Illinois Bicentennial Programs in Princeville

Two hundred years ago on December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21^st state in the Union. The Illinois Bicentennial, now well under way, is a yearlong celebration of the people, places, things and events that have been born, built and grown in the state. In celebration, the Lillie M. Evans Library will be hosting two 1-hour programs in October 2018.  These programs will remind us of events that have shaped our past and impacted our rich and diverse history.

On Tuesday, October 16^th at 6:30pm, Sylvia Shults will present the program, Ghosts of the Illinois River. Be sure to join us as Sylvia gives an in-depth look at the Peoria State Hospital. Known as one of the most haunted places in Illinois, the haunted asylum is featured in many of her books.  Sylvia is a popular presenter in Central Illinois and is the author of several books, including Fractured Spirits: Hauntings at the Peoria State Hospital and 44 Years in Darkness.  

On Tuesday, October 30^th at 6:30pm, Tom Emery will present a program on the History of Illinois. Tom was a presenter during our popular Lincoln and the Constitution series in 2014. He is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville who has earned eleven awards from the Illinois State Historical Society.  His newest book, The History of Illinois, is a compilation of some of his newspaper columns and is intended to complement the state’s 200th anniversary. 

Want to learn still more about Illinois’ history?  The Illinois State Museum and the Illinois Association of Museums have developed a virtual exhibition titled The Story of Illinois: The Illinois Bicentennial Through Museum Objects. This exhibition consists of objects from the Illinois State Museum’s 13.5-million-object Illinois Legacy Collection along with objects from other Illinois museums.  The website is available online at http://story.illinoisstatemuseum.org/

Information about these programs and other LME Library events can be found on our website at http://lmelibrary.org. We hope you will explore, discover, and learn more about Illinois' unique history during this bicentennial year!

Story of Illinois from the ISM

ISM Launches “Story of Illinois” Website as Part of Illinois Bicentennial Celebration

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Museum (ISM) is highlighting artifacts that tell the story of Illinois’ rich heritage as part of the state’s Bicentennial celebration.

They partnered with the Illinois Association of Museums to launch the “Story of Illinois” website, featuring objects from the ISM Illinois Legacy Collection, as well as collections from other museums across the state that help bring the state’s heritage to life.

“The collections from museums in Illinois help tell the unique story of Illinois, from statehood 200 years ago and beyond,” said Illinois State Museum Interim Director Robert Sill. “The new ‘Story of Illinois’ website will allow anyone to go online and sample some of the best of Illinois history, art, culture, and science.”
The new website, built by the ISM, previews some objects that will be on display in the “Bicentennial and Beyond:  The Illinois Legacy Collection” exhibition, which will open at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield on June 30. 

“You will find some rare, quirky, and beautiful objects on the website, such as the Lone Ranger’s saddle used by Brace Beemer from the Wabash County Museum, a ceremonial war club used by the Potawatomi Indians from the Chicago History Museum, a painting by Illinois native and American Impressionist Ivan Summers from the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, and a photoelectric relay used at the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-34,” said Illinois Association of Museums President Karen Everingham. “Each item has its own story to tell.”

While Illinois became a state 200 years ago, the collections held by Illinois museums help tell a story of Illinois dating back approximately 500 million years.  From animals, fish, insects and plants to minerals, jewels, paintings, manuscripts, stone tools and fossils – the “Story of Illinois” website will feature some of the best artifacts and treasures from the collections of the participating museums.

Objects will be added to the website regularly during the celebration of the Illinois Bicentennial this year and promoted through the ISM Facebook page.
Find the website at this link: http://story.illinoisstatemuseum.org 

For more information on the Illinois Association of Museums:
http://www.illinoismuseums.org

For more information on the collections, programs and exhibitions of the Illinois State Museum:
www.illinoisstatemuseum.org

GED alternatives in January 2016

HiSet and TASC: Alternatives to the GED

Source: albertogp123, Flickr

Joining many other states, Illinois will offer adults alternative choices to the GED to earn their high school equivalency certificate in 2016.

These alternative exams are the HiSet (High School Equivalency Exam) and the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion). The announcement comes in response to the huge amount of adults who did not take or did not pass the GED in 2014 after the American Council of Education made major changes to the exam, increasing the cost to $120 and administering the test entirely on the computer.

According to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), the HiSet and the TASC exams should be less expensive to take than the GED and will be available in paper and computer-based formats.  Here's a table showing exam options from the ICCB.

Free practice tests for the GED, HiSet and TASC exams are available through the online resource Brainfuse.  Illinois Constitution study materials and practice review tests can be found online at Constitution Study Guide. 

$1,000 Prizes in “Dash for the Stash” Financial Literacy Program at LME Library!

Public libraries and other institutions in the District of Columbia and five states -- Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska -- will participate in the DASH for the STASH investor education/protection program and contest taking place April 15-May 15, 2015 as part of Financial Literacy Month. The Lillie M. Evans Library District in Princeville is one of the participating libraries.

