volume #5 issue#5

January 31, 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

OPAL Blitz! #2: Love those Libraries
On Thursday, February 14, 2008, PALS is offering another opportunity to attend several informational sessions without leaving your office or home. The sessions are designed to be general enough for all library types and you may attend as many as you wish.

* The first session is entitled, "Love those Wikis: An overview of the PALS Ref Wiki." Brian Smith, presenter.
* The second session is entitled, "Love those Meetings: The Open Meetings Act." Heather Kimmons from the IL Attorney General's Office, presenter.
* The third session is entitled, "Love to Lead: Strategies for being an effective leader." Lauren Soderstrom from the Management Association of Illinois, presenter.
* The final session is entitled, "Love those YA Books: Teen Book Discussion Groups." Cindy Welch, presenter. Each session is listed as a separate event in CLeO, our online event registration tool.

For additional information, please contact Dawn DiVenti dawnd@palsnet.info.

PALS Events by Month

Member News

Condolences
Pat Fuller's father passed away, Monday, January 21, 2008. Pat is an employee of Odell Public Library in Morrison, IL. Our thoughts and prayers are with Pat and her family at this difficult time.

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

Intransit to CVPG from BYLY Jan 14, 2008 Home decorator’s color and texture bible by Adrienne Chinn 747.94 Chi 31523101266660

These items are showing Routed to HDBB
HD9570.G4 A28 1966 How to be rich / J. Paul Getty 30050032418294 11/17/2007,13:34 ASHG For a hold
M PER A Christmas visitor / Anne Perry 32889001718103 1/5/2008,8:51 LKBB For shelving .

E457.7 .R42 1990 Building the Myth: Selected Speeches Memorializing Abraham Lincoln edited by Waldo Braden 30050033430512 put in transit to ASHG via ILDS delivery on 11/20/07

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.

St. Ambrose University Library
National Faculty Directory, 36th ed., 2005.
Magazines for Libraries, 14th edition, 2006.

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

Reddick Library
1) Illinois Manufactureres Directory 2007.
2) Illinois Services Directory 2007.

If interested contact:
Elaine Chapman
email: emchapman@reddicklibrary.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.

Children’s Services Librarian
Fountaindale Public Library District, which proudly serves the diverse communities of Bolingbrook and Romeoville, Illinois, is seeking a public service-oriented librarian to provide reference, reader’s advisory, and programming in Children’s Services to library patrons.
* Develops, prepares and presents library programs. This full-time position includes evening and weekend hours.
* Requires expertise typically acquired through completion of MLS program from an ALA accredited library school. Emphasis in children’s services preferred.
* Starting salary: $36,291 per year Closing date: Until position is filled.

Send cover letter, resume and three references, including contact information, to:
Human Resources
Fountaindale Public Library District
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
Email: personnel@fountaindale.lib.il.us

Director
The Limestone Township Library seeks an organized, resourceful, and service oriented person to fill the position of Library Director. The position is responsible for planning, budgeting, public relations, grant writing, technology management, and collection development.
* Computer skills a must. Previous supervisory experience a plus.
* An MLS degree from an ALA-accredited school preferred, library experience required. Limestone Township Library is located just west of Kankakee, IL and 60 miles south of Chicago. The Library serves a population of 5,000 with a collection of 20,000 items and a staff of 6. Limestone Township Library is a member of the Prairie Area Library System and PALSGroup automation consortium.

Please apply with cover letter, resume and three references to:
Libby Wasser
Board of Trustees
2701 W. Tower Rd.
Kankakee, IL 60901
Email: libby137@mindspring.com

Reference Services Librarian
(PT) Immediate opening. Part-time position. Two evenings and one weekend day. September-June only. $17.50 - $18.50 per hour. Master’s in library and information science preferred; 18 graduate credit hours required. Review of resumes will begin on February 18, 2008 and continue until the position is filled.

