volume #5 issue#14

April 3, 2008

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News

There Is Still Time to Apply for the 4th PALS/UW-Madison MLS Cohort to Start This Fall
The University of Wisconson, Madison, is still taking applications for those interested in pursuing a Masters in Library Science through the PALS/UW program. Classes run from 5-7:30 Monday and Wednesday nights at each of the three PALS service centers (Coal Valley, Rockford, and Shorewood). We have had 62 students go through the program in the first three cohorts which started in fall 2005. Fifteen have graduated so far with another five scheduled to graduate this spring.

The first two semesters consist of three core courses which are taken via videoconference from one of the three PALS service centers. Once students have completed these classes, the remainder of the program is totally online and students progress at their own speed. For more information on this opportunity, please contact Deb Shapiro at dsshapiro@wisc.edu or call her at 608-262-9195.

Janet Johnston is the library media specialist at Reed-Custer High School in Braidwood. She is one of the students from the first cohort and one of the first graduates. Janet wrote about her experience during and after the program:
The MLIS program through the University of Wisconsin-Madison/PALS cohort is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to get an ALA accredited degree. The classes are organized and well run; I had taken some classes through other programs and they were nowhere near the quality of these classes. I also made contacts and friends that I still treasure. Another aspect that impressed me about the program was that although I was a non-library person, I was able to learn and contribute to the classes without feeling like an idiot or an outsider. Although the program is designed generally for all aspects of librarianship, I was prepared well enough to easily pass the Illinois certification test for school librarians. Because of this program, I have been able to move from the classroom to the library smoothly. I love my new job and this program made it all possible.

Deadline Reminder
This is a reminder that the Deadline to pass the Barcode test for those libraries and staff members that were new to Sirsi is June 30, 2008. There is one testing day a month scheduled through June. The dates are Thursday, March 20th; Wednesday, April 23rd; Friday, May 16th; and Tuesday, June 10th. These dates are in CLEO. Please do not wait until the last minute to take the test. Also, there will be 2 sessions of the Match and Catalog class offered at the Rockford Service Center in April. The dates are Tuesday, April 15th from 12:30 to 4 pm and Wednesday, April 16th from 9 to 12:30. This class will help you identify records that match your items.
If you have any questions, please contact Merideth Willett at meridethw@palsnet.info or ext. 2357 or John Slanicky at johns@palsnet.info or ext. 2716.

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

PALS Events by Month

Reference 2008 @ PALS Day: Another Piece of the Puzzle
Back in 2000, Michael Sauers published his first book for librarians: "Using the Internet as a Reference Tool." Recently, he finished his follow-up book, "Searching 2.0", and he's still amazed at how much reference has changed in less than a decade. From podcasts to wikis, Google to data visualization, there are more ways to find that needle in an ever-faster-growing haystack.Michael will talk about how reference service has changed and stayed the same, and will give plenty of practical examples that you can take back no matter the size or type of your library.

Michael Sauers is the Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission and the author of several books and the Traveling Librarian. http://www.travelinlibrarian.info/
Register for PALS Day http://www.palsnet.info/services/cl/PALSday.asp

Introduction to Using Your Digital Camera - $10.00 fee - Freeport Public Library
This class is an overview for those who have little or no experience using a digital camera. Subjects that will be discussed are setting up a good shot and features of digital cameras. For more information, contact Rhonda Krahl by e-mail at rhondak@palsnet.info or by phone at ext. 3151. Please register in CLeO.

Continuing Education Elsewhere in the State

Free OPAL online programs
Baseball, Audio Description, the Manhunt for Booth, LibraryThing, and The Hot Kid, etc. oh my!
The schedule of free online programs available through OPAL (http://www.opal-online.org) offers something for everyone.
To view the complete schedule of upcoming OPAL online events please visit: http://www.opal-online.org/progschrono.htm
There is no need to register and no direct cost. Just join in, learn, and enjoy! If you cannot participate live online, we try to record, podcast, and archive as many OPAL events as possible.
Please note: The OPAL Casual Conversation with Jenny Levine, originally scheduled for April 11th, has been rescheduled for Friday, May 9th.

