Insight

              early 400 members of the Illinois
library community gathered in
Springfield on Wednesday, April 17 to
celebrate Illinois Library Advocacy Day.
Speaking at the Illinois State Library, Secretary of
State and State Librarian Jesse White told librarians
he needed their help in persuading lawmakers to
maintain grant funding his office administers to
libraries across Illinois.
“Your local lawmakers need to know how critical
library grants are to your operations — they need
to hear your success stories,” White said. “Please
share with your lawmakers the wonderful things
you are able to do with this money.” (As of press
time, the Illinois General Assembly had not yet
determined funding for library grants for fiscal year
2003, which begins in July.)
With patriotism swelling across America, White
told library advocates that ”libraries are permanent
reminders of America’s most cherished freedoms.”
He also reminded librarians that they, like their
elected officials, are public servants who work to
enhance the lives of the people of Illinois.
Other speakers throughout the morning included:
Sarah Long, president of the Illinois Library System
Directors Organization (ILSDO); Illinois State
Library Director Jean Wilkins; Pam Storm, president
of the Illinois Library Media Association (ISLMA);
and Kip Kolkmeier, legislative consultant to the
Illinois Library Association. During the afternoon,
library advocates went to the State Capitol to meet
with their legislators.
An innovative new program designed to recruit
new librarians and create public awareness about
the various duties of Illinois librarians was unveiled
at the event. The Alliance Library System in Peoria
and Simantel, a Peoria-based marketing firm,
developed “The Great Librarian Adventure” with a
Library Services and Technology grant awarded by
the Illinois State Library. Through the program, 300
Alliance System librarians expect to communicate
with 100,000 people in the system’s service area
by June 30, 2003. Representatives from the state’s
other 11 library systems were given “tool kits”
explaining the program, with the hope that they
will undertake similar recruitment initiatives.
Library Advocacy Day is sponsored by the ILA,
ILSDO and ILMA.
May/June
in
this
issue
Library
Advocacy
Day
Synergy
Literature Winners
Illinois State Library
Welcomes Tourists
Library Advocacy Day a platform
for promoting library funding
2002
Jesse White • Secretary of State & State Librarian
A Newsletter from the Illinois State Library
INSIGHT
Alliance Library System Executive Director Valerie J. Wilford,
left, and ALS consultant Karen Stott Bersche, right, present
Secretary of State Jesse White a “tool kit” being used to
promote the library system’s librarian recruitment program,
“The Great Librarian Adventure.”