RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris talks with Dan Matthews, Cataloging and Digital Services Librarian at Moraine Valley Community College Library about the benefits of open educational resources and how to get started using OERs.

RAILS Executive Director Monica Harris talks with Kate Hall, Jennifer Czajka, and Mara Barbel from Illinois Libraries Present, a cooperative programming intitative that provides high-quality online events at equitable prices for member libraries. They talk about how ILP was created, the long-term goals for the program, and how your library can take advantage of its benefits. 

Related links: https://www.illinoislibrariespresent.com/ https://www.illinoislibrariespresent.com/events https://www.illinoislibrariespresent.com/membership

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

Links:

• https://www.booksanctuary.org/
• https://www.chipublib.org/news/book-sanctuaries-committed-to-protecting-banned-and-challenge-books/
• https://www.chipublib.org/cpl-150-anniversary/

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

RAILS Interim Executive Director Monica Harris talks with AISLE Executive Secretary Carolyn Kinsella and RAILS Data Research Specialist Janette Derucki about efforts to support school libraries in Illinois, including a statewide partnership and RAILS’ School Library Data Project.

Related Links:

• School Library Data Project Data in Libraries Pulse Page https://www.railslibraries.info/issues/240560
• AISLE (Association of Illinois School Library Educators) https://aisled.org/#
• SLIDE – The School Librarian Investigation - Decline or Evolution? https://libslide.org/
• SOPPA – Student Online Personal Protection Act https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3806&ChapterID=17

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with Lynn Stainbrook and Leon Smith of Rockford Public library, and Leila Heath of RAILS about Career Online High School, a nationally accredited online high school degree program. Lynn and Leon discuss the program’s tremendous success at their library and how it makes a huge impact on lives. RAILS offers a vendor discount on the scholarships from Smart Horizons to libraries offering this program.

Related Links:

• https://www.railslibraries.info/deals/183705 RAILS Deals and Discounts web page for COHS
• https://www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org/rpls-career-online-high-school/ Rockford’s COHS web page

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

Relevant Link: https://www.railslibraries.info/issues/240560

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with RAILS Associate Executive Director Monica Harris about our recent strategic planning process: choosing a consultant, virtual tools, member feedback, and much more. They also give advice on how libraries can create their own strategic plans.

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/

RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with Stephanie Chase, Founding Principal of Constructive Disruption (https://www.constructivedisruption.info/), about the  importance of strategic planning. Stephanie gives some good tips for what to do if you have little money or little time.

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens (https://juliejurgens.bandcamp.com/)

In our latest Sparks podcast, RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) staff members Anne Craig (Senior Director) and Michele Leigh (Senior Coordinator, Open Illinois) about CARLI’s $1.08 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Open Textbooks Pilot Program. The grant will fund a program that will provide access to open textbooks and personalized learning tools for entry-level courses in high-demand health care and human development career paths. Please note: We had some technical issues with Deirdre’s microphone, but the content is worth sticking with it!

Relevant Link:

https://www.carli.illinois.edu/products-services/collections-management/IllinoisSCOERs

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://himissjulie.com

RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with Heather Perhach (CUSD #5 in Streator), Andrea Perrin (CCSD #50 in Gurnee), and Emily Porter (CCSD #299 in Chicago), who have all received My Library Is… grants for their school libraries. Each is working on projects that focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

https://www.railslibraries.info/services/my-library-grants

Intro/Outro music by Julie Jurgens, https://himissjulie.com