NSLS: Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 2008 Report Card

"NSLS enhances the power of member libraries through effective leadership, learning, partnership, visibility and advocacy." This is the first sentence of the NSLS mission statement and this report will detail how we have put these words into action for you and your library. One of the key tools we developed last year to help with this effort was the Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator. This device helps libraries provide concrete figures to use in advocacy and funding efforts, and be more visible in their communities.

Using a similar concept and expanding upon our theme for the past year: “Dollars and Sense: Why Libraries are a Good Investment,” NSLS will display the return on investment we deliver to you throughout this report. As you review the formulas, a reminder that NSLS member libraries do not pay any membership fees or dues. The system is funded through a grant provided by the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. This funding has been flat for 18 years.

As a member of a library system, your library gets a wide variety of services delivered to you free of charge or at very economical prices. This report displays the range of services we provide and what you would have to pay for these services if you were not a member of a library system. In addition, NSLS provides your library with a variety of other services that are very valuable and difficult to quantify. These services are also described in this report.

Leadership

Caring about the future of libraries is what shapes all of NSLS’s services. We search for the newest and best technologies and practices for libraries, then test and model them for our members. We encourage you to be partners in our exploration of new ideas and possible futures.

Consulting
NSLS has expert and knowledgeable staff ready to consult with you on a wide variety of library related issues. Last year, NSLS staff provided 21,610 hours of consulting time to 211 member libraries.

Priceless Leadership Services

Longshots Podcast
Interviewing local, national, and international library leaders, NSLS Executive Director Sarah Long brings us not only their voices, but their knowledge and vision as well. Sarah Long hosted 53 podcasts this year.

NSLS Website
Helping our members be "in the know" about today’s hot topics is what fuels the selection of our website’s Theme of the Month and the content of staff posts and blogs. Our members knowing about the latest library innovations and issues when everyone else is looking blank is immeasurably valuable. The NSLS website had 1,135,7809 visits this year.

nsls.info (weekly e-newsletter)
4,119 people subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter to catch up on the latest information and important developments in the NSLS community and beyond.

Trustee Training
Working with a task force, NSLS designed a core curriculum and certification program to help trustees gain the knowledge they need to effectively do their jobs. 267 people registered for 23 Trustee Training programs.

Learning

Providing lifelong learning opportunities for our members is one of our primary missions. Our classes help you achieve your goal of developing well-trained staff members who are informed of best practices in the field, skilled in using the latest technologies, and schooled in providing top-notch customer service. NSLS provides a wide array of programs in various formats.

Professional Development
NSLS offered 110 professional development opportunities this year and 2,904 staff members from NSLS libraries attended.

Online Ed2Go classes are available through the NSLS website for members who have difficulty coming to training at the System.

Priceless Learning Opportunities

Networking Groups
NSLS currently supports 39 networking groups, designed to help library staff at all levels interact with and learn from their colleagues.

Talking to your peers about the issues relevant to your specific jobs is invaluable and helps staff to be more informed, productive, and excited about the work they do.

Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Mailing Lists
NSLS maintains 32 CoPs and 44 mailing lists that allow members to connect virtually with and learn from each other.

Partnership

Joining forces to achieve solutions is one of NSLS’s strategic goals. One of the cornerstones of partnership is resource sharing. Providing both traditional services such as van delivery and newer electronic models such as MyMediaMall and Digital Past, NSLS aggregates the power of partnerships to help stretch your library’s budget.

Resource Sharing Partnerships

Van Delivery

The NSLS Van Delivery Service supports sharing of materials between NSLS member libraries. Our vans drove 92,728 miles this year and delivered approximately 2,236,104 items.

Digital Past
Digital Past, our online digitization initiative, provides easy access to over 103,875 rare and unique historical records. NSLS provides participating libraries with extensive training and support to enrich their experience with this highly respected resource. 38 libraries and other cultural institutions participate.

Visibility

You and your staff are powerful, vibrant assets and your library is a cornerstone to your community. NSLS doesn’t want this to be a secret. We have developed several tools to get the word out to the larger community about all of the interesting and useful programs and services your library has to offer.

What’s New in Libraries? (WNIL)
WNIL gave libraries exposure and staff experience with being interviewed. 25 libraries were featured on our What’s New in Libraries? cable TV show.

Classified Ads
The NSLS classifieds section of our e-newsletter helps you to find just the right person to fill job openings, share important announcements, and find good homes for giveaways. A total of 450 classifieds were placed this year.

Priceless Opportunities for Visibility

Sarah Long's Daily Herald Column
Writing about libraries and their issues, Sarah helps to bring new users to your doors and to develop library supporters. 61 libraries were featured in the “Our Libraries” Daily Herald column.

Annual Membership Awards Banquet
Honoring our members with awards while increasing library visibility with vendors, media, and the general public, our banquet is an enjoyable networking opportunity and chance to reconnect with colleagues. 366 people attended the March 2008 NSLS Banquet.

Marketing Website
Toolkits, information about the latest trends in the marketing field, marketing plans, and media contacts are available and ready to be used by members who access the NSLS marketing site. Getting your staff, trustees, and entire community “buzzing” about your library is pretty sweet. 10,647 people visited this site.

Advocacy

Proving your library’s value and seeking support from your key funders and legislators are the key components of library advocacy. Whether advocacy is being done on the local, state, or national level, NSLS has tools and information to help you.

Bus Trip to Springfield
NSLS coordinates a bus trip to Springfield for Illinois Library Day, so that library staff and trustees can visit their legislators. 32 people took the NSLS-sponsored bus in April 2008.

Priceless Advocacy Services

Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator
Proving your library’s worth has been made easier with NSLS’s creation of the ROI Calculator. The smiles on your patrons’ faces when they realize what they saved in one visit to your library truly is priceless.

Legislative Breakfast

NSLS sponsors an annual breakfast so that library staff and trustees can have some face-to-face time with legislators to discuss library related issues. All types of libraries are invited to participate. 174 library staff and trustees attended the February 2008 Breakfast.

Ad Libs Blog
A blog that explains legislative matters in a little more detail, alerts you to legislation of interest, and tells you how it will impact your library is a prized resource for any library advocate. This blog was visited 447 times.

Mentoring
NSLS library advocates form a strong community that offers mentoring, guidance, and even help in developing your “elevator speech.” Support like this is worth its weight in gold.

You work hard to make each of your dollars stretch as far as it can and provide a good return on your funders’ investment. NSLS does the same thing, and we add value to every service we offer our members. Whether it is challenging ourselves and our members to the next level of leadership, providing educational opportunities, modeling new forms of partnerships, helping you to keep your library in the public eye, or advocating for libraries and helping them advocate for themselves, we utilize our resources to their fullest potential. By doing this we provide our membership with the biggest possible return on their investment.