volume #5 issue#4

January 24, 2008

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News

PALS Offering Rides to Public Library Association, SirsiDynix Super Conference

PLA: March 25-29, 2008 is the Public Library Association’s (PLA) 12th biennial conference at Minneapolis (http://www.placonference.org) Offering more than 200 programs in 8 tracks, this conference features many nationally known speakers including collection development guru Nancy Pearl, John Wood (formerly of Microsoft and founder of Room to Read) and actor/comedian Kevin Nealon. It’s a great opportunity to learn what’s going on in the library world nationally and to network with public library folks from across the country.This year PALS staff is driving to Minneapolis and there are seats for up to 10 members to ride along. (http://www.palsnet.info/events See March 25th calendar.)

The 200 programs cover the whole range of library issues from adult service to marketing to technology presented by librarians and library consultants with expertise and experience. They cover the day to day issues like “Successful Programming When You Have a Million Things to Do,” “So What? Using Outcome Measures…,” “Library Conflict Management,” and “21st Century Library Design.” Some of the more intriguing titles are “Sexy Senior Programming at Your Library,” “Reinventing the Library,” “Marketing without Money,” and “Think Outside the Book.” You can find the preliminary program at http://www.placonference.org/pdf/pla2008preliminary.

Folks who’ve attended PLA are strong advocates that this offers a great opportunity for library directors and/or staff to be exposed to a broad range of public library oriented information and trends. This conference tends to be held nearer the coasts and this offering a Minneapolis is a rare opportunity to attend at a “nearby” Midwestern site. Registration and lodging information can be found at the conference site listed above. Early bird registration is in place until January 18th. Questions about the ride can be directed to Nancy Smith (nancys@palsnet.info, x4466) or Sandy Ringstrom (sandyr@palsnet.info, x2710).

SirsiDynix SuperConference: April 5-8, 2008 is the annual user conference of SirsiDynix Unicorn users in Detroit, Michigan. The SirsiDynix Institute's Executive Conference will be held concurrently on April 5-6. Registration is now open at: http://www.superconference.info/ Early bird registration is open through January 2008. PALS staff will be attending the conference and are offering rides to any interested members. Please contact Paul Mills (paulm@palsnet.info or x2715), Len Lindquist (lenl@palsnet.info or x4472), Brian Smith (brians@palsnet.info or x2704) or Judy Hutchinson (judyh@palsnet.info or x3150) if you have questions about riding. Registration for the ride will be up in CLeO shortly.

Events/Continuous Learning
CLeO: All continuous learning events sponsored by PALS are open to all staff or representatives of member libraries. Registration is required for all PALS continuous learning programs. To register, visit the PALS CLeO at http://www.palsnet.info/events/

Information on registration, how to set up a CLeO account, and PALS procedures for continuous learning can be found on the PALS website at: http://www.palsnet.info/services/cl/default.asp

The following seminars/programs are being offered by Dominican University:
“Emerging Library Leaders for the 21st Century ( ELL-21)”
Spring Semester 2008 Series
February 4, 2008:
4-6 pm “Gaming and Libraries: Intersection of Services”
Jenny Levine, “Shifted Librarian” blogger and Internet Development Specialist & Strategy Guide, American Library Association

February 18, 2008: 4-6 pm “Grant-writing for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know About the Aim, the Pitch, and the Score”
Tracie D. Hall, Assistant Dean, Dominican Graduate School of Library and Information Science

March 17, 2008: 4-6pm “Get a Voice: Why Writing, Blogging and Speaking Out Are Crucial to Advancing Your LIS Career"
John Berry III, Editor-At-Large, Library Journal

March 31, 2008: 4-6pm “Libraries: What it Takes to Lead—An Interactive Workshop for Managers and Aspiring Managers”
Kathryn J. Deiss, Content Strategist, Association of College and Research Libraries

April 14, 2008: 4-6 pm “Libraries, Advocacy, and the Power of the Personal Connection”
Emily Sheketoff, Associate Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), and Manager of the Washington Office

All ELL-21 Lectures will take place in the Springer Suites Located on the Entrance Level of the Rebecca Crown Library 7900 West Division Street River Forest IL, 60305 RSVP
Your Attendance to gslis@dom.edu or (708) 524-6845
For further information, contact Dominican University directly.