Applicants should send resume with names, addresses and phone numbers of 3 references to:
North Central College
Office of Human Resources
30 N. Brainard St.
Naperville, IL 60540
EOE

Systems Librarian
Rock Valley College
Dept: Library and Instructional Support Services Employee
Status: Full-Time Type: Professional Grade: 13 FLSA:
* Minimum Qualifications Master’s degree in library science, preferably including courses related to automated library activities, is necessary. Ability to work well with people of varied backgrounds and interests is necessary. Ability to work with automated systems for library tasks of all sorts is necessary. Previous library experience is necessary. Experience with a variety of common administrative and web authoring software including, FTP, Telnet, Web editing tools (FrontPage, Dreamweaver, etc.) and MS Office Suite is desirable. Experience in a UNIX/LINUX server environment is desirable. Experience doing reference work in an academic library is desirable.

Application Process: Complete online application at http://www.generalasp.com/rvc/onlineapp ; include cover letter, current chronological resume and unofficial transcripts. Offer to hire cannot be extended without official transcripts.

Library Director
The Lemont Public Library District is seeking an energetic, innovative person to replace its Library Director due to the planned retirement of the current director. This district library is located about 30 miles SW of downtown Chicago, and serves a population of 24,000 in Cook and DuPage counties.
* Qualifications: Qualified candidates must have an MLS degree from an ALA accredited school and 5 yrs of public library experience, at least 3 yrs experience as Director or in a library management position. Candidate must have excellent people skills and desire community involvement. Must be able to demonstrate knowledge of budgeting and fiscal issues, as well as operational and leadership skills.
* Benefits: Position available June 2008.
* Salary range: $66,000 - $78,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications. Competitive insurance, retirement and paid time off benefits. Contemporary and pleasant work environment.

Submit letter of application, resume, and three professional references by March 15, 2008 to:
Patricia Camalliere
Chair, Policy and Personnel Committee
Lemont Public Library Search Committee
50 E. Wend Street
Lemont, IL 60439
Or e-mail response to: employment@lemontlibrary.org

Part-Time Adult Services Professional
Des Plaines Valley Library District
Hours: (20 – 25 hrs per week)

Compensation:
•Starting at $15.31, based on qualifications and experience
•IMRF position

Overview of Position:
•Position would report directly to the Adult Services Manager
•Duties would include answering reference questions, assisting with collection development, Adult Programming, interlibrary loans, and other duties as needed within the department
•Further description of job duties will be discussed during the interview
•Be a part of a growing Adult Services Department

Expectations:
•Employee must be willing to travel between libraries as needed
•Hours must be flexible to accommodate initial training
•Evenings and weekends will be required

Qualifications:
•ALA accredited MLS required
•Internet and Computer Skills required
•Knowledge of the Sirsi/Workflows Database preferred

If interested, please submit a resume to Shannon N. Pohrte via e-mail at spohrte@dpvlib.org or via mail to:
Shannon Pohrte
Des Plaines Valley Library District
121 E. 8th St.
Lockport IL 60441

by Feb. 22nd, 2008. All applications will be given equal consideration.

Children's Librarian
The Plainfield Public Library has an opening for a full-time Children’s Librarian. The duties of this position include reference, readers’ advisory, planning and conducting programs, collection development, and the ability to use and instruct others in the use of various computer resources. We are a busy suburban library that has experienced immense growth in recent years, encompassing a current population of 60,000, with more growth to come.
* An MLS from an ALA-accredited school is required. Professional library experience is preferred.
* Hours include evenings and weekends.
* Salary is $39,499 annually, with a generous benefits package.

Send résumé and three references by February 28 to:
Linda D. Landi
Head of Children’s Services
Plainfield Public Library District
15025 S. Illinois Street
Plainfield, IL 60455
Email: ldlandi@plainfield.lib.il.us

Reference and ILL News
No Reference and ILL News this week.

Youth Services and School Library News

Family Reading Night Order Deadline
The Illinois State Library’s Family Reading Night is scheduled for Nov. 20, 2008.
If you’d like to order bookmarks, posters, and/or stickers, please go to http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/whats_new/pdfs/frn_form.pdf. Materials are free as long as orders are submitted before Feb. 14th. Print out the order form, complete it, and either fax or mail it back to the Illinois State Library.

35 Sites Added to Great Web Sites for Kids
Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) features links to valuable Web sites of interest to children, organized by subject headings such as animals; literature and languages; sciences; the arts; and history and biography. There is also a special section with sites of interest to parents, caregivers and teachers and an area devoted to sites in Spanish. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Great Web Sites for Kids Committee maintains and updates the site.

