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Illinois State Library Annual Report: FY2000 Fiscal Year 2000 was a year of preparing for the new millennium with cutting-edge advances in library technology. It was also a year to celebrate the bicentennial of the Library of Congress, as well as the 10th anniversary of the Illinois State Library building. Consistent with our ongoing efforts to promote libraries and reading statewide, the Illinois State Library has strengthened initiatives to serve under-served areas, increased Internet access in libraries, promoted Illinois authors, provided access to the library's' Internet portal, "Find-It! Illinois," and continued support of the Illinois Library and Information Network. With the ever-present goal of assuring that libraries remain the keystones to knowledge for the next millennium, the Illinois State Library provided the following services in FY2000 that are highlighted in this Annual Report.
Jean Wilkins, Director Illinois
Promoting Libraries and Reading Under the leadership of Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White, Jean Wilkins, Illinois State Library director and Michael Ragen, newly-appointed chief deputy director, the State Library began a new millennium focused on advances in service and technology. Illinois Library Advocacy Day: The Illinois State Library was the rallying site for Illinois Library Advocacy Day on April 6, 2000. Secretary White welcomed several hundred librarians and library advocates. Following his remarks, he led participants across the street to the State Capitol. There, they met with legislators to discuss issues vital to Illinois libraries. The Illinois State Library, Illinois Library System Directors Organization, the Illinois Library Association and the Illinois School Library Media Association sponsored the day's events. Booked for Lunch: In partnership with the Illinois Center for the Book, the State Library launched a new program called "Booked for Lunch." Each month, an Illinois author was invited to speak at the State Library. The public was invited to bring a brown bag lunch, and coffee and cookies were provided. The program was supported by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council. Additional programs were held during February to mark Black History Month. Literary Landmarks: On July 21, 1999, in celebration of Ernest Hemingway's 100th birthday, Secretary White, in his dual role as State Librarian and chairman of the Illinois Center for the Book, presented a Literary Landmark plaque at Hemingway's birth home in Oak Park. The landmark project was co-sponsored by the Friends of Libraries U.S.A. and the Illinois Center for the Book. Book Passage: On October 17, 1999, the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Center for the Book (ICB) sponsored an evening cruise on Lake Michigan with Illinois authors. Before and after the cruise the authors signed books at Barbara's Bookstore on Navy Pier. During the cruise ICB President Eric Welch presented the Illinois Literary Heritage Award to Marianne Carus, president of Cams Publishing. This event was held during the Illinois Library Association Fall Conference in Chicago. Ameritech provided major support for the cruise. Illinois Authors Web Site: The State Library continued to add Illinois Authors to its Web site that now includes more than 850 authors, poets and playwrights of all genres. Users may download brief biographical information on their favorite Illinois authors, including the authors' notable works and their ties to Illinois. Illinois State Fair: The State Library's booth located in the Secretary of State's tent at the fair featured reading promotional giveaways, including pencils and bookmarks, literacy displays and an interactive CD-ROM game featuring television's Arthur the Aardvark. Exhibits and Special Events: King Statue Rededication Ceremony: Secretary of State Jesse White unveiled a new plaque at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. statue rededication ceremony, held on January 13, 2000. The bronze plaque sits on a marble base next to the existing statue and describes King's contributions to the state and country. Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 223 Black History Month: The work of several African-American artists, authors and sculptors were displayed in the library atrium during the month of February. The exhibit also featured displays of inventions by African-American inventors and entrepreneurs. Sangamon County WWII Veterans Display: The Illinois State Library provided a showcase for a local middle school history class project honoring Sangamon County WWII Army and Air Force veterans. The project listed those who served with a special recognition of those who perished during the war. This project was of particular value because it compiled information that replaced data lost from military records destroyed in a fire in St. Louis. 