News & Announcements from Libraries

This year we celebrated 20 years of building and decorating gingerbread houses at the Henderson County Public Library District!! Back in 2000 the library director (I was the assistant library director in 2000) attended a class at Fondulac PLD to learn how to build a gingerbread house and the list of...

When the Glenview Public Library first shut its doors back in March, we found ourselves scrambling to help our patrons. As time went on, we started adapting to change and coming up with new ways to serve our community, and as winter approached and COVID-19 cases began to rise again, we knew there...

In 2019 BC (Before COVID), our library hosted a self-directed program for couples called “Date Night at the Library.” It was quite popular, and the plan was to run this program again this year, but we all know what happens to “best laid plans . . .” Even though we may not be able to invite couples...

As we say good-bye to 2020, it is customary to set goals moving into the new year. The promises we make for ourselves generally center on self-improvement and less on the impact we have on our community. 2020 was a year of suffering. From daily death tolls becoming a part of our lexicon to the fight...

I started working at my hometown library when I was 16 and have been working in libraries ever since. The library was my happy place as a teen and in my first year as a school librarian, I hope to bring that feeling to an entire school of teens and teachers alike. Staff and students were used to a...

Oregon Public Library went fine free in January 2020. It seems like many moons ago, however, this philosophy change is still making its impact. As an organization, we decided that going fine free was an important change to make. Unfortunately, Oregon has not always had the best perception among...

Home delivery: a more comfortable way for patrons to get library materials during a global pandemic. What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting On March 13, 2020 staff and patrons alike sat stunned as the Fox River Valley Public Library District closed the doors of its two locations, the Dundee...

The Fox River Grove Public Library District has created two videos to promote the Library and the Fox River Grove community. The videos were funded by the My Library Is… Grant from the Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System (RAILS). The videos are available on the Library’s YouTube channel...

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed how patrons and library staff utilize and learn in makerspaces or within their maker communities. Beyond topics of public health and politics, this pandemic has shown the importance of the skills and sense of community that one may gain in makerspaces. A...

After Lisle Library’s Adult and Teen Focus Librarian, Noelle Spicher, started hearing about the success of teen book box programs in other libraries, she began crafting a procedure to try out the program at LLD and it went live in January 2020. A few months after the launch of the teen program...

Yes, it’s November. Yes, many of us are still recovering from the Summer Reading Program that wasn’t (or almost wasn’t). No, we don’t want to think about Summer Reading 2021, but like it or not, planning time is here. Normally, libraries base their coming programs on participation and response rates...

As part of the My Library Is… campaign, RAILS and AISLE are teaming up to offer up to ten $1,000 grants to help school libraries promote their value. My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries are designed to help libraries tell their stories in a more coordinated and impactful way. RAILS and...