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My Library Is…The Heart of Our School!

3 May 2023

Anonymous

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My Library is…the heart of our school: a space for all students, staff and community members and filled with something for EVERYONE….readers, scientists, engineers, friends and so much more!

My school opened its doors in August 2021 and while the library opened with an adequate supply of books, curated to meet the learning needs of our students, I want it to be so much more than that! As the heart of our school, I want it to not only be a space for learning, but also a space for creating, caring, relaxing and collaborating with peers. No matter the student’s interests or abilities,...

Grayslake North High School Library Transforms into a Creative Resource Community

13 April 2023

Stacy Palmisano

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During the pandemic, my workspace in a public high school transformed from a traditional book-centric library to an innovative makerspace community called The Hub. Removing our freestanding bookshelves made all the difference in lightening up this student space.

I alternately enjoyed and disliked the process since we went from downsizing our book collection by three-quarters (tough) to painting hexagons around the doors (easy). Fine-tuning the new furniture placement...

My Library Is… The world’s largest paper snowflake

3 April 2023

Stacy Palmisano

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In March 2022, students at Northern Illinois University created the world’s largest paper snowflake. It is forty-four feet six inches across and has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records! The NIU Libraries got in on the excitement with a special event in its honor. The library partnered with many people from across campus to display the snowflake, host a workshop for creating paper snowflakes, present talks by experts on snowflakes and weather, and highlight the library’s Science on a Sphere. See more about the event at...

Image credit: Jerseyville Public Library.

My Library is ... Bringing "Senior Storytime" to Local Assisted Living Facilities

9 March 2023

Beth Smilack

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The Jerseyville Public Library has been presenting Preschool Storytime for as long back as most staff members can remember. It is a program presented once a month where children ages 2-6 can gather at the library and have a story read to them, sing and dance along to some fun tunes and use their little hands to make a special craft. The children enjoy it so much and have a great time.

So, this got us thinking “why should kids have all the fun?”. There are several assisted living facilities in our small community with active senior citizens who for some reason or another are not...

Reminder: Applications for My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries Due March 2

20 February 2023

Dan Bostrom

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The application period for the My Library Is... Grants for School Libraries is open and runs through Thursday, March 2. In 2022, RAILS awarded $78,232.80 in My Library Is... Grants to 20 school libraries. These grants help recipients focus on projects that tell the library story and increase visibility and support for school libraries. For more information, please visit the My Library Is... Grant for School Libraries website.

My Library Is... Conversation with Dawn Scuderi

6 February 2023

Dan Bostrom

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My Library Is... Conversation with Dawn Scuderi

Celebrating Makerspace Success

26 January 2023

Maridsa Choute

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Makerspaces in libraries are great. While makerspaces allow people to get creative and discover new ideas for projects, using the new equipment can be daunting for those who are unfamiliar with it. That’s why The Workshop Lab at Palatine Library District created an easy and accessible way to introduce members to the new space.

This past holiday season at Palatine Library, members were invited to visit The Workshop Lab to make personalized gifts for generously low prices. The Holiday Gift Guide was designed to teach members how to maneuver the new equipment while creating...

Milner Library at Illinois State University

Tackling Textbook Affordability

3 January 2023

Stacy Palmisano

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When Illinois State University conducted a Textbook Affordability survey in the spring of 2019, it was clear there was a problem—one felt by institutions across the United States. The survey found that 73% of students did not acquire a textbook due to cost, 89% delayed purchasing a textbook or other materials, 69% reported purchasing a required material that the professor didn’t use, and 32% reported taking on credit card debt to purchase classroom materials. In response to these obstacles, Illinois State University’s Milner Library developed a plan to address textbook affordability by...

Objects printed at Illinois State University Milner Library

Sparking Creativity and Advancing Research with 3D Printing

29 December 2022

Stacy Palmisano

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3D printing was launched at Illinois State University’s Milner Library as part of our Make It Space initiative in the fall of 2018. Initial interest was strong, but our staff was flooded with requests after we moved the printer to a highly visible, publicly accessible space. Since then, we’ve had requests from students for everything from tuba mouthpieces for musicians in Illinois State’s marching band, The Big Red Marching Machine, to model wrens for use in doctoral research projects in the School of Biological Sciences (plus everything in between, such as mini Boba Fett figurines and...

Someone wearing a sweatshirt that says "I like you, but if zombies chase us, I'm tripping you."

Making a Makerspace: A Library-Win Fable

26 December 2022

Donna Forbis

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Once upon a time, there was a library nestled amid farm fields in Central Illinois. Now, this library was not big, but its patrons loved the library, and the library loved all the people that came to visit. The kind people who ran the library wanted to do everything they could to provide materials and services to their patrons that could not be found elsewhere.

One day, the library staff heard about makerspaces, places where patrons could come to be creative, making crafts, using tools they might not have at home, or gathering with other like-minded creative people. The library...

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