10th Anniversary Celebration: On June 20, 2000, The Illinois State Library marked the 10th anniversary of its the current building at Second and Capitol Streets in Springfield. A stirring ceremony led by Secretary of State Jesse White featured speakers, music and song. Sarah Long, president of the American Library Association, was the keynote speaker. Second-Day Issue Stamp: On Wednesday, May 10, 2000, the Illinois State Library held a commemorative stamp second-day issue event as part of the Library of Congress bicentennial celebration. Secretary White, State Library Director Jean Wilkins and James Mruck of the U. S. Postal Service unveiled a large poster of the special stamp. The stamp artwork featured the interior dome of the Library of Congress Reading Room. A unique envelope design, with a silhouette of Abraham Lincoln was available for sale exclusively from the State Library. A postal staff member sold and cancelled the stamps and envelopes. Publications: Six issues of the State Library newsletter. Insight, were distributed to a mailing list of more than 10,000 readers, and two issues of Illinois Libraries were sent to more than 5,000 subscribers. Two additions to the Special Report Series included the African-American Resource Guide and What My Library Means to Me, a collection of essays by Illinois library users to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Library of Congress. Four issues of Illinois Literacy were distributed to a mailing list of 11,000 readers. The newsletter covered literacy issues addressed by the Secretary of State's office. Web sites of note and a calendar of upcoming events. Additional literacy publications included: • The Guide to the Secretary of State Literacy Effort, an information booklet about Secretary of State funded literacy programs throughout the state. • Illinois Adult Learning Hotline number business card in Spanish, used to link prospective students with literacy programs. • FY99 Statistical Brochure, a small accordion-fold brochure with statistical information from final reports submitted by funded literacy programs. Press Releases: Thirty announcements pertaining to library issues and activities were distributed to media outlets statewide. Seven press releases on issues pertaining to the Literacy Office were released. Legislation: The State Library sought to enact House Bill 3229, which would have increased two per capita-based grants for public libraries and public schools. The legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 117-0-1. The bill was held in the Senate Rules Committee without further action. Following is a summary of HB3229 : Public library grants: Increases the library equalization grant program administered by the State Library (based upon a minimum property tax levy of 13 percent for library purposes) from $4.25 to $7.50 in Fiscal Year 2001. This grant program adds the requirement that a community must have a 10 percent poverty level to qualify for the grant. Public school grants: Increases from 75 cents to $1.25 per student the school library grants distributed by the State Library as provided for in the Illinois Library System Act (75 ILCS 10/8.4). Improving Library Services Statewide Educate & Automate Grants: More than $1.6 million was awarded to Illinois libraries in January 2000 to purchase computers and other technology and to establish a new grant program for libraries to provide assistive technology for patrons with disabilities. The State Library received more than 700 applications for this annual competitive grant program. A total of 595 grants were awarded in the following categories: • "Fast Start" - 262 grants awarded ($181,957) • Assistive Technology - 195 awarded ($431,113) • Internet Access - 44 awarded ($81,046) 224 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 • New Local Area Networks (LAN) - 50 awarded ($542,798) • Expanded LAN - 44 awarded ($380,120) Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants: More than $13 million in per capita grants was shared by 627 public libraries in FY2000. Thirty-one of the libraries shared an additional $201,896 in equalization aid for communities with a property tax base of less than $4.25 per capita. School Library Grants: School libraries across Illinois were awarded a total of more than $1.3 million through the School Library Grant program. The program benefited more than 1.8 million Illinois students. School districts used the funds for a variety of projects, from supplementing their library collections to initiating new programs and services. Construction Grants: The Subcommitteefor Public Library Construction met on December 3, 1999, in Springfield to consider 55 applications for "Live & Learn" construction grants. Total grant requests totaled $9,105,351, with $4 million available. The subcommittee recommended funding the following 28 grants:
The subcommittee believed the 28 applications recommended for funding represented the best of the applications when all factors were considered. Secretary White notified the successful applicants on January 18, 2000, and contracts were signed in March. Library Services and Technology Act Grants (LSTA): More than $4 million from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services was awarded to all types of Illinois libraries. LSTA grant categories included the following: • Year Long - 42 grants awarded ($844,208) • Teen Reading - 25 grants awarded ($379,618) • Bring in an Expert - 251 grants awarded ($745,514) • Marketing - 112 grants awarded ($72,677) • Book Start - 267 grants awarded ($351,649) • Book Start for the New Millennium - 742 grants awarded ($742,000) • Equipment to Books - 500 grants awarded ($1,000,000) Library & Information Science Training Grants: Fifteen students pursuing graduate degrees in Library and Information Science received grants of $7,500 each in FY2000. Grant recipients are required to work for two years at an eligible ILLINET library or the Illinois State Library upon completion of the master's degree program. Small Public Library Management Institute: The 7th annual institute was held in June 2000 for nearly 50 public library directors, mostly from small libraries. Sessions in library management, laws and legislation, policies, intellectual freedom and grant writing were offered at the weeklong institute held at Western Illinois University in Macomb. The university awarded continuing education units to the attendees. A fed- Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 225 eral grant, administered by the Illinois State Library, funded the institute. Institute for School and Public