by: Rosanne Reidner
Lincoln Trail is the glue which holds its member libraries together, to inform, and set standards of excellence. Without the support of Lincoln Trail, the member libraries would struggle to provide service. Without cooperation the member libraries are isolated and would fail to meet the needs of the many thousands we serve.
The continued support of the State Library is vital to the communication among the members of Lincoln Trail. In order to supply leadership in technology and education, we need your help. Educational programs run by Lincoln Trail keep staff members in the system up to date in areas vital to service. Lincoln Trail is a great advocate for libraries. Being active in the ALA and in Illinois Library Day strengthens every library in the system.
Innovative, ground breaking programs such as Polytalk come from the leadership of Lincoln Trail working within the 146 participating libraries. This program has the potential of being used by libraries across the country. This is a tribute to the excellence of Illinois Libraries and Lincoln Trail.
There is constant attention paid to customer service. Without reliable delivery service, member libraries would be greatly restricted in what can be offered to patrons. This restricts knowledge and education throughout central Illinois. A troubled economy has put additional strain on delivery services. It’s difficult to know how to resolve this problem which is so closely tied to the very basis of cooperative services. Members of Lincoln Trail are working to resolve these problems.
The idea of information anytime, anywhere, which Lincoln Trail holds as our mission, can only be made possible through strong partnerships. The system’s network support is based largely on the dedicated staff at Lincoln Trail. In a time of need, the staff of Lincoln Trail is there.
Through a recent highly successful technology conference, Lincoln Trail explored the future of library technology and shared the latest trends with all libraries in the system.
Close attention is paid to membership development. This requires in person visits and support to gain the trust of full and developmental members. Without sufficient staff and funds for travel, membership would be weakened. The standards for membership would be jeopardized.
In order to provide an efficient and comfortable space for instruction, Lincoln Trail must update an outdated and inefficient building. Without this instruction, the individual libraries could not share resources and vital information.
As a trustee from a small public library, and as a member of the Lincoln Trail Board of Directors, I have seen the importance of the library system from both sides. The challenges of providing a broad range of information services can be overwhelming for small libraries. Lincoln Trail provides support in that endeavor, and we at Lincoln Trail depend upon the State Library to accomplish this.
Lincoln Trail continues to improve in areas of education, co-operation, and leadership. Together we will continue to provide the patrons of central Illinois with the information and technology they need.
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