The Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the hiring of the next library director: Elsworth Carman.

Carman has extensive public library experience and served most recently as the Director of the Marion Public Library. He received his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Information Studies.

Carman was selected from three finalists following a nationwide search conducted by Bradbury Associates of Kansas City, Mo. He’ll succeed Susan Craig, who will retire at the end of the year.

“We are proud and excited to welcome Elsworth Carman as our next visionary leader,” said Robin Paetzold, President of the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees.

Speaking on behalf of the Trustees, Paetzold said, “We agree that he has the right leadership, communication, and financial skills to deliver the best possible public library service going forward. He gained unique insights during his twelve years in a broad range of public library work including positions as a director, and with children, and teens. Elsworth has a demonstrated commitment to inclusion and collaboration, and is focused on values that mirror our library and community.”

Craig will retire at the end of December after 41 years of service. She was named the Library’s Director in 1994.

The Iowa City Public Library Friend Foundation invites the public to attend a retirement reception for Susan Craig on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Meeting Room A.

There will be a brief program at 1:30 p.m.

Craig will retire from the Library on Dec. 28 after 41 years of service. She started as an Information Librarian at ICPL in 1977 before taking over as Technical Services Coordinator in 1982. Craig was named ICPL’s Director in 1994.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Friends Foundation in Craig’s name can do so here.

Hands Jewelers hopes to add some bling to your holiday season and add some cheer to local non-profits, too.

Beginning Nov. 19, customers can visit Hands at 109 E Washington St. in downtown Iowa City to enter a drawing for a $1,000 necklace from designer John Atencio. Each entrant will also get to select from one of three local charities to receive a $1,000 donation. The non-profit organizations include The Crisis Center, Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation, and United Action for Youth.

Entries will be accepted through Dec. 20, with the winner chosen on Dec. 21. The winner will receive the necklace and the non-profit organization listed on their entry will receive $1,000 from Hands Jewelers!

No purchase is necessary to participate. Participants must register at the store, limit one per household.

It makes us so happy to hear from happy patrons that we want to share the love! Here are a few of the positive comments we recently received:

• Via email: “Thank you for my card.  I’m so glad to have it up-to-date at the best library in all of Eastern Iowa, possibly the world.  I love this place.”
•  On Twitter: "A small ode to my hometown library, @ICPL. We're going on a trip this Christmas for my parent's 50th anniversary. I found out that we can pay extra to go to a place I only ever dreamed about going to as a kid. And by dream, I mean, I ran to the bookshelves at my local library. I ran upstairs, where the adult non-fiction was, to read lots of old books on Mayan history. And I dreamed about places I never thought a girl from Iowa would ever end up going (we mostly went to Chicago on holiday when I was little). I devoured those books. But first, I started with George and Martha, Family Circle cartoons collated in a book, then Babysitter's Club, onto Sweet Valley High. And then books 'too old' for me, then 'too young', then movies and magazines. And now I live a really long way from Iowa City. And soon, I get to visit a place that I dreamed of in those round plastic chairs. So with so much gratitude to my local library for helping me to dream....and a few years later, hopefully getting to make it a reality."