Leads to Program Adjustments

Last week, Iowa library directors received a bulletin from State Librarian Michael Scott.  Michael announced two upcoming staff retirements, which lead to some program realignments.  Mandy Easter retires in November and Scott Dermont in December.  

Michael shared news about adjustments to the Accreditation / Standards reporting cycle and to State Law Library Services.  Here's more from his announcement last week: “With our lead program staff departing and the large amount of administrative work required for the more than 200 libraries set to go through the next cycle in February 2025, the State Library management team has made the decision to defer Accreditation and Tier Status applications.  This means that all libraries will have one extra year added to their Accreditation and Tier Status cycle. For example, if your current status is set to expire June 30, 2025, your new expiration date will be June 30, 2026. Note that library director and staff Endorsements will not be affected and will remain on the current cycle.

The Accreditation and Tier Status application process will resume December 2025. We will make an exception for the current year for any library that anticipates moving up a Tier Status. If this applies to your library, contact Scott.Dermont@iowa.gov by October 31.”

When question arise regarding library law after Mandy Easter’s departure, remember to turn to Library Law FAQs. Michael writes “ In recent years, Mandy has been using her breadth of knowledge to prepare a resource on questions related to library law. The Library Law FAQs cover a wide range of topics, including labor law, open meetings, city government relations, and more. Mandy has also been instrumental in developing the People’s Law Library of Iowa, an online resource providing easy to understand information on topics related to Iowa’s laws. The People's Law Library is an excellent resource for librarians to promote to patrons when they have legal questions. The newest topic area, Voting Law, launched last week..."

Scott Dermont 

has been with the State Library since 2008 administering the Standards & Accreditation program, the Public Library Annual Survey and associated statistics, and dispersing Enrich Iowa funding to Iowa libraries. His last day with the State Library will be December 31.

Mandy Easter 

has been the Law Librarian at the State Library since 2000. She fields questions from librarians, trustees, and city officials to help them understand and apply library-related law and answers general legal reference questions from the public. Her last day with the State Library will be November 7th

If you have a question or issue that is not addressed in the above resources, the State Library Reference Team will be happy to assist in the interim. They will be monitoring the Law Library email Law.Library@iowa.gov and phone at 1-800-248-4483 (option 2) 

On behalf of the entire staff at the State Library,
Congratulations Scott and Mandy! You will be missed among us!

Happening in Ames November 7th

This year, the 2024 Performers Showcase is taking place in Ames.  This is a nice opportunity for youth services staff to see performers in action and also schedule them to appear in person for summer library programs.  

And if attending in-person in Ames, this event also sets up a great way to connect with colleagues and work together in booking performers and possibly securing discounted rates. This year’s Performers Showcase is scheduled for November 7th at Ames Public Library, 9:00AM-4:00PM.

Now sponsored by ILA's Youth Services Subdivision, coordinators invite various performers recommended by fellow librarians to perform a 15-minute preview of their shows. Performers can also apply to be a part of the show, but only the best and vetted performers are selected. From the YSS webpage: "the Showcase is emceed by Rick Brammer, who arranged the show prior to YSS and still imparts advice and words of wisdom from his many years involved with the library performer business."

Registration is currently open to YS Subdivision members.  Coordinators will post the registration link on Library Talk for all others who want to attend.  In addition to the in-person event in Ames, there is also a virtual option.  Find registration info at the button below.  And to get a feel for the Performers Showcase if you’ve not attended before, watch this video from 2022

Register For Performers Showcase 2024

This is the week that our Space Planning Workshops roll out across the state.  For everyone who is already registered, remember these worships run from 10:00AM-3:00PM at these sites:

Monday October 21 @ Milford PL

Tuesday October 22 @ Altoona City Hall

Wednesday October 23 @ Coralville PL

This is also National Friends of Libraries Week October 20-26.  Share your plans to celebrate your Friends Group on Library Talk 😊 

NOTE: There is room for more people in the Reflective Practice Groups, which are part of the Trauma Informed Library Practices grant project that kicked off a few weeks ago.  These goups, facilitated by Alyssa Caldbeck (MSW / LISW) focus on creating a safe space to share and reflect on personal experiences at work, gain support from others in similar roles, and continuously learn new perspectives and skills. Six different groups are meeting monthly through the end of the grant project. Find out more and sign up for a group that’s right for you at the button below

Sign Up For Reflective Practice Groups