North Liberty library hosting second community conversation event Aug. 19

The ribbon is cut to commemorate the newly expanded North Liberty Public Library in this September 2013 photo. The library will be holding a second Lighthouse in the Library (LITL) event on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. focusing on how COVID-19 has affected schooling, along with a discussion of the upcoming year and what it means to move education forward in the aftermath of a pandemic. (The Gazette)

NORTH LIBERTY — North Liberty Library will be holding a second Lighthouse in the Library (LITL) event on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. This event will mark one of the first events the library will conduct in-person since the pandemic began in 2020; an option for virtual attendance via Zoom is available. The first LITL event, which occurred virtually in April, focused on food and wellness equity within North Liberty and its surrounding areas. The topic for the August event, aptly titled reentry 2.0, will provide not only a retrospective of how COVID-19 has impacted schooling, but also a discussion of the upcoming year and what it means to move education forward in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Panelists for the event include Jennifer Carter, director of admission operations with the graduate management programs at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business; Matt Degner, who has served the Iowa City Community School District since 2013 and is currently superintendent; Mayasa Hamid, a junior who experienced the relationship between the pandemic and schooling firsthand; Renee Zukin, an educator and writer who supports inner healing for outer change; Joe Brown, who will be serving his 27th year as a public school administrator as the interim superintendent of the Clear Creek Amana Community School District; and Shawn Eyestone, an analytical lab manager and president of the ICCSD school board.

In January, North Liberty Library was selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities. The competitive award came with a $3,000 grant that launched LITL as a quarterly community conversation series.

If you are interested in attending the event in person or virtually, please contact Kellee Forkenbrock at kforkenbrock@northlibertyiowa.org or visit northlibertylibrary.org for more information.

Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).