13-Libraries, including Colesburg, Guttenberg, Postville Strawberry Point and Volga, receiving 90-thousand in grants

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Come for the books; stay for the cooking classes. Or the meditation garden. Or an immersive outer space experience.

These types of innovative offerings will soon be coming to small-town libraries across Eastern Iowa thanks to a new grant program from the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. The Foundation has selected 13 libraries to receive $90,000 in grants, enabling them to launch initiatives that enhance their roles as hubs of community activity.

“Local libraries are places for books and so much more,” says Mary Jo Jean-Francois, the Community Foundation’s vice president of impact. “They are places that bring people together for arts and cultural events, educational discussions, and even wellness programs. We are proud to support their work to build connected, thriving communities.”

The grants, which range from $5,000 to $9,000, will support libraries in the seven counties the Community Foundation and its eight affiliates serve: Allamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson and Jones.

Each library submitted an application for a new, innovative initiative that:

• Increases civic opportunities, providing people with relevant, meaningful and fun ways to get engaged in their community.

• Increases civic participation, providing ways for more people to be involved in community life, with a focus on those who have not traditionally been involved.

• Solves problems, offering opportunities for people to collectively work to address a shared challenge, ideally within 12 months.

The proposed initiatives range from cooking and wellness classes at the Colesburg Public Library to a Smithsonian Rural Initiative astronomy program at the Hopkinton Public Library. (See a full list of projects below.)

The Community Foundation’s library grant program is made possible by funding from the Trust for Civic Life, a grantmaking collaborative supporting the community-led efforts that help Americans connect, solve problems together, and feel confident in a shared future. It reflects the Foundation’s commitment to building strong, thriving communities by fostering opportunities for connection and civic participation. 

While small, rural towns often have ample community pride and neighborliness, they can lack venues – sometimes called “third places” – for in-person gathering. Some, like Colesburg, experienced a further setback for engagement opportunities when a restructuring of the Archdiocese of Dubuque led to a loss of weekend Catholic Mass. 

The Colesburg Public Library team took this into consideration for their application.

“For many residents, this meant more than the loss of a weekly service; it was the loss of another place to gather and connect with neighbors,” says Tara Augustyn, director of the Colesburg Public Library. “The library is one of the community’s remaining gathering spaces and is uniquely positioned to help fill this need.”

To learn more about the Community Foundation’s grant opportunities, visit dbqfoundation.org/grants or contact Gretchen Corcoran at gretchen@dbqfoundation.org.

Library Grant Recipients and Their Projects

Anamosa Library and Learning Center: The library will use its grant to purchasing a significant collection of Spanish and bilingual books and materials, giving parents and caregivers access to books that allow them to keep reading to children at a critical for development. These materials also will provide opportunities for learning English as a second language, helping people overcome language barriers and be active community members who feel seen and welcome.

Calamus Public Library: The library will create a permanent outdoor space that expands its capacity to deliver literacy, arts and community programs. The venue will allow the library to host more outdoor programs, family literacy events, youth performances and community celebrations. Beyond library programming, the space will become a community asset that fosters lasting sense of pride and provides a venue for local performances and presentations.

Colesburg Public Library: The library will utilize and build on the online Library Chef resources to create a hands-on program that combines cooking, nutrition and wellness with meaningful community connection. The program will include in-person opportunities like adult-child cooking classes and presentations on nutrition and wellness. The grant also will allow the library to purchase an interactive whiteboard that can be used for all of its community programming.

DeWitt Public Library: The library will use its grant to support The Thought Exchange Project, a new initiative encompassing literacy, film, speakers, food and presentations that gives people a chance to discuss socially relevant topics in a comfortable, non-judgmental space.

Dubuque County libraries: The Dubuque Area Library Information Consortium will use its grant to build on the success of Dubuque County Reads, a community reading initiative started in 2023 at 15 libraries. The 2027 theme is “arts and culture,” and the grant will help expand and strengthen rural programming by introducing artist talks and open art sessions at the James Kennedy Public Library in Cascade and Dubuque County Library District locations.

Guttenberg Public Library: The library will expand its monthly Writers Open Mic and organize workshops for various types of writing, including creative, poetry and comic book. It also will create programs on card-making and journaling.

Hopkinton Public Library: The Smithsonian Rural Institute’s Library to the Stars program will come to the Hopkinton library, making it just one of 16 libraries in the country to bring the national organization’s programming to rural residents. Library to the Stars is a six-month, all-ages community learning and engagement program centered around astronomy, curiosity and exploration. By attending programs and events, people can earn STARS – Steps Toward Adventure, Rewards and Smithsonian and potentially be entered in a drawing for an educational trip to Washington, D.C.

James Kennedy Public Library (Dyersville): The library will create a new course called Adulting 101 for teens and young adults to learn important life skills. Local experts will provide hands-on training on topics like budgeting, child care, nutrition and meal preparation. Participants will leave with supplies to assist them with their success.

Manchester Public Library: One of the library’s goals is to create opportunities for seniors to gather and learn together while supporting their well-being and reducing isolation. This is especially important since the closure of the local senior center and the loss of weekend Catholic Mass in surrounding communities. The library will create a Senior Social and Wellness Club, a weekly program that will include activities like chair yoga, games, special presentations and silent book clubs, as well as a free lunch.

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library: The library will transform its basement into intergenerational gathering spaces. This would give the library expanded space to host meetings, talks and other adult activities for the community while also offering "soft play" equipment for families with children and opportunities for youth programming.

Postville Public Library: Like the Hopkinton library, the Postville library is one of 16 libraries in the country chosen to participate in the Smithsonian Rural Institute’s programming. Grant funding will help bring the institute’s offerings to Postville and offer what library director Crystal Duffy calls “big city experiences in a small town.”

Preston Public Library: The library is partnering with Easton Valley K-12 Performing Arts and Fine Arts to create more venues for students to display their talents while also offering more arts and cultural activities for the community. Programs will include art exhibitions and musical performances.

Strawberry Point Public Library: The library will launch Meet Me in the Park, a gathering that leverages the town’s participation in the Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul® initiative. Like that program, Meet Me in the Park will encourage people to take active roles in community development while also offering live music, food and games for attendees.

Volga Public Library: The library will expand its current fitness, wellness and nutrition programs and also offer opportunities for residents to share input on new activities they would like to see in the community. In some cases, residents might have the chance to lead class and receive a small stipend.