Iowa Library Association – Association of College and Research Libraries
Join us for the next ILA/ACRL Town Hall Meeting next Wednesday, February 14, 2024, from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. to catch up with your colleagues across the state. Mark your calendars for our upcoming meetings!
Check your email for the Zoom link and more details!
Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, February 14, 2024, from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m., Topic: Informal Conversations
Town Hall Meeting, Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m., Topic: TBD
Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m., Topic: TBD
Town Hall Meeting, Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m., Topic: TBD
The ILA-ACRL-IPAL Spring Conference planning committee is still looking forward to you joining us at Parks Library, Iowa State University, Ames, in May. However, we just found out about a large event that has already sold out hotel space throughout Ames during our originally planned dates.
After reviewing our options, we have found new dates that will work. So please adjust your plans to join us for our 2024 Spring Conference, “Sustainable Futures,” on May 29 & 30, 2024.
This is also a great time to think about submitting a session proposal! We invite your proposals for 6-minute lightning talks and 50-minute concurrent sessions. Please submit proposals by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 23.
Direct any questions to Conference Planning Committee Chair Kris Stacy-Bates (kksb@iastate.edu).
Sorry for any inconvenience this may present as you make plans for spring!
See the ILA/ACRL Conference page for more conference details as we get closer to the event.
Dear members,
We need one more volunteer to serve a two-year term (Jan. 2024 – Dec. 2025) on the Iowa ACRL Membership Committee.
The Membership Committee works to encourage membership in Iowa ACRL. We find members of the chapter who are interested in serving the organization as members of committees, committee chairs, and officers of the Executive Board. We also run the annual election for Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Member At-Large.
Speaking as a member, the work is generally moderate and spread-out over the year. We work mostly via email, with the occasional virtual meeting when necessary. Conference attendance is optional.
If you’re interested in this important work or want to learn more, please contact me (sara-scheib@uiowa.edu) or our chair, Jodie Morin (morinj@bvu.edu).
With thanks for your consideration,
Sara Scheib
Academic librarians,
Whether you work at an R1 institution or as a solo librarian, be sure to check the box for the Iowa Chapter / ACRL when you join or renew your Iowa Library Association membership. What do you get for your $5?
You can assist us by mentioning ILA/ACRL to your coworkers who may be new to the state or who are looking for new ways to be involved in our profession. You can also fill out this survey to nominate (or self-nominate!) folks to fill out committee rosters.
If you’ve already renewed your ILA membership and your Iowa Chapter ACRL membership for 2024, thank you!
Jodie Morin
ILA/ACRL Membership Committee
Vice President/President Elect
morinj@bvu.edu
We are excited to welcome Lisa Martincik as our new President for 2024! Thanks to Laurie Neuerburg for serving this year!
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The incoming and outgoing Executive Board members met this week for the annual transition meeting. We also had some fun with avatars & backgrounds. Many thanks to both our incoming and outgoing board members. View the 2024 list of officers and committee members here.
Hello, ILA/ACRL members,
Thank you for voting in our election. 73 members voted, which is roughly 58% of our membership. I’m happy to congratulate our new officers who will start in 2024: Kristy Raine, Member at Large, Jenny Parker, Member at Large, and Jode Morin, Vice President/President-Elect! Congratulations and thank you to these upcoming officers!
Lisa Martincik (she/they)
ILA ACRL 2023 Membership Committee chair
In May, Dordt University was awarded $500 from ILA/ACRL for a public relations/marketing proposal to “Let the Library Be Your Lifesaver.”
For more than ten years, the Hulst Library at Dordt University has used a “Let the Library Be Your Lifesaver” bookmark campaign for new students. The campaign is a play on words for life preserver rings, Lifesaver™ candies, and on the crucial support services that the library offers to the campus community. The bookmarks include library contact information, hours, and brief descriptions of library services. After the bookmarks are printed, a library student employee staples a candy on each one. Then, we work with admissions to distribute the bookmarks to all new incoming students. We also set out a bowl of Lifesavers™ on our Service Desk each Friday. The library smells like mints when you enter the building.
The ILA/ACRL public relations/marketing grant allowed us to refresh the bookmarks with an updated design, create companion social media graphics, buy a semester’s worth of Lifesavers™, and expand the distribution of the bookmarks to include on-campus employees and additional students.
The planning for the grant began long before we applied. ILA/ACRL offers the public relations/marketing grant on an every-other-year basis. I have been thinking about possible opportunities for several years. I began by looking at past grant-funded projects. I brainstormed ideas with my library team, my student employees, and my dean. Together, we landed on the idea of a refreshed graphic design for the bookmarks.
