Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation

The library foundation continues to support our library staff year-round with continuing education and professional development opportunities. The library foundation uses storytelling to raise awareness of library programs and services through newsletter publications and brochures shared at speaking events.the foundation also transferred ownership of 15 acres of land to the cedar rapids public library and city of cedar rapids. This land was purchased in august 2022 in anticipation of the new westside library facility's construction. The foundation leveraged funds from the nadine e. Sandberg estate to acquire the property.

The cedar rapids public library foundation supported our library's efforts to promote access, literacy, and inclusion for all ages. Dolly parton's imagination library entered its seventh year of sending free, age-appropriate books to children under 5 in cedar rapids. As of june 30, 2025, we have mailed more than 449,770 books to children in cedar rapids, and more than 8,349 have graduated from the program.our library's partnership with cargill entered its 34th year and continues to fund outreach programs for preschools serving at-risk children. During the 2024-25 school year, library staff provided six classroom visits per month (54 visits throughout the year) reaching a total of 156 preschoolers ages two to five. They also delivered 1,404 books along with customized activity sheets for each book.

An innovative addition to the library's programs and outreach in 2021 was a mobile technology lab (mtl). In fy25, the mtl continued offering tech to go programs throughout the community. The van made 46 park visits across 17 unique locations and served more than 5,000 people. Additionally, the library's mtl conducted 26 outreach visits and led 72 total programs throughout cedar rapids.our library's intergenerational reading program was rebranded as the summer reading challenge in 2024. This summer (2025), there were 2,242 readers registered and collectively, these registrants read more than 2.6 million minutes in june and july. For the interactive, in-person component, library staff hosted 409 programs with attendance of more than 18,000 people.

In 2024, it became apparent that the downtown library's 4th avenue outdoor plaza was in need of repair. The permeable pavers used during construction had not withstood iowa's winters, and its uneven surface was becoming more difficult to traverse for our mobility-compromised patrons and community members. The library trustee's building committee sought design bids, and in fall 2025, the 4th avenue plaza was renovated with long-term, public use in mind.

The cedar rapids public library foundation continues to support our library's efforts to provide access to robust materials through their print and online collections.in 2022, the library asked the foundation to fund pressreader. This digital resource offers unlimited access to over 7,000 of the world's top newspapers and magazines. Supporting access and inclusion, this resource offers publications from countries around the world. Titles our patrons can access include the guardian, los angeles times, newsweek, daily mail, l'equipe, der taggesspiegel, liberation, china daily, and larazon, along with thousands of others. In fy25, 292 unique users viewed more than 32,981 items. The languages accessed include english, spanish, french, chinese, italian, and portuguese.