Albion Library serves as community hub
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ALBION -- A library may provide books, digital media and other informational materials, but for many rural areas, it also bridges the gap in services by offering learning and educational opportunities, the chance to pick up a new hobby, and even food. The Albion Municipal Library and Heritage Center offers free and low cost programs for adults and kids. A unique attribute is its 8×12 foot greenhouse located on the property.
Hanna Karim, who came aboard as director in September 2022, has grown the library's services through her skills as a grant writer.
"The greenhouse grant was through Theisen's More For Your Community 2026 Grant Cycle, and it was a $2,500 total donation, with $500 of that as a gift card to Theisen's. The Community Foundation of Marshall County paid for the LED sign, raised garden beds and a yoga program," she noted. "These grants were paired with donations from local greenhouses, Dusty Hills Farm and Swift Greenhouses, to maximize benefits for our community. The produce from the greenhouse and garden supply our library food pantry."
Karim, who holds a degree in general studies from Iowa State University with a focus on food science, is a life-long gardener. She also credits library board president Wade Dooley, a sixth-generation farmer, for lending his horticulture skills.
The greenhouse harbors tomatoes and peppers right now, with the aim to cultivate lettuce and microgreens during the winter months. Subtropical plants are set to go in during spring 2027 -- offering some exotic vegetation. Karim said the produce is grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides.
"We use natural methods of pest control and then just manual weed removal. So we use a lot of companion planting and that's pretty successful in keeping all of our plants healthy," she said. "It's all just to provide fresh food for our community and teach people how to be more self-sufficient. It also helps get those kids off the computers and Roblox for a while."
Alliant Energy awarded $3,000 to pay for trees to be planted on city-owned property, including the library, to shade buildings heated/cooled by the company. Local volunteers planted the trees.
Exercise, fitness and food availability are some of the director's key causes.
"I try to assess what the community needs because that's what we're here for. We're not just a repository for books. We are here to give the public the support that they need to be successful," she noted.
This ranges from growing food, offering a food pantry (open during library hours), assistance with taxes, interpreting legal documents and access to computers.
The Community Visioning Program grant, which Karim applied for, is funded by the Iowa DOT. The visioning committee is made up of local volunteers who meet at the library.
"The grant supplies assistance from ISU landscape interns and professional landscape architects to provide ideas and outlines for transportation, accessibility
and main street corridor improvements," Karim said. "These improvements are based on suggestions from focus groups held last winter at the Albion Library, and the community concept plan generated from these groups provides necessary information for future grant proposals."
Not to be overlooked is the library's heritage center. It is located in a wing of the building in a meeting room available to rent. History buffs and genealogists can peruse historical documents, cemetery records and more. Rotating displays are changed out quarterly. The latest addition is a donated piano.
Interlibrary loan allows patrons to borrow books from any library in Iowa, while Libby lets you borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines free of charge.
October events
Yoga Foundations is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. There will be a library duck scavenger hunt starting at 10:30 a.m. on October 10. The Halloween party for youngsters will go from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on October 24. The DIY dragon egg craft is available to do (with adult supervision for kids under 7) throughout the month.
The Friends of the Library will offer a paint and sip event on Nov. 19, details to be finalized. Through these adult-only artistic offerings, the group was able to buy new public computers for the library last year.
Karim is the library's only paid employee and is assisted by volunteers. For her yearly vacation, the library shuts down. It will close October 13 and reopen October 20. The library may be reached at: 641-488-2226 and alblibrary22@gmail.com.
Hours are: Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.