Sea Change for Illinois Library Systems

It’s difficult for me to write this, but in response to the budget deficit in Illinois, the Alliance Library System will be eliminating all services with the exception of delivery and resource sharing. In addition, MITBC services will be suspended until funding is re-established. The consultants are wrapping up projects for the next 2 weeks and notifying our members. Overall, 22 ALS and MITBC staff members will be laid off as of Friday, May 28th, and there will no longer be a consulting and continuing education department.

This is a sea change for libraries throughout Illinois—North Suburban Library System made the first announcement about service reductions on May 11th. Unfortunately, the other systems will be making similar reductions as their reserves become exhausted. Kitty Pope, ALS Executive Director, wrote in her announcement RE: Change in ALS Core Services,

“Thank you for participating in our campaigns, contacting legislators and supporting our cooperative efforts. Unfortunately, we have run out of options; the storm is upon us, and we are in survival mode. Other Illinois library systems are on different time lines as to when they will run out of money, but they are all in trouble. There is no safe harbor from this storm.”

My time at ALS has been short, but I’ve loved every minute of it (well, except for this last part.) I’ve enjoyed learning about all our library types. From publics, I’ve learned that I can understand the budget cycle, read a budget and appropriate ordinance, and calculate a levy. From schools, I’ve learned that information literacy is a high priority, and that school librarians are working to stay relevant and indispensable in these tough economic times. From specials, I’ve learned that we have a diverse community of medical, historical, prison, and corporate libraries with needs that are as diverse as they are. And from academics, I’ve learned the value of tailoring networking and CE opportunities.

It’s been all libraries, all of the time—for that I am truly grateful.

Postscript: There's been an updated memo on May 20th detailing the most recent developments.