PALS Events by Month

Member News

Our Condolences
to Barbara Erdman, long-time trustee at the Geneseo Public Library District, on the death of her husband Burdette this week. Our thoughts and prayers are with Barb and her family at this difficult time.

Kudos!
The Moline Public Library is highlighted in the annual library buildings review on page. 50 of the December 2007 issue of Library Journal.

Missing Books - members are welcome to post information about materials that are missing in transit. As with all Prairie Views submissions, please send

Items routed by HDBB
Pending Transits 01/24/2008
HD9570.G4 A28 1966 How to be rich / J. Paul Getty 30050032418294 11/17/2007 in transit to ASHG For a hold
540 WIL Chemistry demystified / Linda D. Williams 32889001706231 12/23/2007 in transit to JPBB For shelving
M PER A Christmas visitor / Anne Perry 32889001718103 1/5/2008 in transit to LKBB For shelving

DeKalb Public Library
has checked shelves at least twice for the following items that are “old” in transits:

TO DKLY FROM----:
SELG St. Elsewhere CD RAP BAR 30050058270496
MPLY Heartbreaker FIC FER 32065001555155
JPBB Shooter DVD 791.43 SHO 32065002454044
COLY Hate across America DVD 322.42 HAT 32065002402704
SEBB Three kingdoms 895.134 LUO V.3 36059000961163

FROM DKLY TO ---:
SYLY Thursday next in the well of lost plots FAN FIC FFO 38539000819964
JWHB MIKHAIL GORBACHEV 920 G 30019000008767
RSLY MARCH : A NOVEL FIC BRO 32120000102606
DPAG NO-PATTERN KNITS 746.432 ASH 30050056741035
GALY GODFATHER DVD COLLECTION DVD FIC GOD 38512001331869
RIPG NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS! 2 CD HOLIDAY NOW 30050049997728

Thank you, Donna DKLY

Freebies/Exchanges/For Sale/Wanted

Prairie Area Library System offers a means for members to share discarded items to needy libraries. Procedures are outlined in the Reference Member Services Guide http://www.palsnet.info/services/reference/reference_guide.asp They are also outlined below.

Libraries wanting to offer up materials can email to Prairie Views, providing the following information:
*Library's name and phone number
*Title(s) of the items discarded

A list will be compiled for inclusion in the weekly Prairie Views newsletter. Anyone interested in freebies are to contact the library directly, (no earlier than Monday following the listing). Members are responsible for making their own arrangements. The PALS van delivery may be available for transporting items, as space and time permits. Contact your Service Center Delivery Manager to arrange for delivery of large shipments.

PALS Members - please remember that you are asked to not request or release any items whether they are Free or For Sale until Monday following the publication of the announcement in Prairie Views. This gives library staff a chance to see the message and request the materials if they are interested. Thanks for your cooperation - we have had several complaints in recent weeks about items being released before Monday.

New Lenox Public Library
Small Business Sourcebook, 22nd ed., 2007 vol. 1 & 2

If interested contact:
Linda McNicholas
Email: lmcnicholas@newlenoxlibrary.org

Lemont Public Library has:
Annual Register of Grant Support, 2007, 40th ed. 2007 Illinois Services Directory

If interested contact:
Debbie Somchay
Email: dsomchay@lemontlibrary.org

St. Ambrose University Library
The College Blue Book, 33rd edition, 2006.

If interested contact:
Joyce Haack
Phone (563) 333-6247
Email: haackjoycea@sau.edu

Homer Township Public Library
3 vol. 45th ed. Ulrich’s Periodical directory 2007

If interested, contact:
Jody Studer
708-301-7908 phone
jstuder@homerlibrary.org

Job Openings
Jobs can be submitted on the PALS website at http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ or by sending them to prairieviews@palsnet.info. All jobs submitted by either method will be included in Prairie Views for one week and will be posted for 120 days on the PALS website unless the library posting the job requests that it be removed before 120 days. Visit http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ to views all the job ads that PALS currently has posted.