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

Rebecca Caudill List for 2008 Announced
The master list of titles on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award for 2009 is now available at www.rcyrba.org. This is for students in Illinois in 4th-8th grades. Please be aware, not all of the twenty books from the 2009 list are necessarily appropriate for younger readers. Please watch the age levels closely and review any books suggested for the older grades before purchasing for 4th or 5th grades this year.

Public Library News

Attention City Libraries
Attorney Phil Lenzini will be doing an OPAL session directed to City Libraries on Wednesday, February 20th at 9 AM. This is a change to attend a workshop without leaving the comfort of your office/home. Phil will go through the unique requirements and deadlines that City Libraries must meet as well as discussing levy issues and intergovernmental relationships with the City government.

Please submit any specific questions or topics ahead of time to Nancy Smith (nancys@palsnet.info). While you can ask questions at the presentation, Phil has time to research and provide examples or documentation for the program when he gets the questions before hand. The session will last around an hour with time afterwards for questions. Invite your Board members to participate. Our intent is to record this session and make it available on our website but we urge whoever can to attend the live session.

Any questions? Contact Nancy Smith (x4466 or nancys@palsnet.info) or Sandy Ringstrom (x2710 or sandyr@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

This week we are even closer to that February 7th deadline for filing your 471. Gather up your phone bills and check your school lunch percentage before you start to file. It is very important to file on line at this point. Filing on paper could be risky. If you are having problems doing the online Item 21 Attachment, you can file this part of the form by mail. Item 21 does not have the same filing deadline as the 471. Please call or email if you need help with any part of this filing process.
Call Marilyn at PALS – Rockford at 815-229-4470 or email marilynj@palsnet.info

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

Library News Around the State & Nation

Emerging Writers Competition
Entries are now being accepted for the 4th annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition. Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White created the competition to help develop new poets and short story writers. Entry forms and other information can be found at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/lda964.pdf. The Emerging Writers Competition is presented by Secretary White, the Illinois State Library, the Illinois Center for the Book, the James Jones Literary Society and Illinois Poet Laureate Kevin Stein.

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Registration for Illinois Library Day Now on ILA Webpage
A software glitch is taken care of and you can now register for Illinois Library Day, Thursday, April 10th, 2008, on the Illinois Library Association website. There is no fee for registering but please do so to help us track how well we’re covering our legislators. Lunches are optional but can be ordered on this site as well as links to the state wide dinner. For further information, please contact Inara at 815-229-4452 or inaram@palsnet.info

Communication With Our Legislators
The Congressional Management Foundation report “How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy” as well as plain old common sense suggest that personalized, thoughtful communications are more effective in gaining the attention of elected officials than postcards, petitions and form e-mails. You may want to save this link. Much useful information there. Over the last two years, I’ve many times heard from our legislators that a handwritten note will get more attention, is more likely to be read and paid attention to by the officials than large quantities of mass produced post cards and e-mails.

Here’s a request: Please send a thank you note to Rep Mautino for introducing H.B.4518 – Libraries In Name Only. See last week’s Prairie Views for more detail on the bill or go to ILA’s web page to read more.

Representative Frank J. Mautino (D-IL 76th)
221 E St. Paul St
Spring Valley, IL 61362 (
815) 663-1629

Please also send a note, or make a phone call, to your own legislators so they know our libraries are interested in this bill and that we’d appreciate their support once it gets called for a vote. It has not yet had a first reading and has a long way to go but we should prepare our legislators and alert them to the bill’s importance for us.

Valentine’s Day Advocacy Call to Action
(ALA, Washington) What's it all about? This Valentine’s Day, have your teens, parents, children and library supporters flood federal elected officials’ district offices with Valentines that express love for your library and its staff and ask for support for important legislation. The ALA Youth Divisions - AASL, ALSC and YALSA - are sending out a call to action to library workers to have teens, children, parents and library supporters in their community send “I Love My Teen Services Librarian” or “I Love My School Librarian” Valentine cards to their U.S. Senators and Representatives, and to ask their elected officials to co-sponsor the SKILLS Act &/or support LSTA funding for libraries. Their voices are powerful and need to be heard, and you can help them do that! Let the legislators know you and your patrons support:
* The SKILLs Act, which guarantees that all students in the U.S. will be served by state-certified library media specialists and will have the resources they need to succeed.
* The Library Services Technology Act (LSTA), which can help libraries of all kinds expand services and access to information resources for people of all ages.

