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ISL E-news

ISL E-news, Literacy
Literacy Spotlight: Morton College
February 6th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights Morton College in Cicero.

For the past year, an adult learner has been working one-on-one with her volunteer tutor through Morton College’s Project CARE. She has learned how to use e-mail and Facebook to communicate with her tutor, friends and family. She is also getting help with valuable life skills such as writing a resume, filling out online job applications and interviewing for jobs.

This adult learner has a long-term goal of taking Early Childhood Education classes to pursue a career working with young children. With the help of her tutor, she is studying to achieve a score on the college placement test that will allow her to take a developmental English class. She continues to work on a portfolio of her writing samples, and her tutor plans to put these into a book so the learner can see her progress over time. Both student and tutor look forward to her achieving her goal of working with young children.
Continuous Learning, E-Learning, ISL E-news
Upcoming State Library Services Webinars for State Employees
January 30th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?
The Illinois State Library has scheduled four 30-minute webinars to discuss ISL services for state employees this February. Topics include: Access to Print and Electronic Maps, Access to ISL Databases, Illinois Blue Books vs. the Illinois Digital Archives, and eBooks available through the ISL.

Reference librarians from the Illinois State Library will conduct the following webinars:
- Thursday, February 2, 9:30–10 a.m. Access to Print and Electronic Maps
- Thursday, February 9, 9:30–10 a.m. Access to Illinois State Library Databases
- Thursday, February 16, 9:30–10 a.m. Illinois Blue Books via the Illinois Digital Archives (IDA)
- Thursday, February 23, 9:30–10 a.m. Electronic books available from the Illinois State Library
To participate, please register here. Participants may register for more than one session. A confirmation e-mail with instructions will be sent to you. For further information, please contact the Illinois State Library at 217-558-1945 or e-mail Deb Aggertt at daggertt@ilsos.net.
Continuous Learning, ISL E-news
Monday Deadline for “On the Front Lines” Conference Scholarship Applications
January 27th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

The Illinois State Library’s highly acclaimed “On the Front Lines” conference for ‘front line’ library staff is returning March 12–14 at the University of Illinois Springfield. Registration and information is now available at L2.

Forty scholarships will be awarded to cover costs of the registration fee, conference supplied meals and a two-night hotel stay. The scholarship does not cover travel or incidentals. The deadline to submit scholarship applications is NEXT MONDAY, January 30.

Scholarship recipients will be announced in early February. Find the scholarship application here. For questions or comments, please email Gwen Harrison at gharrison@ilsos.net or call her at 217-785-7334.
ISL E-news, Literacy
Literacy Spotlight: Association House of Chicago
January 27th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights Association House of Chicago.

A teenage couple and their baby joined the high school family literacy program operated by Association House. The couple wanted to complete their high school education and the baby attended the child education program while both parents attended classes. The parents studied hard, attended class regularly and sought additional academic help and support from the child education program staff. Staff helped the parents study for tests, proofread papers and complete research projects. Both parents attended PACT time (Parents and Children Together) before and after school, and faithfully attended and participated in weekly parent education workshops.

Neither parent had ever been to a library before they began participating in the family literacy program. They are now library cardholders and attend the library on their own time. The mother graduated from high school last year, the first in her family to receive a high school diploma, and plans to work while attending college. The father will graduate this year.

They are both committed to ensuring that their daughter continues to learn throughout her life with their support. Learning has truly become a family affair.
General, ISL E-news, Literacy
Literacy Spotlight: Sauk Valley Community College
January 20th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon. A man in his early twenties was unemployed and struggled to fill out job applications. He contacted Project VITAL at the college and requested a tutor who could meet with him at the local library. When he began working with his tutor, he could barely write a simple sentence. After just six months of working two days a week with his tutor, he was able to get a job. He continues to improve his reading and writing skills and is planning to enroll in GED classes.
ISL E-news, Illinois State Library
FY 2011-2012 Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR)
January 13th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

The Illinois State Library is pleased to release the FY2011-2012 Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR) using the Bibliostat Collect software for data collection. Access IPLAR here.