Looking for training on fund-raising and grant writing?
If you are looking for training on fund-raising and grant writing, you should take a look at what the Donors’ Forum offers. Besides their standard classes like ABCs of Capital Campaign, ABCs of Individual Giving, ABCs of Proposal Writing, Building Strategic Relationships w/ Corporations and Foundations, Building Strategic Relationships with Major Donors, and the Grantseeking Primer - SUBURBAN LOCATIONS, their new offerings include: Raising Money for Smaller Organizations and Congregations and Planning: A Must-Have Blueprint for Smooth Executive Transitions. Go to http://www.donorsforum.org/calendar/npcalendar.html#smallorgs for more details.

It's a Library 2.0 World: Are Your Skills Ready?
It's time to enroll in Library Information and Technology classes at College of DuPage, a national leader in LTA education! Join your colleagues this summer online or in the classroom to start or continue your library and information technology education. Registration opens April 7 for classes beginning May 27.
Summer courses: http://www.cod.edu/lta/Summer2008courseplan.doc
Register online: http://www.cod.edu/AdRegRec/Register/
Have questions? Contact Linda Slusar, LTA Coordinator, at (630) 942-2597 or slusar@cod.edu.

Member News

Congratulations and Farewell
To Karen Madesian, Circulation Manager at the Bettendorf Public Library on her retirement. Karen’s last day at the library will be Friday, April 11. Karen has been with the library for over 30 years. Besides her circulation duties, Karen is well-known for her original poetry. Best wishes, Karen. Karen will be honored at a staff luncheon on Tuesday, April 8. Nancy Medema will be serving as interim Circulation Manager.

Best wishes, also, to Sheila Chaudoin, Assistant Director of the Musser Public Library, who retired as of March 31, 2008. Enjoy retirement!

Welcome
The Bettendorf Public Library Board and staff are pleased to announce that Steven Nielsen will begin duties as the new Library Director on Monday, April 7. Steve and his family will be moving from Utah. A public reception will be held at a later date. You can reach Steve at snielsen@bettendorf.org or 563-344-4183.

Living History Encampment at Joliet Public Library-Black Road Branch
April 11-13. Joliet Public Library again observes National Library Week with a Civil War Living History Encampment. Re-enactors from the 64th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company E (Yates Sharpshooters); 1st Mississippi Artillery; the 26th Regiment North Carolina; 154th Tennessee, and 3rd Tennessee Dismounted Cavalry will "set up" camp Friday evening, April 11, at the Black Road Branch, 3395 Black Road, and “break camp” Sunday, April 13. You’ll be able to hear and see these troops shoot their cannon and rocket-launcher at various times both days with “battle skirmishes” at 1:00pm each day. All events are free and open to the public. No reservations required to attend any events but limited seating at the indoor programs. For more information and a complete program, go to the library website (http://www.joliet.lib.il.us).

Book Sale
Friends of the Lemont Public Library 50 E. Wend St., Lemont, will be holding their Annual Spring Book Sale beginning April 10 - April 13 during regular library hours. Many selections from hardback - $1, paper backs - $.50, dvd, cd, and much much more. Sunday is bargain day - a bag of books for $2.

The Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library will host the Spring Book Fair on April 12, 9 am to 5 pm and April 13, 12 to 4 pm. The Book Fair will be held on the 2nd floor of the Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf. Over 15,000 good condition books will be for sale, as well as a variety of other formats including CDs, tapes, videos, and puzzles. Most items are priced at only 25 cents. A silent auction for book sets is also offered.

Condolences
Our deepest sympathy to Randy Struthers’ of the Plano Community Library District whose grandmother, Gladys Eisenbrandt, passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with Randy and his 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 to prairieviews@palsnet.info

No Missing Books this week.

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
2006 Editor & Publisher Market Guide, 82nd Annual Edition.

