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About Enrich Iowa
The State Library annually administers funding appropriated by the Iowa Legislature to libraries in Iowa. Enrich Iowa consists of three programs to aid libraries in offering improved service to Iowans:
- Open Access enables Iowans to check out physical materials at participating libraries, providing them with direct access to more materials and information resources.
- Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement provides Iowans with equal access to library resources by supporting loans of materials among all types of libraries.
- Direct State Aid improves library services and reduces inequities among communities.
To participate in any of the Enrich Iowa programs, eligible libraries must complete and submit a Letter of Agreement in the spring for the following fiscal year.
Learn how to participate in Enrich Iowa programs.
Back to topAdditional Program Details
Find out more information about the Enrich Iowa programs below. Have additional questions about any of the programs? Browse the Enrich Iowa FAQs.
List items for Enrich Iowa Additional Information
Open Access provides Iowans with direct access to more library materials and information resources than their home library can provide. It enables eligible patrons to go to any of the nearly 500 participating public and academic libraries and directly check out physical materials.
As a result, Iowans have greater access to more library resources, more choices in library service, and the convenience of using a library where they work, shop or visit. The state reimburses the loaning library a small amount for each item checked out to offset expenses.
Eligible libraries: Iowa public and academic libraries
Interlibrary Reimbursement provides Iowans with equal access to library resources by encouraging and supporting interlibrary loan among all types of libraries.
Participating libraries agree to loan their materials to other eligible libraries in Iowa for use by their patrons and receive a small reimbursement per loan. As of July 1, 2024, the requesting library may charge a fee to their own library customers to borrow interlibrary loan items. The fee charged is a local library decision.
More than 380,000 items are loaned through the program each year.
Eligible Libraries: All Iowa library types
Direct State Aid funding is distributed to participating public libraries through a formula that calculates:
- A base amount dependent on Tier Level met, as set by the Accreditation & Standards program.
- The per capita amount based on the population of the city and level of compliance with quality measures.
- Three percent of the amount of funding received by the library in the previous fiscal year for service to rural residents and contracting communities.
Participating libraries must also agree to submit an annual Direct State Aid report and the Public Library Annual Survey, as well as participate in the Open Access and Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement programs.
Eligible Libraries: Iowa public libraries
Enrich Iowa Reports
Enrich Iowa Legislative Report & Direct State Aid Report
The State Library is required to submit a report to the Iowa Legislature and Governor's Office by January 15 each year on the uses and impacts of Enrich Iowa funding.
FY24 Enrich Iowa Legislative Report
In addition, the State Library prepares a report with more details on how Iowa public libraries spent Direct State Aid funding received from the Enrich Iowa program.

FY26 Enrich Iowa Program
List items for FY26 Enrich Iowa Program Participation Information
Access more information and resources for Enrich Iowa's FY26 program.
FY26 Letters of Agreement
Click the links below to access the Letter of Agreement form for your library type. The Letters of Agreement must be submitted by June 20, 2025 to participate in Enrich Iowa for FY26.
- FY26 Agreement for Public Libraries
- FY26 Agreement for Academic Libraries
- FY26 Agreement for AEA, Institutional, School, and Special Libraries
- FY26 Enrich Iowa Agreements Received (coming soon)
Additional FY26 Resources
- FY26 Enrich Iowa Funding Amounts for Libraries (coming soon)
Open Access Worksheet & Instructions: Find out more about eligible and ineligible Open Access transactions and patrons; access a printable worksheet to gather data before submitting the online report.
Contracting Cities List: See a complete list of all contracting cities and cities that contain branches along with the associated libraries. Note: this is not a complete list of eligible cities. This list can change over the course of the year, so check back for updates.
Interlibrary Loan Transaction Log: Download and print this PDF to track items that are requested outside of SILO.
The FY26 ILL Request for Reimbursement Online Form will be available July 2026. FY26 forms will be due July 31, 2026.
- Use the ILL Request for Reimbursement online form if you have any interlibrary loans to eligible Iowa libraries beyond those made through the SILO or OCLC ILL systems to report. You do not need to file a form if you have no transactions beyond SILO or OCLC ILL to report. Do not report requests made for your own patrons. This is for loans of your materials to other libraries in Iowa.
