News from RAILS & Libraries

Just in case you missed it, the December 2019 issue of the Illinois Library Association Reporter includes an article about the My Library Is... campaign. The article gives some practical tips on things every library can do to tell their story more effectively. For example, when is the last time...

How many times have you registered for a webinar and sunk into your office chair when the Outlook alert comes up and you totally forgot about it? I’ve been there many times. How many times have you received an email after the webinar with a link to watch later, but that never happens because you get...

On a recent weekend, after taking Metra downtown and enjoying a nice breakfast and cup of cocoa, I stopped by the Chicago Architecture Biennial exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center - the old main building of the Chicago Public Library. One of the exhibits there looks like a great idea libraries...

When I work on a video, it generally starts with a theme or style. I want to find a template in which I can fit my ideas and message, because it will make the rest of the process easier. I’ve done something like an infomercial, something in the style of an old educational film, and the most recent...

Social media is a great way to promote your library. So how do you keep things engaging, but also relatable to your library? Know your audience Knowing your core audience, or who you want to promote certain things to, is the first step. What do you want the post to convey? Know the strengths of your...

Super fun thing to do as a family. We learned a lot! And visited other libraries we wouldn't of otherwise. Thank you! ~Gabriela S. Great Road Trip. Liked my journey a lot. Will return to all of these libraries. Good planned idea to focus on Pinnacles libraries. ~Carol P. This was a great idea! My...

In the survey RAILS conducted earlier this year, we asked members to rate major challenges they faced when trying to tell their library’s story. The number one challenge identified by academic, public, and special libraries, was attracting nonusers and making sure that potential customers are aware...

To better advocate for Quincy Public Library, we decided to ask patrons and library users if they would be willing to speak at City Council meetings in support of library programs. Our goal was to have people speak about different services that were important to each of them. Admittedly, speaking in...

Early in 2019, the East Moline Public Library launched a capital campaign to make the case for their new building. To learn more about it, East Moline Public Library Executive Director Laura Long answered our questions on the success of the campaign so far. Can you start by telling me a little bit...

“I’m not really a joiner.” The words fell out of my mouth before I really knew what I was saying. I had said the same thing so many times in my life that it felt like a cliche, but I realized in that moment that it had been a while since I had given it much thought. It was late 2017, I was at the...

I really just wanted to host the Skylab from the Peoria Riverfront Museum. That’s all. And how can you blame me? Have you seen it? It’s this giant inflatable dome and, once inside, it’s a planetarium. Anyway, it turns out, there’s a space requirement. And, at 25 by 25 feet, it’s not a small...

Over the past 10 years, I have utilized a number of strategies to engage my teachers and communicate the value and importance of library resources, especially the value of a certified teacher librarian. I created a library menu, using humor and visuals to offer choices from quick lessons all the way...

RAILS provides programs and services to approximately 1,300 academic, public, school, and special libraries in the north and west-central part of Illinois. A very frequent request from all types of members is for help telling their stories and proving their value to their different stakeholders...