In Service to Iowa, 6th edition - The manual for The State Library's Standards and Accreditation Program. It documents the condition of public library service in Iowa, determines the formula for State Aid funding, and meets statutory requirements.
The link above opens the the electronic PDF version of the manual. In Service to Iowa is no longer printed in paper format. It is available as a PDF only. This document may be updated on a frequent basis, and was updated on 9/13/2019. Please discard all previous drafts or editions.
Click on the above link to see a list of Accreditation issues related to the COVID-19 virus. In general, services suspended because of COVID-19 will not affect your accreditation status as long as they are restarted once the crisis has passed.
Accreditation Application is complete for FY21. The next application cycle will begin in December of 2020.
All libraries with Accreditation or Tier Level expiration dates of June 30, 2021 will need to reapply next fiscal year. Those applications will be due February 28, 2021.
New statuses for libraries that applied this year will begin July 1, 2020.
Online Application Form - FY22
The link to the new and updated Bibliostat Collect login page. Please note: Google Chrome is now the browser that works the best. MS Edge and Internet Explorer will not work with the new software. Other browsers may work, but Chrome works best. All applications must be submitted using the online form. We will send out user names and passwords to all libraries needing to apply.
Verification requirements for new standards - FY22
There is a lot more verification required in the new standards program. Use this file to help determine what you will need to gather and submit to support your application.
Supporting Documentation Checklist - FY22
Use the checklist as an aid to ensure all supporting documentation is submitted. This document is also included in the Print Application Form.
Signature Page - FY22
All libraries submitting an application must also submit a Signature Page to certify accuracy. This document is also included in the Print Application Form.
Prepping for Accreditation recordings and presentations - FY22
Recordings and presentations from the Summer/Fall 2020 Prepping for Accreditation online sessions.
Help Videos for new Bibliostat Collect online software interface
These five short videos give an overview of the new Bibliostat Collect software. This software is used for the Accreditation for, the public library annual survey, the Direct State Aid report, and the Open Access report.
Print Application Form - FY22
Use the print application form as an offline aid only. All applications must be filed using the online form listed above.
ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities - For Accreditation purposes.
Files necessary for meeting Accreditation Standard #80.
New Standards Overview
This was the handout for Scott Dermont's standards presentation at the 2016 Town Meetings.
Accreditation and Tier Status - FY21
Accreditation and Tier Status of all public libraries as of July 1, 2020.
Background
The State Library documents the condition of public library service in Iowa (Code of Iowa (256.51 (k)) by requiring public libraries to submit accreditation reports.
Iowa’s public library accreditation program has been in place since 1986 based on In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measure of Quality, 1985. The library community revised In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality in 1989, 1997, 2004 and 2010. A new revised 6th edition called In Service to Iowa: Public Library Standards was released in August of 2016.
Updated 12/1/2020