf Public Library ?

The next meeting of the PALS Marketing Power Team is Wednesday, June 18, at 10:30 a.m. in person at the Highland Community College campus at Elizabeth, or via neighborhood videoconferening. The sharing topic for this meeting is a round robin panel discussion; bring a marketing problem and the group will brainstorm how to make it better. All are welcome, so please consider attending!

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

Continuing Education Elsewhere in the State

Looking for Funding Help?
The Donors Forum is offering new classes including, for those of you with Foundations, “Demystifying the New Form 990.” To learn about this workshop and the many others they offer to help you seek outside funding, please go to http://www.donorsforum.org/.

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know


Member News

Jodie Toohey Book Signing at the Davenport Public Library
Join local author Jodie Toohey on Saturday, May 24 from 10 AM to noon at the Davenport Public Library, Fairmount Street location (3000 N. Fairmount Street) for a book signing of her book, Crush and Other Love Poems for Girls. Toohey is quoted for writing her book, which focuses on love and rejection for teens and pre-teens because, “I realized there were no other books like this available.” Registration is not required for this free event.

For more information call 563-328-6833 or visit us online at http://www.davenportlibrary.com.

BI-State Literacy Council Awards Literacy Program Grants
The Bi-State Literacy Council is pleased to announce that they have awarded $3200 in grants to sixteen area literacy programs. This is the largest number of grants given out by the Council. Recipient programs promote literacy skills and practices throughout the Bi-State area (western Illinois/Eastern Iowa).

Receiving grants of $200:
Kids First Academy, Camanche
Stay N Play Child Care, Clinton
St. Joseph Catholic School, DeWitt
Children’s Discovery Center, Clinton
Kewanee Even Start, Kewanee
Tree of Knowledge Program, Muscatine
Garfield Elementary School, Moline
Jane Addams School, Moline
Hosts Program, Rock Island
Project Literacy, Rock Island
Morning Coffee Club, Moline
Wood Intermediate School, Davenport
Play & Read Kids Summer, Davenport
Heritage Christian School Library, Eldridge
STAARS Mentoring Program, Davenport
Bettendorf Public Library, Bettendorf.

Congratulations and Farewell
To Pat Schwartz, Kids’ Library Manager at the Plano Community Library on her retirement. Pat’s last day will be July 31. Pat has worked at the library for over 17 years and will be missed by her coworkers and patrons. Happy Retirement!

Maple Park Public Library Is Going To Be 45!
Maple Park Public Library will be turning 45 on June 16, 2008. You are cordially invited to celebrate this occastion with the Maple Park Public Library Staff and Board of Trustees.

When: Saturday, June 21, 2008
Where: Maple Park Public Library, 302 Willow Street, Maple Park, IL
Time: 3 - 5 pm

There will be free food and games for the whole family. See you there!

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
No Missing Books this week.

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know

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.

Free Books from Homer Township Public Library
GOVERNMENT PHONE BOOK USA 2007
TOLL FREE PHONE BOOK USA 2007
HEADQUARTERS USA 2007 (2 VOLS)
ERNST & YOUNG TAX GUIDE 2007
NATIONAL 5 DIGIT ZIP CODE AND POST OFFICE DIRECTORY 2007 (2 VOLS)
HOOVER’S HAND BOOK OF PRIVATE COMPANIES 2007
HOOVER’S HAND BOOK OF AMERICAN BUSINESSES 2007
HOOVER’S HAND BOOK OF WORLD BUSINESS 2007
HOOVER’S HAND BOOK OF EMERGING COMPANIES 2007

The library will have to make arrangements to pick these volumes up, they are not to be sent on the delivery:
BOOKS IN PRINT 2005-2006 (14 VOLS)
BOOKS IN PRINT 2007-2008 (14 VOLS) WRITER’S MARKET 2006

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know

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
Winifred Knox Memorial Library (Franklin Grove Public Library), Franklin Grove, Illinois.
The Franklin Grove Library Board is seeking applicants for the position of Library Director. Located 40 miles southwest of Rockford, Ill., and about 30 miles east of DeKalb, Ill., a new state-of-the-art facility which serves a population of 1100 residents, was dedicated and opened to the public in August of 2007.
*The Director will report to a 7 member elected Board of Trustees; supervise, maintain, and enhance policies and procedures for the library; have a good understanding of current library technology and trends, good administrative and organizational skills, and knowledge of financial and project management.
Additional information regarding the library and community can also be found at http://www.franklingrovelibrary.org and
http://www. franklingroveil.org.
*Qualifications: ALA/MLS (recent graduates encouraged to apply); applicant’s with a bachelors degree only plus a minimum of 3 years of supervisory library experience, may also be considered. Must also have successfully completed or be willing to obtain the Illinois Barcode Certification.
* Salary: Min: $38,000.00; 20 days paid vacation per year; benefits negotiable with considerations given for qualifications and experience.

To apply for this position, send a cover letter, work history, unofficial transcripts and contact information for professional references to:
Mr. Roger Fisher
President of Franklin Grove Library Board
203 Lincoln Hwy.
Franklin Grove, Il. 61031
No Phone Calls Please. Application deadline: Friday, May 30, 2008.

Teen Librarian
Normal Public Library seeks an energetic, innovative, team-oriented librarian to join the Adult Services staff, with primary focus on services for teens. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
* Requirements: MLS from an ALA-accredited graduate program; ability to work as part of a professional team dedicated to excellent customer service; experience working with teens; willingness to work with diverse populations of all ages; excellent computer skills. Interested applicants should be flexible, outgoing, creative, self-motivated, and possess both a positive attitude and a sense of humor.
* Preferred qualifications: Web development skills; previous library experience.
* Responsibilities: Planning and presenting teen programming, including Summer Reading, Teen Advisory Council, Anime/Manga Club, Gamefest, plus additional community partnerships and outreach activities; collection development and maintenance; provision of public services; other duties as assigned.