- NOTE: Postage for ILL items returned is not reimbursed. Reimbursement is based on the number of loans only.
- The report should be submitted online only. Please do not sent reports by fax or snail mail; reports sent in these formats may be lost.
- Have your transaction log ready to submit with the report form. You will be required to attach the transaction log to the report before you are able to submit.
- When you submit the form you will receive an email notice as a receipt. The receipt notice will include attachments of the form and any transaction logs submitted. Keep this information for your own records - you do not need to forward this to State Library staff. Submitting the report gives the State Library access to the copies submitted.
- A user name or password is not required to use the ILL Request for Reimbursement Online Form.
Direct State Aid funds for FY26 will be distributed to participating public libraries in Fall 2025. All Direct State Aid funds received in FY26 must be spent by June 30, 2026.
Keep track of how funds are spent. Notice and record how library service in your community improved or the difference that was made as a result of Direct State Aid funding. This information will be required to be included in the FY26 Direct State Aid report due July 31, 2026.
FY26 Terms of Agreement
Reference the FY26 Terms of Agreement for each of the Enrich Iowa programs below.
According to the ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT made by and between the State Library of Iowa, and the Participating Library, hereafter referred to as the Participant, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below effective July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026, it is mutually understood and agreed:
Purpose
Open Access is a program funded by the Iowa Legislature and administered by the State Library of Iowa. Open Access pays Iowa libraries to serve eligible Iowa residents from outside their local jurisdiction.
The purpose of the Open Access program is to offer Iowa residents access to libraries all over the state, so that Iowans have the convenience of using a library where they work, go to school, shop, or visit.
Definitions
Local Library Jurisdiction: The jurisdiction is the area for which a library is funded to serve. This includes:
- Any city that funds the public library including the city where the library is located, and any contracting cities.
- Any unincorporated jurisdiction that funds the public library including the unincorporated portions of the county where the library is located, and any unincorporated portions of other counties.
- Any participating college, university, or community college library.
Eligible Patron: Must be a resident of Iowa; live outside the local library jurisdiction; and meets one of the following criteria:
- Lives in a community that provides a public library
- Lives in an unincorporated area that provides, or contracts for, library services
- Lives in a community that contracts for library services
- Attends an Iowa public or private university, college, or community college
Transactions:
Eligible - Participants are required to circulate eligible items to all eligible patrons.
- Physical items in all formats except for equipment.
- Items must be from your collection and for use outside the library. Items packaged together as a unit and checked out as a unit, are one transaction.
- Playaways or similar devices.
- Renewals of eligible items as listed on lines A to C above.
Ineligible:
- Downloadable audio, video, e-Books or other electronic items.
- Database use.
- Equipment including laptops, tablets, projectors, game consoles, eReaders, wireless hotspots, or other types of equipment.
- General Provisions
- Libraries must return the ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT, indicating in the box provided, that the library will participate in Open Access. It must be signed by the library director or other signatory authority, and must be received by the State Library on or before June 20, 2025.
- To participate in Open Access for FY25, a public library must have been established on or before July 1, 2023 in accord with the Code of Iowa, 392.1.
- A public library must meet Direct State Aid Tier 1 requirements or higher in order to receive Open Access funding.
- Participants cannot deny service to residents from any Iowa jurisdiction with a public library or a student at a participating Iowa academic institution. Open Access Eligible Patrons are subject to the same circulation policies, regulations, and restrictions, as local patrons for eligible transactions, except for limits referred to in provision 3F below.
- A local public library board or academic library director may decide to deny Open Access service to residents of a jurisdiction that is contracting with a library(s) at a rate that the board or academic library director deems to be inequitable. The library’s board or academic library director must notify the State Library, and the jurisdiction denied service, in writing, of its intent and rationale for the decision prior to any action.
- A local public library board or academic library director may decide to limit the number of Open Access items checked out to Eligible Patrons. If the library chooses to limit the number of Open Access items checked out it must treat all Open Access Eligible Patrons equally. The library’s board or academic library director must notify the State Library in writing of its intent and rationale for the decision prior to limiting access.
- Participants have the option to offer services other than Eligible Transactions to Eligible Patrons.
