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The library was my sanctuary growing up, an endless world of opportunity. Over the years I have been on both sides of the counter, both employee and patron. I became a board member of the Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library as a way to shape how the library grew and evolved with the changing times. I am equally excited to be just as involved with the Illinois Heartland Library System.

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Serving in a trustee capacity is new for me but I realize, after 30+ years, I do have some valuable insight and experience to bring to the table. I earned my Masters in Library Science while working at the Shawnee Library System. There, I served in various capacities and had the privilege of working closely with staff from all types of libraries in southern Illinois. I was the manager of the Talking Books Department at Shawnee when the four southern library systems merged to form IHLS in 2011. I became the library director at Sallie Logan Public Library in 2014. I feel librarians have a responsibility to actively participate in the profession outside of the walls of our libraries. Serving on the IHLS board is just one way to contribute, and I am honored to do so.

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I have always loved to read, so later in my career when I had the opportunity to work in a school library I jumped at the chance. Now I run the Law Library and General Library at the Lincoln Correctional Center. My library ensures the incarcerated receive their constitutional rights to access legal aid. My patrons have access to legal forms, law books, magazines, and books. Incarcerated patrons (on average) read twice as many books compared to other patrons. My library is a "public library" just inside a barbed wire fence. IHLS and its community provide instrumental support to librarians like me who run small libraries.

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When I was a child, it was my good fortune to live a block from our local library. When I was old enough to go to the library on my own, I spent hours on end sprawled on the floor in the history section of the children's area reading everything I could about American history. ... I don't know how often I looked up to see Mrs. Bryant smiling at me from the end of the bookshelf... I worked part-time while in high school and the local college and found myself working with Mrs. Bryant at the library. ... I became a school librarian in 1987, spent the first seven years working at a K-12 facility ... and then moved back to my hometown to be the high school librarian. I retired in 2016.

I was the first president of IHLS in 2011 and represented school libraries. Presently, I am on the Centralia Regional Library District board of trustees and have returned to the IHLS board as a Public Library Trustee.

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My career in education began as a school librarian, moved to becoming a reading specialist, principal and ending as a Superintendent of schools, which totaled 38 years in the education field, makes me well qualified to be on the IHLS Board of Directors. Also, I have been on the Taylorville Public Library Board of Trustees for five years and have served as President for three years. I am enthusiastic, passionate, well-versed in the importance of literacy, have great knowledge on how important it is to serve the public, and the critical need of library programs for underserved populations. My latest experience as a Library Trustee has updated my knowledge of the library system and its workings thus giving me the desire to serve as IHLS board member.

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When I was about six years old, my mom went back to college. She used to take my brother and me to the public library and turn us loose so she could work on her schoolwork. The only rule was that we had to stay on-grounds, and I would spend hours exploring every curiosity and query that popped into my head. That freedom to explore, to be curious, to learn whatever I wanted to learn, started me on my path as an educator.

After teaching high school English for ten years, I was ready to transition to the school library, where I've been since 2016. Though I loved my time in the classroom, my first love is the library, where there's no grading, no curriculum, no standardized tests, just the joy of learning something new. I'm truly honored and overjoyed to serve on the IHLS Board of Directors.

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After growing up in the Northeast I moved to Southern Illinois 26 years ago to be the school library director at Marion High School. I loved libraries from a very young age and, take it as a great privilege to pass that love along to the students I see every day. In addition to my job at MHS, I also am a trustee for the Marion Public Library. I've also serve on several book award committees, including the AISLE Lincoln Award, the State Library Read for A Lifetime award and the YALSA's Alex Award (2020). When I'm not reading, I love spending time in the outdoors hiking or running. I look forward to my time on the Illinois Heartland Board and working to increase the school library presence.

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Sarah followed in her mother's footsteps and became a high school librarian, serving in public schools for fourteen years in southern and central Illinois. Now she's been at Lake Land College Library in Mattoon for nine years, serving as the Director since 2021. Sarah has always been active in professional organizations—in the past she was president of the Illinois School Library Media Association and YALSA, a division of the American Library Association. She is currently volunteering on the Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges Board as Reporter, the SHARE Executive Council and eResources Committee, and the RUSA Reading List Council. 

