News from RAILS & Libraries

Early in 2019, the East Moline Public Library launched a capital campaign to make the case for their new building. To learn more about it, East Moline Public Library Executive Director Laura Long answered our questions on the success of the campaign so far. Can you start by telling me a little bit...

“I’m not really a joiner.” The words fell out of my mouth before I really knew what I was saying. I had said the same thing so many times in my life that it felt like a cliche, but I realized in that moment that it had been a while since I had given it much thought. It was late 2017, I was at the...

I really just wanted to host the Skylab from the Peoria Riverfront Museum. That’s all. And how can you blame me? Have you seen it? It’s this giant inflatable dome and, once inside, it’s a planetarium. Anyway, it turns out, there’s a space requirement. And, at 25 by 25 feet, it’s not a small...

Over the past 10 years, I have utilized a number of strategies to engage my teachers and communicate the value and importance of library resources, especially the value of a certified teacher librarian. I created a library menu, using humor and visuals to offer choices from quick lessons all the way...

RAILS provides programs and services to approximately 1,300 academic, public, school, and special libraries in the north and west-central part of Illinois. A very frequent request from all types of members is for help telling their stories and proving their value to their different stakeholders...