Research shows that the four focuses of DASH for the STASH – financial fraud, building a nest egg, selecting financial advisers, and the cost of investment fees – are all topics about which many investors need to learn more. A DASH for the STASH winner in each state and the District of Columbia will be awarded $1,000 to open or add to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), thanks to the nonprofit Investor Protection Institute (IPI), the Connecticut Department of Banking, the District of Columbia (DC) Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking’s Securities Bureau, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Securities Department, the Iowa Insurance Division’s Securities Bureau, the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Securities Division, and the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance.

The DASH for the STASH contest works much like a scavenger hunt. But instead of collecting objects, players gather information and leave answers to quiz questions. To play, participants will go to participating libraries to find four posters. They will read each poster, access the quiz question and choose an answer. IPI President and CEO Don Blandin said: “Our goal is to impart some financial knowledge—in a fun way—on how to save, invest, and protect your nest egg. Everyone will learn something. Getting people to focus on investing for retirement is not a game, but DASH for the STASH is a great way to engage participants who might not otherwise pay attention to this crucial part of their overall financial picture.”

Research shows that millions of Americans would benefit from the financial literacy information featured in the DASH for the STASH program:

• Investment fraud costs billions of dollars each year. http://fraudresearchcenter.org/prevalence/) A survey conducted for the Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation (EIFFE) Prevention Program of the Investor Protection Trust (IPT) found that older Americans are particularly vulnerable to such abuses. One in five Americans aged 65 or older – more than 7.3 million senior citizens -- already have “been taken advantage of financially in terms of an inappropriate investment, unreasonably high fees for financial services, or outright fraud,” according to that survey. (http://investorprotection.org/downloads/EIFFE_Survey_Report.pdf)
• Most Americans don’t understand the difference between financial professionals. For example, more than three out of five American investors mistakenly believe that stockbrokers are investment advisers, according to a survey conducted for the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), AARP, the Investment Adviser Association, the Financial Planning Association, the CFP Board, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. (http://bit.ly/1Npodra)
• The impact of financial fees is something many investors need help to understand. About three in five Americans (62 percent) are unaware of how much they are paying in fees for their investment plans, and almost one-third (32 percent) report that they do not feel knowledgeable about the impact that fees could have on their retirement savings, according to an AARP survey. (http://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-02-2011/401k-fees-awareness-11.html). The impact of such fees can be substantial in the long haul. As the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) explains: “… if you invested $10,000 in a product with a 10 percent annual return before expenses and annual operating expenses of 1.5 percent, after 20 years you would have about $49,725. But if the investment had expenses of 0.5 percent, you would end up with $60,858 -- an 18 percent difference.” (http://investor.gov/investing-basics/guiding-principles/understanding-fees)
• Most Americans are not saving enough to build up a real nest egg. A CFA survey found that only 49 percent of non-retired Americans said they are “saving enough for a retirement in which you will have a desirable standard of living.” (http://www.consumerfed.org/news/644). The cost of not being prepared is significant since, over a lifetime, investors with a financial plan accumulate about 20 percent more wealth than those with no plan, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. (http://www.nber.org/papers/w8920)

 CONTEST RULES No purchase is necessary to play. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing of eligible participants who log the correct answer for all four posters. Winner will receive the prize as $1,000 to open or add to an IRA, sent directly to the winner’s bank or brokerage firm for the express purpose of opening or making a 2015 contribution to an IRA. Winner must provide proof of eligibility to contribute to an IRA for 2015 and will not receive cash, nor any other form of payment in lieu of the IRA contribution. For IRA eligibility, check www.IRS.gov. This investor education and protection program and contest is open April 15-May 15. IPI will randomly select contest winner(s) in early June 2015 from entries with all correct answers in each participating jurisdiction. Prize sponsors are the Investor Protection Institute (IPI) and participating State Securities Regulators. The IPI and all participating states provide independent, non-commercial investor education and protection material. For more information, visit http://www.iInvest.org.

The Investor Protection Institute (http://www.iInvest.org) is an independent nonprofit organization that advances investor protection by conducting and supporting unbiased research and groundbreaking education programs. IPI serves as an independent source of unbiased and non-commercial investor education materials. The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Securities Department (http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/securities/) is responsible for the regulation of the securities industry in Illinois and protection of investors by ensuring compliance with the law and investigating any complaints of fraud or improper practices.

College Changes Everything in Illinois

The State of Illinois has adopted a goal to increase the percentage of adults in Illinois with a postsecondary degree or credential to 60% by the year 2025.  The current rate is about 41%.  The State wants to do more to ensure more young children are in the pipeline for education beyond high school.  In addition, recent data shows that by the year 2018, 64% of the jobs in Illinois will require education beyond high school. To that end, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and other stakeholders across the state have launched the College Changes Everything movement to make the general public more aware of the impact education beyond high school has not only on the individual, but on society in general.  Please click here to learn more.