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Small Public Library Management Institute

The 15th annual Small Public Library Management Institute (SPLMI), sponsored by the Illinois State Library and hosted by the University of Illinois at Springfield, will be held June 1-6, 2008. Many participants have expressed an interest in a follow-up course or an "advanced" SPLMI. In response to this interest, and the recognized need for updating and continuing education, 50 SPLMI graduates will have the opportunity to once again attend the Small Public Library Management Institute. The focus of this year's event will be "expertise" and current and future trends in a variety of topics including Core Values, Open Access, the Right to Read, and the impact of the library on the community.

Registration fee: $50. Through grant funding, the State Library provides all program materials, lodging, and meals. Applications must be received on or before Friday, March 21, 2008 by fax or mail. Attendees will be notified of their selection in early April. Find the application and more information at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/whats_new/2008splmi.html or contact the ISL Library Development Group at 217-782-7848 or 1-800-665-5576.

Grant Application --- 2008 --- Community Wireless Broadband Pilot

Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is again offering seed funding for public wireless broadband networks in select Illinois communities. Up to ten thousand dollars per project will be available. Preference will be given to requests under five thousand dollars. Winners will be required to submit a total of eight quarterly progress reports over two years upon receipt of funds.

Answer the following fifteen questions by 5pm on March 1, 2008. Please be clear and specific in your responses.

PURPOSE

How would members of your community benefit from a wireless broadband zone?

2. What public spaces -- for example, parks, meeting places, other areas where people gather -- in your community would be enhanced by a wireless broadband zone?

TECHNOLOGY PLAN

3. What is the size of your proposed network in terms of square blocks? (Include a map of the planned coverage area.)

4. What kind of transfer speeds will be available to users of your proposed network?

5. Will the proposed network be available outdoors, indoors, or both?

6. Who will maintain the network?

7. How will you secure the network?

8. In the event of equipment damage, how will the network remain in working order?

9. Assuming you receive your requested grant funding by May 1, 2008, what is the estimated timeline for the project?

10. How can the network expand in size or uses in the next 1-2 years? (Include a map of the proposed network configuration.)

BUDGET

11. What is your project budget? (Estimate costs of equipment, service and maintenance. Name potential vendors.)

12. Will your proposed network charge users a fee? If so, what will the rate structure be?

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

13. What community leaders/organizations -- for example, civic groups, business associations, park districts, emergency responders, schools, etc -- in your community support this proposal?

14. What (if anything) are these leaders/organizations willing to contribute in terms of matching funds, service, or equipment?

15. Any additional related information? (You may include letters of support from individuals or groups in your community.)

Our office is happy to answer questions related to this grant opportunity.
Questions can be directed to Ryan Croke at 217.558.2929 or ryan.croke@illinois.gov

Please send all Community Wireless Broadband Pilot applications to:

Community Wireless Broadband Pilot Project
Office of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn
State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62706-4700

Applications may also be returned via email. Please send copies to ryan.croke@illinois.gov

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on March 1, 2008.

Announcing the 2008-2009 IHC Lincoln Road Scholars

Looking for new ways to enrich the lives of community members? Need to round out an existing panel of scholars or experts, but not sure where to look? Want to connect your community to the Lincoln-Douglas Sesquicentennial or the Lincoln Bicentennial? The Illinois Humanities Council’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau program supplies easy solutions to these problems by providing non-profit organizations the opportunity to offer high quality, public humanities programs free to local audiences. A special edition of the bureau, the IHC Lincoln Road Scholars, is now available for 2008-2009.

For more information on the IHC Lincoln Road Scholars, including a list of speakers and descriptions of their presentations, or to apply for an IHC Lincoln Road Scholar to visit your community, call 312.422.5580 or visit the IHC's website.

The IHC Road Scholars program encourages Illinoisans to reflect upon the human condition from a range of perspectives, providing a distinctive forum for discussion and dialogue. "IHC Lincoln Road Scholars will offer fresh perspectives on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, the society in which he lived, and the ways in which a grateful nation has commemorated both his presidency and his humanity," said Kristina A. Valaitis, IHC Executive Director.

Any non-profit organization in Illinois is invited to utilize the IHC Lincoln Road Scholars, but the special edition of the bureau primarily targets organizations in Illinois communities of 2,500 population or less. Organizations within these smaller communities may apply for an IHC Lincoln Road Scholar free of charge.

The IHC Lincoln Road Scholars made possible by a grant from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Book Sale at the Center for Children's Books

The Center for Children's Books will hold its seventh annual book sale Monday through Wednesday, February 18-20, 2008, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., GSLIS Room 24. Thousands of inexpensive, brand new children's books will be available, including board books, picture books, easy and transitional readers, chapter books, series fiction, young adult novels, activity books and kits, nonfiction series, mass-market paperbacks, and more!

Prices: $1 for paperbacks that retail for $5 or less; $2 for paperbacks that retail for $5.01 or more; $5 for hardcovers. All proceeds support the Center for Children's Books, a reference and resource center for librarians, teachers, parents, scholars, and other educators.

For more details, go to http://ccb.lis.uiuc.edu/ or contact the Center at 217-244-9331 or ccb@uiuc.edu.

Award Winners Announced

The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards - at its Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.  A complete list of the winners and honor books is available.

And the winners are:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.
“Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village,” written by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick.

    Newbery Honor Books

1. “Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis, Scholastic
2. “The Wednesday Wars,” by Gary D. Schmidt, Clarion
3. “Feathers,” by Jacqueline Woodson, Putnam.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children.
“The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” illustrated by Brian Selznick.  Scholastic.