The next step was creating a budget. This involved conversations with multiple campus entities. An art & design instructor helped me structure fair compensation for a freelance graphic designer and recommended his best students. The print & mail center proposed layout options, suggested cardstock choices, and estimated costs for printing 1,000 bookmarks. The library team calculated the cost of bulk candy. The director of research and scholarship reviewed the application and gave input on procedural issues for working with the business office. Marketing awards from ILA/ACRL are reimbursement grants. This means that the expenses first come out of the library’s budget. When the project is complete, receipts are submitted to ILA/ACRL for reimbursement.
The implementation of the grant began in the summer. A graphic design major, who happened to be a library student employee, did the design work. I set deadlines and gave careful feedback on multiple drafts. When the design was ready, I sent it to the print & mail center. Actual costs came in under the estimate, so we were able to print more than 1,000 bookmarks. The library team ordered bulk peppermint and wintergreen Lifesavers™. (People have strong mint preferences!) A student employee stapled candies to the bookmarks and counted out piles for incoming students and on-campus staff. These were ready before the new students arrived in August. Our print & mail center coordinated bookmark delivery to on-campus employee mailboxes. We shared the companion social media graphics on Facebook, Instagram, and library digital signage.
We handed out the extra bookmarks generously. We gave bookmarks to upper class students in residence life roles. A package of bookmarks went to human resources for new hires in the year ahead. We distributed bookmarks at the campus departmental fair. During the month of September, I began each information literacy session with “Let the Library Be Your Lifesaver” bookmarks. This brought good will and opportunities to talk about the library’s services.
The “Let the Library Be Your Lifesaver” project had an additional, unexpected bonus. When the university’s marketing department needed a quick turnaround for a request, we already had an updated list of library services from the back of the bookmarks
I need to say a big thank you to ILA/ACRL for this marketing opportunity. Their next marketing/public relations grant opportunity will come in 2025. What could your academic library do with $500? Start thinking now.
A great time was had, and new things were learned at the 2023 Fall ILA Conference in Dubuque! The ILA/ACRL subdivision had the honor of presenting a scholarship award. Below, please find quotes, photos, and a list of academic-related fall conference sessions and presenters.
The Awards Committee was pleased to present our ILA/ACRL Fall Conference Scholarship to Brittany Meade. Brittany is currently the Circulation Supervisor at Central College. We were impressed with her passion for her work and her excitement at learning from other professionals. Join us in congratulating Brittany!
Brittany adds, please “… include my thanks to everyone that made it possible for me to be able to attend the conference. It was such an amazing experience and [I] learned so much and met so many great people. Thank you!!!”
Sam with Mjolnir. Photo courtesy Maggie Halterman-Dess
Sam awarding Julie the Stormbreaker gavel. Photo courtesy Maggie Halterman-Dess
2023 ILA Board. Photo courtesy Eric Jennings
Laurie Neuerburg presents Brittany Meade with the ILA/ACRL Fall Scholarship. Photo courtesy Maggie Halterman-Dess
Laurie Neuerburg presents Brittany Meade with the ILA/ACRL Fall Scholarship. Photo courtesy Maggie Halterman-Dess
Pre-presentation – bobblehead & Giff II bookmarks. Photo courtesy Dan Chibnall.
Dan Chibnall beginning his presentation. Photo courtesy Maggie Halterman-Dess
This panel discussion will cover what ILA is and does on behalf of libraries and library workers, how people can get the most out of their membership, and how to become more involved with all ILA has to offer. Speakers included Cara Stone and Brett Cloyd.
This session takes you on a ride through the origin, development, & teaching of an Associate’s degree course team taught by a librarian & two education professors, focused on media, information, & data literacies. Speaker Dan Chibnall.
This presentation provides an overview of a toolkit for community partnerships in mental health, discussing its potential benefits, components, and use. Speakers included Bobbi Newman.
It is more important than ever that we focus on creating a healthy environment at work for librarians and library staff; this sessions will show you how to start. Speaker Bobbi Newman.
Reviewing an accessibility audit of the UI Libraries and sharing tips and ideas that libraries can adopt to improve their own accessibility. Speaker Abbie Steuhm.
Reviewing the latest Grinnell National poll to see what parts of the population feel about librarians and library materials. Speaker Kayla Reed.
Posted on behalf of the ILA/ACRL Electronic Communication Committee. Jenny Parker (chair), Claire Bowling, Ellen Neuhaus, and Sarah Young.
Greetings Iowa ACRL Members! Here are some upcoming webinars, trainings, & conferences for November 2023.
Choice-ACRL
News Literacy Project
Network of the National Library of Medicine
OCLC