Librarians: The 5th annual institute was held in June 2000 at Bradley University in Peoria. Fifty librarians from across the state attended. Programs and activities focused on basic skills and knowledge needed to improve services in small- and medium sized public and school libraries. Attendees were awarded continuing education units from Bradley University. The annual institute was funded by a federal grant administered by the Illinois State Library. Delivery Task Force: A 14-member task force was set up to review the future of delivery services, deliberate the issues and bring a final recommendation to the State Library. The committees suggested compiling delivery statistics twice a year and developing an ongoing education component for library staffs and the public. Electronic Resources: Building on six years of providing OCLC's FirstSearch to the 4,000 ILLINET-member academic, public, school and special libraries, the Illinois State Library enhanced and expanded electronic resource offerings in FY2000. FirstSearch included 16 databases offered the previous year, with one database. Newspaper Periodicals, cancelled to offer a more specific news database called NewsIllinois, described below. In response to requests for a database featuring Illinois news articles, the State Library worked with NewsBank, a library vendor, to develop a new product, NewsIllinois. This database provides access to news articles relating to Illinois and compiled from Associated Press files, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Decatur Daily Herald and the Springfield State Journal Register. NewsIllinois was made available to all ILLINET-member academic, public and school libraries. Following Illinois' lead, similar state news article products have been developed or are in development by other states. NoveList, a fiction reader's advisory database first offered in FY99 to 780 academic, public and school library buildings, expanded to 1,000 library buildings. By December, the offering was "sold out," and there were more than 100 libraries on the waiting list at the end of the fiscal year. Enhancements included the addition of Illinois-developed fiction readers advisory materials and the drafting of a Readers Advisory 101 multimedia package that will be available to all ILLINET member libraries participating in the NoveList offering. Electronic Resource Opportunity: In spring 2000, the Alliance of Library Service Networks (15 regional OCLC offices around the country) offered six electronic resource products to libraries that were members of those regional networks. Because the State Library does not accept money to broker products other than OCLC, the State Library partnered with the Missouri Library Network Corporation to make the electronic resource opportunity available to ILLINET-member libraries. OCLC: Outreach broadened in FY2000 with a redefined marketing strategy aimed at public and school libraries with low FirstSearch statistics; 69 workshops in five subject areas; full-or selective-user profiling of all ILLINET and OCLC libraries as part of the Virtual Illinois Catalog project; two active electronic lists to facilitate communication with ILLINET OCLC library staffs; and support for the 16 OCLC FirstSearch databases. ILLINET Network Advisory Council: The role of the ILLINET Network Advisory Council (INAC) grew in its second year. An INAC adhoc group, the Fiscal Partnerships Work Group (FPWG), developed recommendations regarding electronic resource purchases and policies and submitted them to the director of the Illinois State Library. INAC reflected the diversity of the Illinois library community through its membership. E-Partners of Illinois: For the first time, the Illinois State Library brought together representatives from all the library consortia in the state to address the issue of electronic resources. Invited guests included directors, chairs or presidents of consortia and regional library systems in the state involved or interested in electronic resources and members of the ILLINET Network Advisory Council. From the first meeting came suggestions for an electronic mailing list, established by the State Library soon after the initial February meeting, and a Web site detailing consortial electronic resource activity. Total involvement in E-Partners numbered more than 50 individuals at the end of the fiscal year. OCLC Article on Illinois: An article in the OCLC newsletter, distributed internationally to libraries, described the cooperative, ongoing history of the Illinois State Library and the Illinois library community. "Illinois Promotes Equal Access to Libraries Through Partnership," the feature article of a section on 226 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 consortia, appeared in the May/June issue. Beginning with historical background, the article emphasized the ILLINET/OCLC office, statewide resource sharing through interlibrary loan and delivery, ILLINET Online, the Virtual Illinois Catalog, Illinois Government Information, Illinois State Library-provided access to FirstSearch for ILLINET member libraries. Serials of Illinois Libraries Online, Libraries Very Interested in Sharing and the ILLINET Network Advisory Council. Vendor Fairs: The Illinois State Library, NILRC and the Chicago Library System (CLS) co sponsored the 3rd annual Information Services Vendor Fairs. Ten electronic resource vendors were featured. In late January, the first day's activities were at the Illinois State Library, using a wireless network awarded to the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges through an Illinois State Library grant. The second day was hosted by the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. More than 150 librarians from multi-type libraries attended