Sponsored by League of Cities

Public libraries are provenl civic partners, so Eye-Opener readers, consider getting in on this action: nominate your city for an All-Star Community Award!  Sponsored by the Iowa League of Cities, the All-Star Community Awards acknowledge excellence in local government and provides recognition to city officials and city workers for their innovative efforts.  

From the League’s website: “additionally, this program provides a means for sharing Iowa’s best public service ideas and demonstrates that those involved with local government are progressive, caring, and committed to their communities.“

All-Star Community applications are due on April 7, using an online form linked at the button below. Entries must describe programs or projects successfully operating or completed between in calendar year 2024. Projects eligible for an All-Star Community Award include, but are not limited to: city service improvements, quality of life enrichment, and local government partnerships. Potential entries could include urban renewal, neighborhood or business development, historic preservation, sharing of services or facilities, or improving the quality, quantity, or efficiency of city services.

Entries are divided into three population categories: cities less than 3,000; cities between  3,000-9,999, and cities larger than 10,000.  Independent judges knowledgeable in local government will evaluate each project. One winner will be chosen from each populationcategory.

Judges will look for each project’s impact on the community, including how it met  community needs, its value to residents, how many people it affected, and the project’s longevity. Projects will also be judged based on originality, cost-effectiveness, use of inter-government collaboration, and innovation. The League encourages communities of all sizes to apply. 

Find many more details at the button below, including a link to the application form and a listing of past All-Star Community Award Winners 

Nominate Your City for an All-Star Award

The product development team at WhoFi works fast, no doubt about it!  Which is a good reason to keep up with these reminders and encourage Iowa libraries to take advantage of all that WhoFi offers.  Paid for by the State Library, remember that WhoFi’s services now include:

• Wireless Usage Counter
• Community Calendar
• Meeting Room Scheduler
• Program Registration
• Question Sets

Today, a look at three new enhancements—each one shaped by valuable feedback from librarians—to help manage community programs, equipment bookings, and make overall visibility more effective.  Much like WhoFi’s other services, these updates were developed to streamline workflow for both librarians and patrons.  Thanks to Christian Gutteridge, WhoFi’s Marketing Coordinator, for this summary: 

Registration Summary Emails

Librarians expressed a need for a clearer snapshot of upcoming program registrations.  So WhoFi created daily email summaries. With this feature, library staff can easily stay informed of attendee changes and better prepare for events without having to manually track sign-ups.

Booking Fixed Equipment (Makerspaces and More)

Another frequent request from librarians was a simpler way for patrons to reserve specialized equipment like CNC machines, laser printers, and sewing stations. In response, WhoFi introduced an equipment booking tool that makes it effortless to showcase availability andschedule time on these valuable resources—all from the library’s own website.

Programs Visible in Search Engines

Many libraries mentioned wanting to increase program attendance by getting the word out beyond their usual channels. WhoFi’s latest enhancement tackles this challenge by allowing search engines like Google to find and promote library events. This means more people discovering (and attending) the programs your library has to offer.

If you’d like to learn more about any of these new updates, WhoFi's team is ready to walk you through the details and answer any questions. Simply contact support@whofi.com, And if your library is not yet using any of WhoFi’s services, click below to learn how to get started 😊  

WhoFi for Iowa's Libraries

The Queen of Sugar Hill

Here’s a fun reading program to get behind, perfect for all Bridges libraries.  OverDrive is kicking off their 2025 “Together We Read” program on March 13-27 (formerly known as The Big Library Read) Together We Read begins with the first book of the year being The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate. 

Together We Read is literally a global reading program, a worldwide digital version of a local book discussion club.  Sponsored by OverDrive, this program represents an opportunity to connect your local readers with book lovers around the world as they read and discuss the same book at the same time without wait lists or holds. 

From the project website, here’s more about The Queen of Sugar Hill  “It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought.”

For two weeks from March 13-27, The Queen of Sugar Hill will be available in Ebook and audiobook formats for unlimited access, without wait lists or holds on your OverDrive-powered website—that means Bridges, ya’all 😊  

Encourage your readers and book club members to participate by downloading marketing materials (social media graphics, flyers, bookmarks and more) and share this book’s info on social media using #togetherweread!

OverDrive’s Together We Read

Happy March! 
It's Time For STEM Fairs &
Summer Reading Summits

Sponsored by the State Library, the 2025 STEM Fairs and Summer Reading Summits kick off this very week. Do you need fresh ideas for your STEM programming?  Would you love to collaborate on this summer's reading programs?  These workshops meet all those goals 😊  

Here’s a look at the statewide schedule in case you haven’t
yet registered for these events nearest you 

Dates & Locations

You’ll need to register for each workshop separately; the link below
takes you to our webpage for more details on each event and
direct registration links to each one.

Info: STEM Fairs & Summer Reading Summits