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

Oswego Public Library District
Management Series, 3 volumes, by L. Ron Hubbard, Bridge Pub.: 1991.

If interested contact:
Peggy Tegel
Phone: 630.554.3150
Email: ptegel@oswego.lib.il.us

Lemont Library
2004 Illinois Compiled Statutes, 9 volumes and 2 supplements.

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

New Lenox Public Library
Gale directory of publications and broadcast media, vol. 1-5, 141st edition

If interested contact:
Linda McNicholas
Phone: 815.485.2605
Email: lmcnicholas@newlenoxlibrary.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.

Media Specialist
Woodstock Community Unit School District #200 has an opening for the 2008-09 school year for an elementary Library Media Specialist. Please go to our website at http://www.d200.mchenry.k12.il.us for more information. You will join our outstanding team of Library Media Specialists within a supportive school district environment.

Marjorie Siuta
LMS Technology Facilitator
815-337-5434

Children's Services Manager
Creative, nurturing, organized, collaborative person desired for a supervisory position dedicated to helping children and their families. The job requires excellent inter-personal skills, broad knowledge of children’s literature, reading & teaching skills, storytelling talent, public speaking, and computer & internet knowledge.
* The successful candidate will manage the collection development and programming for the children residing within the 20,000 member library district, as well as plan and execute a 9 week summer reading program. She will direct 3 part-time employees to assist her with her duties. The Children’s Services Manager meets monthly with the library’s Management Team to plan and promote the services of the library. She represents the library at Prairie Area Library System functions. She relates to area preschools, daycare centers, elementary & middle schools, and the Cherry Valley Recreation Board in her role as promoter of literacy and library activities for youth.
* The successful applicant must possess a Bachelor’s degree in literature, education, early childhood, a related field, or MLIS. Prior library experience a plus.
* Hours include one evening per week, one weekend day per month. Two weeks paid vacation, paid health insurance, and IMRF pension. Salary commensurate with experience and education.
** Would consider a job share with professional compensation for the right persons.

Review of applicants will continue until position is filled. E.O.E.
Email cover letter and attached resume to jobs@cherryvalley.lib.il.us.

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

Youth Services and School Library News

"Tech Savvy Teens" Program
The Youth Services Forum of the Illinois Library Association is holding a spring workshop at a PALS library-the Plainfield Public Library! The topic is "Tech Savvy Teens" and the workshop will be held on Friday, April 18th from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Youth/teen librarians, Alexandra Tyle-Annen, Dan Braun, Kelly Laszczak, and Joe Marcantonio, have been implementing tech trends into their libraries' youth services programs. They will discuss technology trends such as gaming, social networking, blogging, and instant messaging and how to effectively use these trends to enhance your library programs for youth and teens. Cost is $20 for ILA members and $25 for non-members. The registration form is online. Deadline for registration is April 11. Some carpools are available. Please contact Jane Lenser (ext 4461 or janel@palsnet.info) for details.

Following the "Tech Savvy Teens" program is the PALS SASSY meeting. This is a group of youth services librarians from the east side of the system that meets to discuss program ideas and other hot topics. Specific discussion for this meeting will include spring ideas and Summer Reading Program plans. There is no cost for this meeting. Anyone wishing to stay for the SASSY meeting is welcome-"regulars" and visitors alike! If you can attend, please register on PALS CLeO. We will plan a Dutch-treat lunch between the two programs for anyone interested.

Rebecca Caudill Packet Creation Workshop
Join with fellow librarians and teachers to create a packet of information and activities to accompany the 20 books selected for the 2009 Rebecca Caudill Award. The workshop will be held on Monday, June 2nd at the Helen Mathes Library in Effingham. As a participant you will help to prepare a book summary, discussion questions, activities, reading recommendation, book talk, list of related materials, and web sites for each book on the list. Each participant is assigned particular books to read and be responsible for. However, everyone is encouraged to read as many of the books on the list of 20 as is possible before the workshop. Registration and refreshments at 8:30 a.m. Workshop begins at 9:00 am.
To register, go to: http://cleo.shawls.lib.il.us/ce
Please contact Ellen Popit at 800-455-4374, ext. 2024 or epopit@shawls.lib.il.us with any questions.