Reference Librarian
Augustana College seeks applications for the position of Reference Librarian at the Thomas Tredway Library, winner of the 2006 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the college division. The Reference Librarian will work with eight other Librarians in facilitating the use of information resources in the teaching and learning of the college community.
* Responsibilities include reference, library instruction, collection development, liaison with classroom faculty in an academic division, and active participation in the campus community. Evening and weekend duties on a rotating basis as scheduled are included. This is a 10-month position with a full-time benefit package. Librarians at Augustana have faculty status but are not eligible for tenure.
* Required qualifications include an MLS from an ALA accredited program, strong public service orientation, excellent teaching skills, a commitment to the role of the library in liberal learning, excellent oral and written communication skills, and a sense of humor. An academic background or active interest in the Humanities (History, Philosophy and Religion) is preferred but not required. The successful candidate will be a team player who is skillful in the use of both print and electronic information resources and who can work with library staff and faculty in developing new approaches to teaching information literacy.

Send application letter, resume with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three references, and a one-page statement of your philosophy of librarianship to:
Carla B. Tracy
Director
Thomas Tredway Library
Augustana College
639 38th Street
Rock Island, IL 61201-2296.
Closing date for receipt of applications is February 13, 2008, at 5 p.m. The successful candidate should be able to begin working at Augustana no later than August 18, 2008.

Director
The Manteno Public Library District, Manteno, IL, is seeking candidates for the position of director; position is available April 1, 2008 due to current director’s retirement.
*The library district seeks: >Service Oriented Administrator >Responsible for Planning and Budgeting >Leadership for an Experienced Staff >Maintain Library Operations >Possess Excellent Verbal and Written Communication Skills >Proficiency with Library Computer Skills >Experience with Building Program Beneficial as Library Expansion Program Proceeds.
* MLS from an ALA accredited school is desired. Applicants with a college degree may only be considered with library experience.
* Salary and benefits are commensurate with education, experience, and qualifications.
* For additional information see our web site at: http://www.manteno.lib.il.us

Apply by mail with cover letter, resume, and three references to:
Nancy Wheeler
Chair, Search Committee
Manteno Public Library District
50 W. Division
St. Manteno, IL 60950

Head of Business Services
Dundee Township Public Library. Are you a detailed and people oriented individual that would like the challenge of running a library business office? Can you make independent decisions, learn quickly and take charge? The successful candidate must have a knowledge of standard acccounting procedures, knowledge of word processing/accounting software and knowledge of payroll functions.
* BA degree in Business or Accounting.
* Full time 40 hr position. Excellent benefits includes paid insurance and 4 weeks vacation.
* Salary $38,000.

Send cover letter and resume to:
Elisa F. Topper
Library Director
555 Barrington Avenue
Dundee,Illinois 60118
or email to etopper@nsls.info.

Reference and ILL News

Ask?Away Free Trial Through May 15th
Ask?Away Illinois can expand reference services to your community and patrons 24/7. Act now to take advantage of a FREE trial demonstration period from Jan 15 - May 15, 2008. Your patrons and you will both benefit from 24/7 access to a reference cooperative for all your questions. There is no staffing required during the trial period. Transcripts and follow up options allow you to expand your patron reference services. Contact Natalie Tagge (ntagge@ilsos.net) or log on to www.askawayillinois.info for more details.

Youth Services and School Library News

YALSA names 2008 Best Books for Young Adults
(ALA, PHILADELPHIA) -The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2008 list of Best Books for Young Adults. The list of 85 books, drawn from 216 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for those ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction that reflects the diversity of the teen experience, nonfiction that brings to teens an awareness of the world they live in and its history and fantastical stories told in both narrative and graphic formats. In addition, the Best Books for Young Adults Committee created a Top 10 list of titles from the final list that exemplify the quality and range of literature being published for teens:

* Alexie, Sherman. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian." Illus. by Ellen Forney. Little, Brown, 2007. $16.99. (978-0-316-01368-0).
* Beah, Ishmael. "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Sarah Crichton, 2007. $22.00. (978-0-374-10523-5).
* Downham, Jenny. "Before I Die." Random House/David Fickling, 2007. $15.99. (978-0-385-75155-1).
* Hemphill, Stephanie. "Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath." Random House/Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. $15.99. (978-0-375-83799-9).
* Jones, Lloyd. "Mister Pip." Dell Publishing/Dial Press, 2007. $20.00. (978-0-385-34106-6).
* Landy, Derek. "Skulduggery Pleasant." HarperCollins, 2007. $17.99. (978-0-06-123115-5).
* Peet, Mal. "Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal." Candlewick, 2007. $17.99. (978-0-7636-3488-9).
* Polly, Matthew. "American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China." Penguin Group USA/Gotham Books, 2007. $26.00. (978-1-59240-262-5).
* Selznick, Brian. "The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel." Illus. by Brain Selznick. Scholastic, 2007. $22.99. (978-0-439-81378-5).
* Tan, Shaun. "The Arrival." Illus. by Shaun Tan. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2007. $19.99. (978-0-439-89529-3).

The full list can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/bbya. The annotated list is available to YALSA members only at www.ala.org/yalsa.

Public Library News

PALS Summer Reading Program Kickoff
"Get in the Game--READ" with the PALS Summer Reading Program Kickoff on Thursday, Feb. 28th at the Mendota Civic Center. Our guest speakers include Tom Lichtenheld, 2008 IREAD illustrator, and Abby Schoolman, former cruise ship entertainment director, who will teach us fun games that we can use with kids of all ages. Participants will share ideas on topics such as books, crafts, incentives, registration, partnerships, teen programming, and performer ideas.
Register on http://palsnet.info/events
Questions? Contact Jane Lenser janel@palsnet.info
Norma Applegate. normaa@palsnet.info

Academic Library News
No Academic Library News this week.

Special Library News
No Special Library News this week.

Support Staff News
No Support Staff News this week.

Technology Services News

Unionlist Mailing List
All PALSGroup Union Listing members should ensure that they are on the UnionList electronic mailing list as this is how we disseminate the majority of information about the program. Directors of Union Listing libraries should periodically be receiving e-mails about the program with [UnionList] in the subject line, and should also be getting a notification on the first calendar day of each month with their list password. As a Union List library director or interested staff member, you can sign up for many PALS e-mail lists at http://mailman.planset.info (or by selecting News, Email Lists from the main PALS Web page at http://www.palsnet.info). Using your list password, you can access the message archive which contains every message ever sent to the list organized by month.
If you are unsure whether you are subscribed and would like to check, please contact Len Lindquist (lenl@palsnet.info, x4472)
or Karin Voy (karinv@palsnet.info, x4473).

E-Rate Corner

February 7th is fast approaching. For those of you who filed your 470, remember to wait the required 28 days to file the 471. You should have received a blue Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter for each 470 that you filed. At the top of this form you will find the Allowable Contract Date which is the first day that you can file the 471. Please do not wait until the last minute to file your 471. The SLC website gets very slow and unpredictable on the last few days before the filing deadline.
If you need help with this form, call Marilyn at PALS – Rockford at 815-229-4470 ext. 4470 or email marilynj@palsnet.info.

New Books at PALS
No New Books at PALS this week.

Library News Around the State & Nation

Huge WebJunction Illinois Enrollment Jump!
The Illinois library community has taken a BIG liking to WebJunction Illinois, the new online community for librarians. In October after the official launch of WebJunction Illinois at the Illinois Library Association annual conference, WJ-IL was in 8th place in total registrations by state. Just 3 months later, Illinois now ranks behind only New York, Washington and Arizona in total registration (1,281). If you're not already a registered user of WebJunction Illinois, sign up at: http://il.webjunction.org/do/UserServices?method=initSelfRegister.

Library of Congress Places 3,000 Photos on Flickr
(ALA, Washington) The Library of Congress announced January 16 that it has teamed with the photo-sharing website Flickr to broaden public access to the 14 million photographs and other visual items in LC’s collections. The pilot project is beginning with 3,000 photos from two of the library’s most popular collections—the George Grantham Bain Collection, featuring the photographic files of one of America's earliest news picture agencies, and Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information photos of rural and farm life and World War II mobilization taken between 1939 and 1944—that have been placed in an area of Flickr designated as The Commons. The project includes only images for which no copyright restrictions are known to exist.

