RAILS Member Update

Paul Mills serves as the Executive Director of the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook.  He is also the Chair of the Libraries of Illinois Risk Agency and the Chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Illinois Library Association.  Paul's previous experience includes serving as the director of the HAL and PrairieCat consortia, ALA Councilor for Illinois, Co-Chair of the ILA Awards Committee, and Chair of the ILA Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Born and raised in St. Louis. Leander is the 3rd of 4 kids. He is a product of St. Louis Public Schools and attended 2 HBCU’s. He first attended Tuskegee University where he studied Mechanical Engineering and Harris-Stowe University where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Management. Leander over 30 years of public and academic library experience. He recieved his MLIS from the University of Missouri - Columbia. 

Leander has worked for and held leadership positions in St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis Community College Library and St. Louis County Library. Leander has been director of the Belleville Public Library since 2011. Leander has served on the board of directors for the Illinois Library Association and Illinois Heartland Library System where he also served a year as the organizations President. Leander has served on many statewide committees helping to shape library policy in the state. Leander currently serves as co-chair of the Illinois State Library’s Director’s University leadership training program for new directors.

Leander is also a candidate for vice-president/president elect of the Illinois Library Association. Leander has recieved over 1 million dollars in succesful grant funding during his time with Belleville Public Library.

Travis J. Givens is the award-winning Director of the Tolono Public Library District in Illinois and an elected Director-at-Large on the Illinois Library Association Executive Board and an elected member of the Illinois Heartland Library System Board of Directors. In 2026, he was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in the Change Agents category and received the inaugural Amazon Next Gen Librarian Award. His work focuses on improving accessibility, modernizing library services, and strengthening community partnerships. He also shares his experiences with colleagues through presentations and professional collaborations.

Maggie Thomann is the Library Resources Supervisor at RAILS on the Deals & Discounts team. Maggie has worked in Illinois libraries for 20 years, with experience in adult services, library management, and leadership roles at the Illinois Library Association, Digital Library of Illinois, and Adult Reading Round Table. In her role at RAILS, she enjoys exploring new potential resources, working closely with library staff, and providing the best possible savings to RAILS members.

Kortni Springer is a Library Resource Specialist at RAILS, where she works on the Deals & Discounts team to help member libraries access discounted pricing on resources and services. She has spent ten years working in various public library roles, most recently as an Adult Services Manager. Her experience includes e-resource management, collection development and management, and library programming.