District and Statewide Happenings Friday Forum Let's hope the bitter cold is behind us! Please excuse the late notice, but it is time again for our monthly Friday Forum, a place for you to talk with other librarians about whatever is on your mind.…

E-Rate Form 471 Filing Window Opening Now is the time to request internet funding assistance. The FCC has announced that the filing window for the Form 471 is opening on January 17, 2024. It will remain open until 11:59 ET on March 27, 2024. …

Pop YS Con: Call For Proposals Now Open! Share Your Knowledge With Youth Librarians Statewide! If you have a great program, service or concept for youth or teens that you're passionate to share with your fellow youth librarians; submit a proposal…

News from the CE Team Announcement Reminders & ILOC Registration Happy New Year! 2023 went out like a lamb (as far as weather goes); 2024 seems determined to be in like a lion. I hope you and your patrons are staying safe and warm. It's a good…

Northwest District Office Hours January and Upcoming ... Northwest Office Hours are back this month with two chances to chat. Choose either Tuesday January 16 OR Thursday January 18, whichever best fits your schedule. Then note Northwest Office…

New Year New Year, New Big Ideas Book Discussions February 16th Basically Incredible by Matt Booth It’s a new year of Big Ideas Book Discussions! The first title we’ll take up this year—on Friday February 16—is Basically…

Open Forum this Friday Wow, 2024! Are you ready for it to be a new year? You're all welcome to join other library staff this Friday, January 5th from 10:30-11:30. Come ready to talk about whatever is on your mind. It's a time to share your good…

So many cool things are on the horizon at the State Library! I'm excited for 2024 - and I hope you are too! Please join us for the upcoming POP YS Con in April (and submit a proposal, too!) as well as attend the All Iowa Reads events, POP YS Live…

Happy New Year! At the close of one year and start of the next, I want to dedicate the CE Newsletter to a couple more announcement-y type things, rather than our usual calendar of events. However, that doesn't mean we don't have A LOT planned…

ILOC 2024 Keynotes Announced Morning Keynote: Communicating with Stakeholders for Results Jay Turner If you work in a library, chances are you are responsible for multiple projects and programs. In this pithy yet powerful keynote, Jay Turner…

Northwest District Office Hours December Northwest Office Hours are back this month with two chances to chat. Choose either Tuesday December 19 OR Thursday December 21, whichever best fits your schedule. Then turning the calendar page…

Register for ILOC Today! On Thursday, January 25, 2024, the ILOC conference will encourage attendees to consider sustainable operations, long-term outcomes, and positive community differences the library makes. Throughout the day, we will…

Holiday Books For Kids As Heard On Iowa Public Radio This article is thanks to Janee Jackson-Doering, State Library Youth Services Consultant. Janee recently appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa and shared some of her…

Southeast Holiday Happenings Friday Open Forum Grab some Christmas cookies and cocoa and join us this month for a get together as we head into the holidays. We have had some great conversations this year and I'd like to hear about your hopes for…

Join us on Wednesday, January 17 for the 2024 All Iowa Reads Author Presentations from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Each author will share insights about their book and answer your questions! You'll also receive an overview of State Library resources to…

ILOC Call for Proposals Closes Today! This is your last chance to submit to ILOC, coming up January 25, 2024. The theme for this year’s conference is “Libraries are Forever!” Library staff and trustees who have demonstrated…

Next Open forum There's snow on the ground, so I guess I can no longer deny that winter is coming. Hope you're staying warm. You are all welcome to join other library staff this Friday, December 1st from 10:30-11:30 to talk about whatever is on…

North Central District - November 2023 Open Office Hours Please join me and other librarians and staff from around the district in our open office hour networking sessions at whatever time works best for you. Remember these are informal sessions…

E-Rate Window Is Open Discounts For Internet Service For public libraries interested in participating in the E-Rate Program, the filing window has opened for FY2024-25. Under the auspices of the FCC, the federal E-Rate Program helps make…

ILOC Call for Proposals Open The State Library of Iowa invites you to submit session proposals for the annual ILOC conference to be held on Thursday, January 25, 2024. The theme for this year’s conference is “Libraries are…

Looking for ILOC Proposals The State Library of Iowa invites you to submit session proposals for the annual ILOC conference to be held on Thursday, January 25, 2024. Library staff and trustees who have demonstrated ways to prove the library is…

Bridges Fees To Increase In FY2025 Following the Bridges User Group Meetings in October, the Bridges Team at the State Library received helpful feedback regarding possible changes to Bridges membership fees. When fees were increased two years…

ILA Planning Day: Next Week In Cherokee! For Northwest Iowa library staff and trustees, this is welcome news: the Iowa Library Association is holding its annual Planning Day in Cherokee. It's next week Tuesday November 14 at the Cherokee Yacht…

