News from RAILS & Libraries

Due to the recent and abrupt closure of Baker & Taylor, the Boundless app that hosts the eRead Illinois collection is being discontinued. While a transition of this size would typically take months, we are moving quickly to ensure you and your patrons experience minimal interruption to your use of...

From the My Library Is... Blog: With help from the RAILS My Library Is… Grant, Beach Park Middle School library has been able to support their new student advisement period. Last year, Beach Park Middle School started a student-choice incentivizing advisory period, where students learn a new...

We invite all levels of staff from any type of RAILS library to join the online RAILS Member Update on Wednesday, November 12, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Topics include an Illinois library legislative update, a discussion of what's next for eRead Illinois, and some news from Find More Illinois. An agenda is...

Gail Borden Library Reveals New Fall Exhibit Dinosaur Explorer ELGIN, IL – (October 21, 2025) – Dinosaur Explorer is an all-new traveling exhibition that explores the wildest, wackiest, and most wonderous dinosaurs and examines human physiology through the lens of these magnificent creatures. This...

Season two, episode three of Can't Shelve This is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. What’s it really like to be a brand-new school librarian? In “Diary of a First-Year School Librarian,” Janette and Leah chat with Mary Alice Maloney (Charles J. Sahs School Librarian) as...

On Saturday, September 27, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library welcomed over 200 guests for One Book, One Gala, a special after-hours event inspired by New York City’s iconic Met Gala. The celebration was designed to reflect one of the key settings in this year’s One Book, One Village selection...

RAILS is aware that Baker & Taylor has begun the process of winding down operations with the intent of closing by the end of the year. We are sorry about the far-reaching loss of a library industry leader and wish our colleagues at Baker & Taylor all the best. We recognize the impact that this will...

The Putnam County Public Library District will present a special screening of the 2025 documentary Banned Together: The Fight Against Censorship on Tuesday, October 7th at 1:00 p.m. at the Granville Branch, in honor of Banned Books Week. Banned Together takes viewers inside the growing fight over...

From the My Library Is... Blog: The HSA McKinley School library received the My Library Is… Grant to purchase books to increase our graphic novel section. As I am sure is true of most schools, our graphic novel section tended to have the highest rates of circulation and interest for our students in...

“Read anything good lately?” That’s the question Green Hills Public Library District (GHPLD) staff members Sara Shahein, Tessa Werden and Klaudia Gorgon set out to answer last September when they launched their first episode of the Checked Out podcast. One year and 12 episodes later, listeners now...

On the evening of Thursday, October 2, the RAILS data center, located at the RAILS Burr Ridge Service Center, will be undertaking a migration of internet providers. We expect this migration to be quick, but it could take up to 24 hours to complete. In that event, several RAILS services may be...

RAILS is excited to announce an opportunity for suburban Cook County public libraries to collaborate with the Cook County Office of the President in establishing a Digital Navigator Network. We are currently seeking participation in a Cook County Library Digital Navigator Network Guiding Team to...

On Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 11 AM to 3 PM, the Elk Grove Village Public Library will host its third Comic-Con event! The con will feature a collective of talented artists/creatives, a "Star Car" show in the library's parking lot, food trucks, and several programs/crafts for all ages. What is...

From the My Library Is... Blog: With celebrations for the 175th anniversary of our university slated for 2025, librarians at Illinois Wesleyan University envisioned a digital humanities project that would share the story of libraries on campus from the institution's founding in 1850 forward. That...

The Illinois Cataloging Mentorship Program (iCAMP) 2025–26 is looking for additional mentors to support incoming mentees. We don’t always have enough mentors, so your participation is essential to ensure every new cataloger has guidance and support. If you’ve already submitted a mentor application...