Readers' Choice Awards

Join the entire state of Illinois in a live webcast to find out the winners of the 2013 Monarch, Bluestem and Abraham Lincoln Reader's Choice Awards! The event will be broadcast from Oak School in Hinsdale. We will soon publish a web address you will need to access the broadcast, which will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 22.

We will run live video and audio on two dates so you can test your connections before the broadcast:
Thursday, March 14, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, March 20, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Don’t miss this first-ever Illinois Reader’s Choice Awards webcast!
We look forward to celebrating with you on March 22 at 10:00 a.m.!

Vote Now!

Voting for the Readers Choice Book Award programs is open from February 15 – March 15. To vote, click on the link below for the appropriate program. You will need your registration number and password to vote. If you do not have them click on the voting login link below and you will find a spot to retrieve your number and password via email. Please make sure that you have all your votes tallied before entering them. Once you have submitted your votes, you cannot change or add votes. If you have multiple buildings you will need to login for each building. If you are voting for more than one award program you will need to click on each program and login to record your votes. When you login, your school information will appear at the top of the page. Enter your votes for all books, type in the security code and submit your ballot. Votes will be accepted February 15th - March 15th. Votes received after March 15th will count toward total students voting but will not count in determining the winner.

Monarch Award Voting Login
Bluestem Award Voting Login
Abe Lincoln High School Book Award Voting Login

2013 ISLMA Conference

The theme of the 2013 ISLMA Conference at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield is "School Libraries: The Core of Student Success." The program committee is looking for sessions that demonstrate the wide variety of ways libraries and librarians help students succeed in both their academic or day-to day lives.

The deadline for submitting an RFP is April 5, 2013. An acknowledgement will be sent upon receipt of the RFP and detailed information will be provided when the proposed session is accepted. If you have questions or need assistance, please direct your inquiries to islma.conference.program@gmail.com.

The RFP form is available at: www.islma.org/rfp2013.php

The Collective Voice Initiative: Join with Illinois Libraries
to Advocate for Our Community

ISLMA members can now join the Illinois Library Association (ILA) as a "co-member" at an annual rate of $25 for a maximum of five consecutive years. 

This membership category has full benefits and includes invitations to participate in our forum and committee membership such as youth services and our new Leadership Forum (formed by Synergy alums to help continue to grow Illinois library leaders); eligibility for all association leadership positions; member rates for all publications; and all professional development opportunities. 

Go to www.ila.org “Membership” to take advantage of this  ISLMA member benefit and Illinois library community building initiative. Email  ila@ila.org with questions.

I-SAIL 2011

The new version of I-SAIL is here!  If you are interested in a framework to teach the needed skills in all content areas you will want to click here.

Remember these standards, benchmarks, and objectives are aligned to the new Illinois Common Core Standards, AASL and NETS-S standards as well.

Start sailing......

Common Core Standards

The new Illinois Learning Standards incorporate the Common Core Standards.

It is important that school librarians become informed about these standards.  The state board has made a commitment to the concept and thus it is important for all to be involved and gives librarians the opportunity to take a leadership role. Read more

Linking For Learning 3rd Edition

Are you ready for up-to-date and effective guidelines to assist you in planning your library program?

An ISLMA task force has been at work diligently revising and creating new material for this program handbook.

Linking for Learning 3rd Edition includes:

• Program guidelines--quantitative and qualitative
• New rubrics
• Easy-to-use format for sharing guidelines with administrators, school boards, and other stakeholders
• Examples of evidence that can be assembled
• New job descriptions
• An evaluation tool for school librarians
• Information specifically targeted to school administrators
• Online links to fast-changing information will keep Linking current
• Key articles for new members written by our most experienced members
• Revised interview questions and responses

This user-friendly document was created for both school librarians and administrators. 

The price is $20 (includes shipping and handling) Order your copy today.