Applications Now Open Inside IowaGrants.gov The State Library of Iowa is pleased to announce that we are offering six space utilization grants of up to $3,000 each. This news was announced in the Eye-Opener last week, now this week the grant…

Learning Opportunities for Summer 2024 Summer 2024 will soon be underway - and we're gearing up for ways to help you plan for Read, Renew and Repeat! New This Year: Summer Reading Office Hours: State Library Consultant Janeé…

Learning Opportunities for Summer 2024 Summer 2024 will soon be underway - and we're gearing up for ways to help you plan for Read, Renew and Repeat! New This Year: - Summer Reading Office Hours: State Library Consultant Janeé…

Open Forum This Friday, November 3, will be our monthly Open Forum. Meet with other library staff at 10:30 to ask questions and share stories. Friday, November 3 at 10:30 AM Friday, December 1 at 10:30 AM Eunice's Zoom Room …

Space Utilization Grants ... Grants Available November 6th The State Library of Iowa is excited to announce that we are offering six Space Utilization Grants of up to $3,000 each. These grants open next Monday November 6th. The process…

Titles Chosen For All Iowa Reads In 2024 This year marked the 20th anniversary of the All Iowa Reads program. And the beat goes on: last week the three books chosen for All Iowa Reads in 2024 were announced on Iowa Public Radio. On the Talk of…

Northwest District Bulletin You Are Invited To ... An Evening With Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom Northwest Iowa library staff and trustees are cordially invited to an evening with author Cheryl Grey Bostrom on Thursday November 2nd at…

Virtual Conference from the State Library: January 25, 2024 It's hard to believe, I know, but are you ready for ILOC? This event started as a virtual conference in 2008 as a way for Iowa librarians to stay connected during the winter months…

Monthly Office Hours Opportunity to Network This is a friendly reminder and your invitation to join other Central District Librarians for our monthly "office hours" online gathering. This is a great way to meet and network with other librarians.…

The All Iowa Reads selections for 2024 were announced live today on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa program with host Charity Nebbe. Nebbe was joined by All Iowa Reads committee member Kamryn Kronschnabel of the Charles City Public Library to…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library Of Iowa News : Monday Morning Eye-Opener October 16,…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa News - October 16,…

Use this form to tell the State Library of Iowa CE Team which ILA 2023 Annual Conference sessions you attended. Welcome back from ILA 2023! We hope you had a great conference, learned a lot, and came back to your library energized and excited…

Next in Big Ideas Book Discussions The Art Of Talking With Children November 17th The last title in this year’s Big Ideas Book Discussion series is The Art of Talking With Children (c2022) by Rebecca Rolland. The subtitle itself provides…

Out and About: Travels with Sam Happy Fall, Y'all! Between the ARSL Conference (two weeks ago), the Learning Circuit (last week), and the ILA Conference (next week), PLUS all the cool CE stuff listed below, there's a little going on, eh? Read on…

The 2024 All Iowa Reads season will be soon upon us! Join us as we partner with Iowa Public Radio (IPR) again to announce the new titles for the 2024 All Iowa Reads, Teen All Iowa Reads, and Kids All Iowa Reads programs on Talk of Iowa Wednesday,…

October presents an opportunity to recognize the efforts of Library Friends Groups during National Friends of Libraries Week October 15-21. And it’s United For Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, that coordinates…

Meeting Room Reservations Free to Public Libraries From WhoFi This news is thanks to Christian Gutteridge, Marketing Coordinator with WhoFi. Christian contributes this article about one of WhoFi’s newest features: meeting room reservations.…

In-Person Branding Workshop Scheduled for November Branding on a Budget: Achieve More with Less Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Marion Public Library Ever pondered the power behind a library's unique brand? It's more than just…

Library Board Education Opportunities & Reminders Take advantage of upcoming education opportunities for your library board of trustees to grow the knowledge & skills of your library board! Webinar Series... "Intersections" First up,…

Summer Library Survey Open Prize Pack Available, Too! Library directors and youth services staff should have received a bulletin last week regarding a summer reading survey. State Library Consultant Janee Jackson-Doering sent that bulletin…

Northwest District Bulletin Northwest District Office Hours September And Into The Fall Northwest Office Hours are back this week with two chances to chat. Choose either Tuesday September 12 OR Thursday September 14, whichever best fits your…

Friday Open Forum Let's talk about how your summers went and catch up on all the changes around the district. Join us to meet with fellow librarians and talk about what is going on at your library. Let me know if there is anything special you want…

2023 Summer Library Program Survey Open Enter to Win a Prize Pack of Books! The 2023 Summer Library Program survey is now available! The survey asks about the in person, online, and passive programs offered as well as the total number of attendees…

The 2023 Library Telescope Giveaway Courtesy of the Omaha Astronomical Society Mike Modrcrin, Outreach Coordinator with the Omaha Astronomical Society (OAS) recently reached out to Northwest and Southwest District Offices with this news. The OAS…