    Caldecott Honor Books

1. “Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad,” illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine, Scholastic
2. “First the Egg,” illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Roaring Brook/Neal Porter
3. “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain,” illustrated and written by Peter Sís, Farrar/Frances Foster
4. “Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity,” illustrated and written by Mo Willems, Hyperion.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults.
“The White Darkness,” by Geraldine McCaughrean. HarperTempest, an imprint of HarperCollins.

    Printz Honor Books

1. “Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet,” by Elizabeth Knox, Frances Foster Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2. “One Whole and Perfect Day,” by Judith Clarke, Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.
3. “Repossessed,” by A. M. Jenkins, HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins
4. “Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath,” by Stephanie Hemphill, Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.
“Elijah of Buxton,” written by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the King Author Book winner. Scholastic.

    King Author Honor Books

1. “November Blues,” by Sharon M. Draper, Atheneum Books for Young Adults
2. “Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali,” written by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, Candlewick Press.

King Illustrator Book
“Let it Shine,” illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

    King Illustrator Honor Books

1. “The Secret Olivia Told Me,” by N. Joy, illustrated by Nancy Devard, Just Us Books
2. “Jazz On A Saturday Night,” by Leo and Diane Dillon, Scholastic Blue Sky Press.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
“Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It,” written by Sundee T. Frazier. Delacorte Press.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

1. “Kami and the Yaks,” written by Andrea Stenn Stryer, illustrated by Bert Dodson.  Bay Otter Press of Palo Alto, Calif.  Young children (age 0 to 10).
2. “Reaching for Sun,” by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, New York. Middle grades category (age 11-13).
3. “Hurt Go Happy,” written by Ginny Rorby, a Starscape Book, Tom Doherty Associates.  Teen category (age 13-18).

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers.
“There Is a Bird on Your Head!,” written and illustrated by Mo Willems.  Hyperion.

    Geisel Honor Books

1. “First the Egg,” written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter; “Hello, Bumblebee Bat,” written by Darrin Lunde, illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne.  Charlesbridge
2. “Jazz Baby,” written by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and published by Harcourt; and “Vulture View,” written by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Holt.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults.
Orson Scott Card is the recipient of the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for his novels “Ender's Game” and “Ender's Shadow.”

Pura Belpré Award honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books.

1. Yuyi Morales, illustrator of “Los Gatos Black on Halloween,” written by Marisa Montes. Holt - 2008 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award.
2. Margarita Engle, author of “The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano,” illustrated by Sean Qualls. Holt - 2008 Pura Belpré Author Award recipient.

    Honor Books for illustration

1. “My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez,” illustrated by Raúl Colón, written by Monica Brown. Luna Rising
2. “My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo,” written and illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children's Book Press.

    Author Honor Books

1. “Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!” by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand. Marshall Cavendish
2. “Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,” retold by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael Austin. Peachtree
3. “Los Gatos Black on Halloween,” written by Marisa Montes, illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Holt.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children.
“The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain,” written and illustrated by Peter Sís. Farrar/Frances Foster.

    Sibert Honor Books

1. “Lightship,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca, Simon & Schuster/ Richard Jackson
2. “Nic Bishop Spiders,” written and illustrated by Nic Bishop, Scholastic/Scholastic Nonfiction.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video.
Producer Kevin Lafferty, Executive Producer John Davis, and Co-Producers, Amy Palmer Robertson and Danielle Sterling. For “Jump In! Freestyle Edition.”

2008 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for the most outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States.
“Brave Story.” Originally published in Japanese in 2003 as “Bureibu Sutori,” the book was written by Miyuki Miyabe and translated by Alexander O. Smith.

    Honor Books

1. “The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity,” Milkweed Editions, originally published in German as “Die Katze,”
2. “Nicholas and the Gang,” Phaidon Press, originally published in French as “Le petit Nicolas et les copains.”

Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
Live Oak Media for “Jazz.”

    Honor titles

1. “Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary 'Jacky' Faber, Ship's Boy,” pListen & Live Audio
2. “Dooby Dooby Moo,” Scholastic/Weston Woods
3. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” Listening Library
4. “Skulduggery Pleasant,” HarperChildren's Audio
5. “Treasure Island,” Listening Library.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences

1. “American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China,” by Matthew Polly, Penguin/Gotham Books
2. “Bad Monkeys,” by Matt Ruff, HarperCollins
3. “Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm,” by Jeff Lemire, Top Shelf Publications
4. “Genghis: Birth of an Empire,” by Conn Iggulden, Delacorte
5. “The God of Animals,” by Aryn Kyle, Scribner
6. “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,” by Ishmael Beah, Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Sarah Crichton Books
7. “Mister Pip,” by Lloyd Jones, Random/Dial Press
8. “The Name of the Wind,” by Patrick Rothfuss, DAW
9. “The Night Birds,” by Thomas Maltman, Soho
10. “The Spellman Files,” by Lisa Lutz, pSimon & Schuster.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture recognizing an individual of distinction in the field of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site.
Walter Dean Myers, widely acclaimed author of picture books, novels, poetry and non-fiction for children and young adults.

Nettie Davis Elementary Library destroyed by flood

Nettie Davis Elementary Library in Watseka was destroyed by last week's flood. The librarian, Linda Moore, has requested help with replacement library lesson plans for K-1 students as well as donations of materials. If you are able to help, please send an email to linmoore@watseka-u9.k12.il.us