the sessions, with registration available for the first time via the Vendor Fair Web site developed by the three sponsors. The Web site is hosted by CLS and will be developed into a vendor portal that will work in conjunction with the Illinois State Library's E-Partners' Web site. Assistive Technology Vendor Fairs: Sponsored by the Illinois State Library, the fairs were held across the state in fall 1999. Vendor exhibits demonstrated state-of-the-art assistive technology for use in local libraries. The products were beneficial to people with physical, hearing and/or sight impairments and included adaptive technology for computers, software and furniture to suit the physical and working requirements of the library user. ILLINET Interlibrary Loan Code: A committee of interlibrary loan practitioners, appointed by the State Library director, undertook the first re-write of the ILLINET Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Code since 1993. Addressing the technology revolution and its impact on libraries and their interlibrary loan functions, the committee wrote the 2000 version to reflect current practices. The ILL Loan Code grew from six pages to 10, expanding the glossary and adding a bibliography. The committee also finalized a drastically revised interlibrary loan statistics form. The old form was created in 1992 with the specific goal of evaluating system involvement in interlibrary loan transactions. Both this form and the ILL Loan Code were revised during meetings conducted using interactive videoconferencing, or VTEL, with the exception of the first meeting, which was face to face. Illinois Talking Points: At the request of the Secretary of State Jesse White's Speakers Bureau, the Library Development Group staff wrote a 13-page review explaining aspects of the Illinois State Library and the Illinois library community, as background information for presentations. New System Director Orientation: In response to the appointments of two new regional library system directors in FY2000, the Illinois State Library developed a "new directors orientation." New directors are invited to the State Library to spend a day with staff, gather information and meet key individuals. Family Reading Night: "Read Together, Grow Together" once again was the theme for the annual bilingual reading campaign that encourages families to read together at home. Illinois artist Jeff Camehl created the artwork for nearly 3 million posters, bookmarks, brochures, postcards and stickers that were distributed by Illinois schools, libraries and literacy programs in celebration of the event on November 18, 1999. Parents of nearly 500 babies born on Family Reading Night received books as gifts from Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White. Read for a Lifetime: Geared toward encouraging lifelong reading habits in high school students, the program recently completed a second successful year. To complete the program, students must read any four books from a list of 25 titles of both classic and contemporary literature. At the end of the school year, 991 students representing 51 Illinois high schools received certificates of achievement from Secretary of State Jesse White, along with a discount coupon from Read for a Lifetime co-sponsor, Waldenbooks. Teleconferences: Three teleconferences were produced by State Library staff and beamed via satellite to librarians and trustees. Each teleconference was available at sites throughout Illinois. Several other states also downlinked the broadcasts. Topics included: • That's It! Find-It! Illinois, VIC and IGI: What's in it for You - November 1999 • Obtaining Health Information for You, Your Patrons, and Your Library - December 1999 • Connecting Library Learning Communities: Opportunities for the Future - January 2000 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 227 Distance Learning: In the interest of saving time and unnecessary travel, library staff utilized the interactive videoconferencing system (VTEL) for training, committee meetings, system board meetings and other meetings. More than 126 VTEL sessions, point to point or via bridge (more than two sites involved), filled the calendar in FY2000. ILLINET/OCLC staff made particularly good use of VTEL to do numerous distance learning workshops. Project Next Generation: Nine public libraries were designated "charter sites" to launch the program geared toward at-risk junior-high aged student. These included Bloomington Public Library, Marrowbone District Public Library (Bethany), Carlinville Public Library, Chicago Public Library - Kelly Branch; Chicago Public Library - Portage Cragin Branch, Elmwood Park Public Library, Rockford Public Library, Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District (Virden) and Quincy Public Library. With the charge to use technology, mentoring and the public library to make a difference in the lives of at-risk junior-high aged students, each Project Next Generation site expanded the basic program to fit the unique needs of students in their program. A few of the activities happening around the state included: • Virden's Grand Prairie of the West Public Library stressed the importance of completing school homework by making this a requirement of all participating students. The positive outcome was demonstrated as grades improved, often from failing to passing. • Carlinville Public Library students worked in groups of three to create Power Point presentations. This task required agreement by everyone in the small workgroup on all that was included in the presentation. Beyond the creative presentations, the outcome was teamwork, cooperation and a lesson in working together. • Bloomington's students were responsible for a Web site that details some of the history of the