News & Announcements from RAILS

RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom talks with Jeanne' Aken from Beach Park School District in Beach Park, IL. Beach Park was the recipient of a 2022 My Library Is... Grant for School Libraries. For more information on the My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries, please visit: https:/...

In 2021, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, proudly opened the doors of its new Makerplace building, ushering in a world of exciting possibilities for the community. Since then, residents of all ages have eagerly embraced the opportunity to acquire new skills, unleash their creativity, and...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes back for the season, Chicago Red Stars in Bridgeview! Established in 2007, the Red Stars were a founding member of the former Women’s Professional Soccer and would later become one of the...

I think it is very important that our students are made to feel whole when they enter our East and Central Libraries at Evanston Township High School. My library is a place of welcome and acceptance for who they are.. The East Library is a place of refuge for many of our students. Yes, there are...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, spotlights attraction, Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie! Since the opening, Illinois Holocaust Museum has focused on one clear mission: To use the history and lessons of the Holocaust to transform...

Through the power of virtual reality (VR), school librarians can transport their students to different times and places in order to get immersive, interactive 360-degree views like never before. In other words, VR allows us to become our own versions of Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus...

Getting to know the library I started as the school librarian at Grace Lutheran School in the fall of 2021. My first job as the school librarian was to unpack and move the library back into its space. (The library had been boxed up and put on temporary shelves in another space during Covid to...

Everyone's a reader. That is the message I want to send to the students at Medinah Middle School. Last year I purchased celebrity READ posters from the American Library Association for all of the teachers in the school in order to promote reading in all disciplines. It was fun to see how the posters...

Pandemic-related delays are being felt throughout schools, but Heyworth’s Junior-Senior High School library was hit hard. Between closures, no in-person group visits, falling literacy levels, and a budget cut, the library was seeing a drastic loss of circulation as students struggled not only to get...

RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris will continue to travel through the RAILS area in the next month to meet with staff from our member libraries in person. Monica will talk about some of her goals for RAILS moving forward and there will be plenty of time for member questions and feedback. There...

My Library is…the heart of our school: a space for all students, staff and community members and filled with something for EVERYONE….readers, scientists, engineers, friends and so much more! My school opened its doors in August 2021 and while the library opened with an adequate supply of books...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal! The Children’s Discovery Museum inspires the love of learning. We offer 3 floors of hands-on exhibits that actively engage...

On April 30, discussion email lists that are managed by RAILS were moved from our old platform to the new RAILS ListServ environment. Subscribers on each list that was migrated over the weekend should have received a message sent to the list's new address, with details about the move. The most...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass for Illinois libraries, spotlights Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford! Anderson Japanese Gardens is proud of its longstanding reputation as one of the highest-quality Japanese gardens in North America. Their passion, however, is...

Dan Bostrom chats with RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris about the upcoming RAILS Board election, what she's learned on her meet and greet tour, and important legislative issues that our member libraries should know about. Relevant links: RAILS Board nomination form Coal Valley Meet & Greet -...