Programs
The Oelwein Public Library offers programs to further the library's mission to serve the needs of the community.
Pop Up Programs
Pop-up Programs are programs covering a range of topics and ages on different times and days.
1/14 Dream Big Storytime at 10:00 a.m.
Imagine what the new year might bring with this storytime celebrating dreams and dreamers.
1/20 Sensory Playtime at 2:30 p.m.
Explore the senses and discover activities you can do at home with this baby and toddler themed playtime.
Announcing the return of the Winter Reading Challenge!
Get ready for the Winter Reading Challenge, running December 22nd through February! Everyone who completes this challenge will have a chance to win the latest Dog Man book, Dog Man: Big Jim Believes by Dav Pilkey.
How to participate:
- Pick up your challenge sheet on December 22nd.
- Complete and return it to the library
- Receive a sticker and gain entry into the drawing.
For additional chances to win, feel free to pick up another challenge sheet after you have turned one in to the library.
Summer Reading Program is offered every year in June.
Find more information here.
Book Talk
Join Book Talk. Contact Deann at dfox@oelwein.lib.ia.us or by calling the library at 319-283-1515 with questions. This group meets on the last Monday of each month at 10:00 am. For more information visit the Book Club page.
Special Programs:
In 2026, we will commemorate the 250th anniversary, or Semiquincentennial,of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The library is excited to honor this milestone by providing special programming.
The Founding Mothers presented by Laura Keyes
Thursday, March 5th at 4:30 p.m.
This Illustrated Lecture focuses on the remarkable women who had a first-hand view of the founding of our nation, and whose stories need to be shared. Join Laura Keyes as she shares their history, their bravery, and their surprising legacies. Miss Keyes will be delighting audiences with her presentation on Thursday, March 5th, at 4:30 p.m.
The "Mothers" of America aren't often mentioned - the women whose influence on the early years of the United States reverberated for centuries afterwards. While many of us remember reading something about Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, there are so many more women to admire. Whether they assisted in the years-long Revolutionary War, or had one brief moment of heroism, their actions had long-lasting and nation-building effects.Learn about soldiers, writers, printers, scholars, farmers, artists, and spies - all women, and all vital to our nation's history.
Laura Keyes graduated from UW-Madison with a Master's Degree in Library Studies, and has been portraying women from history and lecturing on historic topics for over fifteen years. In her non-existent spare time, Laura is a wonderful baker and accomplished vocalist.
This program is sponsored by The Friends of the Oelwein Public Library.
Daughters of the American Revolution presented by Barbara Glasener
Wednesday, April 8th at 6:00 p.m.
Barbara serves as the Registrar for the Revolutionary Dames chapter in Waverly, Iowa, affiliated with the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Join Barbara as she explains how you can become a member.
Discover valuable tips and resources for researching your Revolutionary War ancestors.
The NSDAR is a women’s service organization focusing on volunteer work which
supports the society’s missions of promoting patriotism, preserving American history,
and securing America’s future through better education for children. Any woman 18 years old or older who can provide lineal decent from a Patriot of the American
Revolution is eligible to join.
Barbara grew up on a second-generation farm about halfway between Hudson and Reinbeck. She was active in Girl Scouts, church, saddle club, 4H, and school extracurriculars. I enjoy cooking, reading, and gardening. Barbara is a retired school librarian and technology teacher, mostly working with students 7th-12th grades. She's also been a classroom secondary Language Arts and Speech teacher as well as a speech coach and drama director and a whole host of other jobs in my youth. A couple of my aunts and my dad's cousin got me interested in genealogy decades ago but my active research has mostly occurred during the age of the Internet, Ancestry and FamilySearch, etc. I love how genealogy gives you a personal connection to history.