Bloomington area. The Web site is being displayed on the city's Sesquicentennial Home Page with credits to the students. • Quincy students wrote poetry using wireless keyboards, took pictures with digital cameras and had a "Poetry Slam" night where they read their work at an open microphone in front of an audience. • Over the summer, students in Bethany have been teaching their newly learned library technology skills to senior citizens. • Elmwood Park students worked in three groups to solve a riddle scavenger hunt around the library grounds. The students ran from clue to clue taking pictures with their digital cameras, and later used computers to create Power Point presentations that were judged by library staff. • Rockford students created floor-to-ceiling murals. With an outline of themselves as the center of the mural, each student used pictures taken with digital cameras to represent their interests, heroes and feelings. • The Chicago Public Library - Kelly and Portage Cragin Branches began their summer programs in June 2000. Communication tools such as the Web-based Discussion Board and e-mail evaluation surveys were employed to facilitate interaction with project sites and mentors. Technology tools provided to local libraries in the grant program included computers, scanners, color printers, Web digital cameras, electronic rocket books and digital image cameras for snapshots. Software provided in the grant included the Microsoft Office 2000, Timeliner, Diaroma Designer, Print Shop and Map Maker. National Recognition of "Bring in an Expert": In November 1999, the Institute of Museum and Library Services brought participating libraries together in Washington, DC to discuss the Library Services and Technology Act grant program. During the meeting the Illinois State Library received considerable national praise for the innovative "Bring in an Expert" grant offering. The grant allowed libraries throughout the state to hire an "Illinois expert" in a variety of areas. Areas included, but were not limited to, technology, storytelling, architecture and design, computer training, team building and policy development. Gates Library Initiative: The Bill & Melinda Gates Library Foundation notified the State Library in late September 1999 that Illinois had been approved for a State Partnership Grant Program. With this award, Illinois public libraries serving communities with more than 10 percent of the population at or below the poverty level will be eligible to apply for Gates grants that encompass computer start-ups, writing and technical support. The preliminary implementation schedule will begin in February 2001 and continue through August 2002. Administrative rules: Rules for the new Penny Severns Family Literacy Grant Program were adopted. 228 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 Rules for the Construction Grant program were amended. Providing expanded access to information for state government officials and employees: Public Services Summary: The Illinois State Library public services statistical summary for FY2000 included: • General Reference questions 13,762 • Map Library reference questions 3,659 • Patent & Trademark Depository Library reference questions 2,900 • INFORM Service-patrons served 1,697 • Circulation 16,964 • Interlibrary loans sent to other 7,326 libraries (materials & photocopies) • Remote requests sent to ILCSO 5,773 libraries • Interlibrary loans borrowed from 1,927 other libraries (materials and photocopies) Reference: The reference staff worked with the State Board of Elections in promoting public access to candidate petition filing information via public access workstations during the January 2000 filing period for various elected offices. An extensive bibliography of the Illinois county histories in the State Library's collection was published in the Spring 2000 issue of Illinois Libraries. An orientation was held for state government interns. Visitors from Russia and Japan and students sponsored by the University of Illinois Mortenson Center for International Library Programs toured the library. Federal and state documents programs: Staff accompanied representatives from the Federal Depository Library Program on inspections of federal documents libraries in northern Illinois. The Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries was completed. Illinois State Library Chicago office: Reference service for state employees in Chicago resumed during the year, following a reprieve of several years. A basic print reference collection, augmented with electronic resources, was purchased for the information center. Two public access workstations were also installed on the 5th floor in the Secretary of State office in the James R. Thompson Center. Patent and Trademark Library: During FY2000, 4,308 patents were issued to Illinois residents (out of a total of 170,265 total patents). The Patent Library assisted prospective patent-holders by telephone, fax and in-person. The first patents issued in DVD format were received with DVD computer equipment from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office. During the year, many requests were received about applying for a patent under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. One of the independent inventors using the library continued his development of equipment being pursued by NASA/airplane manufacturers. Staff members participated in a week-long training session held by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and attended a meeting of the Federal Depository Library Council. State Library Patent Librarian, Jane Running began her term as president of the Patent and Trademark Library Association. Maps: Additions to the collection included land ownership maps from the Library of