RAILS Grants Awarded

The Benedictine University Library seeks to create a collection of sensory materials and adaptive supports for our community. These items include sound cancelling headphones with case, weighted blankets, happy lights, white noise machines, soundproof earmuffs, wraparound sunglasses, fidgets, and calm strips.

The “My Library is Plugged In” project will provide portable charging blocks and chargers to BHC students. With many open areas in both libraries and across both campuses, there are several spaces where students sit to study that are not close enough to an outlet for students to use.

Through this project, Illinois College enhances their library’s role as a space for mindfulness, creativity, and relaxation by incorporating interactive stress-relief programming. This grant will fund stress reduction programming, the purchase of a craft cart, and additional materials for the library’s relaxation room. These initiatives will create an inviting atmosphere that encourages students to take needed breaks, recharge, and build resilience.

The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Galvin Library uses funding to enhance library resources and create a more supportive, inclusive environment for neurodivergent students. This grant will allow the library to purchase a curated selection of books focused on neurodivergence, as well as develop tranquility kits to support students in managing sensory sensitivities while using library resources.

Moraine Valley Community College will use grant funds to build a collection of foreign language titles, focused on titles in Spanish and Arabic. The proposed project centers on starting this new collection of foreign language titles, marketing it to the community, and developing programming supported by it.

With the aid of the “My Library Is…” Grant, BPLD will digitize the library’s collection of local newspapers to make the collection accessible, discoverable, and browsable for those in the Bartlett community. This collection is in high demand for its obituaries and extensive coverage of local events and has long been vital for genealogical research and for individuals seeking to understand the history and milestones of the community.

Their project aims to enhance the Crystal Lake community’s access to diverse learning materials and experiences at the library. They are launching a Library of Things collection this Spring and plan to expand this collection to include board games and bilingual resources for children, teens, and adults. By doing so, they strive to ignite curiosity and foster a love for learning among individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Through this project, they will support our mission of helping people learn, enjoy, and better their lives.

Des Plaines Public Library will increase the number and types of collection materials for patrons to use in and out of the library, related to accessibility and assistive technology. These items are often used by and developed for those with disabilities, but they can be helpful for everyone, on a spectrum of physical/sensory limitations and no limitations. This is generally known as the Curb-Cut Effect - a well-known phenomenon that occurs when a service or device is made for those with disabilities, limitations, or those of different ethnicities but ends up aiding the rest of society. Specifically, this originated because curb-cutouts were originally a disability-friendly feature that later was found to be enjoyed and appreciated by other people such as those who were pushing strollers or who found it difficult to step up or down from curbs for a variety of reasons.

Grant funds will be used to increase the number and types of collections materials to circulate outside of the library related to accessibility and assistive technology. They have consulted with local organizations who have hands-on expertise with assistive technologies that benefit those experiencing limitations. They have included suggested items which were suitable for library circulation, fit into our budget, and collection policy.

The Share the Shelf: School & Public Library Book Initiative is designed to bring more books into the hands of young readers while strengthening connections between the library and local schools. This project will provide three key grade groups—1–2, 3–4, and 5–6—with multiple copies of 15 popular, age-appropriate titles. These books will circulate in the library for a year (May 2025 – June 2026), helping to meet the high demand for engaging, relevant reading materials.

The Pontiac Public Library is seeking the My Library Is… Grant for the creation of the first ever, permanent Pontiac Public Library StoryWalk display for the promotion of literacy and library services, and for the enhanced engagement of the community of Pontiac. The funds will be used for displays, all marketing materials to promote the StoryWalk, backerboards, and 12 children’s storybooks.

The Streator Public Library wishes to provide resources for domestic abuse survivors. We will do this by purchasing internet hot spots available for checkout and materials such as books that include many perspectives of abuse, such as male and LGBTQ experiences. The library will also curate a collection of reference material to make it easier for those needing counseling, social services, and charitable outreach.

