State Documents

• Focus: Crime in Rural Illinois, Illinois Law Enforcement Commission (January 1982), 10pp.

Serious crime in rural Illinois counties has increased steadily since 1972. Thus the burglary rate increased by 65 percent and the rape rate by 150 percent. It is not clear why these trends have occurred. Population growth does not seem to be a factor. It is also noteworthy that rural counties with the highest crime rates are not always those closest to the urban counties with the highest rates.

• The 1980-81 Drought in Illinois: Causes, Dimensions, and Impacts, Illinois State Water Survey (1982), 113 pp.

Although Illinois is frequently referred to as a "water surplus state," the state in fact faces a serious shortage of usable water in the very near future. The 1980-81 drought was a mild example of what may well be ahead. To deal with this situation, state and local programs for addressing droughts must be developed, older water supply systems must be renovated, water must be conserved and prices should be raised, and new technologies must be developed and put to use.

Other Reports

• Successful School Board Meetings, by Stuart A. Anderson, Illinois Association of School Boards, 1209 S. Fifth Street, Springfield 62703 (June 1982), 78 pp. ($8/$6 for members).

Careful and effective planning can ensure successful meetings of any public body, not just the school board. This manual discusses several aspects including some of the legal requirements, how to plan and conduct a meeting, and how to deal with the public and the news media. Sample policies for several important issues are included, as well as a quick reference to parliamentary procedures in a handy tabular format.

Items listed under State Documents have been received by the Documents Unit, Illinois State Library, Springfield, and are usually available from public libraries in the state through inter-library loan.             Anna J. Merritt.

November 1982 | Illinois Issues | 17