Open Forum This Friday, September 1, will be our monthly Open Forum. After the summer, we are back to our regular schedule. Meet with other library staff from 9-10 to talk about whatever issues are on your mind. - Friday, September 1 at 10:30 AM …

State Library Receives Important Grant To Further Social Work in Iowa Libraries Project State Library of Iowa was recently awarded a grant of $246,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of the Laura Bush 21st Century…

From the CE Team New Intersections Series for Library Board Trustees and City Government Colleagues Intersections: Where City and Library Meet is a three-part series, designed for library boards and cities, highlighting best practices for city…

The current Large Print Rotation will wrap up on October 1st. If you would like to join us for the next rotation please email Carrie Falk for information or join us during SW Open Office Hours hosted by Misty Gray on Wednesday, September 13th at…

The Boardroom Series This Fall September Through November The Boardroom comes back this fall with a 3-part series titled Intersections. Starting in September and continuing through November, Intersections explores 3 keys areas where close…

North Central District - August 2023 Open Office Hours Please join me and other librarians and staff from around the district in our open office hour networking sessions at whatever time works best for you. Remember these are informal sessions…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa News - August 14,…

Click here to View the Information About "Southeast District News - August…

Public Library Annual Survey FY23 Open And Ready For Filing On August 1s, library directors should have received an email from State Library Consultant Scott Dermont announcing that the FY23 Public Library Annual Survey (July 2022-June 2023) is…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa CE Newsletter - August 11,…

The State Library has been awarded a grant of more than $246,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The grant will be used on efforts to support the psychosocial needs of Iowa…

Learning Circuits 2023 Registration Is Now Open Last week’s Eye-Opener included a preview of the State Library’s Learning Circuit this fall. Scheduled for September 28, from 9:00AM-3:30PM at six locations across the state,…

Summer Reading 2023 Recap It's a wrap on Summer Reading 2023! Lots of fun events were held this summer, and I enjoyed seeing so many special events! Congratulations everyone on hosting a wonderful Summer Reading Program! 2023 Summer Survey Coming…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa CE Newsletter - August 1,…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa: Monday Morning Eye-Opener - July 31,…

Enrich Iowa Reports Due July 31 Libraries that receive Enrich Iowa funds through the Open Access, Interlibrary Loan, or Direct State Aid programs must submit reports by July 31. Library directors will need to file Enrich Iowa Reports indicating…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa News - July 17,…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa: Monday Morning Eye-Opener - July 17,…

From the CE Team Save-the-Date for the Fall Learning Circuit! Thursday, September 28, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., 6 in-person locations around the state Save the date for the 2023 Learning Circuit! We'll follow the same format we did last year:…

Friday Open Forum Reminder July Southeast Open Forum, Friday, July 21 from 9-10. What do you need to talk about? Here is your chance to speak with other library directors about anything. We like to share ideas, proud moments and concerns. …

Open Office Hours Please join me and other librarians and staff from around the district in our open office hour networking sessions at whatever time works best for you. Remember these are informal sessions where we can connect with other…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa News - July 10,…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa: Monday Morning Eye-Opener - July 10,…

NE Open Forum Join other Northeast District librarians for our monthly networking time. Are you celebrating the end of your summer library program or just getting started? How's it going? Please note the change to our regular Open Forum schedule.…

Click Here To view More Information "State Library of Iowa Pop YS Newsletter - July ,2023…

From the CE Team Collection Cultivation: Maintain Your Library Collection through Weeding Tuesdays in August, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. You’ve asked for it, and we’re answering! One of the most-often requested training topics on CE…

League of Cities Webinar This Week Re: Property Taxes and Special Levies A webinar this Wednesday June 28 is of special significance because it will offer an explanation of House File 718, legislation recently passed by the Iowa Legislature…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa Northwest District Bulletin - June 22,…

Congratulations to ARSL Conference Grant Winners The State Library is pleased to announce the six recipients of scholarships to attend the Association for Rural & Small Libraries Annual Conference this fall. From dozens of applications…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa CE Newsletter - June 16,…

From the CE Team New Series: Lunch with the State Library Monthly on the First Tuesday from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m. Lunch With The State Library Graphic Soup's on! Introducing Lunch with the State Library, a year-long series of short sessions designed…

NE Open Forum Join other Northeast District librarians for our monthly networking time. You can ask questions, share successes, and meet people from across our district. We'll have Ashleigh Matos of WhoFi as a special guest in June. She'll share…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa News - May 22,…

Click here to View the Information About "State Library of Iowa CE Newsletter : May 19,…

Iowa Book Award Winners Chosen By Young Readers From the Iowa Association of School Libraries (IASL) comes the latest Iowa book award winners for 2022-2023. IASL, a subdivision of the Iowa Library Association, advocates for strong school…

We're One Month Away from All Iowa Reads Virtual Author Visits! The three authors of the 2023 All Iowa Reads titles will appear in virtual visits this June. The visits are free and open to the public; registration is required. At each event,…

