Performer's Showcase

Coming in November

ILA’s Youth Services Subdivision is sponsoring the 2022 Performer’s Showcase on Thursday November 3rd at Ames Public Library. This event will showcase performers from the Midwest who are looking to perform at libraries in the summer of 2023. 

In-person registration is full, but wait!  This program will also be live streamed for remote attendance, with a moderator available online to answer questions and help connect you with the various performers. The showcase will run from 9:30AM-3:30PM with an hour lunch; there is no cost to participate.  

The Performer’s Showcase has been a long-standing practice leading up to the next year’s Summer Library Program.  Formerly sponsored by the State Library, but currently sponsored by ILA, this is a fun way to actually watch performances before booking.  Plus, this sets up a great opportunity to collaborate with other libraries in your county or adjoining counties to share expenses. 

Registration and Performer Preview

Registration is linked at the button below.  Note: the registration form allows you to register for the virtual option, but also allows you to be notified if a spot opens up in-person.  Among the performer’s appearing this year are cartoonist Tim Read, magician Jonathan May, folk singer Dennis Warner, and comedy storyteller Will Stuck, plus others.

Watch Party @ Sioux Center PL

Sioux Center Public Library is hosting a “Performer’s Showcase Watch Party” on November 3rd.  Their staff invites other Northwest library staff to Sioux Center to enjoy the show together. Questions about Sioux Center’s watch party can be directed to Heidi Ouwinga (712-722-2138 ext 6 / [email protected] ) 

 Register for Performer’s Showcase

STEM & STEAM Grants

Project: If/Then Gender Equity

From Southwest District Consultant Misty Gray comes this news: public libraries are eligible for STEM and STEAM grants to develop gender equity projects.  The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is accepting applications for IF/THEN® Gender Equity Engagement Grants.  Winning grant proposals can be awarded up to $6,000.  The purpose of this funding is to encourage libraries to develop programs that highlight women in STEM / STEAM careers—women working as scientists or astronauts, for example. 

To aid in promotion, winning grantees can tap into the project files of pre-designed exhibits, banners, and videos to help adapt content for your own library.  And if community partners would spur your thinking, these grants are also available to museums, science centers, zoos, gardens, aquariums, and other cultural institutions

In a new focus, there are two projects designed especially for children’s museums and early childhood spaces. “Project 9. The STEAM in Me: Sparking STEAM Curiosity in Young Innovators” and “Project 10. STEM Play Workshops” feature replicable exhibit content for early learners and play-based spaces. View previews of these projects in the Printable Panels and Banners section of the Project Library linked at the button below.

The application is simple, grants are awarded on a first-come first-serve basis. Visit IF/THEN® Grants at the button below for details about requirements, to preview the application, and to apply.  It looks to be a quick and straightforward application process, deadline to apply is October 28.  

If / Then Gender Equity Grants

ILA Conference Credits + ILOC News

The Iowa Library Association wrapped up its annual conference last Friday in Coralville.  Several State Library staff attended and some presented sessions.  Like Samantha Bouwers and Becky Heil, who teamed up to present a pre-conference on the “Principles of Educational Programming for Lifelong Learners.”  Maryann Mori presented a session on “Accessibility in the Library” and together, she and Mandy Easter presented “Legal Considerations of Intellectual Freedom.” 

We’ll have more on conference favorites in future weeks.  In the meantime, if you attended the ILA Conference yourself, be sure to claim the c.e. credits you earned!  Click the button below for the Conference CE Form to indicate which sessions you attended. The CE Team will then update your IA Learns account with your credits earned.

 2022 ILA Conference CE Form

Save the Date: ILOC 2023

This preview of upcoming education is thanks to Emily Bainter.  She writes “Save the Sate—Thursday January 26—and make plans to attend the Iowa Libraries Online Conference (ILOC).  Sponsored by the State Library, this is a full-day of learning for staff, directors, and trustees.  The 2023 theme is “Productive Partnerships” and will inspire you to find ways your library can make connections that will benefit your community and beyond. Consider having an ILOC “watch party” with your staff or trustees, as that offers an excellent opportunity for a staff development day.   And if your library has a productive partnership to share, watch for the ILOC Call for Proposals coming in November!”

This Week ...

Learning Circuits This Week

Learning Circuit workshops happen this Thursday October 20.  Local, state, and national experts come together in this hybrid event designed to equip those working in Iowa libraries with tools and support needed for disaster preparedness. This day-long workshop is designed to introduce you to basic concepts of emergency management, get you connected to local and state partners who can help when disaster strikes, and assist your team (however large or small it may be) in thinking through how your library should respond if the worst happens. There are six locations statewide, find those and the day’s agenda   

It's National Friends of Libraries Week ...

October 16-22, an opportunity to recognize the efforts of Library Friends Groups. 
United For Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, coordinates Friends of Libraries Week each year.  2022 marks the 17th annual recognition as a time to promote local Friends Groups, raise awareness of their efforts, and thank them for their work in support of libraries everywhere.

Friends of Libraries Week

Public Library Survey 

The FY22 Public Library Annual Survey is due on October 31 (for fiscal year July 2021-June 2022)  The data provided on the Public Library Annual Survey helps Iowa library directors, staff, and boards compare library performance, justify budget requests, track patterns over time, and describe the condition of public libraries in Iowa. Local, state, and federal officials also use your data to help them make funding and program decisions.

In Iowa, this annual data collection is authorized by Iowa Code 256.51 (1)(h)  But it’s interesting to note that this is really a national effort: library statistics are collected by all 50 states according to guidelines established by the Public Library Statistics Cooperative (PLSC)  The Public Library Annual Survey asks library managers to gather current information about collections, staffing, wages, income and expenses, service hours, and more. If you haven't started, well then ...  

There's no time like the present!  Click for the link to the Survey and accompanying instructions

Public Library Annual Survey