News & Announcements from RAILS

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Centennial Aquatic Center! Opened in 2014, the Centennial Aquatic Center is a summer destination operated by the Park Ridge Park District. Designed to serve residents...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park! Get ready to adventure to new heights at Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park in Western Springs, IL, located in the suburbs just a short...

With a collection age of 2008, the South Park School nonfiction collection was out-of-date and not relevant to the interests of twenty-first century elementary students. Almost one third of the books in the collection had not circulated at all in the past five years, or had only circulated once. The...

“Hi!” A young woman, probably in her twenties, approached the Adult Services desk with an eager smile. “This might sound like a weird question, but could you help me find a newspaper from about fifteen years ago? There’s a photo of me sledding that ran in the Bartlett Examiner. I even have the exact...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Intuit Art Museum! Intuit Art Museum (IAM) champions the diverse voices of self-taught art, welcoming both new and familiar audiences. Located in Chicago’s West Town...

Joe and Monica break down the latest at RAILS: ⚖️ The federal censorship bill threatening the freedom to read 🗳️ Your last chance to vote in this year's RAILS Board election 💡 What we learned from our first leadership program 👋 Your chance to interact with RAILS this week Relevant Links: ILA Bill...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, the Driehaus Museum! The Driehaus Museum engages and inspires the global community through exploration and ongoing conversations in art, architecture, and design of the...

They keep the books moving, the doors open, and the students supported—often without any recognition. They're paraprofessionals, and their invisible labor makes a visible impact. Episode 2.10 of Can't Shelve This is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Janette and Leah are...

Voting is now open for the 2026 RAILS Board Election! Members may cast their ballot until Friday, May 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. This year, we have: 2 candidates running for 1 academic seat 4 candidates running for 1 at-large seat 7 candidates running for 3 public library trustee seats 3 candidates...

Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, the 2016 winner of the Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project, recently took to Facebook to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her victory for her novel, Lines. Reflecting on the impact of the Illinois library contest, Magrady shared: “Winning this award was an incredibly...

The Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System (RAILS) has selected 26 projects to receive My Library Is... Grants. The total amount funded for these projects is $104,874.34. The purpose of these grants is to provide an opportunity for libraries to focus on projects that help tell their institution’s...

A clip from Fox 32 Chicago Live in which RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris discusses Illinois House Bill 5236, the Digital Library Protection Act. Monica explains why this bill is necessary to help protect libraries from rising e-book costs. This clip is from Monday, April 27.

Dan and Monica break down the latest in this month's episode: ⚖️ Yes, more library legislation updates 📈 What's different in this year's annual report 💡 Our new online learning platform 📋 A preview of next month's Member Update topics Relevant Links: HB 5236 Digital Library Protection Act HB 3411 HB...

On Wednesday, May 13, 3-4 p.m., we will host a RAILS Member Update. This event will feature three short presentations. A full agenda is attached. Kyla Williams Tate, Cook County Director of Digital Equity, will present on digital equity and libraries. Nincy George, RAILS Cataloging Services Manager...

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued an Interim Final Rule, effective April 20, 2026, that extends the compliance deadlines for web accessibility by one year. Under the previous deadlines, a number of public libraries faced a primary compliance deadline of April 2026 (or April 2027 for smaller...