Laura Barnes, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Statement of Concern
One of ILA’s strengths is the diversity of its membership. We work in public and private schools, public libraries, universities, corporations, associations, and government agencies. We serve children, factory workers, the unemployed, college students, scientists, engineers, and professional people. Although our client bases and experiences may be wildly different, our missions are the same: help people find resources for entertainment, education, and enlightenment.
Whether you work in an elementary school in southern Illinois, a state agency in Springfield, a corporation in downtown Chicago, or a public library in the suburbs, you face many of the same challenges as your colleagues throughout the state. These include declining federal, state, and local funding for libraries, changing demographics, and competition from commercial entities and the Internet.
I have been an information professional in a library that has been part of a state agency and a university department. I am currently an embedded information professional in an organization that has no in-house library at all. These experiences, along with serving on ILA and State Library committees and the ILA and LTLS Executive Boards, have broadened my horizons far beyond special libraries to understand the concerns of and issues faced by information professionals in all types of environments. I believe that ILA is a place where Illinois' diverse population of library workers can come together to discuss common issues, share strategies for dealing with mutual problems, and figure out ways to work together. If we want libraries to survive and thrive in the 21st century, we need to be able to communicate with each other about what we do and collaborate to share our stories with the people who use our services, provide our funding, and write the legislation that governs our institutions.
Experience
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center/Waste Management & Research Center/Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center
Sustainability Information Curator/Communications Coordinator, 2014-present
Executive Director, Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable, 2012-2019
Librarian, 1995-2017
Graduate Assistant/Grants Project Assistant, 1991-1995
Champaign Public Library
Library Page/Library Assistant I (Circulation), 1986-1989
Education
MSLIS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 1993
BA History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 1989
Professional Memberships and Activities
Illinois Library Association member, 2002-present
Research and Technical Services Forum
Reference Services Forum
Best Practices Committee, July 2018-June 2020 (Co-chair, 2019-2020)
2015 ILA Conference Speed Mentoring Session – Mentor, October 2015
2014 Conference Planning Committee, July 2013-October 2014
Board of Directors, July 2004-June 2007, July 2010-June 2013
Manager, Leadership Forum, April 2011-June 2013
2010 Conference Planning Committee, July 2009-September 2010
Committee on the Future of Library Cooperation in Illinois, 2009-2011
Awards Committee, July 2008-June 2010
Web Site Redesign Committee, January 2007-June 2009
American Library Association
Member, 2008-2017
Association of College and Research Libraries
Science and Technology Section
ACRL/STS Science Resources: Discovery and Access Committee, July 2013-June 2015
University Libraries Section
Sustainability Roundtable
Library and Information Technology Association
Library Leadership and Management Association
Health Science Librarians of Illinois, 2001-2009, 2018-present
2001 Urbana Conference Planning Committee, May 2000-September 2001
2007 Urbana Conference Planning Committee, May 2006-October 2007
Illinois State Library Committees
ILLINET Network Advisory Council, July 2008-June 2012
2012 On the Front Lines Conference Planning Committee, July 2011-March 2012
2010 On the Front Lines Conference Planning Committee, July 2009-March 2010
Illinois State Library Synergy Library Leadership Initiative
Member, Program Evaluation Committee, 2009
Member, Selection Committee, 2006-2007
Participant, 2002-2003
Lincoln Trail Libraries System Board of Directors, July 1997-June 2000, July 2002-September 2008
Committee assignments: Membership (Chair 1999-2000, 2004-2007), Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning, Planning & Policy
Delegate to Illinois Library Systems Statewide Planning Conference
Participant in annual Library Advocacy Day
Special Libraries Association member, 1994-present
Government Relations Chair, Illinois Chapter, May 2002-April 2007, July 2011-June 2013
Downstate meeting planning committee, 2000-2006
2003 Great Lakes Regional Conference Planning Committee (Program Committee), May 2001-September 2003
Illinois Chapter Board of Directors, Downstate Director, June 2000-May 2002
Membership Chair, Environment and Resources Management Division, July 1997-November 1998
SLA Illinois Informant Member and Library News Editor, July 1995-March 1997
University of Illinois Library School Alumni Association Board of Directors, July 2005-June 2007
iREAD Summer Reading Programs
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