On Thursday, May 25, the State Library will be holding the first Great IA Shares Bag Count. Librarians will be asked to count and report the number of filled and empty IA Shares bags in their library to an online form that will be available that…

Southeast Happenings Friday Open Forum Join us via zoom for some casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your mind. This is a place for you to connect with librarians across our district and a great chance to pose questions…

Open Forum Join us for NE Open Forum this Friday. These are informal gatherings in Zoom, casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your mind. It's an great chance to pose questions of each other and share solutions that work…

From the CE Team Director Roundtables The 2023 Director Roundtables will kick off on May 9 in State Center; the first of 17 locations across the state in May, with multiple events to choose from in each district! A longtime staple in the…

This Is National Library Week! Let's Celebrate Libraries This is the premier week for library trustees, staff, patrons, and advocates to celebrate our nation’s libraries. This is National Library Week April 23-29. Sponsored since 1958 by the…

Northwest District Office Hours and More! NW Office Hours Spring & Summer Welcome, Spring! Northwest Office Hours schedule for spring and summer months shows below, with two chances to chat in April, June, July, and August. To place…

Enrich Iowa Letters of Agreement Ready to Sign, Due April 30 Iowa libraries of all types—public, college, schools, and specials—should have received a message from State Library Consultant Scott Dermont regarding Enrich Iowa Letters…

Click here to View the Information About State Library of Iowa SE District Newsletter - April 18,…

Click here for More Information About State Library of Iowa Continuing Education Newsletter - April 14, 2023

Coming up in NE Iowa NE Open forum Join us for NE Open Forum this Friday (April 7) at 10:30 am. These are informal gatherings in Zoom, casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your mind. It's an great chance to pose…

Next In The Boardroom: The Board's Role in Staffing Transitions The next Boardroom webinar, scheduled for May 25th (6:00-7:30PM) takes up the topic of staffing transitions. Having successfully hired a new library director, does the board have…

From the CE Team STEM Fairs and Summer Reading Summits Have Wrapped! We had so much fun out and about around the state at the STEM Fairs and Summer Reading Summits in March. Thank you to all our presenters, host sites, and attendees for making…

State Library Launching STEM To Go & Storytime Kits for Checkout to Libraries If you attended the STEM Fairs or Summer Reading Summits around the state this month, you heard the exciting news: the State Library is launching STEM To Go and…

Earth's Bounty Project sign up now open The State Library is launching an exciting Oral History project, Earth’s Bounty in Iowa: Then and Now. Members of the public will be able to tell their own stories about growing up on a farm in Iowa. …

Director Roundtables Registration Now Open! This spring, Director Roundtables will follow our overall education theme for 2023: “Productive Partnerships.” With last year’s theme (“Make Room for Yes”) as a jumping off…

Friday Forum THIS WEEK Join us for conversation with your colleagues and peers this Friday. This is a place for you to connect with librarians across our district and discuss things that are important to you. This week, we also have a special…

Director Roundtables In May A longtime staple in our Continuing Education calendar, Director Roundtables are coming back in May. Roundtables are another way we can go deeper into the annual CE theme. In a guided discussion format, library…

Too. Much. Snow. Join us virtually to chat about summer during a snowstorm. Well, there's always a risk to scheduling in-person events in March, and we were reminded of it this week thanks to (another) winter storm pummeling its way to Cherokee…

National Library Week Is Coming ... April 23-29, 2023 Turning the calendar to March leads to thoughts of spring, Daylight Saving Time, and National Library Week—coming up April 23-29. Sponsored since 1958 by the American Library…

News from the CE Team Room Remains for Summer Reading Summits Near You! We still have plenty of space in our upcoming Summer Reading Summits across the state throughout the month of March. Come find inspiration for your library's summer reading…

ILA Advocacy Day March 7th The Iowa Library Association urges library trustees, directors, and staff at all levels to attend Advocacy Day, this year scheduled for Tuesday March 7th. This annual event takes place at the State Law Library, housed…

AARP Community Challenge Grants Applications Due In March AARP is sponsoring Community Challenge Grants this spring. Public libraries are encouraged to apply and encourage community partners to do the same. Launched in 2017, the annual AARP…

Northwest District Office Hours and More! New Year of NW Office Hours Northwest District Office Hours are back in the new year. Depending on calendar constraints, some months offer two opportunities to chat. Choose either Tuesday OR Thursday,…

News from the CE Team ILOC Recordings Now Available We are about a month out from the ILOC 2023 Conference and we have all the recordings from the conference ready to go! A huge thank you to Angela Forret for her hard work in processing these and…

Big Talk From Small Libraries Conference Sponsored By Nebraska February 24th Just last month, the State Library of Iowa held our annual online conference called ILOC. Now this month, our neighbors at the Nebraska State Library hold their annual…

