As of March 31, 2023, the Kankakee Area Library Association (KALA) has ceased to operate. This site is no longer updated.
For local library information, please reach out to one of our (former) member libraries:
Bourbonnais Public Library District
Kankakee Community College: Library
Limestone Township Library District
Manteno Public Library District
Olivet Nazarene University: Library
Peotone Public Library District
The following message was sent to RAILS listserv subscribers on April 1, 2023:
As the current President of the Kankakee Area Library Association, I am writing to notify our listserv subscribers that the Association is sunsetting. This means we are officially recognizing the gradual decline that our Association has experienced in recent years and enacting a formal end to the Association. For a list of next steps that you might take to retain some local connections, to share your memories aobut KALA, and to connect with others in the state, please skip to the end of this message. For more information about KALA and this sunset, I invite you to read on.
What started more than 20-years ago as a vibrant and active regional library network consisting of school, public, and academic libraries grew into a recognized and beloved entity in our area and at the State level. Over the years, KALA members and officers coordinated professional development, informal sharing, public recognition of library champions at an annual award night, and conducted joint programming. Notable highlights include hosting a grant-funded speaker about Customer Service and giving a talk about our association at the Illinois Library Association meeting. Active special interest groups and initiatives in recent years included: Circulation Supervisors, Youth Services, Trivia Night, and One Book, One Community. Long-standing service was evident in Association officers and committee heads. Your passion and gifts made us strong. THANK YOU to our collaborative and visionary founders of the Association, to our local library Directors who encouraged participation by their staff, and to each person who attended or spoke into meetings and activities.
To be honest, it is sad to see the “end of an era” such as this. Lynne Noffke (Past President), Jamie Lockwood (Treasurer), and I have been in active communication for about a month. We have also had one on one conversations with the local library Directors. Lynne remembered a T.S. Elliot quote that has guided our steps. In contrast to his poem about the way the world will end, we desire to honor KALA’s significance by giving our Association a proper ending, a public bang if you will, rather than letting it die with just a quiet whimper.
Dan Bostrom, Member Engagement Manager at RAILS, assisted us in planning this sunset process. During one conversation, he reflected that all associations have a natural lifecycle which includes endings. Dan commented that virtual meeting technology expands networking and communication beyond what used to be constrained to colleagues who worked within a 45-minute drive of each other. In recent years, many regional groups in Illinois have declined in participation and relevance. The impact of COVID and recent staffing changes have necessitated re-focused efforts in our own local institutions. Thus, KALA’s time has come to an end.
Nevertheless there are several ways we can remain in connection with each other, such as:
- Continuing existing relationships and collaborations between individuals and with specific libraries
- Attending the Youth Services meeting on May 4th at Bradley Public Library. Need info? Contact Jen, jregan@mantenolibrary.net
- Joining the KALA Pals Facebook group
- Joining a RAILS special interest group (listserv list)
- Sharing a picture or memory about KALA with me (jcieszyn@olivet.edu). I’ll assemble these and make a post about our Association in the My Library Is blog by the end of May.
- Watching for an email invitation (sent to each library Director in late summer) from Kankakee Public Library. KPL who has offered to host a one-time Kankakee Area Library social event. Perhaps other libraries will choose to take turns hosting an occasional event. Nothing truly replaces face-to-face!
If you have questions about our decision or process, I invite you to speak with your library Director or to reach out to me. Thank you again for your participation in the Kankakee Area Library Association. Through the structure it provided, we had a marvelous time and learned so much from each other! Best wishes as you continue the Association’s mission at your own library: to promote professional development in your organization; to promote the freedom to read and literacy; to promote the cooperation, efficiency, and welfare of libraries; and to make affordable library services available to underserved areas.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Cieszynski
Instructional Services Librarian | Benner Library | President, Kankakee Area Library Association
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