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MARCH/APRIL 2023, Volume 77, No. 2
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE IOWA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
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President's Notes
As we wrap up the Second Funnel of the 100th Iowa Assembly, I wish to thank each member and ILA advocate who shared their voice to the representatvie body of Iowa during the past few weeks. Your social media shares, letters and phone calls, as well as your presence at demonstrations are meaningful for several reasons. Your voice and prespective matter and by involveing yourself in the process you can effect posivite change. Your examples encourage and strengthen me to keep striving, to keep speaking, and to keep serving my rold in the processes of Iowa librarianship. Your presence creates community and accountability. We can and will remain strong and united in the community we are creating through these activities.
Monday, March 27 marked the first day of the Second Funnel Week. By close of business on Friday, March 31st, any policy bill that had not been approved by committee in both chambers will be dead for the year. Bills in three committees--Oversight, Appropriations, and Ways & Means --are exempt from the funnel deadline. For that reason, those three committees are the ONLY ones that will meet after this week.
Remember that NOW is the time to be weighing in on the issues you want to see taken up yet this session (or the issues you want to see permanently put on hold!). Be contacting your legislators and the Governor's Office to make sure your voice is heard AND reach out to family and friends to grow your advocacy network.
Thank you to ALA Councilor Amanda Vazquez and members of the Government Affairs Committee for your weekly updates regarding legislation pertinent to libraries. You can join us each Tuesday at 1 pm to stay up-to-date with happenings in Des Moines and chat with librarians across Iowa.
I submit my humble thanks to our ILA Lobbyists Craig Patterson and Amy Campbell for their tireless and patient advocacy for Iowa libraries and library workers. I also extend by deep gratitude to the State of Iowa Library and their staff for providing space and support for us to connect the profound impacts of libraries to those who can best protect and resource those outcomes. Sincerely, I think every ILA member, library worker, board member, and advocate who attended the ILA Legislative Day. You efforts are seen and felt keenly.
We are learning how to approach a new legislative era. As we adapt and respond, I am delighted to share that the Government Affairs Committee has been expanded by five members. We are currently seeking interested parties who can help the ILA work on legislative response and coalition building outside of the legislative season. If you are inspired to contribute to this work, please contact Vice President Julie Finch.
ALA Annual Conference #ALAAC2023
The American Library Association will be holding its Annual Conference in Chicago June 22-27. Iowa Library Assocation member leadership are planning options to share transportation as well as to gather together while attending this national conference. Please reach out if you are interested in coordinating or attending the Iowa gathering at ALA. I'd love to see you at the conference, maybe grab a coffee, and to represent Iowa librarianship to our colleagues across the globe. This year, for every five registrations to the ALA Annual Conference, you will receive the sixth registration free.
ILA Conference #IowaLA23
We have about 200 days, or 4,800 hours, or approximately 288,000 minutes before we connect in Dubuque for the 2023 Iowa Library Association Conference. The call for proposals has been made and the conference committee poured over member surveys to devise a new presentation track which has me jazzed! Proposals for Breakout Sessions (50 minutes including time for questions), Lighting Talks (6-15 minutes), and Pre-Conference Presentations (multiple hours) are desired by April 24th.
As always, joining our voice toward learning while also holding each other mentally and affectionately in a shared space is the highlight of my fall. Enjoying the picturesque hills of Dubuque will be an added bonus as we work, learn, and advocate together. Please save the date in your calendars.
We're kicking tires and lighting fires, fellow members. As you keep shining in your respective libraries around the state, ILA continues to humbly serve your interests and project your values.
In appreciation and solidarity,
Sam
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2023 Legislative Day
by Sarah S. Uthoff
This year Legislative Day was March 7. Legistlative Day is the reception ILA holds in the State Law Library each year so members can connect with their representatives. We divid our members into 5 groups so lawmakers can find someone from their area to talk to.
We had 75 librarians, staff, trustees, and foundation friends in attendance to advocate for Iowa's libraries. We had 29 legislators from the House and 21 from the Senate attend. We also had Ty Rushing, one of the keynote speakers from the 2022 ILA Conference, stop by.
We moved up the reception time compared to past years because the legislators said we'd get more attendance from them and from the great response we think we'll continue with this earlier time. I'd especially like to give a shout out to Julie Finch who had found out about pink and yellow slips to you can send to your representatives on the floor letting them know a constituent from their district wants to see them. It worked really well, and we want to fold that into our general planning in the future.
Unfortunately, we weren't successful in making much of a concrete impact on bills this year. The state library was moved to a different department as part of the general reogranization bill. At this point it looks like the bills allowing anyone who has worked as a public librarian to step in as a school librarian without a teacher's certificate or further training and the bill that will take local action to remove a book in a school library statewide is some fashion will likely pass. This is the time to reach out to your legislators and tell them you don't like these proposals.
From our weekly legislative update, the second funnel week happens in week 12, March 27-31. By the end of that week, any policy bill will need to have been passed out of committee in the other chamber in order to stay alive for the year. (For example, a House Education Committee bill will have to have been approved by the full House and the Senate Education Committee to stay alive.) Exceptions from the funnel deadlines exist from three committees: Appropriations, Ways & Means, and Oversight. For the observer, what does this mean you'll see at the statehouse? It means a lot of floor debate as the chambers try to move their priority bills to the other chamber.
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At their March 7th meeting, the ILA Executive Board voted to join Unite Against Book Bans. Members are invited to make use of their toolkit and continue to speak against any efforts to ban or restrict book selections in libraries.
