Compliance Information and Documents
Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
RAILS Illinois Freedom of Information Act Policy
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140/1, et seq. (FOIA) promotes transparency and accountability among public bodies by providing for public access to government records. It is the policy of Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems (RAILS) to acknowledge and comply with its obligations under FOIA. RAILS has designated the Executive Director and the RAILS Board FOIA Officer to serve as FOIA Officers and has developed and implemented administrative procedures to ensure compliance with FOIA. FOIA requests can be emailed to foia@railslibraries.org.
A request for RAILS records must be made in writing and should include the requester’s name, address and/or email address, and phone number. A request must specify whether the request is being made for commercial purposes and provide a clear description of the records being sought. If submitted by email, the request must be in the body of the email, rather than available by attachment or link.
Records may be inspected or copied. Inspection is available from 8:30 AM–5:00 PM at 125 Tower Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527 under supervision of a RAILS employee. RAILS will respond to requests for copies of records within the statutory timeframes set forth in FOIA. While FOIA creates a presumption that records in the custody or possession of RAILS are open to inspection or copying, RAILS reserves the right to deny (in whole or in part) any request seeking records which are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of FOIA.
RAILS charges fees for certain records requested in accordance with FOIA, which RAILS has determined to be reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost for reproducing and certifying public records and for the use of RAILS equipment to copy records:
| Item(s) | Cost |
|---|---|
| Copies (black-and-white, letter/legal size) | $0.15 per page |
| Copies (color/oversize) | Actual cost of reproduction |
| Certification | $1.00 per document |
| Recording Media (disks, drives, etc.) | Actual cost to purchase medium |
| Statutory fees | Fee(s) otherwise provided by FOIA will be imposed at the rate(s) authorized |
There will be no charge for the first 50 pages of letter or legal sized black-and-white copies, except for requests made for commercial purposes. When the services of an outside vendor are required to copy a record, the actual reasonable charges of the outside vendor will be charged as fees to the requester, notwithstanding the fees stated above.
More information regarding FOIA at RAILS can be found on the RAILS Website.
Revision History
- Approved by RAILS Board of Directors, 7/21/2011;
- Revision Approved by RAILS Board of Directors, 4/27/2021;
- Revision Approved by RAILS Board of Directors, 4/24/2026
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Other Illinois Public Acts
To access this compensation information required by PA 97-609, please visit our administrative headquarters located at 125 Tower Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527 and contact the RAILS Administration Department. Office hours are 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday.
Resolution No. 23-01
A Resolution Adopting the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights Pursuant to Public Act 103-100
WHEREAS, the Reaching Across Illinois Library System ("RAILS") is an Illinois library system existing and operating pursuant to the Illinois Library Systems Act, 75 ILCS 10/1 et seq.; and
WHEREAS, on June 12, 2023, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 103-100 ("Act") to encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitation and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials; and
WHEREAS, the Act provides that in order to be eligible for State of Illinois grants, Illinois libraries and Illinois library systems must either (i) adopt the American Library Association (ALA) Library Bill of Rights or, in the alternative, (ii) develop a written policy prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials within the library or library system; and
WHEREAS, the RAILS Board of Directors finds and determines that adopting the ALA Library Bill of Rights, in conformance with the Act, is in the best interests of the public and its member libraries.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Reaching Across Illinois Library System Board of Directors, as follows:
Section 1. Recitals. The above stated recitals are incorporated herein by reference.
Section 2. Adopting the ALA Library Bill of Rights. In furtherance of and in conformance with Public Act 103-100, the RAILS Board of Directors hereby adopts the ALA Library Bill of Rights, as it may be amended from time-to-time.
Section 3. Severability. In the event that any section, clause, provision, or part of this Resolution is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, all remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
Section 4. Repeal and Savings Clause. All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict with this Resolution are hereby repealed to the extent of the conflict.
Section 5. Effective Date. This Resolution will be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval as provided by law.
This Resolution is hereby APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of November 2023.