Public Library News

PLA News
The Public Library Association recently held it’s biennial conference in Minneapolis. As usual, this conference was very relevant to public librarians and several thousand people attended. A grand total of 9,810 library staff, supporters, exhibitors, authors and guests descended on the Minneapolis Convention Center, March 25-29, for various workshops and discussions that focused on key issues such as technology; serving adults; youth and new Americans; gaming in libraries; library design; and collection development; often drawing standing room only crowds. The conference offered attendees countless opportunities to hear bestselling authors, to get inspired by keynote speakers, to learn from industry experts, to network with their colleagues, and to explore the latest in library services from more than 800 vendors. At least 17 PALS libraries were represented at this conference.

Mark your calendars for the 13th PLA National Conference in Portland, Oregon, March 23 -27, 2010.
For copies of handouts or to purchase recordings of some of the programs, go to http://www.placonference.org/.

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
No Technology Services News this week.

E-Rate Corner
No E-Rate Corner this week.

New Books at PALS

At the Shorewood Service Center:
Bookbinding : a traditional technique. DVD. Prof. Coll. 686.302 Boo
Health-E Illinois : go local project. DVD. Prof. Coll. 025.0661 Hea
Public library blogs : 252 examples / Walt Crawford. Book. Prof. Coll. 025.04 Cra
Social software in libraries / Meredith G. Farkas. Book. Prof. Coll. 025.524 Far
MediaWiki administrators’ turtorial guide / Mizanur Rahman. Book. Prof. Coll. 005.72 Rah
Integrating multicultural literature in libraries and classrooms in secondary schools / Kaavonia Hinton and Gail K. Dickinson. Book. Prof. Coll. 810.9928 Hin
Wikis for dummies / Dan Woods and Peter Thoeny. Book. Prof. Coll. 005.72 Wik
5-star programming and services for your 55+ library customers / Barbara T. Mates. Book. Prof. Coll. 027.622 Mat
Cultural programming for libraries / Deborah A. Robertson. Book. Prof. Coll. 021.2 Rob
Sing a song of storytime / Susan M. Dailey. Book Prof. Coll. 027.625 Dai

Board briefs, Illinois Open Meeting Act / Sarah Long, host. DVD. Prof. Coll. 021.82 Boa - This CD was created by the North Suburban Library System through an LSTA grant. The disc contains two fifteen minute video training session appropriate for viewing during regularly scheduled board meetings. It would be a great tool in initiate board discussion on these two topics.

At the Rockford Service Center:
Laconi salary and fringe benefits survey, 2007. Book. Prof. Coll. 023.9 LAC
Library 2.0 and beyond / ed. by Nancy Courtney. Book. Prof. Coll. 020.2854 Lib
Once upon a time / Judy Freeman. Book. Prof. Coll. 372.6 Fre
Get connected : tech programs for teens / RoseMary Honnold. Book. Prof. Coll. 027.626 Hon

Library News Around the State & Nation

National Library Week Turns 50
National Library Week began in 1958 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year on April 13–19. For more history, visit the Library History Buff website. Also check out the NLW area of the ALA website or view National Library Week videos on the ALA website.

Carmen Agra Deedy Lends Her Voice to School Library Media Month with Public Service Announcements
(ALA, CHICAGO) – As spokesperson for School Library Media Month (SLMM), which is supported by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), award-winning author Carmen Agra Deedy is the voice behind various public service announcements (PSAs) advocating for school library media centers in schools across the country. The PSAs range from 10 to 30 seconds and are available in mp3 or broadcast-quality formats. Listeners are invited by Deedy to "Join the circle of knowledge" in their school libraries by celebrating SLMM. "Join the circle of knowledge @ your library" is the theme of this year's SLMM, and also of National Library Week, which will be celebrated from April 13 to 19.

