News from Illinois Library Association

Vol. 3, Issue: # 18 June 20, 2010

Task Force Preliminary Reports Presented

The three task forces that have been working as part of Future of Illinois Library Cooperation (FILC) initiative gave preliminary reports at Friday, 18 June 2010 ILA Executive Board meeting. Each of the task forces has gathered significant information and data on alternate plans for services, structures, and funding for cooperative regional and statewide library services.

These preliminary reports provide a positive platform for ILA and the Illinois library community to draft plans for endorsement by the ILA Executive Board that will then be carried forward to policymakers at both local and state levels in the fall. Text of task force reports --- Services; Structure; and Funding -- will be posted on the ILA Web site by Thursday, 25 June 2010, and the task forces final reports are to be delivered at the next ILA Executive Board meeting, Thursday, 29 July 2010 at the Alliance Library System.

Despite the grim financial picture faced by the state, the sense of working to create a new model to replace the forty-five-year-old system structure in Illinois is a challenge the profession must rise to accept. The task forces have identified and prioritized areas of service, are working to project costs and alternate structures for delivery of services, and preparing to advocate for the necessary legislative and statutory changes.

A brief summary of the reports and discussion follows.
General

Most other states are facing similar challenges and there are models to be examined and potentially adapted.
Recognition that system restructuring presents opportunities as well as obstacles and challenges.
Change is inevitable in the face of current financial realities, and our only choice is whether to be proactive in proposing options or wait and accept imposed structures.
Solutions will be complex and probably in two phases: short-term survival mode and longer-term transformative changes.

Preliminary Structures

The following services would be most efficiently delivered at a statewide level by entities that could include a mix of existing structures (ILA, state library, etc.) and/or consolidated, transformed and renamed system structure(s): shared catalogs, advocacy and marketing, consulting, and the Talking Book Centers.
Some level of regional structures would mostly likely continue to support delivery, as well as regionally shared catalogs, technical support, local advocacy and marketing. Support might be a mix of public funds and member contributions.
Structures are still to be determined for the following services: coordination of data bases, joint purchasing, CE/professional development, serving unserved/statewide library card, and resource sharing.

Next Steps
July/August

Final reports from FILC task forces presented to ILA Executive Board.

FILC Steering Committee to coordinate with systems' initiative.

August/October

ILA Executive Board will identify priorities, develop formal action plan for advocacy prior to November legislative session.
Draft potential legislation and/or regulatory changes, identify sponsors, partners and research legal issues/policy environment, all in conjunction with ILA legislative and advocacy consultants.
Identification of key players/stakeholders (public, membership, coalitions, state agencies, legislators, other elected officials, etc.) and strategies/tactics (mobilization, local push, email campaigns, etc.) in implementation plan.

November/2011

Work closely with legislature to effect positive change.

Ongoing member communication/mobilization.

Bridget Later Lamont Inducted as Illinois Library Luminary

Bridget Later Lamont served as Director of the Illinois State Library for more than a decade from 1983 - 1999. In the position, she fostered library development, expanded use of technology in libraries, and encouraged multi-type library cooperation. She later served as Director of Policy Development for the Governor of Illinois. Lamont also served as Vice Chairman of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She received the 1990 Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Library Association; was named Librarian of the Year by the Illinois Library Association in 1991, and received an honorary doctorate from Rosary College in 1994.

For more information on the Illinois Library Luminaries, please click here.

An Update on Illinois Library Systems Restructuring

In general, many Illinois Library Systems are suspending all services except the Local Library System Automation Programs (LLSAP, regional Integrated Library System software coordinated by the Illinois library systems) and delivery services to conserve cash funds. All the multitype Illinois library systems were requested to submit an update by Friday 11 June 2010, here's a brief overview of current ever changing system service changes and effective dates:

Effective May 31, 2010, Alliance Library System (ALS) will suspend until further notice: continuing education and consulting services; marketing, advocacy, or library promotional services; innovation and grant development services; and Web services. Twenty-two staff members were laid off as of May 28.
The DuPage Library System (DLS) board has adopted a FY2011 system services plan that supports: (1) delivery, (2) DLS' LLSAP (MAGIC), and (3) strategic restructuring. Based on current fiscal projections, DLS is able to support these three services/activities through FY2011 (July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011).

For FY2011, DLS is suspending the following services until system funding is restored: continuing education, consulting, networking groups, and group plans/vendor discounts. DLS is eliminating the following services: resource sharing, DLS professional collection, DLS staff attendance at member library events, member recognition, partnership projects, and professional advancement.