Join the State Library for an evening of library board training on the topic of policies. The Boardroom Series 2023 continues with part two of Policy Watch: Policies Lost and Found. It is not necessary to have attended part one to join us for this…

Bridges Annual Enrollment Time On Feb 6th, an early reminder about an annual happening in March each year—that’s the annual Bridges Sign-Up. By March 31st, current Bridges libraries need to re-enroll to renew their participation. And…

News from the CE Team Lots going on! And scroll down for new Kernels. Usually I reserve this space for a special announcements from the CE Team... For this newsletter I'll just content myself to say WE'RE BUSY! Whew! Scroll down to see all the…

Summer Reading Program Canva Templates Access Templates On State Library's Summer Reading Webpage The State Library created Canva templates for libraries to customize and use with the Summer Library Program theme Find Your Voice. At the…

NE Open Forum Join Eunice and other Northeast District librarians for an hour of networking on the first Friday of each month. You can ask questions, share successes, and meet people from across our district. Next Up: Friday, February 3, 10:30…

STEM Scale-Up Applications Open... Applications Due in February Public libraries are eligible to receive STEM materials thanks to awards from the Governor's STEM Council. The acronym should be familiar: it stands for…

New Year, New Boardroom Webinars Policy Watch Part 2 The Boardroom Series begins a new year of webinars in February with a continued discussion of some policy topics not commonly addressed. We started this topic last November in discussing the…

Last Chance to Register The 2023 ILOC Conference is less than a week away! There’s still time and space to register if you’re hoping to attend all or part of the day. We kick off the day at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 26 with our…

Libraries Qualify Here is an opportunity for your library to receive STEM resources and materials. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This opportunity is available through the Governor's STEM Council. Please note that…

We wanted to share with you a STEM opportunity for your library. Please note the message from Mauree Haage the North Central Iowa STEM Regional Manager: As you may know, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council recently released the programs…

Two Office Hours This Month We are happy to offer two different open office hours this month for our North Central libraires. Please join me and other librarians and staff from around the district in our open office hour networking sessions for…

You are invited to the annual Iowa Libraries Online Conference (ILOC) on Thursday, January 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This FREE online conference offers keynote speakers, informative sessions, and an evening session for trustees - all online.…

STEM Fairs and Summer Reading Summits! Registration Is Now Open! Join us for these free, exciting youth events across Iowa! About the STEM Fairs: Our STEM Fairs will feature why STEM matters - and how you can implement STEM activities in…

DES MOINES — Bridges, the ebook and audiobook consortium managed by the State Library for Iowa libraries, celebrated more than 2.4 million checkouts by Iowans in 2022. Bridges was one of 129 OverDrive library systems to surpass the 1 million…

Northwest District Office Hours and More! Happy New Year of NW Office Hours Next Monday January 17th is Martin Luther King Day and a state holiday for us, so State Library offices will be closed. Leading to this earlier-than-normal reminder…

Monthly Office Hours and C.E. Opportunities Office hours for first quarter Join me (Maryann) and other Central District librarians for an hour of networking on the third Thursday of each month. You can ask questions, share successes, and meet…

State Library District Consultants (with the exception of North Central Consultant Jay Peterson) recently received new cell phones and were unable to have their previous phone numbers ported over. Please note their new phone numbers below and save…

Next Big Ideas Book Discussion Scheduled for February 17th, the first title in 2023’s Big Ideas Book Discussion series is Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Jones (c2021) Best-selling author and national speaker,…

Announcing the Full ILOC 2023 Schedule Thursday, January 26, 2023 ILOC 2023 will run from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner. 2023 Schedule ILOC uses a concurrent session model, with two breakout options in four sessions…

Join us for the first NE Open Forum of 2023. These are informal gatherings in Zoom, casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your mind. It's an great chance to pose questions of each other and share solutions that work for…

Schedule Changes I have just a few updates for you! First, I will be out of the office from January 20-February 9. I am thrilled to be headed for the vacation of a lifetime and will be flying to Argentina and then boarding a ship to Antarctica! …

Coming Soon: In-Person STEM Fairs and Summer Reading Summits! Save The Date! Join us in March for our two-day events: The first day will be a STEM Fair - where youth librarians can learn new ways of bringing STEM activities to their…

Library Service Highlights--Part 2 Because December lends itself to looking back at the year ending, this space last week and again today includes a rewind—a look back at State Library accomplishments this past year, along with local library…

Northwest District Office Hours This Week December 20th Join Northwest District Office Hours tomorrow Tuesday December 20 (10:30-11:30AM, ZOOM link below) With the holiday approaching, it's just the Tuesday gathering this month. In the New…

Announcing the 2023 ILOC Keynotes 2023 Theme: Productive Partnerships We're pleased to announce the three keynote presentations for ILOC 2023. Read on to find out more and join us Jan. 26 to hear these presentations live! Morning Keynote:…