School library media specialists are encouraged to use the PSAs on their schools' broadcasting and local radio stations during the month of April. AASL is proud to have Carmen Agra Deedy as spokesperson for SLMM. School library media specialists will find the PSAs, links to fun activities, and other tools on the AASL Web site to help observe SLMM. For more information on SLMM, visit the Advocacy section of the AASL Web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aasladvocacy/schoollibrary.cfm.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library® Swings Into Action
(ALA, CHICAGO) The boys of summer are stepping up to the plate for the start of the first week of baseball season 2008. The American Library Association and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are getting into the swing of things, too. Season three of Step Up to the Plate @ your library officially launches today. The program teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries - to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource. The Step Up to the Plate trivia game is now available to library patrons on the program's Web site at www.ala.org/baseball. Season three of the program, is a whole new "ball game," celebrating the 100th anniversary of the iconic song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." People of all ages will be encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Categories of questions will include ballparks, baseball in popular culture, fan experience and baseball pioneers. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2008. The ALA and Hall of Fame will also host a launch celebration Friday, April 4, in Mobile, Ala. Spokesperson and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith will be on hand to help kick off the national program at Hank Aaron Stadium, home of the Mobile Bay Bears, the local Minor League team. Librarians are encouraged to visit the program Web site to register for free promotional tools to help promote the program locally. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. To date more than 500 librarians from across the country have registered for the program. Librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation in the program. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,'" by Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson and Tim Wiles. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit."

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Speaking for Libraries
Sue Mannix, Director of the Schmaling Memorial Library in Fulton, spoke recently at one of the regional hearings on the FY2009 Illinois state budget. Sue shares with us her experience and encourages others to speak up when the opportunity arises.

House Bill (HB) 4527 Passed 108 to 0 and Now Goes the Illinois Senate
House Bill (HB) 4527 requested by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office and supported by Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-22, Chicago), changes equalization grant language: increases rate from $4.25 to $7.50 per capita; increase minimum grant award to school libraries from $100 to $750. The per capita rate has not been increased since 1979 when the grant was created. The minimum grant level for schools has not been increased since 1994. Ten public libraries currently qualify for the equalization grants. Under the new formula the number of public libraries which qualify will increase to fifty-seven. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, 344 school districts received a grant of less than $750. In FY 2008, 345 school districts received a grant of less than $750 out of a total of 718 school districts that received library grants. School districts have to apply for these grants and the awards are based on student enrollment as of September 30 of the award year, so it is difficult to accurately state what will happen the next year, but based on the experience in FY 07 and FY 08, it is expected somewhere between 340 and 350 school districts to benefit from HB 4527 in FY 09 and thereafter.

White, Dempsey to Address Library Day Rally April 10
Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey will lead hundreds of members of the Illinois library community at a rally in Springfield on April 10th for Illinois Library Day. Each year members of the library community travel to Springfield to meet with their local legislators and urge them to support issues of importance to the library community. The highlight of festivities will be a march involving hundreds of librarians, library trustees and other library supporters from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to a rally at the Illinois State Capitol. Secretary White and Commissioner Dempsey will address the rally. ""Illinois Library Day provides us an opportunity to show lawmakers who vote for library funding that there are millions of Illinoisans who care deeply about their academic, public, school and special libraries and our library systems," White said. "Library Day participants will educate lawmakers about current legislation that affects libraries and the patrons who use them. In the FY09 budget for the Secretary of State's office, I am requesting funding increases for public library per capita and equalization aid grants, school library grants, public library construction grants and literacy grants. We will be urging lawmakers to approve these increases so that we can keep our libraries and literacy programs strong. "

Information about cost and registration for Library Day events, and all information about Library Day may be found at www.illinoislibraryday.info.

