Insight

              Illinois State Library Director Jean Wilkins bid
farewell to the State Library when she retired on
Dec.17, 2004. A reception honoring Wilkins was
held on December 8. Nearly 300 people came to
say goodbye and thank Jean for her outstanding
service as director.
“Jean Wilkins has been a wonderful friend and an
outstanding public servant,” said Secretary of State
Jesse White. “On behalf of the citizens of Illinois, I
thank Jean for keeping our libraries strong and
vibrant. Illinois' network of libraries is among the
finest in the nation thanks to Jean and her tireless
commitment.”
White said Wilkins' leadership is best
demonstrated by some of the programs she helped
implement during her six years as director of the
State Library, such as Find-it! Illinois, a statewide
digital library bringing Illinois information into one
convenient Web site, and the Statewide Illinois
Library Catalog, a shared catalog combining all
library holdings in Illinois into a single, searchable
entity. She also helped implement OCLC group
services in Illinois and aggressively pursued grants
from outside state government, such as the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of
Museum & Library Services.
“I am very grateful to Secretary White for allowing
me to serve as State Library Director these past six
years,” said Wilkins. “We have strengthened our
network of 4,000 libraries and increased their
ability to cooperate and work together to fulfill the
needs of citizens. We have responded to ever-changing
technological challenges and provided
libraries with new technological tools and
resources. I am confident our libraries will
continue to grow and prosper because of the hard
work and dedication of the entire Illinois library
community.”
A native of Anna-Jonesboro in Southern Illinois,
Wilkins currently lives in Pleasant Plains. She
joined the State Library in 1980 and obtained her
Master of Library and Information Sciences degree
from the University of Illinois at
Urbana/Champaign in 1985. Prior to becoming a
librarian she was a teacher in Illinois, Nebraska
and Colorado. She serves on the board of directors
of the Illinois Library Computer Systems
Organization and the Illinois Century Network,
and is a member of the library Vision and
Leadership Team. She and her husband, Joe, have
two children.
State Library Chief Deputy Director Mike Ragen
was named acting library director until Secretary
White names a replacement for Wilkins. Ragen has
served as chief deputy since 1999 and obtained his
Master of Library and Information Sciences degree
from the University of Illinois at
Urbana/Champaign in 2002.
January/February
in
this
issue
LibraryU
Reloaded
Kotlowitz
Featured Author
at Illinois Authors
Book Fair
Libraries Reach
Out to Spanish-speaking
Community
Science
Workshop for
Librarians
Jean Wilkins retires as State Library director
2005
Jesse White • Secretary of State & State Librarian
A Newsletter from the Illinois State Library
INSIGHT
Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin issued a proclamation at
Jean Wilkins's retirement reception declaring Dec. 17,
2004, Jean Wilkins Day.
Allen Lanham, president of the Illinois Library
Association, paid tribute to Jean Wilkins and presented
her with a plaque on behalf of the ILA.