Library Service Highlights--Part 1 December lends itself to looking back at the year ending, while also looking ahead to a new year of possibilities. With two more issues of Monday Morning Eye-Opener before the holiday break, I’m using this…

Guest Janee' Jackson-Doering Office Hours This Thursday! It's the week of the "third Thursday," so it's time for our monthly Office Hours! This month's session will feature a visit from the State Library's new YS Consultant, Janee'…

Coming January 26, 2023 From the State Library’s Education Team, our thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal for the ILOC Conference in the new year. We received a great batch of submissions, which leads to much excitement as we plan…

Kernels Relaunch! Kernels is an ongoing series of prerecorded half-hour videos from the State Library. Each installment in the series offers an overview of a program, service, or library methodology applied in a public library setting. Kernels…

Open Office Hours We have book club sets of the AIR books for you! Just email Trisha at [email protected] to reserve a set. We have two sets (10 copies) of How High We Go in the Dark (adult selection), for each district. We have one set…

Open Forum this week Make a little time for yourself this Friday to join the NE Open Forum. This time between holidays can be so stressful. These are informal gatherings in Zoom, casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your…

Two Grants For Small, Rural Libraries A recent issue of the ARSL Newsletter (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) included two grant opportunities worth looking into. One comes from ALA’s Libraries Transform, one comes from Penguin…

Virtual Summer Library Program Workshops Two Sessions Offered in December: Thursday, December 8: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 13: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Youth Services Consultant Janeé Jackson-Doering will guide…

The Iowa Libraries Online Conference (ILOC) is set to take place Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 but we need your help to make it a success! This year’s conference will be all about Productive Partnerships. While we focused on saying…

News & Notes from the Continuing Education Team Disaster Response Planning Series We enjoyed a fabulous day of learning and networking at the Oct. 20 Learning Circuit on the theme of disaster preparedness. To continue that conversation,…

All Iowa Reads Titles Announced Adult, Teen, and Children's Titles for 2023 In case you didn’t catch this announcement last week, this news bears repeating! Last week, the All Iowa Reads titles for 2023 were announced on Iowa Public…

Northwest District Office Hours This Week November 15 and November 17 Join Northwest District Office Hours tomorrow November 15 (10:30-11:30AM, ZOOM link below) And this month, there's room on the calendar for another session on Thursday…

Open Office Hours Join other North Central librarians and staff in our open office hour networking session on Thursday, the 17th of Nov. at 2 PM. Remember these are informal sessions where we can connect with other librarians and talk about any…

Announcing the All Iowa Reads Selections for 2023! The 2023 All Iowa Reads selections were announced live today on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa program with host Charity Nebbe. Nebbe was joined by All Iowa Reads committee member Bethany…

ILOC Call For Proposals Submit a Session Idea for "Productive Partnerships" A new year is right around the corner, which means a new ILOC Conference is, too. The acronym stands for Iowa Libraries Online Conference and it’s scheduled for…

News & Notes from the CE Team ILOC Call for Proposals Believe it or not, ILOC is just a couple short months away (save the date for January 26, 2023)! And as ever, we need YOUR help to make the day a success. Please consider submitting a…

Next in the Boardroom Series... Policy Watch on November 30 The fourth installment of The Boardroom series for this year turns to policies, with a discussion of some topics not commonly addressed. Policy Watch: Policy Topics Lost and Found is…

Libraries, we are excited to again partner with Iowa Public Radio to announce the new titles for the 2023 All Iowa Reads, Teen All Iowa Reads, and Kids All Iowa Reads programs next week on Wednesday, Nov. 9 LIVE on the Talk of Iowa program! Talk…

Summer Library Program Announcements Summer Reading 2023: Find Your Voice Instructions for downloading the 2023 Resource Guide and Graphics from iREAD were distributed to Public Library Directors last week. If your library did not receive the…

ILA Conference Wrap-Up The Iowa Library Association wrapped up its annual conference Coralville earlier this month. Several State Library staff attended and some presented sessions. Like Samantha Bouwers and Becky Heil, they teamed up to present…

News & Notes from the CE Team Thank you for a successful 2022 Learning Circuit! Thanks to everyone who came out to this year's Learning Circuit. We had about 200 people gathered in six locations around the state to learn all about the topic…

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…

Launching the People's Law Library Last week, the State Library issued a press release regarding a brand new service to Iowans: the People’s Law Library of Iowa. This new online resource, with its stand-alone website, is designed to help…

NE Open Forum It's October already! And things are getting busy. Make a little time for yourself Friday to join the NE Open Forum. These are informal gatherings in Zoom, casual conversations where we talk about whatever issues are on your mind.…

News & Notes from the CE Team One week left to register for the 2022 Learning Circuit! Just one week remains to register for the 2022 Learning Circuit. Did you know, less than half of public libraries in the U.S. have Disaster Preparedness…

