News from RAILS & Libraries

Debbie Baaske, acting Member Engagement Manager talks with Leora Siegel, Senior Director at the Lenhardt Library. Leora talks about all of the wonderful resources available to the public from the library during open hours and through ILL. She also shares information on their digitization efforts of...

The Exhibitions The Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton has been looking forward to this month (January of 2022) for almost two years. The library was selected by Illinois Humanities to be one of six host sites for Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a travelling exhibition from...

The purpose of Libraries is to provide opportunities. Opportunity for information, research, connection, cultural awareness; the list extends for miles. One of the Lisle Library District’s goals is to provide an opportunity for kindness. This effort has been conjured in collecting needed items for...

Debbie Baaske, acting Member Engagement Manager talks with Halle Cox, Director at the Kane County Law Library and Self Help Legal Center. Halle shares how the library serves the lawyers and judges, as well as the general public. She says approximately 85% of their users are the general public. They...

Debbie Baaske, acting Member Engagement Manager talks with Sarah Rice, Research and Knowledge Services Manager at Forefront. Sarah discusses how the library serves the organization and its over 1100 nonprofit members. The library has a wealth of resources on various aspects of fundraising and donor...

Pandemic Programming – Baby Goats, Churros, and Pumpkins Like many public libraries, the Lisle Library District has been challenged to provide new, primarily outdoor events for our community in response to the pandemic. Annual inside pre-pandemic events had included Harry Potter Day and Star Wars...

Debbie Baaske talks with Brenda Stenger, the director of the American Hospital Association Resource Center. Brenda discusses how the resource center serves the organization and outside users, and how demand has grown during the pandemic. She also shares some great ways that she’s marketed the...

RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom talks with Cheryl A. Hansen, Research Librarian at the ESi Library about what ESi does and who they serve. Specialized Library Spotlight: ESi Library

Are you looking for a new way to gather input and spark ideas in your community? Try a community conversation. The Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton held a community conversation in August thanks to grant funding from Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and...

Did you know that there are over 100 specialized libraries in RAILS? Each specialized library serves a unique audience with specialized resources. As part of the My Library Is... campaign, RAILS is looking to spotlight specialized libraries and how they make a difference in their organization...

Do you need help demonstrating the value of your library to different stakeholders? Want to know what to say to justify the need for continued/increased library funding or staffing? Would you like to attract new library users? Want advice on how to promote the library’s role in identifying fake news...

The fall season may seem like an odd time to think about gardening, but it is the perfect time of year to start a Seed Library. A Seed Library is a collection of herb, flower, fruit, and vegetable seeds that are available for “check-out”. Library card holders are invited to “borrow” free seeds at...

Listening to the radio recently, I was reminded that this week is the semi-annual fundraising drive for my local public radio station. A couple of times each hour, an announcer would mention the drive and invite listeners to support the station. Instructions on how to make a donation were given, and...

Back in June, it was with cautious optimism that I emailed our staff to say “we’re getting the band back together!” It was time to dust off the prize wheel, order tchotchkes, air out the tent, and get back out into the community for some personal interaction with residents. We received a number of...

Small and rural libraries play a critical role in connecting community members to vital resources and programs. Each year nearly 30 million Americans are served by the nation’s approximately 4,000 rural library systems. This number illustrates the value that local communities place on library...