News from RAILS & Libraries

All RAILS offices and services will be closed on Thursday, May 15, for a staff in-service day.

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Lincoln Log Cabin in Lerna! Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, part of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, preserves the 19th-century home of Thomas Lincoln...

Libraries generally operate on tight budgets. This is why we offer several grant opportunities to help our libraries thrive and make sure that they also have room to grow. In 2024, we awarded: $10,185 in RAILS Continuing Education Event Grants to support learning and professional growth...

The Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) has selected 24 projects to receive My Library Is... Grants. The total amount funded for these projects is $98,957.35. The purpose of these grants is to provide an opportunity for libraries to focus on projects that help tell their institution’s...

From the My Library Is... Blog: Once a quiet place reserved for hushed study halls and solitary reading, our Marist library has undergone a radical transformation with Project Refresh and it was exactly what our students needed. Our administration greenlit an overhaul of the space and this grant...

Carthage Public Library District held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new library building on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:00 pm. The following day, Laverdiere Construction, Inc. brought in their equipment and began working on the site. Construction should be complete in about a year. The new building...

Princeton Public Library is hosting a reception on Friday, April 25th to present local talent by displaying books and book covers. Instead of disposing of these books, they were handed out to people as a blank canvases. The recycled books were provided by the Friends of the Library. So far, there...

The next Adult Services Managers Roundtable is Wednesday, May 14 from 9:30-11:30am at the RAILS Burr Ridge building (125 Tower Drive). This quarterly networking group is open to managers, department heads and supervisors of adult services in public libraries of all sizes. Bring agenda items to the...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Lincoln Douglas Debate Museum in Charleston! Visit this first-class facility located on the site of the 1858 Charleston, IL, Lincoln-Douglas debate. Take a self-guided...

The ninth annual Directors University will be held August 4 - 6, 2025, at the Hilton DoubleTree in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. This professional development is intended for first-time directors and directors new to Illinois from public libraries of all shapes and sizes. Directors University (DU)...

RAILS World Language Cataloging Services Program is committed to enriching library collections with global perspectives, one title at a time. Among our recent projects, one stood out as an exciting intersection of literary heritage and linguistic diversity: the cataloging of a Khmer translation of...

Join us at Bellwood Public Library on Tuesday, April 29 at 6:30pm for a screening of Free For All: The Public Library, a new documentary from PBS Books by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor. Premiering on PBS’s Independent Lens, Free For All: The Public Library tells the story of the quiet...

Join the RAILS Music Librarianship Group for a tour of the Newberry Library's music-related holdings. Meet in the Newberry Library lobby - use front doors, as back doors are locked. Please check in with Alison Hinderliter, your tour guide, who will meet you all in the lobby. All coats and large bags...

Dear Library Colleagues, I’m writing to share some important news about proposed legislation that our office is spearheading designed specifically to improve security at libraries and enhance safety for librarians across Illinois. House Bill 2747 and Senate Bill 1550, which were introduced in the...

Dan and Monica provide updates about the dismantling of IMLS, sharing new resources, events, and talking points that members should know about. They also discuss the new 2024 RAILS Annual Report and highlight the continuing education opportunities available to library workers in Illinois. Relevant...