Retain and support the Commission of Libraries in Iowa

As an Iowa library worker, former chair of the Iowa Governor's Commission of Libraries, and as the current Iowa Library Association President, I affirm and seek support of the Iowa Commission of Libraries as a governing board.

The State of Iowa Library as well as its stewardship of state and federal funds which support Open Access, Interlibrary Loan and Direct State Aid to Iowa libraries now report to the Department of Administrative Services, which makes knowledgeable oversight by a Board of library professional, patrons, and community members more critical. Iowa has more public libraries per capita than any other state.

The Governor’s Commission of Libraries and State of Iowa Library Advisory Councils are citizens, library workers, and educators who strategize, guide, and facilitate the work of public, school, and academic libraries as well as museums. Their collective dedication, experiences, and skills are essential to the good work and impact created by information access throughout the state. Commissions reflect the values and perspectives of Iowans all around the state and enable the State Library to provide services which answer to the priorities and needs of all Iowans.

I implore fellow Iowans to keep government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," by conveying the message to the Governor's Boards and Commissions Review Committee that this commission should not only remain as a governing board, but also have the vacancies be filled.

Without the oversight of the commission, the work of the State Library has the potential to be one of the least transparent and most political in the country. As importantly, specialized focus on federal funding structures, library standards, and the rapid change of digital access to information requires a community of engagement Iowans through the commission to help navigate the future of knowledge sharing.

The unintended outcomes of removing this important and specified work from active, knowledgeable Iowans dedicated to literacy, learning, and intellectual freedom would be detrimental to small and rural libraries, students both traditional and lifelong, as well as Iowans who benefit by easily accessing entrepreneurial, recreational, and educational resources.

I ask library users and library workers to continue to support libraries by supporting their transparent and robust structure of governance.

Sam Helmick of Iowa City is president of the Iowa Library Association.