People’s Law Library of Iowa will Help Iowans Understand and Navigate Legal Topics On Oct 3rd, the State Library, in partnership with the University of Iowa Law Library, officially launched the People’s Law Library of Iowa, a new…

October is Health Literacy Month When calendars turn to October, then Halloween programming becomes top-of-mind. But here’s another promotion to consider: for more than 20 years, October has been recognized as Health Literacy Month. …

There are only two weeks left to register for the State Library Learning Circuit on Thursday, Oct. 20! The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration is $15 and includes a continental breakfast and box lunch. Librarians can earn…

Next Big Ideas Book Discussion Stage (Not Age) on November 18 The fourth and last book in the Big Ideas Book Discussions for this year is Stage (Not Age) scheduled for November 18. The book’s subtitle lends insight into the contents…

News & Notes from the CE Team FY22 Continuing Education Annual Report Curious just how much learning has been documented in the Iowa Library Community last year? Well, be curious no longer! Take a look at the infographic linked…

Northwest District Office Hours This Week Join Northwest District Office Hours on September 20 (10:30-11:30AM, ZOOM link below) We'll have a guest star tomorrow: State Library Consultant Tom Keyser will explain how you can digitize local…

Welcome New Youth Services Consultant Janee Jackson-Doering Last week, State Library Program Director Brenda Hall shared this happy announcement: Janee Jackson-Doering has been hired as our new Youth Services Consultant at the State…

New Youth Services Consultant Hired Welcome to Janeé Jackson-Doering! We are pleased to announce that Janeé Jackson-Doering has been hired as the new Youth Services Consultant for the State Library. You may recognize…

No Friday Forum this week As noted last month, I will be in Chattanooga for the Association for Rural & Small Library Association annual conferece. We have around 40 Iowa librarians going this year, so I hope to see some of you there!…

Registration Is Open For... The Learning Circuit On October 20th Back as an in-person event this fall, the State Library Learning Circuit is open for registration. Scheduled for Thursday October 20 from 9:30AM-3:00PM--earn 4 c.e. credits…

Central District - September 12, 2022 Monthly Office Hours Resume! Special Digitization Discussion It's the "third Thursday" of the month, so plan to join Maryann and other Central District librarians for an hour of conversation and…

SW STEM Hub Resource Day Attention SW Librarians! The SW STEM Hub is downsizing their inventory of STEM kits and supplies / materials! What does this mean for you? Public librarians, along with other educators in the area, are invited to browse…

News & Notes from the CE Team Upcoming Hands-On Workshop | Planning Your Library: Post COVID Join NYU professor David Vinjamuri, author Library Space Planning: A PLA Guide (ALA, 2019) and architect Joe Huberty to learn how to build or…

Registration is now open for the State Library Learning Circuit on Thursday, Oct. 20. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration is $15 and includes a continental breakfast and box lunch. Librarians can earn 4 CE credits for…

Iowa's City Walk Challenge Around the State on October 5th Consultant Maryann Mori shares this story from Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative. And it sounds like a great way for the smallest of libraries to be part of a big statewide…

News & Notes from the CE Team 2022 Learning Circuit Registration Opening Postponed Apologies, but we got a bit ahead of ourselves in announcing the opening of registration for the upcoming Learning Circuit. As we iron out a few…

This session brings another book into the boardroom series: Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers by Chip Heath and Karla Starr (c2022). The fall of the year is the run-up to budget time, when attention turns to…

Public Library Annual Survey Is Open Deadline Is October 31st Two weeks ago—on August 8 precisely—library directors should have received an email from State Library Consultant Scott Dermont announcing that the FY22 Public…

Northwest District Office Hours This Week Join us for Northwest District Office Hours this week: either Tuesday August 23 OR Thursday August 25. Note Upcoming Schedule Changes My vacation last week bumped Office Hours to this…

News & Notes from the CE Team Learning Circuit Save The Date In-person learning & networking event returns to the State Library calendar in October October means cooler days, crunchy leaves, #pumpkinspicelife (for some of…

ILA Conference Schedule Announced The Iowa Library Association Annual Conference is coming up—October 12-14—this year in Coralville. The theme for 2022 is “It’s All Connected: Libraries, Communities, Equity,…

Cedar Rapids Trustee Wins National Award Congratulations to Susan McDermott! This news comes courtesy of Cedar Rapids Public Library. Cedar Rapids PL board member Susan McDermott received a Trustee Citation from United For Libraries. The…

Online Resources Renewed For FY2023 Brainfuse, WhoFi, Bold360, and More This message from two weeks ago deserves spotlighting here, especially with the start of a new school year around the corner. The State Library has renewed statewide…

News & Notes from the CE Team August Filling Up! Wowzer! How is July ticking away so quickly? It's been a little quiet on the CE front, but there's sure to be something for everyone coming up in August. From scam protection, to YA romance,…