Grant News

ALA, NEH Bring “Soul of a People” Grants to Libraries
(ALA, CHICAGO) – The American Library Association (ALA), in partnership with Spark Media, an award-winning Washington, D.C.-based production and outreach company, is proud to present an innovative library outreach program to enhance and increase the nationwide impact of Spark Media’s documentary film, “Soul of a People: Voices from the Writers’ Project.” Major funding for the library outreach program has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The film and library outreach programs will acquaint public, academic and special library audiences with the story of the largest cultural experiment in U.S. history - the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration - told against the backdrop of the Depression and 1930s America. More information about “Soul of a People: Voices from the Writers’ Project” can be found at www.ala.org/soulofapeople.

Following an application process, 30 libraries will be selected to receive a $2,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to present five different public outreach programs during the period of the national broadcast of “Soul of a People” (projected for Spring 2009). The grants will be used for scholar honoraria, book purchases, publicity and other program-associated costs. Libraries will be asked to enlist from a local college or university a lead project scholar with expertise in American history, the WPA and/or the WPA era, to help present and plan programs, ensure that program content conveys intended humanities themes and work with local media and other partners in planning. Librarians applying for “Soul of a People” grants must register their institution at Grants.gov. Prospective applicants are advised to register with Grants.gov as soon as possible, since the process can take up to two weeks to complete. The application and guidelines for “Soul of a People” and complete instructions for registering and applying through Grants.gov may be found at www.ala.org/soulofapeople. Online applications must be completed by July 11. Applications may not be submitted through ALA.

Grants for Rural Libraries
The Libri Foundation is currently accepting applications for its 2008 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN grants. The next deadline is April 15th. The Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit organization which donates new, quality, hardcover children's books to small, rural public libraries throughout the United States. Since October 1990, the Foundation has donated over $3,500,000 worth of new children's books to more than 2,600 libraries in 48 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. In order to encourage and reward local support of libraries, The Libri Foundation will match any amount of money raised by your local sponsors from $50 to $350 on a 2-to-1 ratio. Thus, a library can receive up to $1,050 worth of new children's books. After a library receives a grant, local sponsors (such as formal or informal Friends groups, civic or social organizations, local businesses, etc.) have four months, or longer if necessary, to raise their matching funds. The librarian of each participating library selects the books her library will receive from a booklist provided by the Foundation. The 700-plus fiction and nonfiction titles on the booklist reflect the very best of children's literature published primarily in the last three years. These titles, which are for children ages 12 and under, are award-winners or have received starred reviews in library, literary, or education journals. The booklist also includes a selection of classic children's titles.

Libraries are qualified on an individual basis. In general, county libraries should serve a population under 16,000 and town libraries should serve a population under 10,000 (usually under 5,000). Libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department. Please note: Rural is usually considered to be at least 30 miles from a city with a population over 40,000. Town libraries with total operating budgets over $150,000 and county libraries with total operating budgets over $350,000 are rarely given grants. Applications are accepted from independent libraries as well as libraries which are part of a county, regional, or cooperative library system. A school library may apply only if it also serves as the public library (i.e. it is open to the everyone in the community, has some summer hours, and there is no public library in town). A branch library may apply if the community it is in meets the definition of rural. If the branch library receives its funding from its parent institution, then the parent institution's total operating budget, not just the branch library's total operating budget, must meet the budget guidelines. Previous BOOKS FOR CHILDREN grant recipients are eligible to apply for another grant three years after the receipt of their last grant. Libraries that do not fulfill all grant requirements, including the final report, may not apply for another grant. The remaining application deadlines for 2008 are: (postmarked by) April 15th and August 15th. Grants will be awarded April 30th and August 31st. Application guidelines and forms may be downloaded from the Foundation's website at: www.librifoundation.org. For more information about The Libri Foundation or its Books for Children program, please contact Ms. Barbara J. McKillip, President, The Libri Foundation, PO Box 10246, Eugene, OR 97440. 541-747-9655 (phone); 541-747-4348 (fax); libri@librifoundation.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.