Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Other Legal Compliance

1. A brief description of our public body is as follows:
   1. Our purpose is to provide multi-type library system services.
   2. An organizational chart is attached.
   3. The total amount of our operating budget for FY2024 was $17.5 million (FY2025 budget pending). Funding sources are the State of Illinois and member libraries.
   4. The primary office is located at: 125 Tower Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527. Branch offices are located at 715 Sabrina Drive, East Peoria, IL 61611; 4717 Colt Road, Rockford, IL 61109; 220 W. 23rd Avenue, Coal Valley, IL 61240; and 1000 W. Crossroads Parkway, Bolingbrook, IL 60490.
   5. We have approximately the following number of persons employed: 100
   6. The following organization exercises control over our policies and procedures: The Reaching Across Illinois Library System Board of Directors, which meets most months at various locations. Board members are listed at https://www.railslibraries.org/board.
   7. We are required to report and be answerable for our operations to: Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias (Secretary of State); the Director of the State Library; and various other staff.
2. You may request the information and the records available to the public in the following manner:
   1. Use the request form (see attached).
   2. Your request should be directed to the following individuals: Alex Vancina and Monica Harris, FOIA Officers.
   3. You must indicate whether you have a "commercial purpose" in your request.
   4. You must specify the records requested to be disclosed for inspection or to be copied. If you desire that any records be certified, you must specify which ones.
   5. To reimburse us our actual costs for reproducing and certifying (if requested) the records, you will be charged the following fees:
      There is a $1.00 charge for each certification of records;
      There is no charge for the first fifty (50) pages of black and white text either letter or legal size;
      There is a $.15 per page charge for copied records in excess of 50 pages;
      The actual copying cost of color copies and other sized copies will be charged.
   6. If the records are kept in electronic format you may request a specific format and if feasible, they will be so provided, but if not, they will be provided either in the electronic format in which they are kept (and you would be required to pay the actual cost of the medium only, i.e. disc, diskette, tape, etc.) or in paper as you select.
   7. The office will respond to a written request within five (5) working days or sooner if possible. An extension of an additional five (5) working days may be necessary to properly respond.
   8. Records may be inspected or copied. If inspected, an employee must be present throughout the inspection.
   9. The place and times where the records will be available are as follows:
      8:30 AM until 5:00 PM
      Reaching Across Illinois Library System Administrative Offices
      125 Tower Drive
      Burr Ridge IL 60527
3. Certain types of information maintained by us are exempt from inspection and copying. However the following types or categories of records are maintained under our control:
   1. Monthly Financial Statements
   2. Annual Receipts and Disbursements Reports
   3. Budget
   4. Annual Audits
   5. Minutes of the Board of Directors
   6. System Policies and Bylaws
   7. Adopted Ordinances and Resolutions of the Board
   8. Annual Reports and the Area and Per Capita Grant Application to the Illinois State Library

(Approved by the RAILS Board of Directors, July 21, 2011; revision approved by the RAILS Board, April 27, 2012; information in description updated as needed.)

FOIA requests may be emailed to foia@railslibraries.org.

• Board of Directors
  • Executive Director
    • Associate Executive Director
      • Consulting & Continuing Education
      • Delivery & Facilities Services
      • Library Resources & Programs
      • LLSAP Services (RSA)
    • Executive/Admin Assistants
    • Finance
    • Human Resources
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Technology Services
      • Cataloging Services
      • Data Analysis
      • Information Technology

To access this compensation information required by PA 97-609, please visit our administrative headquarters located at 125 Tower Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527 and contact the RAILS Finance Department. Office hours are 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday.

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Employer Cost and Participation Information

Resolution No. 23-01

A Resolution Adopting the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights Pursuant to Public Act 103-100

WHEREAS, the Reaching Across Illinois Library System ("RAILS") is an Illinois library system existing and operating pursuant to the Illinois Library Systems Act, 75 ILCS 10/1 et seq.; and

WHEREAS, on June 12, 2023, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 103-100 ("Act") to encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitation and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials; and

WHEREAS, the Act provides that in order to be eligible for State of Illinois grants, Illinois libraries and Illinois library systems must either (i) adopt the American Library Association (ALA) Library Bill of Rights or, in the alternative, (ii) develop a written policy prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials within the library or library system; and

WHEREAS, the RAILS Board of Directors finds and determines that adopting the ALA Library Bill of Rights, in conformance with the Act, is in the best interests of the public and its member libraries.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Reaching Across Illinois Library System Board of Directors, as follows:

Section 1. Recitals. The above stated recitals are incorporated herein by reference.

Section 2. Adopting the ALA Library Bill of Rights. In furtherance of and in conformance with Public Act 103-100, the RAILS Board of Directors hereby adopts the ALA Library Bill of Rights, as it may be amended from time-to-time.

Section 3. Severability. In the event that any section, clause, provision, or part of this Resolution is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, all remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Section 4. Repeal and Savings Clause. All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict with this Resolution are hereby repealed to the extent of the conflict.

Section 5. Effective Date. This Resolution will be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval as provided by law.

This Resolution is hereby APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of November 2023.

Aetna Machine Readable Files (MRFs)