Congress and Illinois topographic maps from the St. Louis Public Library. The consulting engineering firm of Crawford Murphy & Tilly, Inc., conducted a needs assessment for implementation of a Geographic Information System program for the Map Library. A new GIS computer was received to comply with the U.S. Government Printing Office specifications for cartographic use of federal depository CDs. A locator guide to General Land Office survey plats owned nationwide was developed by Tom Huber and published in Illinois Libraries. Map Librarian Arlyn Sherwood Booth's article, "Enhancing Maps in the OCLC Map Format," was published in Classification and Cataloging Quarterly. More than 675 maps received preservation treatment. On the Front Lines Conference: More than 250 librarians registered for the State Library's third annual "On the Front Lines" conference. Three days of continuing education programs in March, held at the University of Illinois at Springfield, focused on reference, technical services and interlibrary loan. New electronic resources: To expand reference services, the State Library entered into licensing agreements for the following electronic resources: • Declassified Documents Reference System - U.S. • Commerce Clearing House Tax Research Network • Biography Resource Center • Contemporary Authors • Biography & Genealogy Master Index • Grain's Chicago Business Archive • Ulrich's Online Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 229 • Congressional Quarterly's CQ Researcher and CQ Weekly • CIS History Universe: African-American Studies Through the Illinois Digital Academic Library program, statelibrary staff and patrons received free access to periodical indexes and full-text articles through EBSCOHost and EBSCO Health Source Plus and 1,500 electronic books from netLibrary. ILLINET Online: The acquisitions and serials control module for the consortial online catalog was activated for FY2000. Full audit control of ordering and fund accounting became available along with real time notification and information of newly-received issues of magazines and journals. State Library staff participated in a number of committees for the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization, the governing organization for the ILLINET Online database. Committee participation included the Policy Council, Systems Assessment Task Force, Governance Committee, Bylaws Committee and the Electronic Resources Committee. Illinois Authors Collection: Fifty-two books were purchased for the collection with Illinois Center for the Book funds. Purchased first editions written by authors whose names are engraved on the State Library building frieze include: • Bronze Wood, by Carl Sandbag • Lose with a Smile, by Ring Lardner • Broken Necks, by Ben Hecht Interlibrary loan: During the year, requests for materials in the State Library's collection were received from a number of libraries outside the United States, including Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Universita 'di Venezia-Ca'Bemardo in Italy, the Russian Institute of Scientific and Technical Information and Seoul National Library in Korea. Continuing education for reference staff: Weekly continuing education programs for reference staff were implemented. Staff members are taking turns in presenting programs on reference resources, both print and non-print. National conferences: Staff members participated in a week-long training session held by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and attended a meeting of the Federal Depository Library Council. Staff also attended the Black Caucus of the American Library Association meeting and national meetings for state document coordinators and E-rate coordinators. Promoting Automation & Technology Find-It! Illinois: Find-It! Illinois brings Illinois information into one convenient Web site. New services are continually added on the foundation of the two primary components. The Illinois Government Information (IGI) site searches state government electronic documents, and the Virtual Illinois Catalog (VIC) makes it possible to search holdings of hundreds of Illinois libraries, http://www.library.sos.state.il.us/ The Illinois State Library received an Institute of Museum and Library Science grant to the Washington State Library for replicating Find-It! Washington in other states. The Steering Committee for Find-It! Illinois met twice in FYOO. Members of the Steering Committee were selected for their ability to represent the needs of constituent groups in Illinois. A state agency Webmaster electronic mail list was created in October to promote communication between state Webmasters and the library. On October 19, 1999, Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White joined State Library Director Jean Wilkins for the ribbon cutting and kick-off for Find-It! Illinois, VIC and IGI at the Illinois Library Association annual meeting at Navy Pier in Chicago. The services were demonstrated for this large gathering of professional librarians who were encouraged to use the Web services as well as to spread the news to their patrons. VIC was developed in collaboration with the regional library systems. State Library staff facilitated efforts with the library system technology consultants in addressing Z39.50 standards for interoperability between databases. The Governor's staff adopted Find-It! Illinois as the State of Illinois search engine. Their Web document template will incorporate Illinois GILS metadata according to Illinois State Library recommendations. The governor's office provided contact information for all of the Webmasters under its jurisdiction. Communications and training in Illinois GILS will reach Webmasters in both the governor's and Secretary of State offices, which includes approximately 80 percent of the state Web page creators. Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant (IMLS): In October 1999, the Illinois State Library was awarded a 1999 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. More than 50 libraries, museums, institutions of higher learning and related organizations nationwide shared more 230 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 than $10 million for exemplary initiatives. The State Library was awarded a two-year grant of $390,385 for Find-It! Illinois. Two contract employees were hired with grant funds. The digitizing coordinator will set standards for scanning both in-house and out-sourced, plan and oversee digitizing paper state documents for Web access, and implement training for librarians and state agency employees in digitizing. The outreach coordinator will organize, plan, and conduct the marketing and training efforts for both agencies and the general public to accelerate the visibility, quality and use of Find-It! Illinois. Training began for Web administrators at the Comptroller's office, the Attorney General's office, Illinois State Board of Education, General Assembly leadership and the It. governor's office. The State Library's Division of Librarian Automation and Technology (LAT) took the lead among state GILS programs in the area of a subject thesaurus. The IMLS grant funds allowed the purchase of a custom thesaurus tailored to government needs. The thesaurus provides a common vocabulary of subject terms to improve searching precision and comprehensiveness. A contract was also received to write syntax rules for the subject thesaurus. A LAT representative attended the National Online Meeting in New York City and gave a presentation on writing specifications for digital library hardware and software. Batchloading: LAT has been working closely with a vendor. The MARC of Quality, to minimize costs, facilitate complete and accurate holdings statements in WorldCat, and to improve the quality of records with the library system online catalogs. This project brings Illinois libraries into compliance with the OCLC contract and improves the availability of library materials through interlibrary loan. The following Library System's Local Library System Automation Program (LLSAP) database holdings were successfully batchloaded into OCLC WorldCat:
• Alliance Library System
As a result of the batchloading, more than 4 million holdings have been added to OCLC WorldCat. Additionally, 637 new Illinois libraries have become full OCLC cataloging members. An additional 750 libraries were also authorized to use OCLC for their interlibrary loan activity. Interface to Electronic Resources: A new gateway/interface to the electronic resources was developed for use in the Illinois State Library reference Room. Designed primarily as a menu for the public workstations in the Reference area, the new gateway offers a one-stop access point for library patrons and staff to numerous resources. A menu option for browsing the databases by subject area was provided, along with full descriptions of each database. Hardware and Software: Spectrum and Traverse software was installed on the computers in the Division for Library Administration. Spectrum is fund accounting software, tracking activity of grant funds as well as internal budget categories. Traverse is used for OCLC accounts. This software expedites the processing and record-keeping involved with invoicing individual libraries in the ILLINET network for OCLC services. Software upgrades were also completed in Outlook 2000, Internet Explorer, Office 95 and Office 97 that involved converting files and approximately 150 databases. Hardware needs were also addressed. • No disruptions occurred due to Y2K because of upgrades on about 125 PCs. • The Blind and Physically Handicapped Library cabling needs were assessed and specified. • The server and software for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library arrived and configuring began. • A wireless network system capable of interconnecting 10 devices was purchased. Government Information Clearinghouse: Anne Craig was appointed to represent the state GILS group in the Information Clearinghouse in Washington, D.C. The clearinghouse is part of Vice President Gore's Reinventing Government Initiative. It is encouraging governmental units to adhere to information standards in the interest of interoperability. Illinois Century Network: The Illinois Century Network awarded a $150,000 grant to the Illinois Digital Academic Library and the Illinois State Library. The funds will be used to provide digital library content to the schools, museums and libraries served by the network. Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 231 Technology & Telecommunications Working Group: Illinois State Library Director Jean Wilkins appointed 15 people statewide to a new Technology & Telecommunications Working Group. The group discussed telecommunications issues, including the implementation of the new Illinois Century Network. Telecommunications Discounts: Funding commitment announcements by the federal Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service were made in late 1999 for the second year of E-rate discounts. Year three funding commitments began in late spring 2000. The Illinois State Library reviewed and certified technology plans prepared by library systems, other library consortia and public libraries as part of the application process. During the year, the State Library received news on its funding commitments under the program: $64,673 for year two (July 1999-June 2000) and $72,821 for year three (July 2000-June 2001). Promoting Improved literacy skills for Illinois citizens Community Literacy Grants: The