News & Announcements from RAILS

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in Chicago! Founded in 1967, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago champions the new and unexpected in contemporary art...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago! The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is devoted to the promotion, integration, and...

We at the Gail Borden Public Library District are honored to be hosting Violins of Hope, ten lovingly restored violins played before or during the Holocaust. This project showcases Jewish stories of resilience, resistance, and unity through the power of musical performance. “Through hands-on...

Joliet Public Library is excited to announce a new traveling exhibit will open on June 16. – The Questioneers: Read. Question. Think. PLAY! Based on the best-selling series of books by author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts, the imaginative world of Questioneers characters Ada Twist...

Fox River Grove Memorial Library is proud to offer a Sensory Storytime on the second Monday of every month at 10:30 a.m. The next Sensory Storytime takes place on Monday, June 12, 2023. This program differs from the Library’s regular storytimes in that enrollment is more limited; transitions are...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Normal Theater in Normal, IL! The historic Normal Theater gives residents and visitors to Bloomington-Normal the classic cinema-going experience. Through a diverse line...

We are excited to see so many of our member libraries presenting for a national audience at the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, June 22-27. Below is a list of RAILS members who are presenting at ALA. We’ll update it as we receive more program information. If you or someone at your library is...

This year Glenside Middle School rolled out WeVideo accounts to all of our students. This was the first time that students had access to a full-feature video editing program on their Chromebooks. It wasn’t a perfect journey, but over the year almost all students could access the basic editing...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, spotlights attraction Galesburg Parks and Recreation in Galesburg, IL! Galesburg Parks and Recreation are back this year offering a discount on their beach and their waterpark. Lake Storey Beach is...

As a Librarian, nothing is more frustrating than having students look at our shelves filled with thousands of books and say there is nothing they want to read. I wanted to leverage the RAILS My Library Is Grant to make my shelves more accessible and encourage reading throughout the John T. Pirie...

RAILS is happy to announce that Chicago Public Library joined Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program, on June 5, 2023. This will transform Explore More Illinois into a true statewide cultural and recreational pass program, as the program will be available to all...

Congratulations to the 2023 candidates who have been elected to serve on the RAILS Board: Academic Library Seat Gwen Gregory, Northern Illinois University Public Library Trustee Seats Jean M. Carroll, Thomas Ford Memorial Library Jennifer Hovanec, Villa Park Public Library Alex Vancina (re-elected)...

The Lisle Library District (LLD) was aglow from sunflowers and the LiteZilla on Saturday, April 22. After a year-long two-phased renovation, the Lisle Library District celebrated with a Grand Opening that attracted about 800 attendees, who enjoyed soft pretzels from Gnarly Knots and sunflower...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Normal CornBelters in Normal! The Normal CornBelters are a collegiate, wood bat summer baseball team based in Normal, Illinois. Normal CornBelters is offering Two...

Dan Bostrom sits down with RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris to talk about the next steps in the RAILS Board election, highlights from her now-completed meet and greet tour, and EDI training that will soon be available to RAILS members and their trustees. Monica also provides updates on...