News from RAILS & Libraries

The Fox River Valley Public Library District’s Public Relations team has been recognized with a 2025 Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Award from the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) in the category of Crisis Communication Plan. The Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards are presented...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Gillson Swimming Beach in Wilmette! Gillson Park offers 60 acres of beautiful lakefront property ideal for picnics, bicycling, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and many...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Glencoe Beach in Glencoe! Glencoe Beach is ideal for group and family outings, work picnics, or summer camp groups! Lifeguards are on duty daily during operational...

Dan and Monica recap all the latest updates on the IMLS funding situation, including important news from the Illinois State Library about the upcoming fiscal year. They also chat about the exciting new rebrand of Explore More Illinois, the current RAILS Board Election, and RAILS grant programs...

On Friday, May 16, Devon Braunstein, Director, Illinois Office of Broadband announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce terminated funding for the Digital Equity Capacity Grant. This funding, originally part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, provides funding for states to implement...

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to approved $850,000 for a project aimed at improving digital equity. This funding, which was awarded to RAILS by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, will go towards the design and implementation of a Digital Navigator...

From the My Library Is... Blog: Our library has been working for the last several years to make our library welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. One of the areas we wanted to improve on, was reaching the people in our community who speak languages other than English. We saw a lot of kids...

Episode eight of Can't Shelve This is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Instead of feeling sad, let's get mad. In "An Airing of Grievances," co-hosts Janette and Leah host a mid-year Festivus, addressing the current library landscape and reading listener-submitted rants...

You might not think that your local hospital, museum, church, synagogue, or law firm has a library, but many of them do. They’re called specialized libraries, and they’re RAILS members, too! RAILS is a multitype library system, which means that we serve all kinds of libraries: your local public...

Registration for the JJC Summer 2025 Session is now underway for new and returning students. Classes are online and asynchronous, so they are easy to fit into your schedule. No commuting costs and you will pay in-district tuition if you have no program locally. There are no textbook fees, as we make...

From the My Library Is... Blog: Research has shown that diverse books are beneficial in many ways: they provide students with affirmation of their identities, they allow students to see other perspectives and experiences, and they help to create empathy and community. Professor Rudine Sims Bishop...

Congratulations to Winfield Public Library Director Matthew Suddarth on his upcoming retirement! He has been Director for more than 22 years, and has seen the library through a renovation project, the shift to more digital technologies, the rise of eBooks, and much more. During his retirement, he...

We invite all levels of staff from any type of RAILS library to join the online RAILS Member Update on Wednesday, May 14, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Topics include an update from the Illinois State Library, a book award that honors a love of nature and action for planet Earth, the Explore More Illinois...

Voting is now open for the 2025 RAILS Board Election. Members may cast their ballot until Friday, May 23, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. This year, there are four candidates running for two open at-large seats; 11 candidates running for three open public library trustee seats; and one candidate running for one...

Chicago Public Library (CPL), Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS), and Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) are excited to announce the rebranding of the Explore More Illinois program. Explore More Illinois is a cultural and recreational pass program that allows Illinois public...