With funding from a RAILS “My Library Is…” Grant, they will purchase each of their library branches a core collection of VOX Books that children and adults in their community will utilize through in-house library programs, in their community through outreach programming and at home through their library circulation.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School will use grant funds to purchase new titles for their collection, with an emphasis on Spanish-language, graphic novels, and non-fiction texts. To be flexible and responsive to varying student interests, they will purchase books that have been requested and searched for during the last year.

Deerfield School District 109 will weed and replace a significant percentage of their nonfiction collections, implementing student and teacher suggestions. They will improve their nonfiction book displays to reduce confusion and help students find books of interest more easily. Visual signage, front-facing shelving, and organization which is logical to elementary students will be implemented.

"My Library Is…” building community with new collections. Grant funds will be used to purchase a base collection of World Language material in Spanish, Russian, Mongolian, Ukranian, and Korean languages. Additionally, funds will purchase updated signage for this collection.

The My Library is…Grant will support the purchase of 77 large print fiction books across various genres at upper elementary and middle school reading levels, including diverse authors and perspectives. Additionally, it will support the purchase of new book easels and signage for the collection.

Prairie Crossing Charter School (PCCS), a K-8 school committed to fostering environmental stewardship and academic excellence, is seeking funding through the Illinois RAILS My Library Is…Grant to implement a comprehensive program that utilizes the Rebecca Caudill, Bluestem, and Monarch book awards to advance our CARES values (Collaborative, Aware, Respectful, Empowered, Sustainable). By leveraging these thoughtfully curated book lists, Prairie Crossing Charter School will build a more collaborative, aware, respectful, empowered, and sustainable school community.

With the My Library Is… Grant, they will purchase a variety of books in the predominant first languages spoken in the school community (Spanish, Ukranian, and Polish) as well as titles that assist with the progression of students’ English capabilities.

Your Library … Your Way is designed to enrich the offerings of the library to better serve the changing interests and needs of our students through the purchase of audiobook resources. The yearlong program will begin with gathering information about students’ preferences and interests to develop a collection of approximately one hundred fifty audiobooks and add approximately twenty-five addition high interest low reading level print resources.

Grant funds will help establish an inclusive makerspace that fosters STEM engagement and literacy for all students. This space will serve as a hub for discovery and skill-building, introducing students to STEM fields and careers in a welcoming, supportive environment. Lastly, a portion of the grant will be used to create take-home STEM kits, which will contain engaging, age-appropriate STEM challenges, coding activities, and books to go along with the robots and building kits. These kits will extend learning beyond the school day and encourage family involvement in STEM education."

Grant funds will purchase a curated list of books that encapsulates the diversity, interests, reading levels, etc. of the 6th-8th graders at Traughber Junior High. This will enhance the library’s collection to make it more representative of the school’s student population.

The grant will fund the Listen to This! Program: A project that aims to create an audio tour of the Bakwin Library’s informational services, historical collections, and building amenities. The audio tour will detail library services such as how staff can access our electronic journals, the benefits of librarian assisted literature searches, and article retrieval services. Listen to This! will allow the library to integrate knowledge of library services directly into the spaces where organizational processes happen.

With funding from the RAILS My Library Is… Grant, they will purchase technology and equipment necessary to fulfill the potential of their new community room, a multi-purpose gathering place for the LGBTQ+ community, and expand access for new patrons to discover Gerber/Hart’s holdings, history, and relevance.

In collaboration with the SVA- EU (Student Veterans of America - Elmhurst University chapter), the Elmhurst University Library plans to fund a "Ready Player One" Lounge with gaming events scheduled weekly and monthly for use by the entire student population; repurposing underutilized afterhours library spaces and creating an ongoing draw for student veterans to come into the library.  

Their project aims to equip students with the necessary technology to enhance their learning experience, catering to students of all learning types. To this end, they will add an OCR Smart Scanner to their collection, which can assist students with dyslexia or reading difficulties. They will update the Spanish language literature selection in the library. Additionally, they will add a portable DVD player for increased access to the library's DVD collection, and a staff scanner to be utilized for Interlibrary Loan requests. 

 In collaboration with the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) on campus, the Klinck Memorial Library will utilize grant funds to improve their childhood literature collection with the purchase of current books to represent more inclusive and diverse voices, which will prove additionally helpful for expanding their story time experience during popular holidays and celebrations, such as Black History Month, Disability Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc.  

