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• Combining Professional Development and Consulting standards: Questions have been raised about combining the two areas, “Professional Development” and “Consulting,” into a single set of standards. The committee discussed this at some length and consensus of the committee is to keep professional development and consulting together. Although attending a group training session and working one-on-one with a system consultant are different methods of imparting information, both involve learning and seem logical to look at as a whole. It is up to each system to decide the best combination of teaching methods appropriate for a particular subject. The committee wants to be clear that combining these two standards is not meant to diminish the importance of one approach to learning over the other; both are and will continue to be important, complementary vehicles of teaching and learning for the systems to use and deploy.
• Reporting requirements: Concerns have been expressed that reporting the results of CE and Professional Development may be onerous for systems. The committee is in complete agreement that reporting mechanisms should not be overly labor intensive when time can be spent more productively in providing services. The committee will look at reporting and assessment overall when the first draft of the entire standards document is nearly complete to ensure that reporting and assessment are meaningful and not excessively burdensome. However, it is also important to recognize that with public funds full and open disclosure of activities and expenditures are essential.
• Core services: Some respondents have expressed interest in a definition of “basic or core services.” The core services will be identified and defined when the standards in their entirety near completion. The committee’s initial thinking is that core services are offered for free or a nominal charge.   The committee also will be discussing whether or not core services possibly differ from system to system. These issues are not yet resolved and are on the committee agenda for discussion.
• Costs/fees for professional development: Comments were received from both ends of the spectrum on this topic. Some concern was expressed that requiring professional development on certain topics be provided at no charge to members would limit the involvement of expert speakers from beyond the system area. Others noted that the indirect costs of professional development (travel, time out of the office, etc.) often keeps staff from member libraries from participating in learning opportunities. The committee believes that staff members and governing officials should have access to a minimum level of professional development provided at no charge (or a nominal charge, such as lunch costs) regardless of where the library is located geographically. This should not preclude systems from offering fee-based workshops when appropriate. The committee will be looking at more specifics when core services are discussed later (see “core services” above).
• Role of the Illinois State Library: The committee is writing standards for the Illinois regional library systems, not the Illinois State Library. Everyone agrees that the role of the State Library is very important.   While not the focus of our work, the committee will seek to identify appropriate roles for the State Library in fulfilling the systems standards.
• Follow-up/Enforcement: Accountability is essential when public funds are expended. 
• Number of standards areas: The 1991 standards cover eight core services plus administrative standards.    We are looking at six standards overall at this time.
• Member library responsibilities: Every member library has a responsibility to be a “good” system member.   The committee believes strongly that member library responsibilities are a key part of the standards document and an essential part of the assessment process.