To access the Bibliostat Collect site, you will need to know your library’s Illinois State Library User Name and Password. If you need assistance with your ISL User Name/Password, contact Becky Hunter, Illinois State Library, bhunter1@ilsos.net, 217-782-7849, or 1-800-665-5576 x1. You will also need Adobe version 6.0 or higher for PDF printing.

For questions regarding content/subject matter and edit checks, contact Robert Jones, Illinois State Library, rjones1@ilsos.net, 217-785-1168, or 1-800-665-5576 x1. For questions about software and technology issues, contact the Bibliostat Help Desk, 1-866-785-9935.
ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy
Literacy Spotlight: Robinson Public Library District
January 13th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights the Robinson Public Library District.

An adult learner entered the program at Robinson Public Library District with marginal literacy skills. He had been in special education classes, but dropped out of school during his freshman year. His attitude was one of defeat — he would seldom make eye contact, communicated little and had very little confidence in himself. The man attended tutoring sessions for a few months, but, unfortunately dropped out when he could no longer travel to classes.

After a year he decided to try again, and this time seemed more determined. During his year away, the man had looked for a job and was unable to obtain one because prospective employers told him he needed a GED. After working with a tutor, the man improved his reading and writing skills enough to begin studying for the GED test. After taking the GED test, he brought the results to the program staff to share his achievement. He had received a perfect score on the science test! Staff encouraged him to visit Lincoln Trail College to see what program might work for him. The man enrolled in a new program, Process Technology, and is now working as an intern at a local ethanol plant.
ISL E-news, Illinois State Library
Emerging Writers Competition Winners in Downstate Story Magazine
January 11th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

Congratulations to Janice Croom and Tacuma Roeback, two of the 2010 short story winners of the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition, who have had their winning entries published in the new edition of Downstate Story magazine.

The Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is an annual contest sponsored by the Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and the Illinois Center for the Book that provides an outlet for unpublished poets and short story writers. Roeback won for his short story, Catharsis/Cox, and Croom for her short story, Twenty-five Years is Silver.

The 2011 James Jones Short Story Award Winners are Paul Heitz of Elmhurst for his short story Water Music, Irene Sedeora of Morton for her short story Arenal, and Camille Bromley of Bloomington for her short story The World is Made of Hello and Goodbye.
Grants, ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy
Deadline Approaching to Submit Penny Severns Literacy Grant Application
January 10th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

Adult literacy providers and public libraries may apply for FY12 Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy Grants through February 1, 2012. The online grant application and instructions are available on the ISL website.

Applicants will need a control and branch number to access the application. Please email Jo Anne Hughes at jhughes@ilsos.net to obtain your agency’s numbers.
Continuous Learning, ISL E-news, Illinois State Library
“On the Front Lines” Conference Scholarship Applications Now Available
January 10th, 2012 | Permalink | Comment?

The highly acclaimed “On the Front Lines” conference for “front line” library staff, sponsored by the Illinois State Library, is returning March 12-14 to the University of Illinois in Springfield. Registration and information is now available at L2.

Forty scholarships covering the cost of the registration fee, conference supplied meals and a two-night hotel stay are being awarded. The scholarship does not cover travel or incidentals. The deadline to submit scholarship applications is January 30. Scholarship recipients will be announced in early February. You can find the scholarship application here.

For questions or comments, please email Gwen Harrison at gharrison@ilsos.net or call her at 217-785-7334.

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ISL E-news

ISL E-news, Literacy

Literacy Spotlight: Morton College

Continuous Learning, E-Learning, ISL E-news

Upcoming State Library Services Webinars for State Employees

Continuous Learning, ISL E-news

Monday Deadline for “On the Front Lines” Conference Scholarship Applications

ISL E-news, Literacy

Literacy Spotlight: Association House of Chicago

General, ISL E-news, Literacy

Literacy Spotlight: Sauk Valley Community College

ISL E-news, Illinois State Library

FY 2011-2012 Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR)

ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy

Literacy Spotlight: Robinson Public Library District

ISL E-news, Illinois State Library

Emerging Writers Competition Winners in Downstate Story Magazine

Grants, ISL E-news, Illinois State Library, Literacy

Deadline Approaching to Submit Penny Severns Literacy Grant Application

Continuous Learning, ISL E-news, Illinois State Library

“On the Front Lines” Conference Scholarship Applications Now Available