The Planning Panel working on the southern Illinois library System merger have put in many long hours crafting an organization that supports its members and provides necessary library services such as talking books, materials delivery and library automation software.  This merged “super” System will only be as strong as your participation and involvement in critical matters, and we have reached a juncture that necessitates member input.  Draft membership standards have been submitted to members of all four southern library Systems (Lewis & Clark Library System, Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Rolling Prairie Library System and the Shawnee Library System) for comment.

Please review the proposed standards, along with a comparison of the proposed standards to any comparable guidelines in Illinois laws or administrative rules, and the most current edition of Serving our Public.  We compiled the comparison as a guide for members evaluating the proposed standards.  All current library system members will be grandfathered into the new super system, with membership status as defined in Appendix C of the proposed standards.

There are several options for response:

• Post a comment on CooperationToday
• Contact any member of the Planning Panel
• Attend Planning Panel meetings and provide feedback directly to the Planning Panel [the next meetings are slated for February 10 (Effingham Knights of Columbus), and February 25-26 (Effingham Hilton Garden Inn)].  Agendas have not yet been posted.
• Contact me (lesliebednar@lcls.org |   618/656.3216, x120)

Thanks very much for your time and consideration,
Leslie Bednar   |    Executive Director

Moving Forward – an update from LCLS

No. 20

December 17, 2010

LCLS Holiday Schedule:

The Lewis & Clark Library System will be closed the following days, and there will be no delivery service:

• Friday, December 24, 2010
• Monday, December 27, 2010
• Friday, December 31, 2010
• Monday, January 3, 2010

What’s New at WebJunction-IL: Chart Your Course Marketing Toolkit

Want to let job-seekers in your community know what a wealth of resources and services your library has to offer? Use this “Chart Your Course”  marketing toolkit recently added to WJIL as a part of the Workforce Resources collection. This succinct and practical information includes tips on setting goals, how to tell your story, reaching out to the community and a wealth of customizable ready-to-use graphics. For more information visit BlogJunction Illinois.

Related URL: http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/2010/12/16/whats-new-wjil-chart-your-course-a-marketing-toolkit-for-your-library/

Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/28m42lw

Book Donations and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch receives many pre-published books for the features writers to write reviews. As a result, the newspaper has many books that they would like to begin dispersing to area libraries. These are hard back, soft back, fiction and non-fiction pre-releases.  There are no children’s books.  There will be approximately 25 books per box (copy paper boxes with lids).

If your library would like to be the recipient of some of these materials, please contact Maureen Tomczak (MTomczak@post-dispatch.com) for more information.  

Vendor Discounts:

If you have not visited our vendor discount page lately, we have an updated discount from DEMCO and a new discount from Library Automation Technologies.  Find our page at: http://www.lcls.org/services/vendor-discounts/?preview=true&preview_id=1567&preview_nonce=8b01ef092e

Illinois Trustee Forum:

The Illinois Trustee Forum will be offering its annual workshop in two locations in 2011 — February 26 in Lisle and March 26 in Springfield.

The workshops will focus on financial and legal issues facing libraries.  Britt Isaly of Ancel Glink will present “Where Did All the Money Go?” and “Personnel Law: What You Don’t Know Will Cost Your Library” in the morning.  The afternoon will feature ILA Legislative Consultant Kip Kolkmeier and Library Attorney Phil Lenzini.

For more information on the workshops and a complete schedule, please visit the ILA Web site. Registration includes breakfast, two breaks, lunch and a full day of programming.  Discounts are offered when multiple trustees are registered from the same library.

Penny Severns Literacy Grant:

The online Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy Grant Application is now available and is due Tuesday, February 1, 2011, at 4 p.m. A webinar grant information session was offered December 8, 2010, and can be viewed at the link provided above.

The Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy Grant is funded with LSTA funds, used in cooperation with local literacy programs to serve low literate and limited English proficient families. For more information, please email Beth Paoli or call her at 217-785-6923.

Upcoming continuing education opportunities at LCLS:

• Tuesday, December 21, 2010 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM), MARC Coding and Matching (AKA Can I Use this Record?).  Please register in LibraryLearning (L2) here.

Enjoy your weekend, and if you have considered the pending merger of Illinois Library Systems the map below demonstrates the vast area of library resources that will be united in July, 2011!

Leslie M. Bednar

Executive Director

lesliebednar@lcls.org