 Each year for the past 21 years, Sumrall has applied for the per
capita grant and has received it.Secretary of State Jesse White
is also the state librarian. As such he is head of the Illinois
State Library in Springfield and all of the Illinois public library
districts. The per capita grant is based on the population of the
public library district, which in Lincoln's case is exactly the same
as the city's boundary.
"We want to be Lincoln's library," Sumrall said.
The grant of $10,905.04 will be used for salaries, especially to
allow library employees to work more hours during the busy summer
schedule at the library.
The premier summer event is the children's reading program,
scheduled on Thursday mornings at 10, beginning in June.
The children's librarian, Louella Moreland, is excited about this
year's events. Moreland, also known as Ms. Lou on her popular
library blog, said: "We start accepting applications for the summer
reading program just after Memorial Day. The programs start the
second week of June."
She has already selected the professional entertainers who
captivate the children attending each Thursday. This year's theme is
"Have Book Will Travel."
"We have a magician, jugglers, an animal program in conjunction
with the Peoria Zoo and also a returning show with popular
marionettes," Moreland said.
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 The final program is unique. "We are going to have a scavenger
hunt in downtown Lincoln for the children and their families," said
Moreland. The participants will solve clues while taking a walking
tour of downtown Lincoln. This is an imaginative way for families to
learn about their hometown.
The Lincoln Public Library District converted to a new online
computer database this spring. The library joins 426 other member
libraries in the Illinois Heartland Library System as a member of
the new Polaris online database. This Internet system encompasses
all the public libraries from Lincoln to the southern tip of the
state. It is now available on the library's website and is called
Share. It went "live" two weeks ago.
Sumrall said it is now much easier to search by categories,
allowing a more advanced search. The previous system did not allow
for that advanced search. Many more items are available, some 10
million, and the search is much faster.
For more information on all Lincoln Public Library programs,
contact the library at 217-732-8878. The phone number for the youth
department is 217-732-5732. Library information can also be accessed
on the Web at
www.lincolnpubliclibrary.org.
[By
CURT FOX]
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