RAILS Board Portal - About RAILS
Background/History
The Reaching Across Illinois Library System was formed in 2011, through a merger of the Alliance, DuPage, Metropolitan, North Suburban, and Prairie Area library systems.
Library systems are established by state law (75 ILCS 10/, the Illinois Library System Act). Funding for Illinois Library Systems is provided through the Illinois State Library and the Secretary of State, with funds appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly.
- RAILS Strategic Plan (including Mission and Vision Statements)
RAILS Staff
RAILS Member Libraries
RAILS serves approximately 1300 private, public, school, and academic library members, which include more than 4200 library facilities in a 27,000 square mile area in north/north-central Illinois.
RAILS members include:
- 117 Academic libraries (9%)
- 412 Public libraries (33%)
- 559 School libraries (44%)
- 175 Special libraries (14%)
May not add to 100% due to rounding
Resource Sharing Map
The State of Resource Sharing in RAILS map shows membership in system-supported shared catalogs, as well as areas without public library service.
RAILS Programs/Services
RAILS provides a number of services and programs to our member libraries, including:
- Continuing education
- Consulting
- Delivery
- E-resources
- Catalog support
- Resource-sharing initiatives, such as Find More Illinois and Explore More Illinois
- Discounts and group purchases
- Grants for continuing education events and for collaborative projects
- Networking opportunities
For additional information, see the Services and Members areas of our website, or view the RAILS Services brochure (PDF).