With this grant, MCC will increase the diversity of the people who interact with the MCC Archives to better reflect the diversity of their patrons. Funds will support the purchase of two display cases for digital and physical materials to be located in public areas of the library. Photo and negative sleeves will increase storage space, allowing the library team to launch a campaign to collect photo donations from within the college and surrounding community. Mailable thumb drives will allow the library to respond to digital archive requests from across the state and even country. 

Rockford University will use the grant funds to invest in multimedia equipment for podcasting and other activities, in accordance with their ongoing library renovation, to better support the collaborative nature of modern learning. By investing in multimedia equipment, the library will empower students and alumni to explore new modes of expression and communication. 

The Right to Read Poster Project seeks to commemorate the passage of the “Right to Read” legislation while highlighting the crucial role libraries play in preserving intellectual freedom. Through this initiative, students in DES346 will design visually compelling posters based on catchy slogans, emphasizing the significance of unrestricted access to information. These posters will be printed, framed, and prominently displayed in both Roosevelt campuses—Chicago and Schaumburg.

The LC Library plans to implement new marketing and visibility efforts by installing a vinyl sign that clearly labels the Learning Commons area. Additionally, they will use updated marketing materials to promote the services of the LC Library to all students, community members, and employees, clarifying their presence on campus

Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) will be celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2025, and their project will chronicle the contribution of its libraries, and those who interacted with them – librarians, library staff, faculty and students. Student researchers supported by the grant will develop and create an in-person and online exhibit to celebrate how libraries at IWU support the campus using archival materials and interviews of current students, faculty, and staff.   

The Downers Grove Public Library (DGPL) Summer Reading Club is an annual cornerstone program that promotes literacy, community engagement, and lifelong learning for all ages. To further enhance inclusivity at DGPL and reach a greater audience than ever before, they will translate their Summer Reading Club program brochures into additional languages other than English for children, teens, and adults. This project aims to make program information and participation more accessible to everyone in their community: children, parents, caregivers, and other community members, fostering greater diversity, engagement, and a more robust and exciting Summer Reading Club program

"My Library Is...Planning for the Future: A Community Engagement Initiative for the Lake Bluff Public Library Community" grant project will help Lake Bluff Public Library increase engagement, awareness, and participation in much-needed short term and long-term planning efforts for the library. The library will soon embark on a new Strategic Planning process to determine a direction for the next three year's of the organization with strategies, outcomes and goals that are community-informed and community-centered. The grant funds will be used to facilitate this planning process.

Manhattan-Elwood will use grant funds to purchase materials for their new branch that reflect and enhance the growing diversity of the Elwood community. In particular, they will purchase books, audiobooks, e-books, kits, and other media that center storylines and characters who speak languages other than English, who come from areas outside of the United States or from underrepresented communities within the United States, who have different abilities and socioemotional skills, and who hold diverse experiences and worldviews.

“Your Free Pass to…” is a cost-effective marketing campaign to increase awareness, visibility, and library use in communities served by project partners Rock Island Public Library and Moline Public Library. This project promotes and builds greater awareness of the free nature of library services and library cards among targeted populations. 

Park Forest Library will create and maintain 3 memory kits for patrons with dementia of different stages and their caregivers. Additionally, they will hold memory cafés, monthly programs with guest speakers and special topics designed to help patrons with dementia and their caregivers. The library will promote the kits and programs through the library’s e-newsletter, the website and social media, and printed promotional bookmarks, pamphlets, and flyers. 

The library will use grant funds to prepare to meet the needs of residents from new subsidized housing facility downstairs, while continuing to meet the needs of their existing patrons. The funds will be used for technological upgrades; such as new patron laptops, a new children’s library computer, and an Eco tank printer for updated outreach materials. This will introduce the library to new patrons and continue to benefit their returning patron base.