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Subdivision Events
Here are some you don't want to miss:
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Symposium participants will be given the opportunity of a shared learning experience with six locations across Iowa where attendees will gather to promote networking and discussion. Symposium locations include: Sheldon Public Library, Mason City Library, Fayette Public Library, Atlantic Public Library, Norwalk Public Library, and Fairfield Iowa Library.
Registration closes April 10th.
LLAMA will sponsor the registration fee for up to three LLAMA subdivision members who attend. To be entered into the random drawing, follow these steps:
1. Register and pay for the ILA Leadership Symposium
2. Email Jillian Rutledge indicating you want to be in the drawing
3. Attend and enjoy the symposium
After the event, a random drawing will be held and up to three LLAMA members will have their registration fee reimbursed. You can attend virtually or in person. Additional expenses (mileage, meals, etc.) are at your expense. If you're not a member of LLAMA, it's not too late to join us! Just let ILA know you'd like to add a subdivision membership.
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 Join the ACLU of Iowa and the Iowa Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee in celebrating our First Amendment rights and intellectual freedom with a trivia event honoring National Library WEek. Questions will include a wide range of topics and you don't need to a library or intellectual freedom epxert to join.
Attendees can compete in teams (maximum five members), or as free agents who will have the opportunity to team up with and meet other free agents who are pasionate about freedom of information. The winning team will receive prizes (and bragging rights).
Tickets are $10 per person and will be accepted at the door. All ticket proceeds will be split between the ACLU of Iowa and the Iowa Library Association. Please note the new location of the Copper Boar in North Librerty.
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On Friday, April 28, ISLA will hold a spring business meeting following by two continuing education opportunities. Registration is required.
10:00 Working with Library Volunteers
presented by Marta Petermann, Adult Programming Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator, Hiawatha Public Library
How can you effectively recruit and retain volunteers at your library? What is the scope of their role and how do you consistently let them know their value? Marta Petermann has built a mighty volunteer corps at Hiawatha Public Library and will demonstrate that you can, too.
11:00 Area Agencies on Aging and Public Libraries, the Perfect Partnership in the Making
presented by Aubury Krueger-Kutchara, MPA
What is an Area Agency on Aging and what is the scope of the services they provide? Aubury Krueger-Kutchara will provide information on the six Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa and will share specific examples of how you can work with your regional agency.
You don't have to be a member of ISLA to participate in these activities. However, at the conclusion of the morning, one attendee from a size A or B library will be drawn to receive $100 towards summer programming and two ISLA members will be drawn to receive scholarships (up to $250) to attend the 2023 ILA Conference in Dubuque.
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Breaking Barriers May 24-25
ILA/ACRL and IPAL Spring Conference
hosted by Loras College Library, Dubuque
Academic libraries in Iowa encounter numerous barriers in their efforts to best serve their communities. The greatest among these today are dwindling budgets and shrinking staff sizes. At the same time, we remain committed to reducing any barriers our patrons may encounter as they seek to access our physical spaces, collections, and services. During our time together, we will not only address the barriers that stand in the way of academic success but more importantly creatively strategize how we might work to overcome these obstacles in our libraries and our profession.
Scholarship opportunity:
To honor her commitment to continuous learning and growth, Iowa ACRL makes available the Mary Hammond Iber Spring Conference Scholarship. The scholarship will cover the registration fee and up to $100 in travel, hotel, and meal expenses.
Applicants must fall into at least one of these categories:
1. Paid member 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.
2. Library science student
3. Support staff working in an Iowa academic or research library (part time or full time).
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.
Please submit the application including an essay of 250 words or less describing how conference attendance will help you achieve your professional goals. Scholarship winners are selected by the Awards Committee on the quality of the essay.
The deadline for applications is April 17, 2023. The winner will be notified at least two weeks before Spring Conference in May. Please contact Amandajean Freking Nolte with questions.
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 Meet a Member!
Megan Farnsworth worked for 12 years as a classroom teacher before tranferring to a new role as teacher librarian. She received her MS degree from Indiana State University in Educational Technology Library Media in 2013. Megan served as the K-12 librarian for Adair-Casey Community Schools from 2011-2016. Since 2016, she has been the K-6 librarian for Adair-Casey Elementary Schooland the junior high librarian for AC/GC Junior High. Megan has also been serving on the Adair Public Library Board since 2004.
Megan enjoys reading to young children and purchasing library materials. She became an ILA member because of the advocacy and lobbying that the association provides for members. She appreciates the efforts that the lobbyists make to ensure that schools have qualified librarians and the regular updates that are provided about proposed bills that affect school and public libraries.
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ILA Dues Increase Proposal
Since 2018 the Iowa Library Association has been running at an income loss. The Association needs to increase revenue and the Iowa Library Association Finance Committee proposes an increase of 3% annually to all membership dues as one step to alleviate this financial loss. The Finance Committee recommends this 3% increase be rounded up to the nearest whole number. This rate of increase may be reconsidered annually.
This move to an annual increase in membership dues will help ILA keep up with increasing costs in other areas, rather than falling behind and having to make large increases in dues in subsequent years. By creating a pattern of steady increase to align with cost-of-living increases, ILA membership will be able to anticipate a small annual dues increase rather than large, unexpected increases to make up for lost revenue.
Assuming membership numbers remain steady, this annual increase in membership dues would lead to a small increase in personal and institutional membership fees, but a big impact for ILA's dues-based revenue. If membership numbers were to remain the same, ILA could anticipate a revenue increase of just over $2000 annually, leading to a total revenue increase of over $8,000 by 2026.
Respectfully submitted by the ILA Finance Committee
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