North Suburban Library System

Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has approved the merger of five northern and central Illinois library systems. The new Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) is slated to begin on July 1, 2011. The merging Illinois library systems are: Alliance Library System (ALS), DuPage Library System (DLS), Metropolitan Library System (MLS), North Suburban Library System (NSLS), and the Prairie Area Library System (PALS).

“We are very pleased to receive the approval of Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White to merge our five systems in order to reduce operating costs and continue to provide critical services to libraries and their users,” said Su Erickson, President of the Merger Transition Board. “The merger has been a cooperative and collaborative effort among the boards of the five systems, the Merger Transition Board, and the Illinois State Library,” she added.

RAILS services will be provided to more than 1,500 public, private, university, and school library members at more than 3,700 library locations in a 27,000 square mile area. The organization will also provide talking book services for persons unable to read or use conventional print material due to a visual or physical disability in all 102 Illinois counties.

More information about the merger is available from the Merger website at:  www.systemsmerger.info.