Our Programs
| The Future | Hot Topics | 3 Books and a Program | Get the Facts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am | Census 2020: Make Sure Illinois Counts | Drag Queen Story Hour: Bringing Radical Storytelling to Your Library | Press "Start" - Video Games in the Library | The ESL Program at Indian Trails library in Wheeling, IL |
| 10:15 am | The Real Cost of Minimum Wage | Programs, Pantries & Social Workers: Addressing the Challenges of Poverty and Homelessness | What's Trending in Digital Lending | The Ins and Outs of Service and Comfort Animals @ Your library |
| 11:30 am | Strategic Planning For Everyone | Going Fine Free: Children’s Materials and Beyond | Teens, Twitter, and the Battle for Better Books | The Public Library Per Capita Grant and the Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR): Your Questions Answered! |
| 1:30 pm | Time for an Upgrade: Alternatives to Dewey | Nosotros Somos La Biblioteca | Book Blast | Attracting, Keeping, and Educating Good Board Members |
| 2:45 pm | Seed and Tool Libraries | Conversations on Serving LGBTQ Patrons | Library Tours | CMC: What Can We Do For You? |
Programs Descriptions by Title
Attracting, Keeping, and Educating Good Board Members
Libraries, being various forms of government service are required to have a Board of Trustees. This board makes decisions about how public funds are spent, and how a library is run. But what makes a good trustee? How do you get people interested in either an appointed or elected position. Our directors will be sharing with attendees the things they think make a good board member, and what steps they take to ensure a board members success.
Michael
Toulon Public Library
Director
Larissa
Warren County Public Library
Director
Presentation Materials:
RFS 2019 Board Presentation (2)
Book Blast
RFS knows many of our libraries have tiny collection budgets. Many of us only get to purchase the NYT Best Sellers list. Some authors are a given: James Patterson, Nora Roberts, etc. But what about those sleeper hits? Titles like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or the first Joe Nesbo book. They hit out of virtual nowhere. So, how do you decide what books may be the next big thing or the diamond in the rough? RFS is here to help. With input from the publishers themselves, we will look at what will probably be the biggest debuts, or little known author works to wow everyone in the late summer and early fall.
Betsy Mahoney
Six Mile Regional Library
Branch Manager
Presentation Materials:
Census 2020: Make Sure Illinois Counts
The once-a-decade Constitutionally mandated population count determines the number of members each state has in the United States House of Representatives. Illinois is projected to lose one, and possibly two, congressional seats. A loss of population also directly impacts libraries with a reduction in federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services grants to states under the Library Services and Technology Act, as well as the state’s annual public library per capita and equalization grant program. This session on the 2020 Census will focus on the actions front-line librarians can take to ensure a complete and accurate count, and other library-related census activities, including a poster contest for students in grades 4-12.
Joe Natale
Illinois State Library
Executive Assistant to the Director
Presentation Materials:
CMC: What Can We Do For You?
The Cataloging Maintenance Center provides free cataloging, to all Illinois libraries, for local authors, local history, genealogy, and special collections (kits, puppets, puzzles, local cookbooks). We also provide database cleanup, catalog training, and metadata consultation. Let us help you catalog your items!
Cheri Schuler-Faust
IHLS
Cataloger
Vince Andrzejewski
IHLS
Cataloger
Presentation Materials:
Conversations on Serving LGBTQ Patrons
This session will be talking about current issues in serving LGBTQ patrons. It will include a local library sharing their experience hosting successful Drag Queen Story Hours, LGBTQ board members, and the current trend of patrons wanting LGBTQ book pulled from the collection or placed in “special” locations with designated labels. Any and other other facets of serving this demographic are also open. Bring your questions, an open mind, and a willingness to share for this “conversational” program.
Carol Inskeep
Adult Services Librarian
Urbana Free Library
Ryan A. Franklin
Outreach Coordinator
Illinois State Library
Presentation Materials:
Drag Queen Story Hour: Bringing Radical Storytelling to Your Library
In this session Jonathan Hamilt, co-Founder of Drag Queen Story Hour shares the international non-profit's herstory and its mission of giving kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish.
Joining Jonathan will be an Urbana Free Library representative, who has successfully hosted a drag queen story time four times. They will be speaking about the hurdles, challenges, and success of bringing this type of program to central and southern Illinois.
Jonathan Hamilt
Co-Founder Drag Queen Story Hour
Presentation Materials:
The ESL Program at Indian Trails Library in Wheeling, IL
The ESL Program at Indian Trails library in Wheeling, serves a community of immigrants from around the world who hope to become both fluent in English and more integrated into American culture. While this may ultimately lead to Citizenship, more often parents want to speak with their children's teachers, be able to communicate with a doctor, make smart choices at the store or have a conversation with a grandchild who quickly learns English but is less sure in the language of their grandparents. ESL students learn English through classes with a strong conversational component and through weekly meetings with volunteer tutors. Conversational skills are emphasized with extensive practice in class using the grammar from the Ventures textbook. When time permits in class, games and activities teaching English are also used which will be demonstrated in the presentation.
Kevin Walsh
Indian Trails Public Library District
ESL Coordinator
Presentation Materials:
Going Fine Free: Children’s Materials and Beyond
Dropping late fines has become a trend for public libraries across the nation. Erica Hanke-Young from the Six Mile Regional Library District and Bobbi Perryman from the Vespasian Warner Public Library District share their libraries’ experiences in going fine-free, and will answer questions from those considering eliminating fines.
