HR1163 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1163 LRB100 22121 ALS 41175 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Roberta Thomas on the occasion of her retirement as the Grayslake Area Public Library District Director; and

WHEREAS, Roberta Thomas has held the position of Director since 1994; her legacy encompasses many accomplishments, including the opening of the library's current location; she oversaw the design, construction, and transition of the library from a small storefront in downtown Grayslake to a standalone, multi-story location; the new building was planned, designed, and constructed to meet the increasing needs of the library district's population as it grew; she successfully kept the project on time and under budget; her strong fiscal leadership was exemplified when the construction bond was completely paid on November 30, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Roberta Thomas fostered a dynamic service environment during her tenure, which included migrating from a paper card catalog to an online system with a dedicated children's interface, adding a self-checkout station, and installing drive-up book drops; she spearheaded the redesign of various interior spaces, including the creation of the TeenSpace and a community gathering area named Kent's Place; and

WHEREAS, Roberta Thomas also kept up with trends in library services, met the fast-changing technological needs, and connected people to the library's resources; she led the library in offering free computer access and WiFi to the public and in expanding the library's collection by adding digital content, including eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and a variety of other online research tools, such as Consumer Reports, Ancestry.com. and Lynda.com; and

WHEREAS, Although Roberta Thomas is preparing for retirement, she is not resting on her laurels; building renovations are underway to accommodate new meeting and study rooms, a digital studio, and the library's makerspace, The Hub; and

WHEREAS, Before stepping into the role of director, Roberta Thomas began her library career as a shelver at the Palatine Public Library District before transitioning into the role of Reference Librarian and then Head of the Circulation and Audio Visual Department; she has been one of only three directors to lead the Grayslake Area Public Library since it became a public body; her tenure has seen remarkable growth and construction, and her fiscally conservative leadership has enabled the library to accomplish its core mission, keep current with changing technologies, and financially plan for the future, without increasing taxes; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Roberta Thomas on the occasion of her retirement as Grayslake Area Public Library District Director, and we commend her leadership and guidance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Roberta Thomas as an expression of our esteem and respect.