Browse Exhibits (18 total)

Over a 21-year career North helped shape the nascent profession of librarianship in Iowa and nationally. At a time when the appointment of a woman to a state position was highly controversial, she contributed to the opening up of new possibilities for women's participation in the public sphere. She also helped establish a vision for libraries as dynamic institutions that emphasized accessible and relevant collections designed primarily for use rather than preservation and storage. She was the first State Librarian and the first full-time librarian at the UI, and as a founder of the Iowa Library Association was a driving force behind the eventual establishment of a library training program.

Forrest Spaulding’s contributions to the Des Moines Public Library, the State of Iowa, and the United States combined to make him a legend in his own time. Spaulding championed the civil rights of all Americans, spoke out against bigotry and censorship, and authored the Library Bill of Rights in 1938 in a direct challenge to the growing intolerance in the world

The Iowa Library Association was established in 1890. This is a timeline of the history of  the association's important events that occurred between 1890 and 2015. It is being presented in celebration of the Iowa Library Association's 125th anniversary of its founding.

This is a collection of photos on temporary display in the glass exhibit on the first floor of the Ola Babcock Miller Building in Des Moines. They are from the Iowa Heritage Digital Collection (IHDC).