Author Archive for Anne W

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2023

Every winter, the American Library Association awards a slew of medals to the year's best in children's and teen literature. The heavy hitters are the Caldecott and Newbery, for pictures and story respectively, but there are many prestigious others as well.

Monday, Sep 12, 2022

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month! To celebrate, here are 30 ways to use your ICPL library card - one for each day of the month.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

You’re probably familiar with crayfish and worms, but did you know there are over 320 other species of macroinvertebrates living in Iowa’s streams, lakes, and ponds? That number is pretty impressive compared to only 108 species of fish in Iowa. These tiny freshwater critters hide under rocks, vegetation, logs, mud, and many are also well-camouflaged, making it almost impossible to spot them. Commonly seen insects such as dragonflies, beetles, mayflies, and moths actually spend 90% of their life as aquatic larvae and are important food for many other animals!

Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020

Earlier this school year, each K-12 student in the ICCSD public schools was issued a new student ID that also functions as a library card for the Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty public libraries. At each library, the card - called an AIM card - can be used to check out three books or books on CD. Students can have three books checked out at any one time on their AIM card, and there are no late fines or fees for lost items.

Monday, Mar 9, 2020

Saturday, March 7 marked the 3rd Annual Internet Cat Video Festival here at ICPL. This event involves a carefully-curated 30-minute reel of the Internet's funniest, most adorable cat videos for families to enjoy together on the big screen. Following the film, crafts were available. Attendees sewed catnip mice out of felt, made yarn pompoms, assembled cute cats out of popsicle sticks and googly eyes, and created analog cat memes (these are on display now in the children's department!). 

Monday, Mar 2, 2020

March is Women's History Month, an annual celebration of the contributions of women to American history. Anytime is a good time, however, to introduce kids to some important female historical figures. Help spark the dreams of young girls by sharing these high-quality biographical picture books with the kids in your life:

Monday, Jan 27, 2020

The winner of this year's Newbery Medal for "most distinguished contribution to children's literature" is New Kid by Jerry Craft!

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2020

The benefits of Large Print books for individuals who are visually impaired has been well-documented. But recent research from Project Tomorrow, an educational nonprofit, also suggests that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading, and developed a more positive reading mindset. Particularly for struggling and reluctant readers, access to large print books significantly increased reading comprehension, retention, and enjoyment.

Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020

Forget the Oscars - ICPL children's librarians are getting pumped for the Youth Media Awards! There are many literary medals awarded by the American Library Association each year at their Midwinter Conference - this year it's on January 27 - but the two heavyweights in children's lit are the Caldecott and Newbery.

Monday, Jan 6, 2020

If you enjoy checking out DVDs from our Children's Department, perhaps you've noticed that they're currently organized into three sections:  

About Anne W

Anne W's picture

Anne W. works in Children's Services and Collection Services. She selects the kids chapter books and kids nonfiction books and leads Tween programming. She loves to read, go on low-budget road trips (especially to camp and hike in national parks), and drink craft beer on a patio. Anne W. enjoys visiting thrift stores, but is also a minimalist. Anne W. has two daughters, a husband, and a cat. Anne W. divides her reading attentions between adult and juvenile literature. She enjoys strong female protagonists, nonfiction about historical events or current social issues, and novels about family relationships.