Illinois House Bill 3796, which opponents argue would have severely restricted access to Freedom of Information Act-protected information, was vetoed by Governor Quinn on June 27. The bill had passed both houses of the General Assembly by an large margin (49-1 in the House, 77-36 in the Senate). The purpose of the legislation, according to…
General Assembly spring session overview
The Illinois General Assembly just concluded its Spring 2014 session. A number of pieces of legislation affecting libraries, especially in terms of funding, were on the schedule. Among them were the following: House Bill 3793-funds capital appropriations for projects at specific libraries House Bill 3796-amends the Freedom of Information Act to allow individuals requesting large…
Legislative Alert–Illinois HB4207 (Cyberbullying)
Please take note of Illinois House Bill 4207, which amends the Illinois School Code to cover cyberbullying to a greater extent than it already does. Specifically, the legislation would modify the “Bullying prevention” provision of the school code. Under the changes, bullying via computers, or other electronic devices, at a function that is not school-related…
Measuring What Matters to Stakeholders – Notes from the class
On March 20, 2014, HSLI sponsored the CE class “Measuring What Matters to Stakeholders” as a pre-conference to the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries conference. The session sparked a lively discussion between academic and hospital libraries about what to assess, how to assess it, and how to effectively communicate assessment results. The class…
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to host Every Necessary Care and Attention, August 2014
Every Necessary Care and Attention: George Washington and Medicine, a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, will be on display at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, from August 4 – September 13, 2014. Online Exhibition: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/georgewashington/ UPDATE: August 2014 – Due to library renovations, the exhibition has been canceled.
Booth Library is finalist for National Medal for Museum and Library Service
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced that Booth Library is a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community. Medal finalists are selected from nationwide nominations of libraries and museums that demonstrate…
Action Needed on Illinois HB3898–Retirement Funding
The Illinois Library Association is calling for action on Illinois House Bill 3898, which modifies the Illinois Pension Code. Specifically, an amendment to the legislation eliminates the supplemental benefit payment-also referred to as the “13th payment”-from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). The payment is essentially deferred compensation intended to balance out the rising cost…
Harry Potter’s World on Display at SIU Medical Library
“Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine” will be available for viewing from March 10 through April 18 at the SIU Medical Library. This exhibition was produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health and is curated by Elizabeth J. Bland. A special musical event, “Music, Magic and Medicine”, will be…
IACRL Conference Open to HSLI Members
Register Now for the IACRL Conference Advance Registration Closes Friday, March 14 Register today for the 2014 IACRL Conference, which will be held Friday, March 21, at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook.IACRL President Pattie Piotrowski, Illinois Institute of Technology, hosted an informational webinar on the conference last Friday. You can access the webinar recording here for full details. Attendees…
FY 2015 Federal Budget’s Impact on Health and Medicine Funding
This summary from California Healthline has a good overview of the impact that the president’s proposed FY 2015 budget will have on health and medical funding, and also what the initial reaction to some of the proposals has been. Note that the largest cuts will be in Medicare and Medicaid, with an estimated $400 billion…