Building Local Community Through Arts, Cultural, and Recreational Events, and the Exchange of Goods and Services
Celebrate Black History month with a Take-and-Make.
We provide the supplies for a project–you pick them up at the library and do the project at home.
— : Gee’s Bend inspired paper quilts
Please pick up materials at the library Tuesday 2/22 between 9 am and 7 pm. Supplies are limited. Register early to guarantee a space. Registration ends 2/14 at 3 pm.
Registration required please use form below to register.
Paula Modersohn-Becker Birthday Party with Arthaus
2/8: 3:30-5 pm at ArtHaus
Join ArtHaus to celebrate the 68th birthday of Paula Modersohn-Becker, a German painter and one of the most important representatives of early expressionism. Enjoy cake with the artist (actor) as she tells about her life and create a piece of art inspired by her style.
Children of all ages. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration required. Sponsored by Friends of Decorah Public Library.
What to expect: During this program the artist (played by a community member) will meet participants, talk about her work, and answer questions. We will then do a project inspired by her work and end by eating birthday cake. Participants who prefer not to eat during this program are welcome to take their cake to-go.
This event requires registration. Please use form below to register.
Tuesdays
02/08, 02/22
4:30-5:30 pm
Independent readers are welcome to join us in reading to some adorable four-legged friends. Our visitors are certified therapy dogs (with their trainers), and are more than excited to see you.
What you can expect: This drop-in program invites emerging readers to read with a certified therapy dog and their trainer. Dogs and trainers will be available on a first come first serve basis in DPL’s children’s section. Readers can select a book of their choice to read with a dog. Participants can read a book with the dog…or more than one book if their aren’t other readers waiting. It’s an opportunity to both practice skills and to have positive and affirming experiences with books and with the library. Readers are “old enough” to participate when they can engage with a book independently and be safe and respectful with our animal visitors–we’re not necessarily looking for a specific level of phonic fluency. Readers under 8 should be accompanied by an adult. Please feel free to reach out to Rachael at rbutton@decorah.lib.ia.us for any additional questions about accessibility, accommodations or logistics.
Saturday 3/5
11 am
This show will leave all ages feeling like a kid again. If you liked Absolute Science’s Big Bang Bubbles Show, you’ll LOVE Bigger Bang Bubbles! It has smoke bubbles, helium bubbles, fire bubbles and MORE! Watch our exciting, educational show that will take ordinary bubbles into the realm of extreme and learn the science behind it all!
Appropriate for all age groups. Sponsored by the Friends of Decorah Public Library and the Marion E. Jerome Foundation.
Registration is required and space is limited. Please use form below to register.
Celebrate Black History month with a Take-and-Make.
We provide the supplies for a project–you pick them up at the library and do the project at home.
— : Alma Woodsey Thomas inspired Art
Please pick up materials at the library Tuesday 2/15 between 9 am and 7 pm. Supplies are limited. Register early to guarantee a space. Registration ends 2/7 at 3 pm.
Registration required please use form below to register.
Text only version below image. Click here for a downloadable pdf version.
Decorah Public Library Annual Report Jan 2022
Kristin Torresdal, Director
Board of Trustees:
Andrea Beckendorf, Ed Brooks, Bob Felde, Scott Fjelstul, Andrew Hageman, Shannon Horton Elliott Johnson, Cheryl Pellett, & Shanna Putnam Dibble
LIBRARY UPDATES
Staffing: DPL staff were hard at work this year finding new and inventive ways to meet community needs in an
ever-shifting environment. The library filled several vacant staff positions that are key to helping the organization better serve the community.
Programs: Our 2021 programs took us outdoors, indoors, online, and a mix of all the above as library staff responded to the ebbs and flows of the pandemic and direct feedback from library users.
Library staff offered weekly
take-and-make activities for kids and their caregivers, in-person, online, and hybrid book discussion groups for adults, and ongoing drop-in programs for children and families.
Building: We were able to reopen the building to the public this year after being closed for interior renovations and the pandemic. Library users have commented repeatedly about how good the building looks after the renovations. The library also began replacing all signage in the building to align with updated branding guidelines.
Technology: Thanks to a grant through the State Library, staff were able to install a videoconferencing platform in the library’s public meeting room that allows groups to participate in virtual and hybrid meetings.
Other: Library staff created a new marketing plan and rebranding effort to attract new and inactive library users.
UPDATE FROM THE CHILDREN’ S AND YOUNG ADULT DEPARTMENT
This year we collaborated with Decorah Public Schools, Winneshiek County Conservation, Decorah Parks and Recreation, Root to Rise Community Wellness, ArtHaus, HSAP, the Decorah Volunteer Firefighters, Crave Dance Studio, Brittany Todd Photography, Vesterheim, Absolute Science, the Mississippi River Museum, the International Owl Center, and others to offer distanced and in-person programs indoors, outdoors, and at home.
Some highlights include
We couldn’t have done any of this without your interest, ideas, energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm. Our library
community amazes and inspires us. Thank you for being part of it!
STATISTICS
Library Staff and Population Served:
Circulation:
Interlibrary Loan:
Large Print Collection:
Programming and Outreach:
Technology:
note: all statistics are from our official state reporting period, July 2020–June 2021
Community Services:
Funding:
Looking Ahead
In 2022, Decorah Public Library is renewing its accreditation with the State Library of Iowa, launching a new strategic plan, rolling out new children’s and adult programs, and continuing to find new and innovative ways to serve library users.
Join us at the ice rink for a storytime and skating party! We will a couple read stories about skating in the warming hut and then head outside for a skate. Hot drinks and snacks will be provided outdoors. Sponsored by Friends of Decorah Public Library.
Registration required by 1/28. Use the form below to register.
Starting January 11, 2022, Decorah Public Library will no longer be collecting fines on any materials and all existing fines have been deleted from library users’ accounts. Why go fine free? Well, lots of reasons. DPL exists to provide equal access to materials and fines get in the way of that by creating a financial or social barrier for some users. Fines also disproportionately affect the finances of lower-income library users because fines only punish people who can’t easily repay them. There is also little evidence that fines make people return things on time. Fine free libraries report fewer overdue materials and a decrease in the number of days materials are overdue.
Fine revenue was only .3% of the library’s annual budget (and it takes staff time to collect overdue fines, so any revenue brought in was pretty much cancelled out in staff time.) We know some of you liked paying fines because it was your way of supporting the library. Great news! You can still do that, but just call it a free will donation. If you want, toss us a few bucks when you return things late, we’ll use that money to add new things to the collection, pay for fun and interesting programs, etc. If you don’t ever have cash, you can donate to the Friends of Decorah Public Library with a credit card and they’ll route those funds to the library for programs and collections.
You must still return your materials by their due date. Anything that is 28 days overdue is considered lost and library users will be billed for the replacement fee of those materials. And accounts with materials that are 28 days overdue will be blocked from future checkouts until materials are either returned or paid for. Feel free to reach out to DPL staff if you have any questions!
