INA, Ill. – This week, libraries across the country are celebrating the many ways they help their communities for National Library Week, and none have integrated new technologies and addressed student and community needs better than Rend Lake College’s Learning Resource Center (LRC). With new and constantly-progressing media, engaging spaces, and an online database filled with thousands of materials, the LRC is truly a hidden gem on RLC’s campus.

The college’s LRC is an open resource for students, faculty, staff, and community members alike. One simply needs a library card to take items out of the LRC. In print materials, the LRC has nearly 13,000 items to browse, including 75 magazine and newspaper subscriptions.

The LRC also has an extensive online collection, which includes dozens of electronic resources and over 70,000 e-journals, e-books, and audiovisual materials, such as videotapes, CDs, and DVDs. In fact, the Cloud Library has over 35,000 downloadable e-books for anyone to use on an e-reader.

For students, this means access to over 40 electronic resources and over 36,000 streaming videos. The Journal Finder and Electronic Library services online allows students to search for academic materials by title, subject, or article name.

Beth Mandrell, Reference Librarian, said the LRC is the perfect resource for any RLC student, no matter what they’re looking for or the services needed to find information.

“Libraries are learning spaces with comfortable seating, a place where new ideas and innovations begin because they have the information, on hand, to back them up,” said Mandrell.

The LRC is also a cooperating member of the Illinois Heartland Library System, which provides access to the catalog of over 500 member libraries – well over 10 million records – both across the state and nationwide. Many of these materials can be borrowed on a short-term basis called an interlibrary loan.

But the LRC is much more than a simple library with books and material to check out.

A 24-computer open lab is available for public use, plus two collaborative work pods of six computers each, which enables users to work together on a project and share on a screen. Users can also bring their own devices to link to the work pods via Wi-Fi.

Three study rooms are also available for a quiet study environment. The three rooms contain a combination of network and Wi-Fi computers, scanners, TVs, and DVD players.

Additional services at the LRC include a lactation room for new mothers, story time kits designed for preschool through third grade students, and a children’s library.

For more information, visit the Learning Resource Center on the Ina campus; call the Circulation Desk at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1308; or see the library’s website at www.rlc.edu/learning-resource-center. Tours of the LRC are also available upon request.

Library hours during the fall and spring semester are 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays and 7 am. – 4 p.m. Fridays. Summer hours are 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursdays. The LRC is closed Saturdays and Sundays all year, and on Fridays during the summer.

RLC students may have their Student IDs created at the LRC. Students and community members interested in library cards should contact the Circulation Desk. Community members must be over the age of 18 or be a high school senior and live within RLC’s district. Photo identification is required and community members will also need to provide proof of residency.

National Library Week was first sponsored in 1958, and is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. In 2018, National Library Week is observed April 8-14.

The Illinois Economic Policy Institute has proposed more than doubling the state’s motor fuel tax – from 34 cents to 85 cents – but a free market think tank says lawmakers should looking at finding ways to cut costs before hiking the gas tax.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

On April 5, 2018 Benton Police arrested Cynthia R. Keller, age 55, of Benton on an active Franklin County warrant for failure to appear.  Keller was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On April 7, 2018 Benton Police arrested Tyler S. Poyner, age 32, of Benton on an active Franklin County warrant for unlawful possession of a controlled substance.  Poyner was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On April 7, 2018 while on routine patrol Benton Police conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of North Main and Illinois Avenue.  Upon investigating, police arrested Joel B. Russell, age 51, of Benton for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.  Russell was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On April 7, 2018 Benton Police were dispatched to Sandy’s Bar located at 107 East Main Street in reference to a criminal damage complaint.  Upon investigating, police arrested Angela K. Behringer, age 46, of Benton for criminal damage to property.  Behringer was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On April 7, 2018 Benton Police conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Highland and Joplin Street.  Upon investigating, police arrested Whitney R. Smith, age 26, of Benton for unlawful possession of cannabis.  Smith was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

INA, Ill. – Only three dates are open for reservations at the Rend Lake College Culinary Arts Showcase this year after a wave of interest. Guests can choose from four different reservation times on April 26, May 3, or May 4.

Guests can call today for reservations for Thursday, April 26. The Showcase offers reservation times for 5, 5:30, 6, and 6:30 p.m. for up to six guests per reservation. In addition to pre-registration, guests will also be required to pre-pay for their reservation at $25 per ticket.

Those wanting to make reservations for the remaining two days next month can call to do so starting Monday, April 16.

The Culinary Arts Showcase is an event that resembles a fine dining restaurant run by RLC Culinary Arts students enrolled in the Restaurant Management course. Using the bi-level kitchen and dining area in the Student Center on the Ina campus, students work in a variety of roles, ranging from executive chef, sous chef, server, runner, Maitre D’, and many more to get hands-on experience in all aspects of the restaurant business.

This year’s menu, with the theme “a new twist on old classics,” can be found online here. For questions or to make a reservation, contact RLC’s Community and Corporate Education Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714 or commcorped@rlc.edu. Their office is located upstairs in the Student Center, Ina campus.

Facebook revealed Wednesday that tens of millions more people might have been exposed in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal than previously thought and said it will restrict the data it allows outsiders to access on its users.

Here’s the link to the story in the Southern Illinoisan.

INA, Ill. – Parents of three- and four-year-old children can take advantage of free pre-kindergarten screenings through the “Preschool For All” grant at the Rend Lake College Foundation Children’s Center (RLCFCC).

The free screenings are sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education grant during the month of May. Parents may contact the RLCFCC now to schedule a screening on Monday, May 14 through Wednesday, May 16.

To qualify for free screenings, children should be three years old by Sept. 1, 2018. Parents will need to provide proof of income and bring the child’s certified birth certificate. Potty training is not a requirement for entrance.

Results from the developmental screening will be shared with parents the same day. Each child will also have a portfolio to track their educational progress throughout the school year.

Qualified children can receive free morning pre-kindergarten class at the RLCFCC, running from 8 – 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. All day care is also available for a $12 fee per day.

Pre-kindergarten classes at the RLCFCC include free field trips for children and parents, parent education opportunities, parent events, and attendance at Kindergarten Boot Camp to help relieve fears prior to entering kindergarten. A Pre-Kindergarten Graduation ceremony will be held at the end of the year for children entering kindergarten.

To learn more or schedule a screening, contact the RLCFCC at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1393.

CARBONDALE — The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees is poised to consider a plan to gradually shift state funding from SIU Carbondale to SIU Edwardsville in order to reflect changes in enrollment levels at the two campuses.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Gov. Bruce Rauner touted the historic education bill as his “biggest accomplishment” last year, but on Tuesday Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker vowed to kill one of its key components — a private school scholarship tax credit that Pritzker dubbed “a back-door school voucher program” and “a really bad idea.”

Here’s a link to the story at Chicago Sun-Times.