The Lillie M. Evans Library receives Back to Books grant

The Lillie M. Evans Library District recently received a Back to Books grant for $4,500 from the Illinois State Library.  The Back to Books grant is a collection development grant offered to libraries for the acquisition of books and other materials. Grant funds have been used to purchase books, audios, and DVDs in the non-fiction areas of library & information science, education, languages, sciences, applied sciences, and geography & travel. Materials are appropriate for the adult and young adult age groups. 

To introduce these resources, we will have a series of 3 programs focusing on the materials purchased with this grant.  The first program will be an open house highlighting the collection.  Please visit the library on Wednesday, July 31 during our regular hours of 9am-8pm.  Materials selected for this grant will be displayed and available for checkout.

The second program on Wednesday, August 28th will target homeschoolers and resources available from the library through our newly created homeschool resource web page.  As part of the grant, we will be developing a section of our website for our homeschooling parents and students.  This will include links to online resources as well as tips on using the library catalog.  The page will also have information about any local groups that focus on homeschooling activities.

The final program will be a travel program at 6pm on Wednesday, September 25^th.  It will start with a showing of one of our new travel DVDs (we will choose one that meets our public performance license) and will include a book talk of some of our new materials in this area.  Visit our website at http://lmelibrary.org for more information about this grant and these programs.

The funds from this grant will make it possible for us to better meet the needs of our local community.  Materials were purchased through a Library Services and Technology Act grant administered by the Illinois State Library using funds provided by the U.S Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Affordable Care Act and Libraries

At the American Library Conference last week, it was announced that public libraries will be part of the effort to get information and crucial computer time to the millions of uninsured Americans who need to get coverage under law.  The Affordable Care Act requires certain employers with at least 50 full-time employees to offer health insurance coverage to its full-time employees (and their dependents) that meets certain minimum standards or to make Employer Shared Responsibility Payments.

The initiative starts on October 1st when people without health coverage will start shopping for insurance online.  Coverage can start as soon as January 1, 2014.

In the meantime, there are some articles that are available at: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/07/01/libraries-enlisted-to-publicize-health-insurance-options/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/01/obamacare-libraries_n_3529849.html

In addition, the federal website is already up at https://www.healthcare.gov/ and the key features of the Affordable Care Act are available at http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/timeline-text.html 


The Institute of Museum and Library Services is working with OCLC to develop an online toolkit and training webinars for librarians.  I'll post this information when available.

Art Show at LME Library - entry information

Schedule of  Events

· Drop off will be on Thursday, June 20th from 11am to 8pm. 

· Artwork will be hung and juried Friday, June 21st from 9am-noon.

· The Art Show will be open to the public on Friday, June 21st from noon until 8pm and on Saturday, June 22nd from 7am-8pm. 

· PLEASE JOIN US FOR an opening night reception on Friday, June 21st from 4:30-5:30pm. All artists, the public & the press are invited. Refreshments will be served.

· Pick up artwork on Monday, June 24th from 9am to 8pm.

Artwork exhibit guidelines & entry forms are available online or in the library.  Call the LME Library at 385-4540 for more information.

Celebrate World Book Night in Princeville on Tuesday, April 23, 2013

In honor of World Book Night on April 23^rd, several local community members will be distributing books in Princeville.   Tina Fey’s Bossypants will be given away at the softball field and the large print version of Favorite American Poems will be distributed at Princeville Women’s Club.  James Patterson’s Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life will be given out at the grade school. 

What is World Book Night?  In the U.S., a half million free books will be handed out in towns and cities across America all on one day—April 23, 2013—by enlisting 25,000 volunteer book lovers to help promote reading by going into their communities and personally handing out specially printed copies to light or non-‐readers and to those without the means or access to printed books.

How did it start?  World Book Night was first celebrated in the USA in 2012.   What better way to spread a love for reading than to inspire passionate readers to go out into their communities and share copies of their favorite books with those who don’t regularly read?  Giving is an incredibly powerful part of our culture—and culture, art, and a writers’ talent are all themselves ‘gifts’.  Last year, almost 80,000 people gave out over 2.5 million books in four different countries.  

How does it work?  Each year, 30 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.  After the book titles are announced, members of the public apply to personally hand out 20 copies of a particular title in their community.  On April 23rd, they give their books to those who don’t regularly read and/or people who don’t normally have access to printed books, for reasons of means or access. 

Why does World Book Night exist? Reading for pleasure improves literacy, actively engaging emerging readers in their desire to read. Reading changes lives, improves employability, social interaction, enfranchisement, and can have a positive effect on mental health and happiness. Book readers are more likely to participate in positive activities such as volunteering, attending cultural events, and even physical exercise (“Reading at Risk: A Survey of LiteraryReading in America,” National Endowment for the Arts).