Applications will be accepted from qualified applicants until position is filled, and should include cover letter, current resume, and a list of three references. Submit application materials to:
Brian Chase
Director
Normal Public Library
206 W. College Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
Email: bchase@normal.org

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know
On the Internet


Reference and ILL News

ILLINET INTERLIBRARY LOAN TRAFFIC FORM FY 2007 (July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007)
The Illinois State Library is pleased to release the ILLINET Interlibrary Loan Traffic Form FY2007. All ILLINET libraries will have the opportunity to utilize the Bibliostat Collect product to submit their interlibrary loan statistics. Bibliostat is a division of Baker and Taylor. There are several improvements and enhancements using this new vendor's Collect software program, including new format, new functionalities, and compatibility with other Bibliostat products. A mailing is being distributed that includes Username/Password and other information. In response to questions about the FY2008 Traffic Form-it is in development at Bibliostat and should be released this summer.

Youth Services and School Library News

Teen iREAD Poster Contest 2010 theme
The Illinois Library Association and Illinois Reading Enrichment and Development (iREAD) are sponsoring a Poster Contest to promote Teen Reading. The contest is open to all middle and high school aged artists. The poster should illustrate the 2010 theme “SCARE UP A GOOD BOOK”. The winning entry will be the basis for the artwork for the Young Adult iREAD Summer Reading Program in 2010. Here are the particulars for the poster:
• Include images of books, a library, or something related to reading
• All art and characters must be original (not existing cartoon or comic characters)
• Artwork should be appropriate for hanging in public libraries
• Poster can be up to 19 inches by 26 inches
• Final art can be either computer generated or a drawing, painting, or collage using traditional media
• If submitting computer art, be sure that it is either vector art (Adobe Illustrator) or if it is a Photoshop file, that it is 300 pixels per inch
• Completed entry form page must accompany all entries (see attachment)
• All entries will become property of the Illinois Library Association.
• Winner will receive $1,000.00

Deadlines
• All entries due to the individual libraries by July 31, 2008
• By August 15 determine your winner and submit winning entry to Jane (RFSY) or Norma (SWSB). Also please either call or send us an email that you have sent an entry.
• System winner will be determined by August 31.
• System winning poster will go to ILA conference in September and be on display.
• Online voting for winner to be held in September and October.
• State winner will be announced by October 15, 2008.

Each library that chooses to participate can control how they promote the contest. If you would like to send a letter and/or copy of the submission form to your schools, that is great. If you prefer keeping the promotion of the contest strictly to within your library, that is fine also. For more information go to www.ila.org/iread . Jason Stuhlmann from Elmwood Park Public Library is the 2010 iREAD Committee Chair.

Children’s Choice Book Award Winners
The Children’s Book Council announced the winners of the first annual Children’s Choice Book Awards May 13 at a gala in New York City hosted by Jon Scieszka. Some 55,000 children across the country voted for their favorite books, authors, and illustrators at libraries, bookstores, and online. The Children’s Choice Book Award winners are as follows:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Frankie Stein written by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry (Marshall Cavendish Corporation)
Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year: Big Cats by Elaine Landau (Enslow Publishers)
Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year: Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee (Scholastic)
Illustrator of the Year Award: Ian Falconer, Olivia Helps with Christmas (Simon & Schuster)
Author of the Year Award: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic)

The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read. The program is a new component of Children’s Book Week, the longest running literacy event in the country.

Public Library News
No Public Library News this week.

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.

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know


Technology Services News

No Technology Services News this week.

E-Rate Corner
No E-Rate Corner this week.

New Books at PALS

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know


Library News Around the State & Nation

WebJunction Illinois Hits Number One!
It's only been six months since the official launch of WebJunction Illinois at the Illinois Library Association annual conference in Springfield, but WJIL is now leading the nation in WebJunction registrations. Thanks to everyone for enthusiastically embracing this exciting new online community for librarians. You can read about this outstanding achievement, along with information on the most recent Fundraising Basics archive from Alliance Library System; an original article from an Illinois Special Librarian; and registration information on a free upcoming learning Webinar called Introduction to Shaping Outcomes. All in the latest "What's New @ WJIL" at the following link: http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/2008/05/06/new-wj-il-0506/

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know


News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News


Legislative News Update
We’re in the home stretch now for the three IMRF bills, the mandatory filers, Libraries in Name Only and other bills of interest to libraries.
May 15, Senate Committee deadline for substantive House bills.
May 23, House deadline for 3rd reading of Senate Bills.

Congressman Takes Aim at Second Life in Libraries
(ALA, Chicago) U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) announced May 5 that he was gearing up to reintroduce the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), legislation that would require libraries and schools that rely on e-rate funding to prohibit minors from using chat rooms and social-networking sites without parental permission. He indicated that the new bill would create an adults only (.ado) domain for chat rooms and social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. During a press conference at the Mount Prospect police station of Kirk’s suburban Chicago district, the representative singled out Second Life as a site where youngsters were particularly vulnerable. Read more

Grant News
No Grant News this week.

System News
Events/Continuous Learning
Member News
Freebies & Exchanges
Job Openings
Reference/ILL News
Youth Services & School Library News
Public Library News

Academic Library News

Special Library News
Support Staff News
Technology Services News
ERate Corner
New Books at PALS
Library News Around the State & Nation
News from Vendors
Legislative News
Grant Information
Just So You Know

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.