Illinois
Libraries

George H. Ryan Secretary of State and State Librarian Bridget L.Lamont Director, Illinois State Library Kathleen L. Bloomberg Editor Kristie Metrow Assistant Editor Editorial Policy ILLINOIS LIBRARIES is the official journal of the Illinois State Library. The purpose of ILLINOIS LIBRARIES is to disseminate articles of general interest to library staff and library governing officials in Illinois who represent all types of libraries and library consortia. Every effort is made to provide a balanced treatment of library-related issues. Articles are solicited that will address the interests of the publication's audience. Individuals are also encouraged to submit unsolicited articles for consideration. Articles are not limited to Illinois contributors, and guidelines for manuscript submission are available upon request. ILLINOIS LIBRARIES will not compensate authors for submitted or requested articles. The editor and/or the director of the Illinois State Library has the right to reject and/or edit articles before printing. Edited manuscripts and/or galley-proofs cannot be sent to individuals for approval. Published articles do not necessarily repreent the views of the Illinois State Libraryandthe Office of the Secretary of State. Articles from ILLINOIS LIBRARIES may not be reprinted without prior written permission of the Illinois State Library. Reprint of an article should include a credit to ILLINOIS LIBRARIES. For permission, contact Editor, ILLINOIS LIBRARIES, Illinois State Library, 300 South Second Street, Room 502, Springfield, IL 62701-1796. Telephone: (217) 785-0052. Internet; kbloomb@library.sos.state.il.us No advertisements are allowed in ILLINOIS LIBRARIES. Forms and other tear out sheets cannot be placed in ILLINOIS LIBRARIES due to postal regulations. ILLINOIS LIBRARIES is free of charge. Back issues, if available, are also free of charge. ILLINOIS LIBRARIES (ISSN 0019-2104; OCLC 1752654); publishes four issues yearly. (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) Published by the Illinois State Library, Room 502, Springfield, IL 62701-1796, Periodical postage paid at Springfield, IL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ILLINOIS LIBRARIES, Illinois State Library, 300 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701 1746.

Spring 1998      Springfield, Illinois         Vol. 80 No. 4 Table of Contents Illinois State Library Annual Report: FY98 ..........................................................    187 Thinking Like a Government Documents Librarian ......................Chuck Malone    199 Killing Us Softly ..................Susan Sussman, Paul Kaplan    204 Digitizing Legacy Documents: A Knowledge-Base Preservation Project .............................Beth Anderson, Rob Atkinson, Cindy Crego, Jean Slisz and Sara Tompson    211 Questions and Answers on Library Law: The Freedom of Information Act ...........................................Scott Uhler, Janet Petsche and Rinda Allison    220 Paths Towards Freedom: A Bibliography of the Underground Railroad .......................................Cheryl Goza Smith and Raymond L. Collins    222 Researching African-Americans: A Pathfinder For Exploring African-American Culture and History ................Raymond L. Collins    227 Distance Learning Takes a LEEP3 Forward .......................Mary Galligan    236 Evaluating Selected Full-Text Databases for Collection Development .....................................................Karen Whisler, Marlene Slough, Nackil Sung and Barbara Cressman     239 Guidelines for Illinois Libraries Manuscripts       249

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Illinois State Library Advisory Committee 1998

Name	Term Expires
Lydia Acosta Fountaindale Public Library District, Bolingbrook	2000
Ann P. Bishop Graduate Library School, University of Illinois, Urbana	1999
Doris Brown DePaul University, Chicago	1999
Barbara Burroughs Rock Falls	1998
David Dyer Elmhurst	1999
Pam Feather DuPage Library System, Geneva	1998
Dale Hoover Danville	2000
Jan Ison Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Champaign	1999
Mary Barb Johnson Lake Forest	1999
Mary Kay Kickels Palos Hills	2000
Robert Plotzke Rolling Prairie Library System, Decatur	1999
Jill Rodriguez Besenville Community Public Library District	1998
Fayne Tharp East St. Louis School District 189	1999
Robert Wedgeworth University of Illinois, Urbana	1999
Mary Wyly Newberry Library, Chicago	2000
Jane Yoder Waukegan Community Unit Schools, District 60	2000
Kathleen Zar University of Chicago	2000

Ex Officio Member
Pamela Gaitskill, President, Illinois Library Association
Mary Dempsey, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library

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The fall issue of Illinois Libraries marks the beginning of a new series of articles called "Questions and Answers on Library Law." Written by attorneys at Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd. in Chicago and Orland Park, the quarterly articles will focus on topics of interest to the Illinois library community. The first article addresses the Freedom of Information Act.

The attorneys at Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins have written articles in past issues of Illinois Libraries. The new format will address many pervasive questions posed by librarians, public library trustees and other library governing boards in an easy-to-read question and answer format. Your suggestions are welcomed for topics covered under this special series of articles.

Also in this issue, Illinois author Susan Sussman writes about Illinois mystery writers. Other articles include a bibliography on the Underground Railroad and a pathfinder on African-American history, both prepared by reference librarians at the Illinois State Library. Technology-related articles cover issues such as digitization projects, selecting full-text articles and distance learning.

As always, your contributions to Illinois Libraries are welcomed. Manuscript guidelines are included at the end of the issue. Feel free to contact me to discuss your ideas for articles.

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