Community Projects 2005

Algona ……revived the memories of the town’s WW II POW camp with photographs and personal essays of those who remembered
the camp. The display was part of a town summer festival.

Altoona……held a literacy festival on May 1, 2004. The festival included performances, informational booths, and other literacy activities
designed for a variety of age groups.

Ames……”ABC” (The Ames Book Project) made reading to children a
family habit. Organizers planned to send a volunteer to Mary
Greeley Hospital to present a gift packet to all new mothers there.

Anita……initiated the “Pass the Book” project. Books were purchased to be read and passed around the town’s businesses, with a card
inside them telling where and with whom the books had been.

Bayard……held a literacy festival where “All Roads Lead to the Library,” an afternoon event for children featuring stations with information on books, reading, writing, and storytelling.

Belle Plaine……presented “Live at the Library,” an eight-part series of events promoting reading and storytelling. Guest speakers/presenters
included Tulip and Friends (Barb Funke), Jim Davis, and Carol
Gorman.

Bloomfield……held a drive to increase the number of library cards in the community.

Burlington……celebrated its Civil War heritage with a Civil War reading
program, “A Day in the Life of someone in the Civil War
(sponsored by the Southeast Civil War Society and the Burlington
Municipal Band), an Abe Lincoln impersonator, and early
childhood packets with activities that introduced the children to
Civil War time activities.

Burt/Fenton……combined the forces of two libraries that serve the same school district with “Reading Around the Room.” Twenty reading stations were set up and a short story with hands-on activities was planned for each station. If children completed a minimum of five stations,
they received a prize.

Cedar Falls/Waterloo……chose to concentrate on early childhood education. The pilot program identified one school in each district that had the highest birth rate. Educators and volunteers then opened the school libraries in those schools on Saturday mornings to teach new parents, grandparents, and care givers instruction on reading and early childhood learning.

Cedar Rapids……started “Book Buddies with Middle School Students.” Middle school students paired with adults in the community, read the same books, and then got together to discuss them.

Cherokee……arranged for volunteers to read to children at the WIC clinic a couple times a week. This is an ongoing project.

Clarinda……started “Books Across Generations.” Middle school students interviewed senior care facility residents about what reading materials they preferred. The information was provided to the library and residents received deliveries each month from children of all ages.

Clive……created “Bilingual Bags.” Books in English and other languages were available at the library.

Davenport/Bettendorf……collaborated with the libraries in the Quad Cities area (including Rock Island) to establish an educational program focusing on the ethnic groups that settled in the Mississippi River towns. The first group to be represented was the area’s African-American population. With the help of the public school system and the community college, students videotaped interviews with older members of the African-American community and also wrote about their experiences. The videotapes will be housed in the Davenport Public Library’s archives.

Decorah……worked with local merchants to teach them Spanish so sales personnel could interact more easily with the new Iowans in their town.

Denison……hosted a “Family Fun Night” in the library in cooperation with the Denison Education Association.

Des Moines……held Literacy Inventory meetings at the Central Library and the five branch libraries. The comprehensive inventories that resulted were subsequently translated into Spanish and are available on the First Lady’s website: www.christievilsack.org.

Dubuque……sponsored “Stories in the Park”. Children listened to storytellers and adults reading to them. (Ultimately held in the library because of rain).

Dyersville……identified men as one of their under-served populations and had “A Guys’ Night Out At The Library.” Displays of books and magazines that would appeal to the male audience were set out. Iowa Hawkeye football player Mike Elgin spoke and signed autographs. Door prizes to professional baseball games were given out, and local businesses donated beverages and snacks.

Eldon……focused on getting more townspeople to use the library. A coffee was held for adults in the community, and a questionnaire for middle and high school students was circulated to see what kinds of periodicals they would like to have in the library.

Elgin/Clermont……combined with their mutual school district to have a community-wide read. The chosen books were “A Peddler’s Dream” by James Shefelman and “Home” by Thomas Locker. More than 400 people read the books, and the project concluded with a presentation at the Valley Media Center featuring crafts for children and a presentation on book illustration.