community/volunteer literacy program provided grants for direct service to adults reading below the ninth-grade level, including those for whom English is a second language and those in correctional settings. Grants of $4.9 million were awarded to 103 community-based literacy organizations statewide. Year-end statistics show that 36,930 students were served by 15,428 volunteers during FY2000. To encourage the emergence or development of adult literacy services in unserved or underserved areas of Chicago, three planning grants were awarded to agencies that agreed to partner with successful current grantees. Each developing agency received $4,800, and each mentoring agency received $2,000 to complete a five-month observation and continuing education process. This program also sponsored the Spotlight on Achievement and Spotlight on Service Awards given annually in May to 10 outstanding students or families 10 volunteer tutors. Community Provider Staff Development: Grantees and potential applicants were provided technical consulting assistance through: • Circulating staff and program development resource collections, • Program development workshops in Chicago, • Network Notes, a monthly newsletter and calendar for grantees. Family Literacy Grants: The Family Literacy Grant Program provided cooperative grants to libraries, adult literacy providers and child-at-risk agencies to enable parents and children to learn to read, use the library together and enrich education for each other. A total of $1,382,962 funded 44 family literacy projects involving more than 3,616 adults and children. The 44 family literacy projects each received a collection of 32 books to support their activities. These books included topics such as parenting, interactive activities and books on adult learning theory. Six planning grants totaling $33,800 were awarded for agencies to work with six experienced mentor agencies, to learn how to run an effective family literacy project. Grants of $1,000 each were awarded to 155 libraries to buy reading material for adult new readers. These materials, at a lower level of difficulty or in another language, provide new adult readers with a variety of reading materials from the library. Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy Program: For the second year, a special appropriation by the General Assembly in honor of the late Senator Penny Severns of Decatur was granted to the Illinois State Library to provide $250,000 to fund summer family literacy programs for low-literate families. Of the 115 applications received, 72 grants were awarded. Additional funds from community and family grant programs were also used for a total of $282,896 awarded. Hand-held fans were produced for the Illinois State Fair and Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy Programs to promote reading and related activities. Workplace Skills Enhancement Grants: Sixty-seven businesses were awarded a total of $601,371. Businesses matched this grant amount with more than $1.27 million. Collectively, the grant recipients assessed and/or instructed 1,979 employees in reading, writing, math and/or communication skills. Making Work Pay Grants: Eight businesses were awarded a total of $340,000 and trained 161 new employees. The businesses were required to hire new employees and partner with educational providers to develop and deliver relevant training to assist the new hires in successful employment. Eligible activities included employability, basic and technical skills training. Businesses were required to match public funds by 232 Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000
50 percent and employ individuals for a minimum of 12 weeks. New Chapters Program: Programs at 19 domestic violence shelters serving 1,334 adults and 1,276 children were awarded $350,000 to provide literacy services onsite. In addition to the grants, vouchers to purchase books, a computer and nine pieces of commercial CD-ROM software were distributed to all grantees. Types of services provided included: classroom instruction, tutoring and computer assisted instruction, child care, parent/child activities, library services, transportation, job search skills, referrals for special services, journal writing workshops, recreational activities, outside education programs, life skills workshops, payne learning needs inventory, payment of GED test fees and parenting skills. Technology for Family Literacy: CD-ROM grants were awarded to 224 libraries, literacy agencies and child agencies. Grant recipients received nine instructional CD-ROM software packages for use by families and an instructional manual for students to use with the CD-ROMs. Literacy Office staff trained first-year recipients to use the technology for parent/child activities. Special Services Services to the Visually and Physically Impaired: Illinois' Talking Book Centers served more than 23,000 patrons and circulated more than 873,174 cassettes, Braille magazines and descriptive videos to their patrons. State grants to the Illinois Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, subregional Talking Book Centers, Radio Information Services and Newsline totaled more than $2.7 million in FYOO. Newsline Network: In the third year of service, Newsline Network provided more than 7,000 visually or physically impaired registrants with daily access to the Chicago Tribune, USA Today and the New York Times. Using a touch-tone phone, Newsline gives each reader options and control over the time of day and what individual newspaper articles are accessed. The only cost to the reader is the telephone call made from the reader's phone to the nearest of 11 Newsline service centers statewide. Illinois Libraries, Fall 2000 233 |
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