HR0971

LRB094 19774 HSS 56481 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 
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State of Illinois are pleased to recognize the Rolling Prairie 
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Library System (RPLS) on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, When RPLS was incorporated in October 1965, it had 
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five charter members, including Decatur Public Library, 
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Friends Creek Township Library in Argenta, Illiopolis Public 
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Library, Marrowbone Township Library in Bethany, and the 
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Vespasian Warner Public Library in Clinton; the first System 
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Director was Elizabeth Edwards, who joined the System in 
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February 1966; today, those five charter members are a part of 
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a System membership that includes 127 members, 9 academic, 46 
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public, 48 school districts, and 24 special libraries, serving 
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a total of 264 individual library facilities; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Early services of the System included bookmobile 
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service, rotating collections, central book ordering and 
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processing, and a film collection; as libraries became more 
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self-sufficient, the services of the System changed to provide 
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consulting services, a wide range of continuing education and 
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training programs, delivery, and an automated circulation 
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system with a database of over 2.6 million library items for 
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147 libraries; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Although library systems were first created to 
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promote and support public libraries, systems soon saw the need 
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to become multi-type, and in 1985 Rolling Prairie welcomed 
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academic, school, and special libraries to its membership with 
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representation on its Board of Directors; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Throughout Rolling Prairie Library System's forty 
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years of service, it has had only four directors; Elizabeth 
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Edwards, the original director, began in 1966; Ray Ewick became 
 


 






HR0971
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LRB094 19774 HSS 56481 r




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director in 1972; Robert Plotzke followed in October 1978; and 
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on July 1, 2005, Beverly Obert was named the current Executive 
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Director; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we recognize the Rolling Prairie Library System on the occasion 
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of its 40th anniversary; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the Rolling Prairie Library System as an 
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expression of our esteem.