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My Library Is... Blog

Image credit: Fox River Grove Public Library District.

Fox River Grove Library Unveils Grant-Funded Videos

Posted on December 9, 2020

The Fox River Grove Public Library District has created two videos to promote the Library and the Fox River Grove community. The videos were funded by the My Library Is… Grant from the Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System (RAILS). The videos are available on the Library’s YouTube channel, social media, and website, as well as the RAILS My Library Is... website.

3D Printer. Image credit: Altadena Library.

Recommendations for Makerspaces During a Pandemic

Posted on December 4, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed how patrons and library staff utilize and learn in makerspaces or within their maker communities. Beyond topics of public health and politics, this pandemic has shown the importance of the skills and sense of community that one may gain in makerspaces. A perfect example is masks and other PPE supplies.

Image credit: Lisle Library District.

The Festive Readers’ Advisory We Need Now: Teen and Adult Book Boxes

Posted on November 30, 2020

After Lisle Library’s Adult and Teen Focus Librarian, Noelle Spicher, started hearing about the success of teen book box programs in other libraries, she began crafting a procedure to try out the program at LLD and it went live in January 2020.

Reading Colors Your World.

SRP Already? Lessons from the Pandemic

Posted on November 16, 2020

Yes, it’s November. Yes, many of us are still recovering from the Summer Reading Program that wasn’t (or almost wasn’t). No, we don’t want to think about Summer Reading 2021, but like it or not, planning time is here.  Normally, libraries base their coming programs on participation and response rates of the program that just ended, but with a global pandemic raging, nothing is normal.

My Library Is... Campaign.

Announcing the My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries!

Posted on November 9, 2020

As part of the My Library Is… campaign, RAILS and AISLE are teaming up to offer up to ten $1,000 grants to help school libraries promote their value. My Library Is...

Title card from presentation.

Effective Library Marketing Campaigns

Posted on October 26, 2020

At the 2020 ILA Annual Conference, I had the privilege of co-presenting a program, Effective Library Marketing Campaigns, with two colleagues, Burgundy Hill from Quincy Public Library and Ann Reeves from Eureka Public Library District.

Junior Justice League Infographic.

Get Out the Vote at your Virtual Library

Posted on October 19, 2020

The Lincolnwood Public Library Junior Justice League, a community service club for 3rd-8th graders, works throughout the school year to highlight kids’ voices and interests to provide activism and agency. They choose the causes and projects to focus on - ranging from supporting animals in shelters to civic engagement.

My Library Is... Covnersation with Sasha Vasilic.

My Library Is... Conversation with Sasha Vasilic

Posted on September 30, 2020

RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom speaks with Sasha Vasilic, the Public Relations and Marketing Supervisor, Niles-Maine District Library about the Best. Deal. Ever. campaign. This campaign won the Niles-Maine District Library a John Cotton Dana Award from the American Library Association for excellence in library public relations and strategic communication.

The Impact of COVID-19 Related Closures on Library E-Content Usage.

How E-Content Bridged the Gap During Library Building Closures

Posted on September 24, 2020

When Illinois’s Stay at Home order went into effect on March 21, 2020 and public libraries were required to close their buildings, something happened. At RAILS we started to see a noticeable shift in user behavior on the eRead Illinois Axis 360 e-content platform. The number of holds being placed on items skyrocketed.

Image credit: Matteson Area Public Library District.

Virtual FanFests: Taking the Superhero Size Event into a Virtual Space

Posted on September 21, 2020

In 2019, the Matteson Area Public Library District organized its first comic-con event, MAPLD FanFest, in April. Initially, we weren’t sure  how our community would receive the idea of a FanFest. We hoped for at least 300 attendees but were pleasantly surprised that we had close to 1,000.