Elkader……provided library books to seniors who participated in the “Meals on Wheels” program. Library materials were distributed along with the meals.

Fort Dodge……promoted storytelling at local businesses, held a large literacy festival on the grounds of the new library, and promoted its summer reading program.

Fort Madison……celebrated its railroad heritage with events that included former railroad employees relating their personal stories of railroading to elementary school students, and displays with photographs at a presentation at the Old Fort Playhouse.

Greene……hosted “Read With the Stars,” a series of celebrity reading nights. Guests read to elementary students, and star performers included the boys high school basketball team members and the First Lady.

Grundy Center……partnered with the town’s annual festival—Felix Grundy Days—and included storytelling from citizens of all ages with the theme of “A Walk Through Grundy Center’s History.”

Holstein……targeted junior high-age readers and older with their “Read Across Iowa and Return” project. Every book read equaled a mile with more than 800 books being read. The project involved not only the schools and the library but also a dozen organizations in the community.

Independence……identified early childhood care givers as an under-served population and initiated the “ABC (Activities and Books for Children) project. Story kits were put together to provide to daycare centers for children from birth to kindergarten.

Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty……distributed a reading list about teen/parent relationships and held book discussions with families and also did writing activities (journal, memoirs, and family scrapbooks).

Iowa Falls……started a monthly book club for middle school students held during the school year at lunch time in the library. Students read the books and discussed them over lunch.

Johnston……noticed that working adults often don’t have time to read. The library purchased books on tape so busy people could listen to books in their cars or while running or walking.

Kanawha……delivered library materials to seniors who participated in the “Meals on Wheels” program.

Lake City……partnered with other community organizations to generate a broad picture of the town’s literacy needs. Organizations and businesses proved the funding for this ongoing project.

Lake Park……established a community theatre group in association with the school district. The theatre group performed at the high school and will continue with productions in the future.

Lohrville……held a fundraiser with other community organizations to benefit the town’s fire department.

Lynnville/Sully……participated in “Read Around Your Town.” Elementary students received a log of different people they had to read to in order to receive a prize at summer’s end. The project involved family members, neighbors, and teachers, encouraging the children to read.

Madrid……celebrated with a town festival, “Madrid’s Remembrance Days.” A variety of age groups was represented. Older residents took part in a panel discussion regarding Madrid’s history; elementary students took part in a trivia contest and created posters; junior high students interviewed residents; and high school students created history fair projects.

Manchester……sponsored three projects: “Bedtime Books to Go”: Every Child Reads training; and Project LIFT training.

Marshalltown……developed a user-friendly literacy inventory through a website. The project team also established a weekly column in the Marshalltown Times-Republican highlighting literacy activities in the community.

Muscatine……established “Books for Babies.” A bag with a book and library information was given to each child born at Unity Hospital.

Newton……purchased books for the middle school media center. Students then wrote reviews and gave personal ratings of the books.

Nora Springs……brought historical storytelling to the town’s Buffalo Days celebration, with an accompanying brochure.

Ossian/Calmar/Spillville……set up three methamphetamine information programs, one in each town’s library. Project partners included Helping Services, NICC, the Winneshiek County Methamphetamine Task Force, the Northeast Iowa Drug Task Force, and the public schools.

Sac City……celebrated it sesquicentennial in 2005. Their project included collecting old family recipes and trying them in different venues in town. Also, agricultural history of the area was examined using farm implements used during the last century-and-a-half. Storytelling and articles about farming complimented the celebration.

Sioux Center……wanted an “All Sioux Center Reads” program. The Project Selection Committee chose “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and the reading was during January and February of 2002. Discussions about the book were held at the library.

Sioux City……developed a presentation to be used in seventh grade social studies classes. “Big Message” pens with “six steps to information literacy” were distributed, and posters outlining the six steps were also made for each classroom.

Slater……presented an intergenerational storytelling program.

Guidelines for Community Participation

Stories 2000 Project Board of Directors

Communities participating in 2001 (the second year of Stories 2000)

Communities participating in 2002 (the third year of Stories 2000)

View the organizations that sponsor Stories 2000