Washington District Library plans to partner with the Washington Park District to install a permanent StoryWalk® in Washington Park. The StoryWalk® will consist of 20 posts with plexiglass frames. Each frame will contain one or more pages from a picture book. The posts will be placed along a path that takes the reader through part of the park. Stories will have additional questions and activities near the picture book pages that will encourage deeper reflection about the story and additional movement and exercise.

The funds will go towards translating their quarterly newsletter into Arabic, Polish, and Spanish as those are the languages most spoken in their community and schools. They will translate their library card application and their Welcome Brochure to make it easier for non-English speakers to get a library card and use their library. Lastly, they will hold quarterly storytime events in each language by a native speaker to continue to welcome and encourage the use of the library by non-English speakers.

The purpose of this project is to enable the Youth Services department at Zion-Benton Public Library, which serves children from birth through grade 5, and their caregivers, to create a collection of sensory kits that will support young children experiencing sensory processing issues during their visit to the library. 

Beach Park Middle School started a student chosen advisory period this year, where students can choose to learn a new activity every 6 weeks. Their teachers are sharing crocheting, art, crafting, music, puzzle solving and more. With this increased interest in hand crafts and learning outside of the traditional classroom, they will extend the learning that is beginning through the facilitation of activities and purchase of more supplies for these activities.  

My Library Is... funds will be used to curate a more diverse biography section of the collection, by adding important figures from the ethnicities that the schools serve. The money will also purchase higher interest level history books, like graphic novels to encourage engaged learning.  

The first goal of the grant fund will be to increase the number of recently published books by authors of color to better represent the student population. Another focus will be to update books from the nonfiction section so students can learn and conduct research. Additionally, they will purchase more lower-level books for EL and special education students who are reading well below grade level, as well as audiobooks and books in other languages. 

My Library is... funds will update the fiction, biography, and countries of the world collection at Hibbard Elementary School. They will also purchase more recent publications and a diverse selection of books to better represent their school and community demographics.

The grant funds will be used to increase the number of graphic novel titles for elementary and middle school students. The project includes plans to add high interest titles, increase access and circulation of graphic novels, and to organize the collection. The HSA McKinley library will focus on purchasing graphic novel titles in three main categories: high interest series, novels in Spanish, and non-fiction graphic novels. 

For this project, funds will purchase bilingual and foreign language fiction books from Follett for the English language learners at Lake Zurich Middle School North. Currently we service students who speak over fourteen different languages including Ukrainian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Tamil, and Urdu. This grant would allow over seventy students to read books in their home language.

The funds will be used to purchase a curated selection of board games and basic maker materials, gradually expanding based on student interest and feedback. They will host regular weekly mini events filled with activities as well as provide daily access and opportunity for gaming during lunches and after school.

My Library Is... grant funds will purchase 33 graphic novels by authors from ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds so that students can gain insight into others’ lived experiences–particularly, those who are different from them. Additionally, funds will purchase 10 copies of 9 diverse, inclusive, and excellent novels for use in a library facilitated book club. 

They will purchase up to date and diverse nonfiction books that can be used for classroom projects as well as reading for leisure for elementary level instruction. For the upper grades, grant funds qwill be used for fiction books ranging across the genres, reading levels, and interest levels to update their selection options.

This grant will double the number of nonfiction Spanish books in our library collection. We currently have only 103 books in this category. They will purchase print, eBooks, and digital audiobooks covering a wide variety of topics, such as, animals, art, ancient civilizations, biographies, sports, space, science, dinosaurs and the human bodies. 

Resource Center (RC) staff at the Old Town School of Folk Music (OTSFM) will use grant funds to increase visibility and promote the role of the library within the organization by creating permanent signs to hang in classrooms, faculty lounges, and high frequency areas across the School's campuses. There are two elements of the signage that RC staff see as vital: bilingual evergreen text stating the role of the RC, and a refreshable element that promotes the library's new programming efforts, heritage months, and featured sound recordings. 

Nothing brings people together more than food, making cookbooks the perfect genre for fostering relationships. Batavia Community Unit School District #101 will use the grant funds to obtain a variety of diverse cookbooks with teen appeal which will also facilitate into many of the school’s student clubs.

