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…
FY 2015 Federal Budget
Yesterday (March 4), President Obama made his budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. Overall, the requested budget funding for libraries is down slightly from what was actually enacted last year (by $412,000, or about 0.2 percent). There has also been a cut in funding coming from LSTA (Library Services Technology Act), by $307,000, or…
Illinois Senate Bill 3071–contract bids
I’d like to alert everyone to Illinois SB3071, which was introduced on February 7 and was assigned to the Local Government Committee on February 19. The bill amends the Illinois Local Library Act and the Public Library District Act of 1991. Specifically, the legislation states that a library’s board will not be mandated to take…
ILA Positions on Legislation
For anyone participating in the upcoming legislative meet-ups, here is an updated version of the “talking points” that focuses on specific legislation (first story in ILA e-newsletter). “ILA Executive Board Determines Positions on Key Legislative Bills” The state budget remains the primary concern, especially in retaining full funding for the Secretary of State’s per-capita grants…
Internet Filters and Online Health Information
In light of the reintroduction of Illinois Senate Bill 2784 (SB2784), the “Internet Screening in Public Libraries Act”, and the possible effects that this legislation would have on access to health information, here is a link to a study by the Kaiser Foundation. (The study is from 2002, but it is still well-regarded, and although…
ILA Legislative Meet-Ups REMINDER
This is just a reminder that the ILA’s legislative meet-ups are happening soon. If you are planning to attend, the schedule is below. Even if you missed the registration deadline or your elected officials are not covered by one of the meet-ups, you can still schedule your own meeting with them. South Suburban Breakfast in…
Action Needed on Filtering Legislation (Illinois SB2784)
Please note this important legislative alert from the Illinois Library Association. The alert concerns Senate Bill 2784, sponsored by Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul (Democrat, 13th District-Chicago), which creates the “Internet Screening in Public Libraries Act”. A direct link to the legislation, which was introduced on January 30, is here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2784&GAID=12&GA=98&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=78649&SessionID=85 The main objection to this…
Measuring What Matters to Stakeholders -Thursday, March 20, 2014
Join us Thursday, March 20, 2014, from 1:00pm-5:00pm for “Measuring What Matters to Stakeholders.” This continuing education session will be taught by Ruth Holst, Associate Director of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Greater Midwest Region. Participants are eligible to receive 4 hours of Medical Library Association credit. This is a free session, but…
Conference Report – Linda Feinberg
I want to thank the scholarship committee for choosing me as one of the recipients of the Syed Maghrabi Scholarship. This enabled me to attend the meeting with less financial worries. The educational funds through my hospital are a lot harder to come by, as I’m sure everyone is aware and experiencing. Of immediate use…