Erica Hanke-Young
Six Mile Regional Library District
Youth Services Manager
Bobbi Perryman
Vespasian Warner Public Library District
Executive Director
Presentation Materials:
The Ins and Outs of Service and Comfort Animals @ Your library
Service Animals and Comfort Animals are not the same thing. They are governed by different laws, rules, and regulations. Sit Service Dogs will be here to help library staff learn the difference between the two. They will talk about the laws that govern service animals vs the laws that cover comfort animals. They will also lend a helping hand with what to do when you have a patrons with problem animals.
L. Dietz
Sit Service Dogs
Program Administrator
Presentation Materials:
Library Tour
Library Tour
See the sights on a tour of Morris Library on the campus of SIU Carbondale.
Nosotros Somos La Biblioteca
The village of Fairmont City (71.4% Hispanic) had many challenges: high teen pregnancy rates, low high school graduation rates, limited job opportunities, and limited access to transportation among them. Lack of library access was the least of the community’s problems--or so it thought. This is the story of how the creation and development of a scrappy little library transformed a community and became the heart of it all. The Fairmont City Library Center is a member of the Mississippi Valley Library District, winner of the 2017 LibraryAware Community Award presented by Library Journal and LibraryAware.
Karina Almeida
Mississippi Valley Library District
Circulation Supervisor
Presentation Materials:
Press "Start" - Video Games in the Library
Video games generate more revenue than any other major entertainment industry but many libraries are still figuring out how to integrate the medium. From curating collections across a variety of evolving platforms to nurturing programs that attract a young and diverse audience, the challenges can be daunting. This seminar discusses the positive impact of having video games in the library and empowers librarians to be confident and knowledgeable in this burgeoning landscape.
Terry Pierson
Mississippi Valley Library District
Marketing Coordinator
Presentation Materials:
Programs, Pantries & Social Workers: Addressing the Challenges of Poverty and Homelessness
Libraries of all sizes are finding creative solutions to meet the information and service needs of patrons who face poverty and homelessness while maintaining a welcoming environment for all. Presenters will discuss community partnerships to identify and fill service gaps, resource brochures, emergency funds, community awareness, programs, item drives, policies, library cards for homeless individuals, area services, warming centers, and bringing social workers into the library—even on a limited budget.
Diana Brawley Sussman
Carbondale Public Library
Director
Leander Spearman
Belleville Public Library
Director
Presentation Materials:
The Public Library Per Capita Grant and the Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR): Your Questions Answered!
This session will provide the latest information about completing the Public Library Per Capita grant application and the Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR). These components are critical for funding and telling the story about your library. Questions are welcome!
Pat Burg
Illinois State Library
State Data Coordinator and Delivery
Jeanne Urbanek
Illinois State Library
Public Library Per Capita/Equalization and Read for a Lifetime
Presentation Materials:
The Real Cost of Minimum Wage
Fifteen dollars an hour is more than it first appears. For many this change looks like a doable increase over five years. Library directors already know that it is much more than that. This session will look at the hidden numbers such as insurance and taxes, and the real impact this new law will have on libraries. This session is geared to support staff so they can see the types of things their directors and boards have to look at, the decisions that have to be made, and the consequences that may arise, told from the viewpoint of directors who lived through the last minimum wage increase.
Michael Baumann
Toulon Public Library
Director
Ryan A. Franklin
Illinois State Library
Outreach Coordinator
Presentation Materials:
Power point: minimum wage
Excel expense workbook: Payroll example.
Seed and Tool Libraries
Seed libraries are a current hot topic. They are popping up everywhere. Has your library wanted to start one? This program will help answer question on how to get started and pitfalls to avoid. And as a nice two-for this program will also cover tool libraries. Screwdrivers...okay. Drill...maybe okay. Chainsaw… hummmmm? If these is something you might be thinking when some says “tool” library, now is the time to come ask questions from those that run the tool library in Carbondale.
Sarah Lewison
TBD
TBD
Jessica Allee
TBD
TBD
Presentation Materials:
Strategic Planning For Everyone
Strategic planning can feel daunting and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be! This program will show you how to work with your staff and board to develop some great strategic plans and how to keep them from gathering dust.
Amanda McKay
Effingham Public Library
Director
Presentation Materials:
Teens, Twitter, and the Battle for Better Books
There is power in social media. Twitter and Goodreads “trolls” have been able to make changes in the publishing industry. So far, in two years three books have been pulled from publication right before shelf date and over 15 other titles have been labeled “problematic” . Some go through sensitivity reading and try to make a comeback, others die a quite death, and a few pull through. This session will look at what has been happening, how it affects libraries, and how the practice is growing.
Ryan A. Franklin
Illinois State Library
Outreach Coordinator
Presentation Materials:
Time for an Upgrade: Alternatives to Dewey
Does Dewey still work in modern libraries? At Vespasian Warner PLD, we don't think so. We watched our patrons (and occasionally staff) struggle to find the items they need. We heard from many patrons that "I just can't find anything" "Dewey means something to you, but doesn't mean anything to me" and "I'm just intimidated by the numbers." When we weren't able to find a more patron-friendly classification system, we created our own. Now, our patrons navigate our non-fiction stacks with confidence.
Bobbi Perryman
Vespasian Warner Public Library District
Executive Director
Presentation Materials:
What's Trending in Digital Lending
In this session we will take a look at current and emerging issues surrounding e-content in libraries. Discussion will cover topics like publisher e-book embargoes, controlled digital lending, e-content circulation trends, and more. Learn tips for how to communicate the complicated world of e-book lending to patrons, as well as what’s being done to change the e-content lending landscape.
Anna Behm
Reaching Across Illinois Library System
E-Content Specialist
Presentation Materials: