July 2009 State Library Update
July 2009
Vol. 7, no. 3
www.statelibraryofiowa.org
In this issue:
• Are your annual reports available to the public?
• What’s new at the State Library? Check out our new book list.
• Our latest art exhibit features the artwork of gentleman farmer Grant William Thye
• Ask A Librarian has expanded to include live help!
• Historical documents about Iowa’s constitutional convention and the earliest Iowa censuses are available on our Web site.
• What do you geek?
• The State Data Center invites you to informational meetings about the 2010 census.
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The Iowa Board of Nursing makes their annual reports available to Iowans both in paper in the State Library’s depository AND digitally in Iowa Publications Online. By doing this they ensure that all citizens will have access to this information today and into the future. Where are your agency’s annual reports and other documents stored? Shouldn’t they be at the State Library as well?
To see if the State Library has your publications on our shelves go to our on-line catalog at http://iowa.ipac.dynixasp.com/. To see if we have your documents archived digitally go to Iowa Publications Online at http://publications.iowa.gov/.
For an FAQ about depositing your documents go to www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/deposit/instr.
You put a lot of time and effort into creating documents to inform and educate Iowans. Make them permanently available at the State Library.
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The State Library’s Web site currently features a list of state documents recently added to our depository. From hunting and fishing regulations to the Governor’s budget, our state documents include a wide variety of interesting and informative materials. Check out the list at www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/newbks.
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A graduate of Central College in Pella, Grant William Thye spent a number of years moving around the country. He decided to pursue art full time in May of 2007 and moved back to the Midwest to do that and also to farm with his father in Grundy Center. Most of his subject matter comes from his everyday life and his oil color works are bright and vibrant. To read more about Thye and to see samples of his artwork go to www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/thyeexhibit.
Thye’s artwork will be on exhibit during the month of July 2009 at the State Library’s Main Library located at the corner of E. 12th and Grand in Des Moines Iowa in the Miller Building. Our hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information call 515-281-4102, 800-248-4483, or email is@lib.state.ia.us.
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Your customers and ours now have even more options for getting answers! Our Ask a Librarian service has added live help along with email and phone service. To check it out go to www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/askalibrarian.
Ask a Librarian is a link you can add to your agency's Web site to give your Web customers one more option for finding information. This service presents a seamless interface to state government for Iowa citizens and it saves your agency time in researching questions outside of your scope.
Ask a Librarian is being used on the official State of Iowa Web site www.iowa.gov (called Live Online Support) and the Iowa Legislature's Web site www.legis.state.ia.us/Educational.html with great success. Let the State Library's professional research staff use their knowledge of state government and in-depth resources to assist your agency in providing the best possible information to your customers. Answering customers' questions is a top priority of the State Library's professional staff and replies are usually within one business day.
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Take a look at these rich historical resources on our Web site:
The state of Iowa was first included in the federal census of 1850. Between 1836 and 1925 the territory and state of Iowa commissioned several censuses apart from the federal censuses. Scanned versions of the territorial and state censuses from this period are on the State Library’s State Data Center Web site at www.iowadatacenter.org/Publications/historical. These publications present aggregate data for the state and counties from the censuses, not individual responses.
Iowa has had three constitutional conventions, all held in Iowa City. The first was in 1844, the second constitution was drafted in 1846, and the third was in 1857, which drafted the document still used today (although greatly amended). You can read the debates that took place during the drafting of the third constitution in the scanned versions of the two volume set: Debates of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Iowa. You’ll find the volumes at www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/law-library/iaconst.
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Get your geek on, support libraries!
Geek the Library is a community-based public awareness campaign designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries for individuals and communities, and raise awareness about the critical funding issues they face. Check it out at http://geekthelibrary.org/ and see what others are geeking or tell us what you geek.
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The countdown to the 2010 census has begun--Census Day is April 1, 2010, less than a year away! The State Library hosts monthly meetings of the 2010 Census Iowa Roundtable, a forum to learn more about the upcoming census and how it affects Iowans. The Roundtable is an opportunity to get updates on census activities, ask questions, share information, and brainstorm new ways to increase Iowans’ participation in the census. The 2010 Census Iowa Roundtable is open to anyone who has a stake in making the 2010 census the best it can possibly be.
The Roundtable meets at the State Library the first Friday of the month (except in July when it meets July 10) from 10:30 to noon in the Forrest Spaulding Conference Room on the 3rd floor of the Ola Babcock Miller Building at 1112 E. Grand, Des Moines. For more information, contact Beth Henning at 515-281-4350 or beth.henning@lib.state.ia.us.
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Other services that the State Library provides free of charge:
* Looking for a quiet place away from the distractions of your office? The State Library offers computer workstations or free wireless Internet access and a comfortable, quiet place to work or research.
* The Law Library offers free access to online legal information through the Westlaw databases.
The State Library as two locations, the Main Library in the Miller Building and the Law Library on the second floor of the Capitol Building. Both are located at the corner of E. 12th St. and Grand Ave. in Des Moines. We are open 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more information call our information professionals at 515-281-4102, 800-248-4483, or email is@lib.state.ia.us.
Barbara Corson
Program Director for Library Services
State Library of Iowa – Main Library
1112 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-4352
800-248-4483
barb.corson@lib.state.ia.us
www.statelibraryofiowa.org
