News & Announcements from RAILS

As we continue to welcome new residents and English as a Second Language Learners from all over the world, it is no surprise that 25% of Arlington Heights residents speak English as a second language and that the Arlington Heights Memorial Library has for over 30 years offered free ESL & Literacy...

In 2022, RAILS awarded $78,232.80 in My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries to 20 school libraries. These grants help recipients focus on projects that tell the library story and increase visibility and support for school libraries. It's time to start preparing your applications for the 2023...

This past February, Booth Library on the campus of Eastern Illinois University held its first Blind Date with a Book. It was so popular that we decided to bring it back this fall and put a spooky twist on it. Blind Date with a Book: Love at First Bite ran throughout October. Wrapped books were...

Are you familiar with Find More Illinois (FMI)? It’s an interlibrary loan platform that provides access to a growing number of library holdings in one seamless interface. To help you learn more about it, RAILS put together some resources to help you make the case for this amazing resources. What it...

Indian Prairie Public Library has participated in the Veterans History Project through the Library of Congress since 2003. The project, which was authorized by Congress in 2000, collects first-hand accounts of veterans via oral histories. IPPL has interviewed over 120 veterans and counting. Any...

Cool, autumn weather and… gardens? It may not seem like the two go hand-in-hand, but now is the perfect time to start thinking about library programming and services for next year. One great way to get started is with a Garden Table. Started in 2018, the Vespasian Warner Public Library District...

The BMRC is a Chicago-based consortium that includes public and private libraries, academic archives and special collections, community archives, art centers, and more. Our mission is to connect all who are interested in learning more about Black history and culture to resources and collections in...

This is the ninth year that Arlington Heights Memorial Library (AHML) invites the community to read the same book at the same time and share the experience through related programs and book discussions. This year, in particular, the book has a meaningful connection to Chicago, with local ties that...

I recently met with my state senator to talk about support for libraries. It was an interesting conversation and at the very least, I hope I made her think differently about what is happening in libraries. My own journey to this meeting was a bit odd, but I wanted to share it with you in case you...

In the summer of 2021, the Head of Reference and Instruction Services (RIS) at the Paul V. Galvin Library at the Illinois Institute of Technology reached out to the university’s First Year Experience Program (FYE) coordinator about a potential collaboration. One of the goals of the FYE program is to...

As costs rise across the entire economic playing field, libraries are feeling the squeeze on their budgets. One way to help mitigate a tight programming budget is to foster and maintain community partnerships. Working with the businesses in your community is a winning solution for everyone involved...

The Lisle Library District is in the midst of a comprehensive renovation project scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2023. The Library is operating in the building during the renovation, with collections and services being offered on the east end while construction occurs on the west end...

In a new Specialized Library Spotlight, RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom speaks with Rita Hassert, Library Collections Manager at the Sterling Morton Library at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. Rita discusses ACORN (Arboretum COllections & Resources Nexus), an online platform that...

Well not necessarily…That’s the lesson we learned at Palatine Library. We went through a full renovation on both floors of our Main Library during Covid shutdowns – the only silver lining to that challenging time. Like many libraries, door counts and program attendance went down drastically, but...

Libraries are magical places. In fact, the Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton, Illinois is truly enchanted. In 2018, former maintenance supervisor, David Ward, noticed that a fairy door had appeared on the children’s floor. Two more doors were discovered shortly after on the library...