The Fairmont City Library Center (IPhoto courtesy of Mississippi Valley Library District

Fairmont City library wins international award

The Fairmont City Library Center will be the recipient of a $10,000 grant as the winner of the 2017 LibraryAware Community Award, given by the Library Journal and underwritten by the digital library systems maker LibraryAware.

The LibraryAware Award is presented annually to recognize communities that engage with their libraries to improve the lives of their citizens and create lifelong learners and library users.

The Fairmont City Library Center is part of the Mississippi Valley Library District, which also operates the Collinsville Library.

In a March 29 announcement, LibraryAware cites the Mississippi Valley Library District as a leader in library community outreach and the Fairmont City Library Center as a model for small market libraries.

“The Mississippi Valley Library District is a model … in improving the overall literacy of its community, from children to adults, and supporting lifelong learning for residents,” according to the award announcement.

The Fairmont City Library Center serves a tiny community with a high poverty rate and a high percentage of Spanish-speaking residents.

From its inception, the center’s services and programs have been based on the expressed needs of the community, says Katie Heaton, center manager.

“Establishing a strong partnership with the village was vital to the community and the success of the library,” Heaton said. “The library does more than improve literacy and encourage lifelong learning. Through events like the annual community Easter parade and egg hunts, our library reaches beyond its brick and mortar building becoming a community center.  From English as a second language class to homework help and first generation college bound seminars, our library is more than just books. We listen to the heartbeat of the community and when possible, we respond like an AED (a school’s adult education division) providing the needed support.”

The district plans to use the $10,000 award to improve internet access at both of its libraries.

Schools sue state in St. Clair County court

Seventeen central and southern Illinois school districts filed suit against the State of Illinois, April 5, in St. Clair County’s 20^th Judicial Circuit Court; charging state officials with failing to adequately fund public schools as required under the state constitution.  

Specifically, the suit alleges the state has imposed increasingly rigorous standards on schools without providing increased funding to meet those standards. Among the plaintiffs are four Metro East districts: Bethalto Community Unit School District 8, Cahokia Unit School District 187, Grant-Illini School District 110 in Fairview Heights, and Wood River-Hartford School District 15.

Metro violence spreads to Fairview Heights

A Metrolink security guard was allegedly attacked by a transit system rider at the Fairview Heights station April 6.  Spokespersons say Metro — also known as the Bi-State Development Agency —  has increased security at its light rail stations following a rash of violent incidents and charges that the transit system seldom has guards on duty at any of its stations.

On March 29, a man was shot to death at a Metrolink station in North St. Louis County.  On March 20, the Metrolink station in Downtown St. Louis was the scene of a homicide. In the Fairview Heights incident, the guard refused medical attention and the alleged assailant was taken into custody without resistance.

Metro East unemployment rate drops

The Metro East unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in February, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).  That was down 1.4 percentage points from the 6.6 percent unemployment rate posted in January for the Illinois Section of the St. Louis Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, which covers Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties. IDES attributed the decrease to normal seasonal hiring patterns.

However, Metro East like much of the state continued to lose jobs in February. The IDES placed the total number of positions open or filled in the area at 232,500.  That was down 100 from the 232,600 jobs in Metro East a year earlier.

SWIC cuts staff, raises tuition

Facing an increasingly tight budget, the Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees at its March 29 meeting raised tuition and approved $1.2 million in administrative staff reductions.

Tuition at the community college will rise from $109 to $113 per credit hour.  Student fees are also being increased.

A total of 19 full- or part-time employees will be eliminated from the college staff, effective July 1:

• Academic adviser,
• Assistant director of athletics for compliance and academics, who also serves as the college’s head softball coach,
• Coordinator of college activities and theater operations,
• Program development specialist,
• Director of nursing education and health related occupations,
• Vice president for marketing and institutional advancement,
• Systems analyst/programmer,
• Part-time academic adviser,
• Senior training specialist,
• Belleville campus evening and college activities supervisor,
• Granite City campus evening and college activities supervisor,
• Custodial/maintenance shift supervisor,
• Account executive,
• Communication specialist,
• Director of Selsius corporate and career training
• Network operations center manager,
• Part-time academic adviser,
• Assistant director of community education,
• Communications specialist/associate director and
• Manager of testing, data, and records

SWIC President Georgia Costello attributed the college’s budget issues to “recent steep losses in state funding, corresponding statewide enrollment declines, and the continuing state budget impasse … ”

–Metro East Area News Briefs–