New All Iowa Reads Title to be Available at SLS

As many of you have heard, the 2006 book for the All Iowa Reads program will be Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. For more information about this title, you might consider looking at some of the reviews for the book on Amazon (www.amazon.com) or by doing an EBSCO search for a book review. It was a starred title in the August 2004 edition of Booklist!

The SLS office will again be receiving multiple copies of the title in paperback, large print, audio cassette and audio CD. We would love for libraries to host their own book discussion groups on this great book. If you are interested in borrowing our set of books, please let us know ASAP, and we'll get you on our waiting list. Be aware, however, that our copies are not expected to arrive until sometime after mid-January 2006, as the paperback version has not yet been published.

For more information about the All Iowa Reads program, be sure to visit the Iowa Center for the Book website: http://www.iowacenterforthebook.org/

On Saturday, Oct. 29th, community members from the city of Kalona gathered at the Kalona Public Library to begin a long-range planning process known as Planning for Results (PFR). Emily Navarre, who is a certified PFR facilitator, led the group through a visioning process, which helps the library to determine what its service responses will be. Congratulations to the Kalona Public Library for making community-based planning a priority!

OCLC Top 1000, 2005

http://www.oclc.org/research/top1000/default.htm
OCLC Research has updated its list of the top 1000 titles owned by member libraries-the intellectual works that have been judged to be worth owning by the "purchase vote" of libraries around the globe.

The link above takes you to the top 10. To see the entire list, click on Complete List - 2005 in the upper left of the page.
[Source: Sandy Dixon, State Library of Iowa]

Meet Southeastern's Newest Board Member!

Southeastern Library Services would like to welcome our newest board member, Dr. Richard Collins. Dr. Collins is from the Quad Cities and is very interested in library services--though he admits he has a lot to learn!

Meet Morning Sun's New Director--Amy Moser. Below you'll find Amy's answers to our "New Director" questionnaire! (sorry--we don't have a good photo of Amy yet--watch for that later!)

Name: Amy Moser

Family: Partner, Casie Truitt and 5 month old son, Daniel. We just moved to Morning Sun (Casie's hometown) from Minneapolis, MN. Most of my family is in South Dakota.

Schooling: BA in Culture and Communication Studies from the University of Northern Iowa, MA in Women's Studies from the University of Northern Iowa, a tad bit of Library School at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN.

My favorite author is: bell hooks

A recent book I read is : Fade by Kyle Mills and Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. I haven't read fiction in years and I'm remembering that I like it!

My friendship with libraries began: I had a great librarian in elementary school - Mrs. Hartman. She really encouraged me to read above my grade level and gave teachers harder books so I wouldn't get bored. I was also in speech/debate in high school and college, so I have spent many an hour walking the stacks, searching for articles, and fixing jammed photocopiers.

I'd really like to be good at: yoga

I'd give anything to meet: Ira Glass from "This American Life." He emailed me back once after a show in Minneapolis and I nearly peed I was so excited.

My idea of paradise: 70 degrees, my baby on my lap, sitting in a rocking chair in my front porch.

Meet Ft. Madison's New Library Director, Emily Rohlfs! Below you'll find Emily R.'s answers to our little "New Director Quiz"

Name: Emily Dawn Rohlfs (yes, another Emily!)

Family: I have a husband that answers to “Kirk,” a black cat that doesn’t answer to “Loki,” and my family is all from Keokuk. My parents are Kathie and Don Gorham, siblings are Meg, Johanna, and Scott (all of Keokuk – and no, they should not have named me “Amy” like Little Women!). My in-laws are in Jackson, Mississippi, but the rest of Kirk’s family is in Missouri.

Schooling: I graduated from Keokuk High School in 1997, I was an English major at Culver-Stockton College and graduated in 2001, and just got my MLS from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

My favorite author is: That is too hard! I love Ray Bradbury, Chuck Palahniuk, John Irving, and I’ve recently discovered Jose Saramago.

A recent book I read: “The Cave” by Jose Saramago (but I prefer “Blindness”!)

My friendship with libraries began: Not when I was a child, that’s for sure. The school librarian would not let me check out “Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing” because I was in 3^rd grade! I didn’t understand the value of libraries until I worked as a Page for the Keokuk Public Library under Shirley Dick. There I realized how much information is available, and how good it felt to help people.

I’d really like to be good at: Piano and Yoga! It’s been too long since I’ve practiced both.

I’d give anything to meet: Eddie Veddar. I know – not very librarian-like.

My idea of paradise: A quiet day on a sleepy river – canoeing, of course.

Anything else? I keep my personal library in a Dewey-esque order! But after meeting with “the Emilys,” I think I should do a little weeding :)

Congratulations to the Burlington Public Library on recently receiving a $3000 grant from Alliant Energy. The money will be used to purchase computers for the library.

[Source: Mary Krohlow, Burlington Library Board member]

Hats off to the Hillsboro Public Library on their recent contest win! The latest book in the Harry Potter series hit book stores on Saturday, July 16 but Friday was the day of big excitement at the Hillsboro Library. Several months prior, the library entered a contest with Scholastic. Friday the company called to say the library would be receiving a signed copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A signed copy was given to one public library in each of the 50 states, and Hillsboro is Iowa’s winner.

Hooray for the Drake Public Library in Centerville! The library has recently installed a soda machine and a snack machine on the main floor of their library. Director Mary Austin reports that the library doesn’t pay anything for the machines and the vendor handles restocking. The library will receive a small cut of any sales over $25 each month.

More Pathfinders!

Several new Pathfinders have been added to the Pathfinder Project. These include: Methamphetamine, Vacation Iowa, Farmers Markets, ADD/ADHD, The Great Depression, Emotional Intelligence, MedPub, Endangered Animals, Fire Safety, and Pets. View them here:

http://www.thepathfinderproject.org/pathfinders.htm

Remember, if you have developed a pathfinder (or think you might be doing one) the site administrators would love for you to share it with your colleagues by submitting it to the website. You'll notice that the authors of the available pathfinders are from public libraries, large and small, academic libraries, State Library, special libraries....so don't be shy!

[Source: Karen Burns, Southwest Iowa Library Service Area]

Have you Tried Computer Help Sheets?

Computer Help Sheets are single sheets, double-sided, designed to give your patrons step-by-step instructions for completing specific tasks on a computer. The Help Sheets have been designed by Dreama Deskins of DKD Consulting under a contract with the North Central Library Service Area and the Southwest Iowa Library Service Area, with financial support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Training Program Grant received by the State Library of Iowa. Access the sheets here:

http://www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/helpsheets/helpsheets.htm

Photocopying is permitted, but the notice at the bottom of the sheet must be included when reproducing and distributing. All help sheets are in pdf format. You are encouraged to check back regularly for new help sheets. Karen Burns, administrator of the Southwest Iowa Library Service Area, says, “The purpose of the grant, and future help sheets, is to help anyone and everyone to make better use of the computer resources available to them, so please ‘spread them around!’”

[Source: Karen Burns, SWILSA]

Telling the Library Story

Recently added to the Telling the Library Story web site is a new bookmark: 10 Things You Can Do to Support Your Library

Developed by the Jillian Subach, Meridian Library District, Idaho, the bookmark is a simple way to start generating support and awareness for your library. You can customize the bookmark with your library's address, hours, website, and special information.

Go to www.silo.lib.ia.us. Under Library Development, click on Telling the Library Story, then 'Props, Techniques and Scripts' and then 'Bookmarks and Posters.' These really are terrific!

[Source: Annette Wetteland, State Library of Iowa]