Illinois
Libraries

Jesse White Secretary of State and State Librarian Jean E. Wilkins 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.

Fall 1999      Springfield, Illinois         Vol. 81 No. 4 Table of Contents Illinois State Library Annual Report: FY99 ....................................................   203 Small Town USA to Cyper-Town International ............................................................ Lisa Barnhart    210 The Boys and Girls of Summer: Baseball Theme Programming Tips to Catch Young Readers .............................. Paul Kaplan    214 Partners in Resource Access: Lincoln Trail Libraries System and OCLC ................................. Jan Ison and Pat Boze    218 Portrait of the Illinois Trustee Community ..............................H. Neil Kelley    222 Questions and Answers on Library Law: The Open Meetings Act, Part II ......................Scott Uhler, Janet Petsche and Rinda Allison   226 A Brief History of Gerber/Hart Library ............................... Michael McCaslin    228 A Location Guide to the General Land Office (GLO) Survey Plats ................................................. Tom Huber    232 Chinese Romanization in Library of Congress Cataloging ..............................Jiajian Hu       250 Guidelines for Illinois Libraries Manuscripts       252

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Illinois State Library Advisory Committee 1999

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
Vandella Brown East St. Louis Public Library	2002
Vickie Cook Kaskaskia Community College, Centralia	2002
Mary Dempsey The Chicago Public Library	2002
Eileen Dubin Dekalb	2002
David Dyer Elmhurst	1999
Dale Hoover Danville	2000
Jan Ison Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Champaign	1999
Mary Barb Johnson Lake Forest	1999
Deborah Johnson-Small Illinois Department of Human Services, Springfield	2002
Mary Kay Kickels Palos Hills	2000
Susan Lucco Lewis & Clark Library System, Edwardsville	2002
Robert Plotzke Rolling Prairie Library System, Decatur	1999
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

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Jesse White Secretary of State

Dear Friends,

The Illinois State Library's annual report is included in this issue of Illinois Libraries. It is always worthwhile to summarize the year's accomplishments and provide a lasting record. The year's activities were made possible with the collaboration of libraries, library systems and the State Library working together.

I am pleased with what we have accomplished in FY99 but particularly want to highlight the following:

• The first "Bring in an Expert" LSTA grants that enable libraries to benefit from professionals in fields such as local area networking, architecture, policy development and marketing.
• The new Penny Severns Early Childhood Grant Program, in honor of the late senator from Decatur.
• The Illinois Authors Web site that provides information on hundreds of our state's authors.
• The appointment of Jean Wilkins as the new State Library director and leader of Illinois libraries.
• The 9 percent increase in grants that were processed by the State Library during the fiscal year.
• The partnership with the Washington State Library and others to address electronic access to state documents.

I look forward to working with you during fiscal year 2000 in further expanding and enhancing library service into the new millennium. As the report reveals, by working together we can accomplish a great deal.

Sincerely, JESSE WHITE Secretary of State and State Librarian

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Preface

Kathleen L. Bloomberg

Three articles by Illinois State Library staff members are included in this issue of Illinois Libraries, following the three articles in the summer issue. Neil Kelley's article provides an informative profile of Illinois library trustees - their backgrounds and interests. With thousands of public library trustees serving public libraries, the article, based on a 1998 survey, gives us a close-up look at these people who serve such important roles in the library community.

Michael McCaslin from our Chicago office offers an in-depth view of the development of one of the ILLINET libraries in Chicago. Similar articles on other libraries in the network would give readers a greater understanding of the breadth of libraries that comprise ILLINET. I urge you to submit a profile of your ILLINET library for a future issue.

A resource guide to General Land Office survey plats also is included, thanks to the work of Tom Huber from the State Library's Public Services staff. Tom's article addresses one of the many types of maps available in the State Library's map collection. The extensive collection contains more than 180,000 sheet maps along with maps available electronically, on microform and in atlases.

Other articles cover topics such as the innovative approach to Internet access for the central Illinois town of Gridley, made possible through an LSCA grant, and ideas for library programs based on baseball themes.

As always, your contributions to Illinois Libraries are encouraged. Please feel free to contact me with your ideas for articles.

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