LTLS - Quick Connections

LTLS Christmas Holiday Schedule

In observance of the Christmas Holiday LTLS Headquarters will be closed on Thursday December 24th and Friday December 25th. The office will be closed and no delivery routes will be run.

Happy Holidays from the Staff at Lincoln Trail!

Summit Steering Committee Formed

A steering committee has been formed to carry out the charge coming out of the summit meeting held on November 9, 2009, on library cooperation in Illinois.  Co-chairs Dee Brennan, Oak Park Public Library, and Donna Dziedzic, Naperville Public Library, have developed a planning document that has been distributed to all summit participants.  Next steps include formation of task forces early next year to address specific areas of need.
 

Take a trip @ your library®

Winter vacation is almost here, and whether that means packing everyone in the car for a trip to grandma’s house or planning an armchair getaway, there’s something for everyone @ your library.

Here are just a few examples of how libraries are promoting travel resources at their libraries.

In a recent article the Grand Rapids (Minn.) Area Library promoted audio books as a great way to pass the time during long car rides or plane trips. The library boasts a collection of audio books in every genre as well as for a wide variety of listening devices including books on CDs, cassettes, Playaways and as downloadable files.

Sharon Robinson shares her love of libraries

The latest in a series of Library Stories videos features Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Robinson is an author, whose most recent picture book, “Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson,” is illustrated by Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” which was named the winner of the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2008. (Nelson and Robinson are seen, above).

ILEAD U Mentors, Instructors Selected

Congratulations to the following individuals selected to serve as mentors and instructors for next year’s ILEAD U (Illinois Libraries Explore, Apply and Discover) Institute:

Mentors: Pat Boze, Lincoln Trail Libraries System; Genna Buhr, Alliance Library System; Tara Caldara, Zion-Benton Public Library District; Nanette Donohue, Champaign Public Library; Gwen Gregory, John Marshall Law School Library; Tina Hubert, Lewis & Clark Library System; Louise Svehla, Plainfield Public Library District; Natalie Tagge, Brookens Library, University of Illinois Springfield.

Instructors: Kevin Becker, Lewis & Clark Library System; Lori Bell, Alliance Library System; Andrew Bullen, Illinois State Library; Thomas Dorst, Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI); Mikael Jacobsen, Skokie Public Library; Karen McBride, Des Plaines Public Library; Tom Peters, TAP Information Services; Donna Schaal, Lincoln Trail Libraries System; Alyce Scott, Illinois State Library.

The chosen teams will be announced around January 15, 2010.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday LTLS Headquarters will be closed on Thursday November 26th and Friday November 27th. The office will be closed and no delivery routes will be run.

Reminder: Capital Needs Assessment Survey Deadline Tomorrow

All Illinois public libraries received a request from the Illinois State Library a few weeks ago to complete a Capital Needs Assessment Survey.  The survey is required by the Illinois General Assembly as part of the legislation authorizing capital improvement funding for public library construction funds for Illinois libraries.

 

The deadline for the Capital Needs Assessment Survey is tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 20th. It is important to have all public libraries participate in this survey, even if your library doesn't need any capital improvements.

 

Download the survey here.

 

Answers to frequently asked questions here.

 

The survey is in the form of a downloadable PDF document that you can fill out and save on your computer.  You will then email the completed survey to Mark Shaffer (mshaffer@ilsos.net) at the Illinois State Library as an email attachment.

 

Please complete your survey today.

Library Systems Support the Future of Library Cooperation

75 Illinois library leaders met on Monday, November 9, at Allerton Park to discuss the future of Library Cooperation. Illinois Library Systems commend the work of this group and the planning committee for organizing the event, the Illinois Library Association for writing the grant, and the Illinois State Library for funding the grant.

Illinois Library Systems, committed to collaboration, focus on helping our member libraries move forward. According to Bev Obert, President, Illinois Library Systems, “We will continue to build upon our successes of collaborative projects and services to do our part to keep Illinois library cooperation strong.” In addition, we applaud the young, passionate voices of change and their vocal support for cooperation and collaboration during the summit. We look forward to working with all to address the many large issues facing the library community.

Illinois Library Systems are membership-based, regional organizations consisting of academic, public, school, and special libraries. Illinois is served by nine multitype Library Systems, each providing services to participating libraries in its region as well as supporting and developing cooperative programs. Statewide, over 2,100 libraries of all types and sizes are members of Library Systems. Funding for Illinois Library Systems is provided through the Illinois State Library and the Secretary of State with funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly.

Get Legislators in Your Library!

One of the best ways to get legislators to listen (and, more important, support you) is to show them what your library does to benefit the community. Believe it or not, members of Congress still think of libraries as “those places with all the books.”

The good news is that your opportunities to make a real difference are just around the corner. Members of Congress and their staff will be coming back to their districts for the Thanksgiving and Winter District Work periods (exact dates to be determined).

Whether it’s a meeting with your trustees, friends or employees, a visit to your library or inviting legislators and staff to a holiday event, this session will offer practical tips for making these visits as worthwhile as possible.

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.


Read more…

DVD / CD Cases Available

Champaign Public Library has a large quantity of DVD/CD Kwik
Security cases available to give away.  If your library is interested, please contact Marsha Grove at
mgrove-AT-champaign.org.