The Prairie Area Library System (PALS) is sponsoring workshops this summer that are open to all school librarians. They will be held in the three PALS service centers (Coal Valley—Quad Cities area; Rockford, and Shorewood—Joliet area) on different days so attendees may choose whatever is most convenient. There is no charge for these programs.

I-SAIL: Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries and Other Hot Topics. ISLMA has adopted a new K-12 library media curriculum that utilizes skill sets aligned to the AASL and Illinois Learning Standards. Attendees will be introduced to I-SAIL and other related resources on the I-SAIL wiki. Time will also be allowed for participants to share information on their Internet Safety Curriculum, Top Tech Trends, and other items of interest.

From That State Report to College-Level Research Readiness: Preparing Young People for College Research. Haven’t you always wondered what information literacy skills will be expected of students when they leave you? How does knowing how to evaluate a website turn into knowledge of APA or MLA style? You taught them Ebsco, but now they need peer-reviewed/referred journals and primary/secondary sources. Of course they still want to know “What is wrong with Wikipedia?”, “Why can’t I use just the web?” and “What is paraphrasing anyway?’ Charlet Key, director of Black Hawk College Library, will discuss strategies and tactics for preparing students to be research-ready when they arrive on their college campuses. No matter what level of students you work with, learn how that fits into the end product.

Monday, July 20, Coal Valley Service Center—Preparing for College Research- 9:00 a.m. – noon; I-SAIL- 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 21, Rockford Service Center — Preparing for College Research- 9:00 a.m. – noon; I-SAIL- 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 28, Shorewood Service Center– I-SAIL- 9:00 a.m.-noon; Preparing for College Research- 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Please register on L2 at http://www.librarylearning.info/?LibSys=PALS.

Other topics offered this summer include booktalks on the Monarch, Caudill, and Abe nominees and a workshop on finding funding in your community and beyond. For information on these or other workshops, please contact Jane Lenser (janel@palsnet.info) or Norma Applegate (normaa@palsnet.info).