During the 2014 election cycle, a number of referenda affecting Illinois libraries were placed on the ballot. The purpose of most referenda impacting libraries in Illinois and elsewhere is to increase the number of people who have access to library services. Library access is an especially critical issue in Illinois, since approximately one million of…
Year: 2014
Federal Budget Passes–Government Shutdown Averted
The United States Senate just passed this year’s $1.1 trillion budget, by a vote of 56 to 40. (The budget still has to be signed into law by the President.) While it is not entirely clear what impact the budget, as a whole, will have on libraries, one thing is certain: there will be an…
Funding Increase for Providing Internet Access
On December 11, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) voted to raise fees on phone users, by about $2.00 per year, in order to increase funding for the E-Rate program. The program provides Internet access to schools in impoverished areas. Currently, annual funding for E-rate is about $2.4 billion; the fee increase will raise funding levels…
Proposed Changes to Library Systems Rules
Members of a library system may comment on proposed rule changes for library systems. This is in the Dec 5 Illinois Register, page 22526. Your library system has been forwarded this information. My main concern is membership to a library system when the library is totally virtual. If you have any comments, you may attend a…
2015 Legislative Meet-Ups Announced
The Illinois Library Association has announced its first round of legislative meet-ups for the upcoming Illinois General Assembly session. The meet-ups will be held in mid-February, with three of them in the Chicago area and one in the St. Louis area. South Suburban Breakfast-will be held in Tinley Park on Friday, February 13 West Suburban…
“And There’s the Humor of It” on Exhibit at Galter Health Sciences Library
The Galter Health Sciences Library will be hosting “‘And There’s the Humor of It’: Shakespeare and the Four Humors, an exhibition developed and produced by the Exhibition Program at the National Library of Medicine and the Folger Shakespeare Library. An opening event will be held Thursday, December 11th, 2014, 4:00 to 5:00 pm at Galter…
December 3 Update on Illinois HB3796
I am glad to report that the Illinois Senate voted earlier today to override Governor Quinn’s veto of Illinois House Bill 3796. (The vote was by a margin of 39 to 13; a three-fifths majority, or 36 out of a possible 59 votes, was needed.) House Bill 3796 amends the Freedom of Information Act, to…
Articles from Bates Continuing-Education Session
For anyone who’s interested, here are the three articles that Mary Ellen Bates highlighted in her continuing-education session. “What Are They Doing and What Do They Want: The Library Spaces Customer Survey at Edmonton Public Library”https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/1967/2633#.VHysVcmKLZg This article discusses a survey, of patrons at the Edmonton Public Library, designed to determine how they use library…
Changes at Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine Library, Springfield, IL
Rhona Kelley, Head, Reference & Education at SIU plans to retire at the end of 2014 after 30 years of service. Rhona served on 9 MLA committees and chaired 3 of them. She is an active member of Midwest Chapter MLA. She authored “Teaching Technologies in Libraries” in the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association. In…
Proposed HSLI Bylaws Amendment
For two years there has been an ad hoc Helen Knoll Jira Scholarship Committee reporting to the HSLI board on the Jira Scholarship fund. As this committee has a permanent role, the proposed bylaws amendment adds the Helen Knoll Jira Scholarship Committee to the list of standing committee and lists the proposed committee’s charges. Please…