This Week Join us for Northwest District Office Hours this week: either Tuesday July 19 OR Thursday July 21. Note Upcoming Schedule Changes In August, a summer vacation takes me away in our typical third week, so I need to move…

Enrich Iowa Reports For FY22 Due By July 31st Libraries that receive Enrich Iowa funds through the Open Access, Interlibrary Loan, or Direct State Aid programs must submit reports by July 31. Library directors will need to file Enrich…

BRIDGES Invoices and Libby App Just before the holiday weekend, this news came along. Invoices for FY2023 Bridges members should now be available in your Marketplace account—if it’s not there yet, it should be soon. Just log into…

News & Notes from the CE Team Beat the Summer Slump! Just as we continue to put on educational programming for the school-age kids in our libraries all summer long, we have to stay plugged in to development and learning opportunities…

Youth Services Consultant Transition Period With Youth Services Consultant Tegan Beese recently departing the State Library to move closer to family, the State Library will be in a period of transition until the position is rehired. The Pop YS…

Next Big Ideas Book Discussion Making Numbers Count August 11th The next title in the Big Ideas Book Discussion series happens on August 11th (9:30-11:00AM) when we take up the title Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of…

Youth Services Consultant Tegan Beese is leaving the State Library to move to Wisconsin to be closer to family. We are grateful for the work she has done to make connections with youth librarians, plan YS Pop Con, and lead All Iowa Reads kids and…

All Three Author Presentations in July This is great programming news to share with your library staff, Friends Group, and local book clubs. The three authors of the 2022 All Iowa Reads titles will appear in virtual visits come July. The State…

IA Learns Enhancements Improvements to notifications and user profiles We've been working with the IA Learns technical team to reduce the number of emails we have to manually send to our users... And we're getting very close to rolling…

OverDrive's Next Big Library Read July 13-27: The Girl in His Shadow Big Library Read is literally a global reading program, a worldwide digital version of a local book discussion club. Sponsored by OverDrive, this program represents an…

News & Notes from the CE Team 2022 Director Roundtables Conclude Over 200 Directors attended 15 roundtables around the state A sincere thank you to each of our host libraries this year. We had over 200 directors at 15 roundtables…

Kids and Teen AIR Virtual Author Visits Bring your questions! Join Tegan Beese, State Library of Iowa Youth Services Consultant, when she chats with Kate O'Shaughnessy, author of this year's Kids All Iowa Reads title, The Lonely Heart of…

Join us Friday! Are you ready for the start of summer? It'll be National Donut Day on the 3rd, so feel free to have a little snack with you for our conversation. Upcoming dates: June 3 - 10:30 AM July 1 - 10:30 AM Eunice's…

The Iowa Department of Revenue has updated the Iowa Tax Research Library. A brief document summary of the addition follows. Visit the What's New section to access the full documents. Tax Type: Elderly Credit (same as Rent Reimbursement) …

Digital Literacy Workshops Monetary Incentives From PLA This announcement comes from the Public Library Association in partnership with AT&T. Both are collaborating to help public libraries provide important programming in building…

News from the CE Team Pop YS Live taking June, July off After this week's Pop YS Live on summer program scheduling, we'll be taking a break for a couple of months with that series. There will be a lot of exciting stuff coming up in fall…

Summer Office Hours Always the Third Thursday Open office hours will continue through July (none in August). These sessions are opportunities for you to meet with other Central District librarians, share information, ask questions, and…

WebJunction Refreshes Popular Article "Interesting Patron Questions" In 2015, WebJunction conducted a poll of its members, asking them to share their most interesting, unusual, or favorite reference questions their staff had fielded. WJ…

Around the District New Directors The last couple of years have been tough on library directors and library staff! Added to pandemic issues, historically, Iowa library directors in small (and medium!) towns have been terribly underpaid and…

May the Fourth Be With You! NE Open forum It's that time again! What do you want to talk about? This a place to share your concerns, ask questions and talk about your successes -- a place to learn from each other. All in the convenience of…

Beyond the Beaten Path! Summer Library Program is just around the corner! It's coming, what we've all been waiting and preparing for...SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM! I hope you're just as excited as I am to kick off your summer reading.…

The Month of May ... Get Caught Reading Month & Older Americans Month In turning the calendar to May, you might be ready for new book displays, bulletin boards, or Facebook posts. The month of May boasts many familiar celebrations like May…

Register today to attend one of two "Director Roundtables" in Central District! Only a few seats remain at both locations. Our session will include information and discussion on the topic of "Saying Yes---by saying NO!" as well as open forum time to…

News from the CE Team A library collection for library staff Generally speaking, reading books does not count for CE Credit, but we want to remind library staff of the professional development collection available from the State Library! Browse…

State of America's Libraries Report Each year during National Library Week, ALA releases a publication titled The State of America’s Libraries Report. With each report, ALA editors look back on the year past with stories about library…