DLS has signed an agreement with the state library to operate the Voices of Vision (VOV) Talking Book Center in FY2011. VOV services will be funded with federal Library Services and Technology Act grant funds provided to DLS by the state library. VOV delivers talking book services to the residents of twelve (12) northern Illinois counties.
Effective June 30, 2010, Lewis & Clark Library System (LCLS) will no longer provide consulting, general continuing education (however, the already-scheduled Summer School for School Librarians will still occur), marketing, advocacy, grant development, or human resources support. One full-time position has already been eliminated, and five additional staff members will be laid off. An acting director will be appointed
Lincoln Trail Libraries System (LTLS) can operate for twelve months with no new revenue but expenses will be closely examined and cuts may be made. On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, the LTLS/ShLS Joint Future Planning Task Group meeting was held and identified consulting and communication in addition to automation and delivery as the main areas to focus on immediately.
Effective June 30, 2010, the Metropolitan Library System (MLS) will suspend consulting and continuing education services, in order to ensure that funds are available for three priorities (delivery, SWAN, and restructuring) and as a secondary priority LIMRICC, an insurance cooperative, until the end of November 2010 if no further state payments are received. If an FY10 payment is received, MLS guarantees delivery service and support to SWAN for up to an additional six - seven months into the FY11 year.
Effective May 31, 2010, North Suburban Library System (NSLS) discontinued most services. NSLS does not support an LLSAP, an independent organization, the Cooperative Computer Services, provides that service for some of the NSLS libraries. NSLS's Public Library Administrators' forum formed an impromptu plan to pool library resources and donate towards continued delivery service. Based on NSLS estimates of the cost of delivery and overhead, it was first thought that these monies would continue service for an additional three months; with reduced staffing and services, it I is now estimated that these funds will last through October. A committee was formed, with Roberta Thomas of Grayslake as its chair. The committee will also investigate how best to continue service at the end of this period.

Forty-seven of 49 public libraries have committed to participating. However, in working on the plan of service and looking at the system standards, the group realized that, to avoid jeopardizing future funding, they must continue to meet the minimum delivery standards based on volume. Therefore they must provide delivery two days a week to libraries that have sufficient volume, even if they do not make a donation.
The Prairie Area Library System (PALS) reports, "In light of our fiscal reality, systems have agreed to focus on three priorities (a) delivery, (b) PrairieCat, and (c) restructuring. Other services will be suspended until our state revenue stream is restored." On June 15, 2010, the PALS board approved a letter of intent outlining merger negotiations among ALS, DLS, MLS, NSLS, and PALS. The board also approved a priority services budget, reflecting $400,000 in cuts.
Effective July 1, 2010, the Rolling Prairie Library System will be operating on a four-day-work week. Continuing education programs and training will continue, but on a reduced schedule. Delivery routes will be evaluated for most efficient use of the 4-day delivery week. "Our funding will run us to mid-spring.
Shawnee Library System (ShLS) is "considering all options." ShLS can operate until November with current cash but will have to cut expenses although these haven't been finalized yet.

Restructuring
Five "northern" systems are looking at strategic restructuring and have hired a consultant, Jane Arsenault, from FIO Partners, LLC. Those five systems are: the Alliance Library System (ALS), the DuPage Library System (DLS), the Metropolitan Library System (MLS), the North Suburban Library System (NSLS), and the Prairie Area Library System (PALS) Boards.

Tom Sloan from DLS reports, "It is my understanding that the boards of ALS, DLS, MLS, NSLS, & PALS will be considering at their June meetings a "Letter of Intent" to negotiate in towards the merging of the five systems. The projected timeline is for full administrative merger of the systems as of FY2012 (July 1, 2011). It is my understanding that we will know by the end of June 2010 what systems will be committed to this merger process."

The four "southern" systems are also looking at strategic restructuring. To ILA's knowledge, no consultant has been retained. Those four systems are: Lewis & Clark Library System, Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Rolling Prairie Library System, and Shawnee Library System. Their discussions will focus on delivery and shared LLSAP services.

In the News

If your library has a newspaper story with link, send it to us at doyle@ila.org for possible inclusion in the next ILA E-News. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Doyle
Illinois Library Association

If you use spam filters to protect your in-box, please take a moment right now to add doyle@ila.org and Illinois Library Association to your e-mail address book, spam software whitelist, or mail system whitelist. Adding the address will help ensure that you receive the ILA E-news and that your e-mail software displays HTML and images properly.

Disclaimer: Links to non-ILA sites have been provided because these sites may have information of interest. The Illinois Library Association does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on these sites; and furthermore, ILA does not endorse any commercial products that may be advertised or available on these sites.