- Doyle Wins ALA Immroth Award
- June 1, 2017
- ILA Executive Director Robert P. Doyle is the recipient of the 2017 John Philip Immroth Memorial Award, presented by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT). The award will be presented on Saturday, June 24, at the IFRT Awards Reception …
- Federal Budget Proposes Huge Cuts
- March 16, 2017
- On March 16, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his preliminary budget proposal for 2018. In addition to drastic cuts across a wide range of departments and agencies, the proposed budget calls for the elimination of all federal funding to the…
- We Are Here: A Statement on Inclusion from the Illinois Library Association
- January 13, 2017
- As this new year begins, the Illinois Library Association (ILA) has a message for its member libraries and the people who use them. That message is simple, but powerful. No matter who you are or what you need, we are here for you. For libraries, libr…
- The Budget Impasse Impact
- December 28, 2016
- The Chicago Sun-Times (December 21, 2016) editorialized about the more than 114,000 Illinoisans who left for other states in the past year, including higher ed students and faculty. Here's an excerpt from the full text: The quality of public universi…
- Election Results
- November 9, 2016
- While the national election results are likely to bring dramatic changes, the results in Illinois likely will not. Both parties will be able to point to victories at the state level, but the overall balance of power will not shift significantly. For …
- ILA Urges ISBE to Allocate ESSA Funding to School Libraries
- September 19, 2016
- Thursday, 15 September 2016 Tony Smith, Ph.D. Illinois State Superintendent Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) 100 N. 1st Street Springfield, IL 62777 Dear Superintendent Smith: According to recent media reports and a Saturday, September 10, 20…
- Date Set for Workshop on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- September 6, 2016
- The Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) is partnering with IHLS, ILA, ISL, RAILS, and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in collaboration with American Library Association’s Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) and …
- Urgent: Speak Out for School Libraries in September
- August 26, 2016
- In December 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law. ESSA replaces No Child Left Behind and, thanks to the work of library advocates, specifically includes language regarding “effective school library program…
- Kip Kolkmeier Latest Luminary
- August 26, 2016
- Anyone who cares about what happens to libraries in Illinois has had occasion to thank Kip Kolkmeier, longtime legislative consultant for the Illinois Library Association (ILA). He was hired as ILA’s lobbyist in 1996 and remains an effective vo…
- Governor Signs "Liquor in Libraries" Bill
- July 19, 2016
- On July 15, it became legal for libraries to serve alcohol during educational or cultural events, thanks to the efforts of the ILA Public Policy Committee and others. Senate Bill 399 amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934, and was signed into law by G…