Monday Morning Eye-Opener 10/26/09

Good Morning! Back from the ILA conference in Des Moines last week, catching up with friends across the state. And on the highlight reel has to be the news that ILA Member of the Year Award went to Vicki Myron. Given for her 25 years with Spencer Public Library and her now second career chronicling the adventures of Dewey, this was a much deserved award and nice for all of us to be part of. By next week, more stories from the conference, but for today in EYE-OPENER…



1) 2010 All Iowa Reads Book Announced

2) National Gaming Day November 14

3) Annual Survey Due October 30

4) Meetings / Events This Week



1) 2010 All Iowa Reads Book Announced
The new All Iowa Reads title was announced at the ILA conference last week—Driftless by David Rhodes.

With this 4th novel, Rhodes returns to a Midwest setting, choosing rural Wisconsin. From the Iowa Center for the Book website comes this description:

“… a fascinating and entirely unsentimental portrait of a town apparently left behind by the march of time. Home to a few hundred people yet absent from state maps, Words, Wisconsin comes richly to life by way of an extraordinary cast of characters."

Among them, a middle-aged couple guards the family farm from the mendacious schemes of their milk co-operative; a lifelong paraplegic suddenly regains the use of her legs, only to find herself crippled by fury at her sister and caretaker; a woman of conflicting impulses and pastor of the local Friends church stumbles upon an enlightenment she never expected; a cantankerous retiree discovers a cougar living in his haymow, haunting him like a childhood memory; and a former drifter forever alters the ties that bind a community together.

At once intimate and funny, wise and generous, Driftless is an unforgettable story of contemporary life in rural America.

Book reviews, information about David Rhodes, and posters are available now. Book discussion questions, purchasing information, and more PR materials will be available soon. Look to the Iowa Center for the Book website for more details…

Like years past, the LSA offices expect to receive multiple copies of Driftless to lend for book discussion groups. We’ll let you know when we receive the copies and can start taking reservations.


2) National Gaming Day November 14

Hey all you gamers—Wii or otherwise—the second annual National Gaming Day @ Your Library is set for November 14, 2009. Hasbro, the largest producer of board games in the world, will be the exclusive sponsor for this year’s event; ALA is the national promotions coordinator.


A check of ALA’s website points to some fun programming ideas for all ages, including a national video game tournament in which your local players can compete against players in other libraries across the country. And how about this to kick things off?

“…Through a generous donation from Hasbro, more than 16,700 public libraries in the U.S. will receive a box set of its highly popular card games Monopoly Deal, Scrabble Slam, and Pictureka! ‘Hasbro is honored to sponsor 2009 National Gaming Day, an event that brings people together to play games and create memories,’ said Matt Collins, vice president of marketing for Hasbro Games. ‘By donating our card games to each of America’s libraries, we hope to give more people the opportunity to be a part of the nationwide game play’…”

For great strategies on holding a winning National Game Day @ Your Library, try your luck at the official website http://ngd.ala.org/


3) Annual Survey Due October 30

Halloween isn’t the only scary thing this week—the frightening Public Library Annual Survey is due this Friday October 30! Since last reported, about 320 libraries have submitted their surveys. To see if your library is on the COMPLETE list, check this page on the State Library’s website: http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/statistics/public-libraries

You’ll find the link and instructions on the webpage above. It’s filed online using software called WEB COLLECT. This year, the survey is much shorter and more streamlined. So maybe this prospect isn’t so spooky after all—just don’t wait until the witching hour to finish!


4) Meetings / Events This Week

This is a week for the record books—by Friday, we’ll all be reaching for a cocktail (or Halloween candy, whatever does the trick…)

Tuesday Oct27
NWILS board meets in Sheldon, 1:00PM @ the Community Services Building. Area libraries welcome, agenda posted here
http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us/Archive/2009/oct09/brdmtg

O’Brien County Libraries @ Sanborn Public Library. Light supper at 6:00PM, with program following 6:30—8:00PM: “Building Effective Boards”


Wednesday Oct28
“Getting to Know EBSCO” @ Sac City Public Library, 9:30AM—12:00PM

State Library’s Summer Reading Workshop @ Kings Pointe in Storm Lake. 9:30AM—3:00PM; registration closed.



Thursday Oct29
Summer Reading Workshop @ Boulders Conference Center in Denison. 9:30AM—3:00PM; registration closed.

Pocahontas County Libraries @ Laurens Public Library. Light supper at 5:00PM, with program following 5:30—7:30PM: “Keeping Current in Libraryland.”

Friday Oct30
Annual Public Library Survey due at State Library


Halloween isn’t the only scary thing this week—the frightening Public Library Annual Survey is due this Friday October 30! Since last reported, about 320 libraries have submitted their surveys. To see if your library is on the COMPLETE list, check this page on the State Library’s website:
http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/statistics/public-libraries

You’ll find the link and instructions on the webpage above. It’s filed online using software called WEB COLLECT. This year, the survey is much shorter and more streamlined. So maybe this prospect isn’t so spooky after all—just don’t wait until the witching hour to finish!