Annual Reports

FY21 Annual Report

Prioritized public health and safety in designing and delivering library services during the COVID-19 pandemic
Established new recruiting and hiring practices to reduce barriers to establishing a workplace reflective of the community served
Supported Friends’ Foundation volunteers and the Development Office staff in exploration and adoption of Sustainable Investing Practices in order to grow Foundation investments
Continued to craft new ways for the community and the Library to communicate—including dynamic options for “browsing” the shelves remotely, an enhanced app, and the ability to contact the Director for comments and feedback via text message
Responded to direct community feedback by making multiple new electronic resources—including two learning-based tools: Creativebug (craft video tutorials) and LinkedIn Learning (creative, business, and technology training tutorials)—available to the public
Utilized the Bookmobile as a community hotspot and information hub following the derecho
Developed and offered a variety of community programs and historical reflections in celebration of Iowa City Public Library’s 125th Anniversary

Continue to collect data related t effects of the provisional all-collections Fine Free Policy, while actively engaging with City management around aspirations to implement this policy at the beginning of FY23
Seek new funds, or reallocate budgeted funds, to expand staff learning opportunities
Measure resources allocated to programming, outreach, and collections for and with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Create a programming infrastructure for community-led, library-funded programs, with an emphasis on historically excluded, marginalized, and oppressed populations
Engage the community in dialog pertaining to their aspirations for Iowa City Public Library; including discussions about service hours, using multiple information-gathering tools and opportunities for opinion-sharing
Continue to celebrate Iowa City Public Library’s 125th Anniversary with programs, events, and displays

This summer, children planted in our garden as we continued to offer outdoor and virtual programming because of COVID-19.

With author and illustrator Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Claudia McGehee we launched our Bookwalk in June of 2021.

As we slowly began to reopen to the public, curbside pickup was the first step in helping patrons access materials again.

Starting in January 2021, the staff prepared bundles that were available for patrons to pick up.

While browsing was limited, in January we began offering creative ways for patrons to browse our collection.

During our reopening phases in January, the Lobby served as our point of operation for members of the community.

Patrons eagerly wait in line as we began to expand our services beginning at the start of 2021.

As we entered into Phase Three of our COVID response plan we began expanding services further into the Library.

As we welcomed patrons back through our doors, we set up a temporary help desk in our entrance.

Seeing patrons browsing the aisles once again when we allowed limited looks around the shelves.

Our temporary welcome desk offered the community a smiling face to see as they were welcomed back into the building.

Opening our doors for all is a vital part of our mission and values, and one we strive to uphold.

Our re-opening plan we developed allowed for a multi-step program for ourselves and the community.

As we began offering limited in-person browsing again, it was great to see happy patrons back in their favorite spots.

As we began hosting programming, our outdoor spaces were perfect for social distancing.

We believe in using your voice and words to enact powerful change, and our community showed that in action in the Summer of 2020.

Our dedication to the health and safety of all that come through our doors is something we hold with great importance.

When hit with adversity, we were able to help our community in response to the Derecho that hit Summer of 2020.

Always responding, our switchboard helps connect us and the community together.

Masking up is one of the many things we do here to keep our community safe!

As we phased back in to opening our doors, lobby grab and go allowed patrons to get materials in a quick and safe manner!

Safety is one of our biggest priorities, and doing our part by wearing masks is one of them.

We love staying busy here, and holding materials for our patrons is one of the most common ways we do just that!

As we began to open again, creating socially distant spaces for patrons to grab materials was a major goal of ours.

Even in programming and during events, wearing our mask is priority one.

Expanding our horizons and trying new things during this past year like journaling helped grow our minds and staying optimistic!

Signage helped direct our flow of traffic as we maintained social distancing in our early re-opening stages.