The Illinois State Library has convened a committee to review and revise the Standards for the Services of Illinois Multitype Library Systems. Your input is crucial to shaping the future of multitype library systems in Illinois; the standards will impact our service to you. The standards are the basis on which we receive system funding. Take a few moments to read the Resource Sharing Standard, give serious thought to the implications for the services your library provides, and add your comments to WebJunction Illinois (WJIL) for the committee to consider. If you do not have an account on WJIL, you will need to create one. To make commenting easier, we have created a step-by-step tutorial.

The committee will review comments at the May 28 meeting.

Seventeen System and member library staff traveled to Springfield on Thursday, April 23 to talk with legislators about current bills affecting libraries and to thank legislators for their support of the SOS budget and ask that they approve the proposed funding for the SOS budget. Increased funding for public and school per capita grants are in the current SOS budget. We also asked senators for support of HB 793 that would allow the System to allow a quorum for board meetings to be via an audio conference. The bill is currently scheduled to have second reading on May 7.

Following a briefing about legislative issues, we were off to Capitol to meet with our legislators.  We met in legislative offices and in one case were able to have a picture taken behind the Senate president’s chair thanks to Senator Clayborne.

Look at these shots from other visits and see if you can identify your legislator.

We’re looking forward to having visits to legislators in their local offices later this summer or early in the fall.  We’ll be posting information about how all members can participate.