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Vol. 5, Issue: 16| April 27, 2012
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| Call the Illinois Senate Revenue Committee
Regarding Senate Bill 2862
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ILA requests that you immediately contact the members of the Illinois Senate Revenue Committee and to ask them to oppose Senate Bill (SB) 2862, which will likely be considered next week.
SB 2862, sponsored by Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-12, Chicago), would reduce the revenues available to local taxing districts in tax-capped counties. SB 2862 would directly affect libraries in property tax-capped counties with declining assessments by not allowing for an increase in the property tax extension, ignoring escalating budget factors that are beyond the control of the library such as insurance programs (property, liability, unemployment, workers' compensation), employee benefits, fuel supplies, etc.
Your immediate action in contacting the members of the Illinois Senate Revenue Committee is crucial. Click here to find the list of committee members, and please feel free to report back with any updates after making your phone calls. Thank you.
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Future of Illinois Library Cooperation
| Delivery Study Complete, Next Steps
 The final version of the study done by the Galecia Group examining next steps for materials delivery in Illinois is now available on the ILA website, and a summary will be published in the June issue of the ILA Reporter. The report concludes with suggestions for implementation and next steps, acknowledging that the study's timing coincided with the merger of several delivery operations (and other services) into two new regions, with the intent to serve as roadmap to inform and support ongoing work. The following recommendations are sequenced, e.g., initial steps are either lower-cost or provide information for subsequent steps. A timeline for implementation is beyond the current scope, but will be developed by the systems and Illinois State Library going forward.
Recommended next steps:
- Formalize the coordination of delivery statewide. Whether this takes the form of a statewide logistics coordinator or other means, better coordination between delivery operations can address some of the concerns: standardized containers, labels and codes, shared best practices, support for optimizing routes, and good metrics for reporting delivery volume, costs, and a baseline for comparing in-house services to outsourced options.
- Evaluate the long-term objectives for resource-sharing in Illinois in terms of the tools used by patrons and staff. Extending resource-sharing opportunities for stand-alone libraries and between shared ILS's may require a commitment at the state level.
- Support each of the newly merged systems as they work to consolidate and optimize their operations. While outsourcing is something that should always be on the table as an option, it makes sense to allow some time for each delivery service to adjust to the changes and identify best practices from each of the former hubs. Outsourcing, or partial outsourcing, may or may not be a better solution but it can only be determined after seeing what can be accomplished with the new entities.
- Pilot projects aren't specifically identified in the report, partly because they can be costly to implement and the scale sometimes required to evaluate results can make them impractical. But modeling potential redesigns using existing information and criteria can be a useful and productive way to explore options, such as the "modified ILDS" recommendation. Similar logic might be applied to other recommendations ranging from consolidation of ILS's to label-less sort options.
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| 3 Days left to Vote in the 2012 ILA Executive Board Election!
Personal members, cast your votes
| Please take a few moments to review your candidate profiles and cast your vote for the next officers of the Illinois Library Association Executive Board.
Didn't receive the link from ILA? Need a paper ballot? Contact the ILA office at ila@ila.org or 312-644-1896.
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Coincidental Cake Encounter
|  When I went to pick up the specially decorated iREAD cake on Tuesday April 17, intended for dessert at ILA's Illinois Library Day dinner in Springfield, I was pleasantly surprised to
r un into Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Turned out the mayor was at the Logan Square Kitchen to highlight a change in the city's licensing structure, making it easier for small business start-ups, like the cooperative kitchen where the iREAD cake was baked.
By the way, our 2012 iREAD "Reading Is So Delicious" cake was a big hit in Springfield both at the Illinois Library Day dinner and the next day at the Capitol. Best wishes for a great 2012 summer reading program! |
Award Nominations Due May 15
Spotlighting Four More Awards
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Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial/Demco Award
This award shall be made annually for sustained activity and contributions having a lasting impact on librarianship. The recipient may be an individual, a group, a program, or an institution.
Nominations for all ILA Awards are due May 15, 2012. Nominating someone for an ILA Award has never been easier!
Submit your nomination form and all supporting documentation via the ILA website. No service should go unrecognized, so toot your own horn or tell us who you think is the best!
If you have any questions about the ILA Awards, please contact the ILA office at (312) 644-1896, or ila@ila.org.
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In the News
Library-related stories appearing in local news media are reflected in this section of the ILA E-Newsletter. The intent is to alert and inform the Illinois library community about issues and events that are considered significant by the general media. | Beyond Books: Gail Borden Library Going Digital
To continue reading about this story, please click here.Pekin Library Pairs Gardening Lessons with Summer Reading Program
To continue reading this story, please click here.
How Indian Prairie's 'Hunger Games' Waiting List Grew to 740
Naperville Public Library Putting Nook E-Readers on Loan
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Unlimited Radio for Tolono Library Patrons: Rdio for Libraries
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Dundee Township Library District Changes Name to Be More Community-inclusive
To continue reading this story, please click here.
At the Wilmette Library, it's Good to Have Friends
To continue reading this story, please click here.
District 204 Penny Pinching Continues in Effort to Save Library Jobs
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Genius of an Idea: No Expiring Library Cards
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Naperville Library Board President Facing Embezzlement Charge Resigns
To continue reading this story, please click here.
A History of the Gerber Hart Library
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Cicero Library Board Members Get Pricey Perk: Free Health Care for Life
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Rumors Addressed at Rockford Public Library Meeting
To continue reading this story, please click here.
Springfield Making Plans to Sell Old West Branch Library
To continue reading this story, please click here.
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-Newsletter. Thanks.
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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-Newsletter 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.
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