News & Announcements from RAILS

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 -...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, the Chicago Academy of Sciences Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago! For over 165 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has served...

During the pandemic, my workspace in a public high school transformed from a traditional book-centric library to an innovative makerspace community called The Hub. Removing our freestanding bookshelves made all the difference in lightening up this student space. I alternately enjoyed and disliked...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archives in Davenport, IA! The Bix Beiderbecke Museum & World Archives is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in Davenport, Iowa, the hometown of jazz...

In March 2022, students at Northern Illinois University created the world’s largest paper snowflake. It is forty-four feet six inches across and has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records! The NIU Libraries got in on the excitement with a special event in its honor. The library...

Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, welcomes its newest attraction, McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum in Chicago! Beginning at river level and spiraling five stories up, the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum...

RAILS strongly supports the Association of Illinois School Library Educator's (AISLE) efforts to encourage school districts to offer school library programs staffed by licensed school librarians. According to AISLE research, more than 25 research studies have proven conclusively that licensed school...

Dan Bostrom sits down with Executive Director Monica Harris to discuss the latest Member Update, her upcoming meet and greet tour, what to expect from our new website, and some important deadlines coming up for RAILS members. For more information on the topics discussed: February 28, 2023 Member...