Illinois State Library Annual Certification

CERTIFICATION

All RAILS members must complete certification to continue to receive RAILS services and Illinois State Library (ISL) grants. The 2021 annual library online certification process runs from February 15 to May 15.

Using L2 to Complete Certification

Libraries complete certification through the Library Directory & Learning Calendar (L2) website, and will no longer need a separate login to certify.

First Step

All libraries are also required to complete the FY 2020 ILLINET ILL Statistical Survey as part of the process. The deadline for the survey is May 15, matching that of certification. The library should complete the ILL survey before starting the certification form. (The library will need to confirm that they completed the ILL survey on the certification form.)

Questions for RAILS Members

Certification for RAILS members will include additional questions for public libraries only about collection expenditures, hours open, and the educational level of the director. RAILS added these questions to aid our understanding of our members and help us serve them better. Answers to these additional questions will not affect a library's eligibility for system services or ISL grants in any way.

Certification Contacts

Designated certification contacts should see a link to the certification form on the L2 homepage and your Account > My Dashboard page when logged in. If you are a library director or are the person who typically completes certification for your library, but do not see the certification link, go to My Dashboard and click on Edit in your Location affiliation and scroll down to the "Key Contact - Regional System" section, check "Certification Contact," and click "Save" at the bottom of the page. Only certification contacts will see the "Complete Certification for (name) Library" link in their dashboard.

More Help

RAILS created a "how to certify" instructional video that walks you through the process. If you need additional help after watching the video, you can check the FAQs on L2, or submit the L2 help contact form to receive assistance from system staff. (Be sure to choose Annual Certification as your category.)