iREAD Committee

News

Committee Spotlight - iREAD Committee
April 16, 2021
Read on the Wild Side. Reading by Design. Dig Deeper: Read, Investigate, Discover. These are just a few examples of some excellent summer reading program themes created by ILA's very own iREAD team.  The chances are that your library, along with…
Committee Spotlight - iREAD Committee
October 17, 2019
The iREAD Committee is a dynamic group of volunteers dedicated to promoting reading, literacy and learning for all ages every year. The main task of the committee is to create content for the iREAD Program every summer, including determinin…

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Events

  1. Jul 12 2024

    iREAD Committee Meeting

    Friday, Jul 12, 2024 11:00am

    Virtual (Zoom)

More events »

Committee Charge

The Illinois Reading Enrichment and Development (iREAD) program is a coordinated, self-supporting effort to develop and provide high quality, low cost resources, and products to enable local library staff to promote reading.  The program’s primary audience is kindergarten through grade eight, but provides supplemental materials for preschoolers, teens, and adults.

The program’s goals are:

• to provide a program that supports local library efforts to promote literacy and lifelong learning;

• to provide a forum for grassroots involvement across the state;

• to encourage statewide participation in and use of the iREAD theme;

• to encourage efficient use of local staff time by networking resources across the state;

• to provide high-quality, low-cost products through volume purchase; and

• to provide resources and projects suitable for all sizes of libraries; rural, urban, and suburban.


Committee Composition

The committee is composed of up to twenty ILA members: three chairs (chair, developing chair, and future chair); an ambassador, who is the immediate past chair; and sixteen coordinators with specifically assigned roles and responsibilities: two Resource Guide Coordinators (one Adult Services and one Youth Services) for upcoming Resource Guide Development and two Resource Guide Coordinators (one Adult Services and one Youth Services) assisting and learning the process for the following development year; two Showcase Coordinators - upcoming themed year and the following themed year; two Publicity coordinators - upcoming themed year and the following themed year; six Liaisons & RG Chapter Lead Coordinators - two Adult, two Young Adult, and two Youth Services.

Chairs will serve a three year term as chairs and one year term as ambassador. The Resource Guide Coordinators will serve a three-year staggered term. The rest of the coordinators will serve a two-year staggered term. The chairs select the incoming chair, subject to approval by the ILA Vice President/President-Elect.


About iREAD: History, Past Chairs and Themes


Committee Reports


  1. Ellen Fitzgerald Ellen Fitzgerald, Chair Children's Services Supervisor at Naperville Public Library

    Chair Term ends 06/30/2025
    Member Term ends 06/30/2027

  2. Gretchen Schulz Gretchen Schulz, Chair Assistant Manager/Early Literacy Specialist at Aurora Public Library District

    Chair Term ends 06/30/2024

  3. Jessica Banko Jessica Banko, Member Adult Services Librarian at Plainfield Area Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  4. Donna Block Donna Block, Member Youth Services Coordinator at Bensenville Community Public Library District

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024
    Ambassador Term ends 06/30/2024

  5. Nicole H Camp Nicole H Camp, Member Programs and Exhibits Coordinator at Arlington Heights Memorial Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  6. Kara M DeCarlo Kara M DeCarlo, Member School Liaison at Orland Park Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  7. Kathy L Dejnowski Kathy L Dejnowski, Member Thornton Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  8. Erin M Emerick Erin M Emerick, Member Schaumburg Township District Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  9. Maisie Iven Maisie Iven, Member Teen Librarian at Naperville Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2026
    Chair Elect Term ends 06/30/2024

  10. Laura Kirk Laura Kirk, Member Library Assistant at Churchill Elementary School, Homewood SD153

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  11. Chelsea Lord Chelsea Lord, Member Adult Programming Librarian at Mount Prospect Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  12. Joe Marcantonio Joe Marcantonio, Member Teen Place Manager at Schaumburg Township District Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  13. Emily Mroczek Emily Mroczek, Member Youth Services Librarian at Arlington Heights Memorial Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  14. Katie Parfitt Katie Parfitt, Member Teen Services Librarian at Naperville Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  15. Lauren Pierce Lauren Pierce, Member Head of Adult Services at Plainfield Area Public Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  16. Genevieve Stevens Genevieve Stevens, Member Librarian at Thomas Ford Memorial Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2025

  17. Aimee A. Villet Aimee A. Villet, Member Youth Services Director at Glen Carbon Centennial Library

    Member Term ends 06/30/2024

  18. Monica Tapia Boyer Monica Tapia Boyer, Board liaison Senior Manager of Children's Services at Aurora Public Library District

    Board liaison Term ends 06/30/2024

  19. Becca Boland Becca Boland, Staff liaison iREAD Content and Development Manager at Illinois Library Association

    Staff liaison Term ends 06/30/2025

  20. Cyndi Robinson Cyndi Robinson, Staff liaison Executive Director at Illinois Library Association

    Staff liaison Term ends 06/30/2025


iREAD Summer Reading Programs

Since 1981, iREAD provides high quality, low-cost resources and products that enable local library staff to motivate children, young adults, and adults to read.

Visit the iREAD website »

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