Insight

              INSIGHT
A Newsletter from the Illinois State Library • May/June 2000
J E S S E W H I T E • S E C R E T A R Y O F S T A T E A N D S T A T E L I B R A R I A N
Inside INSIGHT
School libraries share $1.3 million
Project Next Generation
Library Advocacy Day
  
Library of Congress second-day
stamp issue held at State Library
 
Secretary of State and State Li-brarian
Jesse White joined Springfield
Postmaster Donald Babb and James
Mruck, public affairs manager for the
Great Lakes region of the U.S. Postal
Service, in a commemorative postage
stamp second-day issue celebration
in honor of the Library of Congress’
bicentennial. The May 10 ceremony
was held in the Illinois Authors Room
in the State Library.
“We are proud to play such a sig-nificant
role in the celebration of bi-centennial
activities honoring the
Library of Congress,” said Secretary
White. “The library’s bicentennial
goal to inspire creativity in the cen-tury
ahead is shared by the Illinois
State Library and libraries throughout
the state.”
James Mruck, left, of the U.S. Postal
Service’s Great Lakes region, Secretary
of State Jesse White and Illinois State
Library Director Jean Wilkins
enthusiastically unveil the second-day
issue postage stamp commemorating
the Library of Congress’ bicentennial.
(see Stamp on page 2)
The FY2001 Illinois State Library
budget preserves the status of all
existing library programs and
provides additional funding for
various projects throughout the state.
“I am thankful that we were able
to secure $250,000 for our new
‘Project Next Generation’ program,
which will equip public libraries with
cutting-edge technology and training
for a mentoring program for at-risk
junior-high-aged youth,” said
Secretary of State Jesse White.” (See
page 3 for more information.)
Due to budget caps placed on all
Constitutional offices for FY2001,
Secretary White’s $2 million Illinois
Information Advantage program was
put on hold. The initiative would
have provided state funding for the
Internet and technology-based library
resources.
White wins
additional funding
in library budget
Stamp collectors, postal service
personnel, the library community
and the general public turned out for
the event, and a limited number of
the collectible, custom pictorial can-cellations
of the stamp was sold.
The stamp is an illustration of the
interior dome and arched windows
of the Main Reading Room in the Li-brary
of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson
Building. The first-day stamp issu-ance
ceremony was held there on
April 24.
The envelope design was cho-sen
by the State Library staff and ap-propriately
features Illinois’ most
celebrated figure, Abraham Lincoln,
and the Illinois State Library’s atrium.