Librarians vs. Fake News

Jim Davis

Jim Davis is the Daily Herald’s DuPage/Fox Valley news director, overseeing the editors and reporters who cover those areas. He also writes a weekly column, usually an inside or behind-the-scenes look at our business. Davis started at the Herald in 1978 as a reporter. Since 1983, he has worked in several editing positions, including assistant city editor, city editor and DuPage editor. He lives in Elgin.

Bob Doyle

Bob Doyle has been executive director of the Illinois Library Association since 1996, leading the association from a position of financial uncertainty to financial security while continually improving the association's advocacy efforts, communications, and continuing education vehicles.

Prior to joining ILA, Doyle worked at the American Library Association (ALA) where he created and secured funding for a Fulbright program for librarians and then reestablished ALA's International Relations Office. As a former staff member of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, he has worked since the inception of Banned Books Week to produce the necessary materials and resources to make the event an annual celebration of the "right to read." He has served on the board of the Freedom to Read Foundation and received its highest honor, the Roll of Honor Award, in 2009.

Doyle is the author of Banned Books and editor of the ILA Reporter, as well as a regular contributor to national and international library journals and a frequent speaker at conferences and events. He has served two terms as a member of ALA Council and been active in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Katie Hauser

Katie Hauser is the current librarian at Elgin High School. She graduated with a Bachelors in Elementary Education from St. Norbert College, has an ESL Certification from Northern Illinois University, and has her Masters in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. Katie has been a bilingual teacher, worked as the Youth Services Librarian at the Roselle Public Library, and has been at EHS since 2013. She is a member of ISLMA, was a 2014 participant in the State Library Grant Project, and has been her school’s building technology coach since 2014. Katie enjoys reading what her students are reading, helping to teach classes, and being a leader in the school.

Margaret Peebles

Margaret Peebles is the Division Chief of Public Services at the award-winning Gail Borden Public Library District.  Over her varied career, Margaret has been a Children’s Librarian, Adult Services Librarian, Audiovisual Librarian, Branch Manager, Head of Access Services and now is now happily serving as a Division Chief. She holds an M.L.I.S from Dominican University, currently serves as an officer in Toastmasters, International and serves on the board of a 14-7.02 private special education center.  She’s worked in school and academic libraries but finds her true calling in public libraries. 

Veronda Pitchford

Veronda J. Pitchford is the Director of Membership Development and Resource Sharing for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), a regional consortium that serves over 1,300 academic, public, school and special libraries. She is the program director for the eRead Illinois Axis 360 program, a shared e-book collection for over 400 libraries across Illinois. Her next step in spreading digital awesomeness across the library planet is to explore innovation and experimentation of discovery and delivery of self-published, independent and simultaneous use e-book content for libraries. She started her illustrious professional career as a Gap sales person who also worked part time in a local record store. She serves as the co-share of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Consortial E-Book Interest group which she co-founded with RAILS executive director Dee Brennan. She was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2005.