Contents

Announcements

On Monday, May 18, 2009, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Library System, and the Board of LIMRiCC will meet. The MLS Board meeting will convene at 3:00 p.m., the Board of LIMRiCC immediately following. Meeting agendas can be found at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/board. Both meetings will be held at the MLS Chicago office located at 224 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois.

On the advice of several of our advisory groups, MLS is conducting a survey of its membership regarding service priorities. We have received excellent feedback on our future strategic direction, but faced with the reality of flat budgets and potential cuts, we feel we need information on what the membership values the most from MLS. This survey should be completed by all library staff at all levels. Please complete the survey at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/servicesurvey.asp by May 22, 2009. Contact Gretel Stock-Kupperman with questions at stockg@mls.lib.il.us or (630) 734-5139.

MLS member library staff and trustees, who are not personal members of ALA, can sign up for a discounted rate to attend the 2009 ALA National Conference in Chicago. Save 15% off the non-member registration rate when using this special MLS discount. For early bird registration pricing, visit http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=6189 and register before May 15th, 2009. Pay by credit card or send a check to MLS offices Attn: ALA Pricing. Regular pre-registration rates will be available after March 5th. Questions, contact consultants@mls.lib.il.us.

Nominations for the 2009 MLS Awards will open Monday, May 18, 2009. The purpose of the MLS awards is to recognize MLS member libraries, trustees, MLS staff, and government officials for their contribution to libraries and/or the field of librarianship. The nine awards will be presented at the MLS Annual Meeting on October 21, 2009. For award descriptions and nomination instructions, visit http://www.mls.lib.il.us/members/awards.asp.

At a recent ISLAC meeting, Kathy Bloomberg made a Standards & Rules presentation describing the purpose, process, and progress of the System Standards Committee. The powerpoint is available at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/whats_new/systemstandardrules.html under "Presentation to the Illinois State Library Advisory Committee on March 12, 2009."

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MLS Board Meeting Highlights

Highlights from the April 20, 2009 MLS Board meeting include:

• The Board voted to accept the application for full membership from Instituto Cervantes of Chicago
• The Board approved dropping the following from membership in MLS:
Silliker Laboratories Group, Inc., Playboy Enterprises, Inc., Ernst & Young, Native American Educational Services College.
• Board Elections Update – Electronic voting began April 15, 2009 and will end at noon on June 10, 2009. The ballot can be found on the MLS website at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/board.

Illinois Library Association Legislative Day

Each year legislative day is sponsored by the Illinois Library Association (ILA). On Thursday, April 23, 2009, 143 directors, staff and trustees from libraries representing different parts of Illinois arrived at Springfield to meet and discuss issues and concerns with their various legislators. ILA Legislation Day provides libraries a chance to promote what they do in their communities, lobby for issues and put a face on libraries for their representatives.  [Permalink]
Read full article http://www.mls.lib.il.us/ennounce/2009/03_09/ilalegislativeday.asp

Continuing Education Events

Navigating the ALA Conference for the First Time, John Chrastka, Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., MLS Burr Ridge

Navigating the SLA Conference for the First Time, Deborah Schwarz, Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., MLS Chicago

Bibliostat Connect Overview, Jan Anderson, Friday, June 5, 2009, 1:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., MLS Burr Ridge

Microsoft Access Part I, Microsoft Access Part II, Microsoft Access Part III, Richard Flint, Friday, June 5, 19, 26, 2009, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., MLS Chicago

Bridging the Gap: Bringing Web 2.0 to Your Community, Rudy Leon, Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., MLS Burr Ridge

When Collection Development Leads to Staff Development, Bleue Benton & Sharon Grimm, Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., MLS Burr Ridge

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Grants & Awards

The Book Wholesalers Inc. and Young Adult Library Services Association Collection Development Grant is open to librarians who are members of both YALSA and ALA, who represent Public Libraries, directly work with young adults, ages 12 to 18.The grant provides $1000 for Young Adult materials. For additional information visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/awardsandgrants/bwi.cfm

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Technology: Linda Braun on Video and Audio for Youth Services

On March 23, 2009, The Children’s Librarians Association of the South Suburbs (C.L.A.S.S.) and Metropolitan Library System hosted technology guru Linda Braun. In her program she presented ways to connect web 2.0 technology and children in the library. She discussed the tools that are becoming more inexpensive and the online services that are available to “turn your library into a media creation center.”

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Read full article http://www.mls.lib.il.us/ennounce/2009/03_09/lbraunaudiovideo.asp

MLS Service: Resource Sharing Transition Update

MLS Resource Sharing is in the midst of its transition. As of April 15th, Resource Sharing no longer facilitates Interlibrary Loan borrowing and lending requests for the suburban members of MLS. The Resource Sharing office is attempting to complete all borrowing, lending, and photocopying activities by May 29th. As we move forward, MLS Resource Sharing will continue to provide consulting support and continuing education on Interlibrary Loan, Reciprocal Borrowing, and the MLS Union List of Serials.

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Read full article http://www.mls.lib.il.us/ennounce/2009/03_09/resourcesharingupdate.asp

SWAN

SWAN is very happy to announce that the Bridgeview Public Library has become SWAN’s newest member. Bridgeview staff have spent many months planning for the big “go live” day, which occurred on Monday morning, April 27. Library staff were involved in several training sessions with SWAN staff in preparation for using a new automated library system. Bridgeview patrons and staff now have easy access to the vast resources in SWAN. The addition of Bridgeview’s collection to SWAN further enhances the breadth and depth of SWAN’s holdings. Congratulations, Bridgeview!

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Member Spotlight: Oak Park Transgender Resource Collection

Oak Park Public Library (OPPL) undertook an extensive collection evaluation project in 2005, which included looking at diversity in the collection, and ultimately led to the creation of the first focused transgender resource collection in a public library in the United States. “Transgender” is an umbrella term that applies to people whose identity or behavior falls outside stereotypical gender expectations. With funding from an LSTA grant, they selected, purchased, classified, and processed $3,000.00 worth of circulating nonfiction books, audiobooks, and DVDs on transgender issues.

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Read full article http://www.mls.lib.il.us/ennounce/2009/03_09/oakparktransgendercoll.asp

Next Issue

The next issue of MLS E-nnounce will appear May 20, 2009. [Permalink]

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Editors

Christina Stoll, stollc@mls.lib.il.us

Diane Colletti, collettid@mls.lib.il.us

Kathy Roegge, roeggek@mls.lib.il.us