How can you make this happen? Host a program in your public or school library and invite teens, parents, children and library supporters to make and sign “I Love My Librarian” valentines. Make it a fun craft project for the whole family! You might also consider involving:
* Government or History teachers and ask them to integrate the Valentine card campaign into the classroom activities.
* The library’s Teen Advisory Group. They can help plan the event and think of other ways to encourage youth in your community to get involved in the advocacy effort.
* The library’s Friends group. Encourage them to send the advocacy call out to Friends members.

What to include on/in the valentine:
* The message in the valentine should be simple: “I love my librarian and you should too!” Please sign on as a cosponsor for the SKILLS Act (HR 2864 and S. 1699)” OR “I love my librarian and you should too! Please support funding for libraries through LSTA.”
* Have the individual provide their full name and mailing address. Congressional staffers need this information in order to respond to the individual and to track local interest in issues.
* Either ask participants to bring their own stamps or provide the stamps yourself.

For longer letters and messages:
o Make messages personal—have advocates state briefly why the issue is important, how it affects them, and their community.
o Keep messages focused, short and polite.
o Ask for their support on a specific issue such as the SKILLS Act or LSTA Funding.
o Thank the official for their time.
o Address the envelopes to "The Honorable (first name last name)
o Address the letter to "Senator (last name)" or "Representative (last name)"

Mailing the valentines &/or letters:
o Send letters and Valentine's Day cards to your elected official's local district office. Complete contact information is at www.capwiz.com/ala. Just enter your zip code. Mail sent to Washington D.C. undergoes extensive security-related procedures that will delay its delivery and change its physical appearance. Please send it to the local, not the DC office!
o For the convenience of your patrons, look up the proper names and addresses for your state’s Congress persons in advance and provide them to the patrons at your event.
o Gather completed Valentines and letters and put them in the nearest mail box.

Handouts to Share with Your Patrons:
LSTA Fact Sheet
School Library Fact Sheet
Library Facts & Figures

ALA/WHCLIST NLLD Award
The ALA Washington Office in conjunction with the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Taskforce (WHCLIST) is pleased to announce that a monetary award has been created to help pay for a participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) held annually in Washington DC. WHCLIST was an effective force in library advocacy nationally, statewide, and locally, following the White House Conferences of 1979 and 1991.

Criteria:
• The recipient should be a library supporter (trustee, Friend, general supporter), not a professional librarian.
• Priority will be given to those who are first-time attendees to National Library Legislative Day.
• Recipient should include a letter of reference from a library director, school librarian, trustee board Chair, Friends Group Chair, or other library person.
• Recipient must be willing to continue to advocate for library services.
• The Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Member of Congress to announce the award.
• Two WHCLIST leaders and one member of the Washington Office staff will choose the recipient each year.

ALA and WHCLIST are committed to ensuring that the American people get the best library services possible. These funds will be used to further those efforts. If you or someone you know might be interested, please send a letter explaining why you should be chosen, your letter of reference, and a completed NLLD registration form to:

Rosalind Reynolds Government Relations Specialist
1615 New Hampshire Ave NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
rreynolds@alawash.org
202-628-8419

NLLD registration form can be found at: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washevents/nlld/registrationa/registration.cfm

Grant News

Apply Now for Picturing America
Applications are now being accepted for Picturing America (SM), a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association. Applications may be submitted online at http://picturingamerica.ala.org through April 15, 2008. If you have already applied for Picturing America, thank you! In order to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture, Picturing America brings some of the nation’s greatest works of art into school classrooms and public libraries. Successful applicants will receive a set of forty high-quality reproductions of American masterpieces, a teachers resource book and additional educational resources available at http://PicturingAmerica.neh.gov. Public, private, parochial, and charter schools and home school consortia (K-12), as well as public library systems and school districts, are invited to apply. Awards will be announced in May 2008 and distributed in September 2008 for display during the 2008-2009 school year and beyond. For more information about Picturing America, including a list of the artwork featured, grant guidelines, and the online application, visit http://picturingamerica.ala.org.

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.