With summer’s heat and the busyness of reopening, it’s easy to set aside other library management tasks.  So from the “Gentle Reminder Department” comes this encouragement to take note of program deadlines and invoices..

Enrich Iowa Program == File your library’s Enrich Iowa reports indicating your library’s Open Access and ILL transactions.  These are due by August 7 this year. The normal July 31 deadline has been extended because of a few glitches with the software.  Also in this timeframe, directors need to report what was purchased with your library’s share of Direct State Aid funding. 

Open Access Report Form  https://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/e/enrich-ia/open-access

ILL Reimbursement Report https://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/e/enrich-ia/ill-reimb

Direct State Aid Report Form  https://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/e/enrich-ia/Direct-state-aid

GALE Resources Invoice ==  Be on the lookout for a GALE invoice coming in the next few weeks.  This bills your library for its annual subscription to the GALE Resources for fiscal year 2021; payment is expected upon receipt of the invoice.

IAShares Schedule ==  IAShares Coordinator Tom Keyser has this reminder.  Directors and/or staff in every Iowa public library need to let the IAShares courier service MOBIUS know when any closures affect your library’s scheduled delivery day and time.

On the MOBIUS web page for IAShares https://mobiusconsortium.org/iashares there are several links under the Courier Forms and Information section. The fourth link down is the Service Change Form https://stat-courier.com/mobius/  The information you submit using this form will go to the drivers, letting them know whether your library is closed on the day / time of your normally scheduled delivery. If your library will be closed for any reason on a day you are scheduled for your IAShares delivery, please fill out this form as soon as possible. Again, this form is for any closure reason, not just holidays.

If you need any assistance or have any questions, contact Tom Keyser tom.keyser@iowa.gov or call 515-242-6542.

For Youth Services Staff

Youth Services Consultant Angie Manfredi recently shared this news in her YS Pop newsletter, but it bears repeating here because it’s such a good opportunity.  The State Library of Iowa is sponsoring a Project READY cohort for Iowa youth services librarians.

Project READY is a free, online curriculum designed for librarians and educators who desire to improve their knowledge about race and racism, and racial equality.  The primary focus of the Project READY curriculum is on improving relationships with, services to, and resources for youth of color and Native youth.

Iowa's cohort will be made up of public librarians from across the state, selected by State Library staff through an application process. The application deadline is July 21, find the application form at the button below.  The cohort will earn continuing education credit by working through 27 modules that make up the Project READY curriculum.  The program includes regular online meetings and other forms of collaboration in an effort to strengthen and broaden YS staff's work with children and teens. 

Project READY ( https://ready.web.unc.edu/ ) is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) It’s been developed over the course of three years by faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science. It features the work and scholarship of more than 40 library and school practitioners, scholars, and administrators.

Course Details and Application Process

This course will run from August 2020 through May 2021. The Iowa Project READY cohort will meet virtually twice a month for about one hour. These virtual meetings are a chance to discuss the material and assignments that go along with each learning module. The assignments including journaling, reading, watching videos, and other research. There will also be email threads and collaborative online spaces that participants are expected to contribute to approximately two-three times a month. 

Upon completion of Project READY, participants earn 35 CE credits--that's a lot of credits!  But that’s because this is an intensive, months-long program that will require a great deal of time, work, and professional development. Participants must complete the entire curriculum with the cohort, no partial credit will be awarded.

Application deadline is July 21.  With remaining questions, contact
Angie Manfredi or Samantha Bouwers directly

Project READY Application Form Here!

August 14
Stories That Stick

The next title in the line-up for Big Ideas Book Discussions is Stories That Stick: How Stories Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business (c2019) by Kindra Hall. This virtual discussion is scheduled for August 14 (9:30-11:00AM)  

From Amazon: “…Telling these stories well is a simple, accessible skill that anyone can develop. Hall presents storytelling as the underutilized talent that separates the good from the best in business. She offers specific, actionable steps that readers can take to find, craft, and leverage the stories they already have and simply aren’t telling…”

In Big Ideas Book Discussions, State Library staff and guest stars facilitate discussions using books outside of library management, but with plenty of application to library management. Choosing books on leadership, civic engagement, presentation skills, etc. we’ll connect those ideas with public library service. In addition to a great assortment of non-fiction titles there are other spin-off benefits of Big Ideas:

• titles help with collection development for participating libraries
• titles are good choices for local book discussion groups
• this program serves as another model for how to facilitate local book discussions

We encourage participants to purchase books used throughout the Big Ideas series for your own collections. And join us for the next good read Stories That Stick.

Register For Big Ideas: Stories That Stick

Pop YS Live This Week

This Thursday July 16, Pop YS Live is on our webinar schedule and this time the topic is “Socially Distant Teen Programming.”  Staff members from Ames PL—Tanvi Rastogi and Ben Schrag—talk about bringing their robust teen programs in physical spaces to the online world.  From the C.E. Catalog: “…They will cover setting up a teens-only Discord and connecting with teens virtually through programming from book clubs to online celebrations. Just like with having teen programs in person, there's no one size fits all answer for bringing teen programming online, but Tanvi and Ben will give you lots of good ideas on what to try and how to get started…”

C.E. Catalog

About POP YS Live

This monthly webinar is a guaranteed “pop” of continuing education for all things youth services. Angie Manfredi facilitates the discussion, spotlighting a topic that’s new and relevant to youth services librarians. Some months are dedicated to collection development, some months to programming, and some months attendees here directly from other Iowa colleagues about what they're up to.