The Iowa City Public Library is currently home to a Literary Kiosk.
The result of a partnership between University of Iowa Libraries and the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, the kiosk provides on-demand printing of short prose or poetry works.
First installed in public spaces throughout Europe, the kiosks are now appearing throughout the United States with the goal of encouraging on-the-spot reading and literacy in a quick, easy, and engaging manner. Users simply press the one-, three- or five-minute button on the kiosk and instantly receive a free print of literary work.
UI Libraries and the City of Literature have created five kiosks to be placed throughout Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids. Currently, the kiosks print public-domain works curated to fit the kiosk format. Beginning in the spring of 2019, the kiosks will offer works written specifically for the kiosks by community members.
One kiosk will be at the Iowa City Public Library through December. Visit the kiosk in the Library’s first floor Lobby.
Reminder: ICPL's Holiday Hours
While there are plenty of things happening at the Library during the holiday season, there are a few days when our service hours will change. A complete list of our holiday hours can be found here.
Monday, Dec. 24: Library closed
Tuesday, Dec. 25: Library closed
Monday, Dec. 31: Library open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 1: Library closed
Monday, Jan. 21: Library open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Susan Craig to retire after 41 years of service
Library Director Susan Craig will retire at the end of the month after 41 years at ICPL. During her tenure, Craig organized ICPL’s move from the old Carnegie building to ICPL’s current location in 1981, resulting in a chain of staff and volunteers moving boxes of materials from one building to the next. She played a role in creating the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization and served as president from 2011-2012. She secured support for the Library’s Bookmobile and welcomed the community to the Library’s new Digital Media Lab in June, and ensured that Library services were not interrupted during the building's expansion and renovation project in the early 2000s, which nearly doubled the Library’s square footage.
“I’ll miss the sense of accomplishment the job brings,” Craig says. “We made our plans, we wrote our reports and we achieved what we set out to do. This is a fabulous library and the community loves it, but that doesn’t happen by magic. Our staff is responsible for that."
Thank you, Susan, for your years of dedication and leadership. We'll miss you!
Want to make a donation to the Library? Here's how!
There are many ways you can make an impact on the Iowa City Public Library.
Financial gifts to the Friends Foundation supplement funding from local, state, and federal governments. Private contributions expand and replace materials across Library collections and create experiences which can connect, engage, and enrich lives of all in our community. Financial donations may be made here.
Another way to give is to donate gently used books to The Book End. The Book End sells gently used books, DVDs, and CDs. Proceeds help provide prizes for the Summer Reading Program, new art for the Art-To-Go, as well as other items the Library needs.
Donations may be brought to the first floor Help Desk. Go here for the list of items we don't accept.
Need a book recommendation?
The Iowa City Public Library will soon present our favorite reads of 2018!
Employees were asked to submit the titles they read and loved this year with all nominations divided into 10 categories: fiction; young adult; children's – babies through 2nd grade; children’s – 3rd through 6th grades; romance; mystery and thriller; science fiction/fantasy; autobiography/biography/memoir; non-fiction; and graphic novel. The only rule was that the book had to be released in 2018. Any book that was nominated by more than one staff member made our 2018 Best of the Best list.
Beginning Friday, Dec. 21, we'll share our top picks in all categories on the Library blog. We'll share our Best of the Best list on the last day of 2018.