In partnership with two English teachers, the school librarian, WIU Archives and Special Collections Library, and the President of the Illinois Historical Society, students at Macomb High School will expand their materials for their class research projects. Grant funds will go toward the purchase of a one year subscription to EBSCO MAS Ultra online database, the purchase of ten wireless microphones, and to cover transportation costs to the Western Illinois University (WIU) Archives and Special Collections Library.

Brentano Math and Science Academy serves a diverse group of students from preschool to 8th grade. With the help of a grant funds, the aim is to enhance the Spanish language library collection to better align with the school's diverse student population, as well as to promote the new books in the library to encourage reading and engagement among students and teachers.

Funds from the grant will be used toward expanding the collection of more diverse material in order to attract and better serve the English learners and special education students at Community High School District #94.

Students at Fox Lake School District 114 will be able to create their own books, becoming an author and/or an illustrator. The grant funds will go toward the purchase of book kits, art supplies, writing utensils, display bookshelves and also signage to promote the young authors and illustrators.  

The library staff at Geneva Community Unit School District #304 will seek to improve their space. After a significant weeding of the library’s collection, grant funds will go toward appropriate signage and giving students new ways to find the books they need.

For their project, Glenbard East High School will purchase 100 books that address pressing societal issues and reflect the interests of AP English Language & Composition courses,  All new nonfiction print books will focus on authors from marginalized communities such as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and authors with disabilities.

To meet the STEAM outreach needs of students at High Point School, grant funds will go toward creating thirty “Maker Backpacks” that can be checked out by students to use at home with their families.  STEAM activities will include engineering challenges, robotics, and other hands-on activities that promote creativity and critical thinking.

By making the library’s collection more inclusive and offering new ways to use the library, Hononegah Community High School District #207 hopes to see a positive impact on the students’ attitude toward the library and draw in new library users. The library will use the grant funds to add multicultural and high-interest nonfiction titles and also toward library promotional materials made from equipment already in the makerspace.

Students at Adler Park School love graphic novels. This grant will fund the purchase of a collection of new diverse and inclusive graphic novels as well as a special project with students designing a bookmark featuring one of the new graphic novels. The student-designed bookmarks will be handed out at the school and also at Cook Memorial Public Library.

For its project, Northbrook Glenview School District 30 will use grant funds to reinvent their STEAM kits. Students in the DEI STEAM club will share the student-designed alternative through an online video.

With its project, Oak Lawn Community High School District #229 hopes to promote literacy and cultural appreciation by showcasing the works of diverse women comic creators. Funds will go towards purchasing nonfiction graphics no and as adding an immersive art experience in the library's media center.

The grant funds will go toward updating and enhancing the library collection and reading experience for students at Plainfield CCSD 202. The project includes plans to add relevant books, organize the collection, address specific student needs, increase access to bilingual books, introduce a graphic novel section, and purchase bookshelf dividers to improve book accessibility for all students.

Grant funding will be used by Saint Patrick High School to create a modern space for reading, researching, gaming, and collaboration through the purchase of a poster printer, white boards, signage, camera and also Adobe Creative Cloud-Suite license. Additionally, the collaboration with the Chicago Public Library will provide students with online resources, and the library plans to promote its offerings with the help of a therapy dog named Patrick St. Patrick.

The pandemic challenged the mental health needs of students in grades K-12, so librarians at Sterling CUSD #5 will use the grant funds to establish a collection that allows the school’s mental health professionals an opportunity to practice “bibliotherapy” with students.

To update and to refresh the BFF (Books for Fun) collection, Trinity High School will use the grant funds to purchase books that are published within the last 5 years and feature diverse characters to reflect the student body.

The purpose of this project is to build empathy and understanding for diverse communities through literature for the staff and students at Troy Community Consolidated School District. The money from this grant will be used to purchase at least ten copies of ten books with characters of diverse backgrounds, including, but not limited to, those of Mexican, African American, Indian American, or Asian heritage.

To create a welcoming place for readers of all languages, Vernon Hills High School will use the grant money towards expanding the World Languages collection and to add an inclusive, colorful mural to welcome readers to the Library Media Center.