News & Announcements from Libraries

As part of it's 50th Anniversary celebration, Three Rivers Library is organizing The Next Chapter fundraising gala. The event is being held on Saturday, September 19th, from 6-10 pm at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. In addition to a public silent auction, there will be...

The Black Hawk College Library received the My Library Is… Grant to purchase two charging stations and ten charging blocks, as well as new charging cables for phones and laptops. The goal of this project was to supplement the technological needs of the campus, especially for students from...

Schaumburg Township District Library is strengthening and expanding its leadership structure by promoting Stephanie Driscoll to Deputy Director of Public Services and Amy Prochot to Deputy Director of Operations, both effective September 7. This decision comes as the Library continues to expand its...

Our school has offered Sora by OverDrive as a digital reading option for several years. As the school librarian, I have encouraged its use and taught the basics. However, I felt it was underutilized both in classrooms and at home. In recent years, I have purchased audiobooks to support some students...

The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library partnered with local video production company Motion Source to host a Film Camp for Teens this summer, culminating in the premiere of the film campers’ original short film, The Dark Library. This short film was written, directed, filmed, acted, and edited...

The Accessibility Networking Group connects public libraries with organizations supporting disabled communities in Lake and northern Cook counties. We believe that strong partnerships between libraries and accessibility organizations inform, strengthen, and expand opportunities for our shared...

Successful libraries seek opportunities to extend library services beyond the physical confines of the library building to engage their service community where patrons naturally and frequently interact outside of the library. This enhances awareness of library services and improves the library’s...

The Glenwood-Lynwood Public Library District sits on 14 acres, giving us a unique opportunity to think beyond the traditional “four walls of the library.” We believe a public library should be more than a building filled with books, computers, and meeting spaces. It can be a place where people learn...

In September of 2025, fourteen libraries* collaborated on an ad featured on the BNSF Metra line. Many of the libraries along the BNSF line are within walking distance of the train stations, and have a shared goal of reaching commuters, with an audience of 25–55-year-old patrons who may find it hard...

College can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. It may be the first time that a student has been away from home for a long period of time. College may be a place where a student does not know anyone and has to navigate building new relationships on their own. It is a time when the student...

At its August 10, 2026 meeting, the Lake Villa District Library Board of Trustees voted to end notary services, effective January 1, 2027. Changes to notary law, increased demand and staffing constraints cited as the main reasons behind the decision. “We saw a sharp increase in demand for notary...

At Illinois College’s Schewe Library, we strive to be a welcoming, inclusive space where students feel at home, finding both academic support and community. With the generous support of the RAILS 2025 My Library Is... Grant, we launched a project to enhance our library’s role as a space for...