News & Announcements from Libraries

College can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. It may be the first time that a student has been away from home for a long period of time. College may be a place where a student does not know anyone and has to navigate building new relationships on their own. It is a time when the student...

At its August 10, 2026 meeting, the Lake Villa District Library Board of Trustees voted to end notary services, effective January 1, 2027. Changes to notary law, increased demand and staffing constraints cited as the main reasons behind the decision. “We saw a sharp increase in demand for notary...

At Illinois College’s Schewe Library, we strive to be a welcoming, inclusive space where students feel at home, finding both academic support and community. With the generous support of the RAILS 2025 My Library Is... Grant, we launched a project to enhance our library’s role as a space for...

How 257 New Diverse Books Helped Students See Themselves in the Library The RAILS My Library Is... Grant helped our junior high add 257 diverse books to our library, but our real goal was larger than just adding new books. We wanted students to walk into the library and find stories that actually...

The Joliet Public Library seeks qualified Executive Search Firms to submit proposals for professional executive recruitment services for the position of Executive Director. The Board of Trustees seeks experienced candidates to oversee the operations of a large public institution with a dedicated...

School libraries and media centers are not the same as when I grew up. They are now spaces that spark curiosity, foster innovation, and create meaningful learning experiences that extend beyond a traditional library. Thanks to the RAILS My Library Is... grant, our elementary school media center has...

It may seem that each day you turn on the news, or show up to work, there is a new change within education. Whether that be at the federal level, the state level, or even just your local elementary school, the changes can feel overwhelming. Each change requires additional work from everyone involved...

The Board of Trustees of the Huntley Area Public Library voted to hire Natalie Starosta as the Library’s Executive Director during a Special Meeting held July 7th, 2026 for that purpose. The decision comes after a four-month, nationwide search following the departure of the former director earlier...

Antioch Public Library District Vision Legacy The Antioch Public Library District (APLD) is excited to announce the release of its new Vision Legacy video, a timeless promotional piece, inspired by the Library’s vision statement: “Connect. Enrich. Belong.” Created in collaboration with APLD staff...

Geneva Public Library has received two national honors from the American Library Association (ALA), earning recognition for both its innovative fundraising campaign and its community-wide reading initiative. At the 2026 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Geneva Public Library was named a recipient of...

Planting Seeds Of Leadership: How Great Books Are Growing Natural Leaders At Prairie Crossing Charter School (PCCS) in Grayslake, IL, we believe that children are our best hope to improve the world. But how do you transform that belief into a daily reality for 432 K-8 students? For us, the answer...

Join LACONI POP for a unique, discussion-based learning opportunity for all library programmers. We will kick off with a presentation followed by breakout sessions to discuss the many pitfalls and solutions that come with the territory of library programming and partnerships. A list of topics will...