ILA/ACRL

Tag: Conferences

  • Spring Conference Recap

    Spring Conference Recap

    Academic librarians from around Iowa met at Drake University on May 28 and 29 for the annual joint meeting of the Iowa Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Iowa Private Academic Libraries (IPAL). Seventy people attended the conference, and another 9 members attended virtually. The theme of this year’s conference was “Some Assembly Required.”

    Attendees were welcomed by Hope Bibens (Drake University) Chair of the conference planning committee, Teri Koch (Drake University) Dean of Cowles Library, Provost Sue Mattison (Drake University), Jodie Morin (Buena Vista University) President of Iowa ACRL, and Eric Jennings (University of Northern Iowa) President of ILA. Lisa Martincik (University of Iowa) Chair of the Awards Committee, introduced Zane Collett, a student at the School of Library & Information Science at the University of Iowa, who is this year’s winner of the Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship.

    During the conference, which concluded Thursday afternoon, members could participate in nine concurrent sessions, seven different interest group sessions, seven “lightning talks,” and dine-arounds held at area restaurants Wednesday evening. We were fortunate to welcome many members attending their first ILA/ACRL/IPAL conference and to recognize Cyd Dyer (Simpson College) who was attending her 48th spring conference on the eve of her retirement.

    Next year’s conference will be held at Wartburg College in Waverly. A new conference planning committee will be convening soon to begin work on our 2026 conference. Watch the ACRL listserv for more details!

    Thank you to our presenters, everyone on the conference planning committee, Cowles Library and Drake University for a very successful conference!

  • Deadline Extended: Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship Award

    Deadline Extended: Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship Award

    Headshot of Mary Iber

    The ILA/ACRL Awards Committee invites applications for the Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship Award on this form.

    Mary Hammond Iber was an exceptional librarian, mentor, and friend.  A librarian and archivist at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, she died unexpectedly on January 2, 2014. Mary was known for her kind, creative, and helpful nature and her vibrant approach to life.

    To honor her commitment to continuous learning and growth, Iowa ACRL makes available the Mary Hammond Iber Spring Conference Scholarship. The scholarship will help fund attendance at the Iowa ACRL and IPAL Joint Spring Conference, May 28-29 at Drake University in Des Moines. The scholarship will cover the registration fee and up to $200 in travel, hotel, and meal expenses.

    Applicants must be either:

    1. Paid members of Iowa ACRL working full-time in an Iowa academic or research library, and either:
      • attending their first Iowa ACRL Conference, or
      • have worked in an Iowa academic or research library for fewer than three years.

    ==OR==

    1. Library science students and/or support staff working in an Iowa academic or research library. Student and support staff applicants do not have to be paid members of Iowa ACRL.

    Previous Iowa ACRL Spring Conference scholarship recipients are not eligible.

    Submissions are due Tuesday, April 11, 2025.

    The winner will be notified by Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Questions? Please contact the Awards Committee Chair, Lisa Martincik.

  • Winner of the ILA/ACRL Scholarship Award to the ILA Annual Conference

    Winner of the ILA/ACRL Scholarship Award to the ILA Annual Conference

    We are proud to announce the recipient of the ILA/ACRL Scholarship to the ILA Annual Conference. Congratulations to Ashley Wildberg!

    Biography

    Ashley lives in downtown Des Moines, Iowa with their husband and dog. They are currently an online SLIS student with the University of Iowa, with a concentration in archives and special collections. They plan on graduating in two years. They also work as a reference associate at the State Historical Society of Iowa, where besides helping patrons with research questions they do cataloging and make archival-quality containers for books. They graduated in 2020 from Drake University with a BA in drawing, minors in English and graphic design, and the honors program. They also worked at the Drake archives for over a year as an undergrad, which was the original inspiration to pursue librarianship as a career. They are very grateful to have received the scholarship and had an illuminating experience at the conference. It has reaffirmed their professional goal of improving the quality of diversity, equity, and inclusion in whatever space they work in through leadership and effective change.

    Quote

    “As a student new to the professional field of librarianship, I came away from the conference with the impression that, for leaders in the field, community organizing and political activism with government bodies are a fundamental part of the position.”