Busy Session 2007 Spring Session in the Illinois General Assembly
As anticipated, this session will be very busy in the Illinois General Assembly. Legislation is proposed to:

• mandate that school libraries must install Internet filtering software, HB 1226;
• amend the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act, HB 237 and HB 155;
• amend the Public Library District Annexation laws, HB 178;
• prohibit social networking Web sites in public and school libraries, SB 1682;
• improve to the Public Library District Act regarding working cash funds, SB 186;
• amend the state library's Literacy Advisory Board, SB 576;
• mandate for schools to teach Internet safety to students, HB 660 and SB 1472;
• notice and restrict sex offenders in public libraries, SB 364 and SB 417;
• amend the minimum signature requirement for library trustees, HB 499;
• amend the Open Meetings Act, HB 210 and HB 183;
• appropriate $200,000 to the state library to fund the partnership between Citizens' Library of Illinois-Comprehensive Knowledge Service and Health-E Illinois, HB 16;
• expand and extend of the Cook County cap on property tax assessments for certain homeowners, HB 23, HB 418, and SB 13; and
• allow greater flexibility under the tax cap statute, HB 688.

All of these bills are tracked on the ILA Web site, under issues and legislation.

ILA will offer specific time-appropriate guidance regarding the above-proposed bills. For legislation that we are opposing, we will attempt hold the legislation at the committee level. For legislation that we support, we will attempt to have the proposed legislation advance out of committee, to the full chamber, and to the governor.

Latest Developments
Yesterday, Senator Matt Murphy (R-27, Palatine) filed Senate Bill (SB) 1682, only minutes before the bill introduction deadline in the Illinois Senate. The summary is below:

Senate Bill 1682
Creates the Social Networking Web site Prohibition Act. Provides that each public library must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to the public in the library. Provides that each public school must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to students in the school. Provides for enforcement by the Attorney General or a citizen. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective January 1, 2008.

Also, yesterday, Representative Patricia R. Bellock (R-47, Westmont) filed House Bill (HB) 1226 and summary follows:

House Bill 1226
Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board must require each school that maintains any of grades kindergarten through 8 that has a student-access computer to either (i) equip the computer with software that seeks to prevent minors from gaining access to explicit sexual materials or (ii) obtain Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filter services to limit access to explicit sexual materials. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

For More Information
While the ILA Reporter has recently printed several articles on topics before the Illinois General Assembly*, there are also several upcoming events to become more informed about the legislative process and the issues facing the Illinois library community. ILA's legislative consultant Kip Kolkmeier will be speaking at the February 24 Trustee Forum Spring Workshop in Lisle on these developments -- explaining the various bills, their status in the legislative cycle, and the key talking points for advocating for the Illinois library community. Kolkmeier will also be speaking on Wednesday, 18 April, in advance of Illinois Library Day. Additional information on the trustee workshop follows:

Trustee Forum Spring Workshop: Empowering Trustees for Libraries

Saturday, February 24, 2007
Hickory Ridge Marriott Conference Hotel
1195 Summerhill Drive
Lisle, IL 60532

Schedule
Breakfast: 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Business Meeting: 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Program: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

9:00-10:30 "The Environment of Your Library Needs You"
George Needham, OCLC Vice President of Member Services, will discuss the world in which libraries find themselves today and what library workers, trustees, and friends of libraries can do to improve their position in this world. Needham will discuss the findings of two important reports recently published by OCLC Online Computer Library Center: Pattern Recognition: The 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan and Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources.

10:45-11:30 "Get Ready for Legislation Day"
Kiplund Kolkmeier, the Illinois Library Association's legislative consultant, will discuss the major legislative issues confronting Illinois libraries during the 2007 spring session of the Illinois General Assembly. It is anticipated that the legislature will once again consider whether to mandate that libraries must install Internet filtering software. There will also be legislation proposing changes to the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act and Public Library District Annexation laws. ILA also has several legislative initiatives including protecting library funding, improvements to the Public Library District Act regarding working cash funds, and greater flexibility under the tax cap statute.

12:30-1:30 "Library Law Issues & Tidbits"
Phillip B. Lenzini, attorney, Kavanagh, Sully, Sudow, White & Frederick, P.C., the "guru of library trustee law," will focus on the Illinois Opening Meetings Act, especially electronic attendance, along with the latest legal issues impacting Illinois libraries. Ample time for a question and answer period will be provided to address those library legal issues that you have always wondered about.

1:40-2:55 "The Successful Trustee"
David J. Seleb, Metropolitan Library System, director of consulting & continuing education, will discuss what are the duties, roles, and responsibilities of a library trustee? What are the ins and outs of a good board/director relationship? What are the duties of the board officers? What does library advocacy really mean? Where does a trustee turn for help and advice to be a better steward of the library and its resources? Designed for the new or inexperienced trustee or for the trustee who just wants to brush up, participants will learn about and discuss legal and financial issues, hiring and evaluating the library director, community involvement, the duties of library board officers, and resources designed for the support of library trustees.

Online Registration

Registration includes breakfast and lunch, two snack breaks, and workshops. Individual hotel accommodations are available for $84 queen and $104 double queen. Contact Hickory Ridge at (630) 971-5000 to book your stay.

*Register multiple trustees and save! Register one trustee at the full price and each additional trustee from your institution will receive a $10 registration discount! Please send a separate registration form for each trustee.

Illinois Library Day
Illinois Library Day will be Thursday, 19 April 2007 in Springfield. For additional information and to register, please go the ILA Web site.

Next ILA Executive Board Meeting
A half-day strategic planning meeting will be held on Thursday, 22 February 2007, 1:00-5:00 P.M. at Metropolitan Library System, Burr Ridge. The next day the ILA Executive Board will meet at the same location for its Friday, 23 February 2007 meeting, beginning at 9:00 A.M. Meetings are open and attendance is welcomed.

*Resources on the ILA Web site

• "DOPA and the Participation Gap," October 2006 ILA Reporter, pp. 16-21;
• "Libraries as Sanctuaries for Criminals?" December 2006 ILA Reporter, pp. 12-17;
• "Confidentiality: A Case Study in Progress," February 2005 ILA Reporter, pp. 18-23;
• Library Advocacy,
• Illinois Library Today,
• The Internet & Our Children, and
• Privacy & Confidentiality in Libraries