Summer 2017

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Iowa has the honor of having the highest number of public li-
braries per capita in the nation, and it is not difficult to discern
this is a source of pride for all Iowans. Gone are the days of
dusty shelves and cantankerous bespectacled librarians shushing
the masses while accumulating books. Libraries across the state
have become community centers – places where small children
build social skills, elementary students start learning computer
coding, and adults learn to read, complete job applications on-
line, or access Wifi. The State Library of Iowa, a sort of “governing
body” for all public libraries in the state, is committed to Iowa
libraries providing quality, 21st Century services as well; their
latest long-term plan includes funding for continuing education
of Iowa’s library directors and staff in order to keep up with the
latest trends and needs in library service provision, but to also
build and improve online database offerings and collections.
I am highlighting in this article some of the online resources
that libraries provide, which could be beneficial to homeschool
families. A quick caveat: while
every library in the state
has the option to provide
these services to their
patrons, there is not
a requirement to
do so. Each library
director has the
autonomy to determine the best use of their funding to meet
the majority of patron needs. However, those needs change,
and library directors and staff desire patron feedback, so please
ask, recommend, or discuss available resources with those at
your local library!
Libraries have always been about books. Even with the ad-
vent of e-readers and online magazines, print forms are still very
pertinent. Most libraries offer suggestion boxes, either physical
or virtual, and do their best to meet patron needs. However, if a
particular book is not available at your local library, ask about the
Interlibrary Loan Service. Most Iowa libraries are able to borrow
(either with no cost to the patron or a small fee to cover postage)
from other Iowa libraries, and books typically arrive within days
of the initial request. Please keep in mind, that other libraries do
not allow Interlibrary Loan of materials that have been printed
within the past six months, but those would be the perfect sug-
gestions for an in-house purchase! The majority of Iowa libraries
are members of an e-book consortia called Bridges; other library
systems in more urban areas may have a different consortia with
the same premise. Because libraries are pooling funds together,
the consortia is able to maintain a much larger collection to offer
all the patrons from all the libraries. So even if you are a patron
of a very small, very rural library, you will still have the ability
to borrow from a larger collection! Bridges has the option to
borrow e-books or audiobooks as well as some limited video
streaming; lending periods are two weeks, and instantly will be
removed from your device at the end of the lending period – no
late fees or need to remember to return your books! Bridges
also purchases new titles for the adult fiction, adult non-fiction,
and children’s collections (picture books-young adult books)
each month; title recommendations are always accepted via the
Bridge’s website.
Historically, the State Library of Iowa has negotiated rates for
online database packages so that all Iowa libraries are able to
afford these resources. These packages have often included
academic journals, scholarly articles, or job resources. Many
library patrons may be familiar with EBSCO, which has
had the contract to provide academic and scholarly
journal databases in the state of Iowa for many
years; however, beginning July 1, 2017, Gale
is now providing these databases. Many
libraries are still unfamiliar with using
these new resources and are in the
process of updating websites
and links for patron use out-
side of the library. How-
Your Public Library
An Amazing Resource for Homeschoolers
BY MANDY GRIMM