The library also hopes to use the public to enhance the collection’s utility. As LC Director of Communications Matt Raymond said on the library’s blog, “The real magic comes when the power of the Flickr community takes over. We want people to tag, comment, and make notes on the images, just like any other Flickr photo, which will benefit not only the community but also the collections themselves. For instance, many photos are missing key caption information such as where the photo was taken and who is pictured. If such information is collected via Flickr members, it can potentially enhance the quality of the bibliographic records for the images.”

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Libraries in Name Only Bill Introduced
On Thursday, January 17th, Rep. Frank Mautino (D-76, Spring Valley) filed House Bill (HB) 4518 (Libraries in Name Only) on the dissolution of township libraries that fail to meet certain benchmarks. This is an issue that had received extensive discussion in the ILA Public Policy Committee because of recent development regarding four township referenda (Fall River Township, Farm Ridge Township, Freedom Township, and Wallace Township in LaSalle County) where library districts have been created without clear intention of providing library service. This action has confused library service in this area and could have greater implications across the state. The full text is here. Mautino is doing some due diligence with townships back in the district. He is a great supporter of the library community and will continue working on this bill with the library community. Unless he gets a lot of heat from his townships, Kip Kolkmeier, ILA lobbyist, is fairly optimistic about moving this bill.

Bill Introduced to Increase State Grants for Public and School Libraries.
Rep. Lou Lang (D-16, Skokie) filed House Bill (HB) 4527. This legislation would increase state grants for public libraries and school libraries. The full text is here.

These new bills are now on the Illinois Library Association web site.

Grant News

Improving Literacy through School Libraries Grants
The application package for the 2008 Improving Literacy through School Libraries program competition is now available on the Department of Education website. Eligible applicants include local educational agencies in which at least 20% of the students served are from families with incomes below the poverty line. The deadline is March 7, 2008.

Museums, Libraries, and Archives Urged to Apply for Free IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
Deadline extended to April 30, 2008
(ALA, WASHINGTON, DC) --The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), has extended the deadline for applying for the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of books, online resources, and a user’s guide that are essential for the care of collections. The bookshelf has received support from the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. A simple electronic application for the free IMLS Bookshelf is available at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. Recipients of the Bookshelf will also receive a guide with answers to common questions about collections care that can be answered by the Bookshelf. A guide to online resources on collections care has also been prepared by Heritage Preservation (HP), a national non-profit organization working to preserve America’s collective heritage. Both documents are available online on the IMLS Web Site at www.imls.gov/collections. Two panels of experts, convened by HP, made recommendations to IMLS on the contents of the bookshelf. Among the publications selected were The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping (published by the British National Trust in 2005), the Field Guide to Emergency Response (published by Heritage Preservation in 2006), and Essentials of Conservation Biology (published by Primack in 2006).

The IMLS Bookshelf will be awarded free in this last application period March 1 – April 30, 2008, with recipients announced in July 2008. Instructions, qualifications, and the content of the IMLS Bookshelf, along with the online application, can be found at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf. Priority will be given to smaller institutions, but large museums and libraries with special collections are also eligible to apply. Federally operated institutions, for-profit institutions, and libraries that do not hold special collections are not eligible to receive the Bookshelf. For more information on the IMLS Bookshelf, email Terry Jackson at jackson@aaslh.org, or call 615-320-3203.

The Bookshelf is part of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a multi-year initiative to help improve the care of our nation’s collections. IMLS began the initiative in response to A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections, a 2005 Heritage Preservation study supported by IMLS, which documented the dire state of the nation’s collections. See www.imls.gov/collections for more information.

Just So You Know
No Just So You Know this week.

Prairie Views will be published weekly on Thursdays on the PALS website. PALS member libraries are encouraged to send items for inclusion to prairieviews@palsnet.info by Tuesday of the week you would like your information to appear.

We will send an email reminder each week when the new issue is available on the PALS website. If you do not currently receive email reminders, please send a message to prairieviews@palsnet.info to have your email address added to the reminder mailing list or visit http://mailman.palsnet.info/mailman/listinfo to subscribe or unsubscribe yourself.