Oelwein Public Library

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Oelwein Public Library Visit us 24/7 on our website at http://www.oelwein.lib.ia.us to browse our collection, download audi

One week from today! Join us on Tuesday the 13th at 6:00pm to hear Tyler Sullivan's stories of his adventures across Io...
10/06/2026

One week from today! Join us on Tuesday the 13th at 6:00pm to hear Tyler Sullivan's stories of his adventures across Iowa (including running at least in mile in each community he visits). He has been to 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, and over 1,300 communities across the state. He has also composed a poem for each county he visited. It's sure to be a great program.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Yesterday was the start of Banned Books Week, a week intended to highlight the issue of attempts to censor the books ava...
10/05/2026

Yesterday was the start of Banned Books Week, a week intended to highlight the issue of attempts to censor the books available in public and school libraries. Since 1982, the American Library Association has been tracking attempts to remove books from library shelves. These attempts have been increasing in recent years, with 2025 having the second-highest recorded number of book challenges. (These are just the challenges the ALA knows about; some challenges may not be reported.) These slides show some statistics from the attempts to challenge and ban books in 2025.

The American Library Association believes in the freedom to read and the protection of every American's First Amendment rights. The ALA's Library Bill of Rights has existed since 1939. You can read it here: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill . You can read the ALA's Freedom to Read statement, adopted in 1953, here: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement .

The sun 🌞is (finally) shining, it's not too hot or too cold, there are birds in the trees. What a great day to be outsi...
10/03/2026

The sun 🌞is (finally) shining, it's not too hot or too cold, there are birds in the trees. What a great day to be outside. But you have this book waiting for you...

Bring your book to our reading garden and grab a seat. Take in the fresh air, the sunshine, and the world of imagination all at the same time. The best part is, you can use our reading garden even when we're not open. You might even be lucky enough to get some musical accompaniment from someone using our musical instruments. What a great way to spend an hour or two.

You may have noticed that we keep our shelves neat and organized, and usually it's easy to find a book because it's righ...
10/02/2026

You may have noticed that we keep our shelves neat and organized, and usually it's easy to find a book because it's right where it's supposed to be. Well, this takes work. We keep our shelves orderly through a process called shelf reading. Here's how it works:

We determine which section of the stacks we're going to shelf read (usually this is where we left off the last time). We go into the stack with our trusty duster. We dust the ends of the shelves, the tops of the books, and the empty shelves. For each shelf, we check to make sure the books are in the correct order: books by the same author are together, the authors are in alphabetical order, the books by each author are in alphabetical order. When we finish each shelf, we close any gaps between books and make sure they're all lined up at the front of the shelf. (When we're finished with the Pattersons, we might need to sit down and take a break for a few minutes. They're a marathon of shelf reading all by themselves.) Any book that's not in the right spot will be moved to where it belongs, so that the next person who wants it can find it.

So if you ever catch us singing the alphabet song, you know that we've been making sure the books are neat and orderly and ready for the next person to take them home.

It's officially fall, and it's spooky season, and what better way to celebrate both of these things than with a little c...
10/01/2026

It's officially fall, and it's spooky season, and what better way to celebrate both of these things than with a little crafting? This month, our take-and-make kit features a gnome that will sit on your shelf and help you celebrate the season. You can decorate yours for fall or for Halloween (or in any other way you want, we're not watching you). Come in for your kit today. Kits are available while supplies last.

Take a look. 👀 Here's what's happening at the library in the month of October.
09/30/2026

Take a look. 👀 Here's what's happening at the library in the month of October.

Tyler Sullivan has visited 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, and to over 1,300 cities across the state. He runs at least a mile...
09/29/2026

Tyler Sullivan has visited 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, and to over 1,300 cities across the state. He runs at least a mile in each community that he visits and composes a poem for each county. So far in 2026, Tyler has visited over 230 of Iowa's museums and attractions. (And that's not counting the ones he's visited within the last two years.) He documents these visits on his page, Iowa Scenic Views by Foot.

Tyler will be at the library on Tuesday, October 13th at 6:00 to talk about his adventures around the state. We hope that you will come and listen, and that you will gain an appreciation for your state. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Here's a sneak peek of what we have coming up in October. Paranormal investigator Gail Tripp from Heartland Truth Seeke...
09/28/2026

Here's a sneak peek of what we have coming up in October. Paranormal investigator Gail Tripp from Heartland Truth Seekers will be at the library on Tuesday, October 20th at 6:00pm. For more than two decades, Heartland Truth Seekers has been investigating reportedly haunted locations across the U.S., documenting evidence, and looking for answers to the question, is there life after death? If you're curious about the paranormal, this is your chance to hear from someone with first-hand experience. We hope you'll join us in October!

Sometimes it seems like everybody knows everything about everybody else. We can't say if that's true in other places or...
09/26/2026

Sometimes it seems like everybody knows everything about everybody else. We can't say if that's true in other places or not, but we know that it's not true here. Here at the library, we keep our patrons' business to ourselves. Per Iowa state law, library use is confidential, regardless of the user's age. We won't tell anyone what you have checked out, what you've been printing, what you needed copies of, or what you're looking at on the internet. (This applies to minors as well as adults.)

So rest assured. Your information may not be classified as top secret, and we keep it in a computer instead of a paper file, but it is 100 percent confidential. Check out whatever you want without fear of your neighbors knowing what you're up to.

The Oelwein Public Library is now accepting applications for a Part-Time Librarian. This position is 20 hours per week w...
09/25/2026

The Oelwein Public Library is now accepting applications for a Part-Time Librarian. This position is 20 hours per week with some evening and additional weekend hours. Applicants are required to have a high school diploma or G.E.D. Equivalency. Visit our website at www.oelwein.lib.ia.us for more information or pick up an application at the library.

Address

201 E Charles Street
Oelwein, IA
50662

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

(319) 283-1515

Website

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