Continuing Education Archives

Richard Bruen, Senior Counsel at Ancel Glink, will break down what library staff should know about posting political or sensitive content on social media. He’ll talk about how your posts might connect to your job, what your rights are, and what your employer can and can’t do in response. He’ll also share what library leaders should consider when it comes to supporting staff, protecting the library’s reputation, and handling community concerns.

Ancel Glink Associate Katie Nagy explains libraries' rights, obligations, and best practices when enforcement officers are on-site, including handling warrants, I-9s, and records confidentiality. Additionally, Vernon Area Public Library District’s Director Anne Rasmussen and Head of Human Resources Mikki Johnson will share how they developed safety protocols and guidelines to protect staff while fostering a supportive, unified workplace culture.

Beginning January 2026, Public Act 104-0056 requires local public libraries to maintain a supply of approved “opioid antagonists” for use in assisting individuals experiencing an opioid overdose. In this workshop, Live4Lali will prepare you by providing training to help you recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and confidently administer Narcan (naloxone) to reverse it.

Adam Simon, Partner at Ancel Glink, covers key aspects of the budget and levy process, focusing on the statutes that govern them, the interplay between law and politics, and the procedural steps involved. Topics include the tax cap, differences between home rule and non-home rule jurisdictions, the role of Tax Increment Financing (TIFs), and the Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT).

Government use of social media can raise a number of legal issues, including compliance with the Open Meetings Act and the First Amendment. In this session, attorney Julie Tappendorf provides best practices on avoiding Open Meetings Act violations and helps you learn how the First Amendment can apply to trustee social media activities, even on their personal social media accounts. Julie discusses recent U.S. Supreme Court cases on government officials and social media, and provides the do’s and don’ts for moderating comments on social media.

This presentation covers topics such as establishing a Friends group, the distinct roles of Friends groups versus Library Boards, and strategies for overcoming challenges like differing expectations and conflicts. You'll also learn about setting boundaries, improving communication, and recruiting members to ensure long-term success.

Mark McCarthy, Lead Accessibility Engineer and IT Accessibility Liaison at the University of Illinois, gave expert advice on the specific challenges and concerns brought by attendees.

Even if a library has been focusing on making its website more accessible, PDF files that patrons download are often overlooked. PDF documents are not inherently accessible and require specific effort to make them accessible. In this session, learn concrete actions you can take to make your library’s PDF content accessible.

Understand your library’s obligations under the Prevailing Wage Act, including when it applies, what the library has to do and when, and what to do when the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) calls.

Includes information on processes and outcomes of the work of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Learn methods you can implement now to make your library a harder target for eAccessibility complaints.  Learn about the supports a library needs to create and maintain an accessible digital footprint. 

Libraries, like other government entities, are increasingly turning to social media as an efficient and effective way to communicate about library meetings, activities, and events. As this practice continues, library officials and employees should be aware of the legal issues that can arise in connection with government use of social media.

The Decennial Committee on Local Government Efficiency Act requires units of local government to form a committee to study and report on efficiency.  This  webinar presented by Julie Tappendorf of Ancel Glink gives a broad overview of this Act, as well as review a sample report for libraries.   The sample report template can be found below, and will also be available to all RAILS members on our website at:

https://railslibraries.org/consulting/legal

The webinar is approximately 60 minutes.

Many libraries are being targeted by First Amendment "auditors" who use their cell phones or other recording equipment to record their encounters with library employees in the library. In this session, you will learn about the legal protections for these constitutionally protected activities and hear best practices for dealing with an "auditor" if your library is targeted.

A version of this session was originally presented at the 2022 ILA Annual Conference by Julie Tappendorf of Ancel Glink Law Firm.

Illinois library statutes require a public library to engage in the competitive bidding process under many circumstances. Attorney Derke J. Price, partner at Ancel Glink Law Firm, shares valuable information on the competitive bidding process. Topics covered in this presentation include:

• Powers and limitations under the library code
• General requirements for competitive bidding and exceptions
• Intergovernmental agreements and additional opportunities
• Issues for review and inclusion in contract documents

This session, presented by Ancel Glink attorney Julie Tappendorf, covers the basics of complying with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), provides an update on any recent amendments to the statute, discusses COVID-19 related issues, and summarizes and discusses recent opinions issued by the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor (PAC) office and court cases involving FOIA.

This webinar was recorded on November 10, 2020, and runs approximately one hour.