The Reaching Across Illinois Library System is a regional library system consisting of approximately 1,250 public, academic, special, and school library members, representing more than 4,000 library facilities in Northern, West-central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The regional library system was created in 2011 when the Alliance Library System, DuPage Library System, Metropolitan Library System, North Suburban Library System, and Prairie Area Library System merged. In Illinois, regional library systems were established by state law. Member libraries must certify that they meet membership requirements annually. The systems are funded by annual system area and per capita grants from the Illinois State Library.

Activities

The library system through the eRead Illinois program has been actively working with Baker & Taylor to make e-books accessible to its members. The library system has worked with the Illinois Library Association and received support from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Digital Content Working Group, the

Public Library Association The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, is a professional association of public librarians and supporters dedicated to the "development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library ser ...

(PLA), and the Illinois Heartland Library System on the annual Soon to be Famous Illinois Author project, which recognizes a self-published author of adult fiction. This initiative received the John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award from the

in 2015. Other services the library system provides include support for shared catalogs, continuing education opportunities, consulting, group purchases, and delivery of interlibrary loan materials. The library system maintains a

YouTube channel YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San B ...

References

{{authority control Public libraries in Illinois 2011 establishments in Illinois