Welcome to the Shawnee Library System
Presidents Day Closure
The Shawnee Library System will be closed on Monday, February 15 in observance of Presidents Day.
Snapshot Website--Ready for Action!
The Snapshot Day website is now available! The site contains all of the important downloads and links necessary to make the most of Snapshot Day on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Click "Read More" below for details.
Shawnee Deliveries During Inclement Weather
On Thursday (1/7/10) a Shawnee Library System delivery van overturned as a result of poor road conditions. Thankfully there were no injuries. For the safety of our drivers, Shawnee delivery routes were modified Thursday.
On the Front Lines: Agents of Change 2010
The seventh statewide library practitioners' conference will take place on March 15-17, 2010 at the University of Illinois Springfield.
Public Library District Handbook
Thanks to the Lewis and Clark Library System for authoring, updating and sharing the newly revised Public Library District Handbook. The handbook was created to assist Librarians and Boards of Trustees who are considering becoming a public library district and for those who have just became a public library district.
SPLMI Applications Now Available
Serving Our Public, the 17th annual Small Public Library Management Institute (SPLMI), sponsored by the Illinois State Library and hosted by the University of Illinois, Springfield, will be held June 6–11, 2010.
New FOIA and Open Meetings Act Requirements
All public library directors need to be aware of revisions to the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act requirements that are slated to take effect in January 2010. Attorney Philip Lenzini has authored an article that was published in the December 2009 issue of the ILA Reporter and information is also available on WebJunction Illinois in the Administrative Ready Reference section.
WebJunction Illinois and Your System Affiliation
In preparation for a cleanup of the registered user database, WebJunction Illinois asks that all registered WebJunction Illinois users please verify that they have chosen their Library System affiliation correctly in their Account. In order to verify and/or change your System affiliation, please follow these steps:
Library Systems Support the Future of Library Cooperation
75 Illinois library leaders met on Monday, November 9, at Allerton Park to discuss the future of Library Cooperation. Illinois Library Systems commend the work of this group and the planning committee for organizing the event, the Illinois Library Association for writing the grant, and the Illinois State Library for funding the grant.
Surplus Inventory For Sale
The Shawnee Library System is offering our surplus equipment up for sale. Bids are welcome from anyone until Nov 30 at 5pm, but priority will be given to our member libraries if we receive multiple bids on an item.
Secretary of State Jesse White Loves Libraries--Longshots Podcast
“Libraries are a source of information and inspiration,” says Secretary White in a recent podcast interview with Sarah Long, the director of the North Suburban Library System.
Save Illinois Libraries!
Readers of Shawnee Library System publications are aware of the 16.5% cut to our budget, which meant a reduction of $236,193 in funding. The cut would have been as much as 50% had not Secretary of State Jesse White reallocated federal LSTA dollars to restore some of the funding for library services in Illinois. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Secretary of State for his support of libraries and now the ball is in our court to convince Illinois legislators that Illinois libraries need to have funding restored and that we cannot face any future cuts.
The Highsmith Award goes to....
The Illinois School Library Media Association has announced that the Robinson High School Library Forum, sponsored by school library media specialist, Janet Jenkins, has been awarded the prestigious Highsmith Award.
Shawnee's Toll Free Number Discontinued
Due to the reduction in funding for Illinois Library Systems, the Shawnee Library System toll free 800 telephone number has been discontinued. Please use 618-985-3711 to reach Shawnee Headquarters.
Illinois Library Funding Cut
Illinois Library Systems have received a reduction in System Area and Per Capita Grant funding of 16.5%. This amounts to $236,193 for Shawnee which is a very significant amount. This will require a careful review of our programs and services. Systems have been flat funded for almost a decade, which in face of rising costs has made keeping a balanced budget extremely difficult.
Public Library Construction Funds
Last month Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation approved this spring by lawmakers authorizing the Secretary of State to award $50 million in new grants to public libraries for permanent capital improvements. This new program is in addition to $810,000 appropriated to the Secretary of State for grants awarded under the annual Live and Learn Library Construction Grant Program administered by the Illinois State Library.
Wi-Fi Libraries in Southern Illinois
Take a look at all the libraries in the Shawnee Library System that now have free public Wi-Fi at their library. Libraries that offer free access to the Internet from their libraries offer an invaluable resource to their communities.