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My first library job was straight out of high school working part-time the local community college. I didn’t know it then, but that opportunity and the mentors I had put me on a path I never could have imagined for myself. Nearly 20 years later, I feel so fortunate for that opportunity and the other ones that came my way thereafter. I often say something along the lines of, "Libraries are no longer about books, we are about people." Often that sentiment is patron-facing, but it is just as important to be "about people" as we coach, lead, and develop staff. As professionals in the field, we have a responsibility not just to the "Now," but to the future. I hope to do my part in inspiring others to do well in this field as so many have inspired me along the way.

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Professionally, I am a consultant in healthcare, focusing on project management. I've done this for the last 20 years, overseeing multi-million dollar projects. My education is in Finance and Economics, and I taught Finance at a college in northern Illinois. After that, I went into administration for nonprofits, mostly in fundraising. I ran a small Community Foundation and have also done consulting for other nonprofits. I’ve been on the Mahomet Library board for 2 years and love it.  It’s exciting work and very fulfilling. I want to change the lives of the people around me, and serving the library allows me to do that for our entire community.  We need libraries to foster lifelong learning, and I’m proud of the way that we think outside the box to make that happen. Lastly, the Urbana Free Library changed my life growing up, and I feel an obligation to repay that debt.    

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I truly can’t imagine what my life would be life without libraries. Some of my earliest memories are of the Carnegie Library in Robinson, Illinois. I remember how thrilled I was when it relocated just a few blocks from my home and the freedom I felt riding my bike there to pick out new adventures to read. The library was the natural place to go to fulfill volunteer hours for Girl Scouts. Helping with summer reading programs let me know that I wanted to become a teacher. I met my husband in the library while at Lincoln Trail College, and after graduating from SIU we settled in Albion, Illinois. I taught Title I reading and third grade, but in 1994 the position of district librarian became available. Now I am reading stories to the grade school kids of the students I have been able to watch grow up along with my own four children. Times have changed since my first visits to the Carnegie Library, but libraries are leading many of the positive changes.

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It is quite possible that had Mrs. Anna Coleman, of Ridge Farm Illinois, not written Andrew Carnegie back in 1909 I might not have developed such a love of books. Every Saturday I was there with my mother hunting for a stack of books. I had read most that interested me but would read them again. At that time there was no InterLibrary Loan so I was at the mercy of one of the smallest libraries in the United States. After High School I took a part-time job at DACC entering card catalog data into the then named Lincoln Trails Library System database. It is there that I met my wife of 31 years. I later worked at the Charleston Pubic Library and for many years worked at Waldenbooks. Today I work at Hyster-Yale Group doing database design, analysis, and business reporting solutions. My wife and I have 2 grown children. We enjoy sharing our empty nest with our 3 dogs. I am an accomplished musician and have played keyboards for various local musical theater groups and Worship Teams over the last 30+ years.

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It has been my honor to serve the citizens of Granite City since 2003 as trustee and current president of Six Mile Regional Library District. Our mission is to make a significant difference in the everyday lives of the people in our community by providing programs, services and resources. I am an advocate for public libraries that have made a difference especially in these trying times. 

I was on the board of the Lewis and Clark System that transitioned into IHLS, and it [is] a privilege to serve again.

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My parents instilled in me a love of books and reading at a very early age. I worked at the Metropolis Public Library during high school and decided that being a librarian was what I wanted to do. I attended Murray State University and obtained my bachelor's degree in Library Science and a Master's in Elementary Education. After serving three different schools as their library/media specialist, and teaching second grade for two years, I retired from Massac County High School in 2017 after 28 years there.

I became a library trustee at Metropolis Public Library in October of 2019. Being back in the library world in that capacity has made me want to share the library and all it has to offer with others even more. I am honored to serve on the IHLS board and look forward to learning more.

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I have worked as a professional academic librarian since 1978.  I finally retired from Southern Illinois University Carbondale Morris Library in 2022.  I volunteered at Carbondale Public Library from 1999 to 2002 and then asked to be appointed to the Carbondale Public Library Board.  I am a strong supporter of all libraries and especially this one.  I believe in giving back to the profession and what better way then by serving on this board.  I would also note that I served on the IHLS Board of Directors from 2011 to 2014 and the Illinois State Library Advisory Board from 2015 to 2018.