- The Participant shall:
- Provide a signed ordinance or other legal documentation to the State Library, dated on or before July 1, 2023, establishing it as a public library.
- Verify their FY25 Tier Status by June 30, 2025 (Public libraries only).
- Check out eligible library materials to Eligible Patrons.
- Accept returned items borrowed from any other library in Iowa.
- Return items to any owning library in Iowa and indicate the return date.
- Public Libraries must use IAShares to return items to other public libraries. Public Libraries should use the USPS to return items to any other type of library that is not on IAShares.
- Academic libraries should use USPS when returning items to any other library.
- Log an accurate record and keep receipts of actual postage spent to return items. When using USPS, libraries will be reimbursed for the full postage amount spent to return Open Access items. Libraries will not be reimbursed for any other method of return.
- If an item is overdue, the library that owns the item may collect any fines according to local policy.
- Interlibrary Loan items are not eligible for postage reimbursement.
- Items returned through the IAShares service are not eligible for postage reimbursement.
- The State Library of Iowa shall:
- Administer the Open Access program on behalf of participating Iowa libraries and distribute reimbursement contingent upon receipt of funds.
- Provide a list of communities (that either provide a public library or pay for service to a public library) and participating academic libraries whose patrons are eligible for Open Access.
- Inform libraries about the availability of Open Access Reimbursement funds and answer questions on the details of Open Access. Changes to the program shall be communicated in a timely manner to all participants and other interested parties.
- Reimburse participants annually for each item loaned to eligible patrons. Reimbursement is based on transactions from the previous year. FY26 reimbursement is based on the funds available and the total number of transactions in FY25.
- Monitor compliance with the Open Access terms of agreement. Audit reports as needed to ensure compliance, and take appropriate action if a participant is not honoring the terms of this agreement.
- Notify participants of their FY26 Tier Status by June 30, 2024. (Public Libraries only)
According to the ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT made by and between the State Library of Iowa, and the Participating Library, hereafter referred to as the Participant, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below effective July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026, it is mutually understood and agreed:
Purpose
Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement is a program funded by the Iowa Legislature and administered by the State Library of Iowa. The Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement Program subsidizes participating libraries for each interlibrary loan made to an eligible Iowa library.
The purpose of the Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement Program is to provide Iowans with equal access to library resources by encouraging and supporting interlibrary loan among all types of libraries.
- Definition
Interlibrary Loan (ILL): An Interlibrary Loan is a transaction of library materials, or copies of the materials, received or loaned by one autonomous library from another upon request. The libraries involved in interlibrary loans are not under the same library administration. Definition is taken from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - General Provisions:
- Libraries must return the completed ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT indicating, in the box provided, that the library wishes to participate in Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement. It must be signed by the library director or other signatory authority, and received at the State Library, Des Moines office on or before June 20, 2025.
- Participant agrees to loan as well as borrow.
- Participant as Lender is not obligated to fill requests for newly published materials or items costing less than $10.00. Participant as borrower should consider purchasing these types of materials before requesting a loan.
- School or academic participants that close before June 30 should submit claims before the end of the school year. Late claims may not be approved for payment.
- Participant is reimbursed annually for each item loaned to eligible libraries. Reimbursement is based on transactions from the previous fiscal year. (See Reporting in Section 5D).
- Providing interlibrary loan services to nonresidents (i.e., Open Access customers) is a local library decision.
- Participant as borrower may charge a fee to their own library customers to borrow ILL items. The fee amount charged is a local library decision.
- The Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement program will not provide reimbursement:
- For bulk loans of a collection of different titles, e.g. a large print collection
- For lost or damaged materials
- For postage to send or return ILL items
- For eBooks and similar electronic downloadable items through Bridges Advantage + or similar resource sharing systems
- To state agency libraries for loans made to other libraries
- To AEA media centers for loans made to school libraries
- To Regents university libraries for loans made to other Regent university libraries
- To special libraries for loans made to other special libraries
- For loans that are reimbursed under other contracts or agreements
- For loans to a resident of a city with a library that owns the item
- Participant receives reimbursement for items loaned to Iowa libraries of the following types:
- AEA media centers
- College, community college, and university libraries
- Public libraries
- School libraries
- State-run institution libraries
- State agency libraries
- Responsibilities of the Participant as Borrowing Library:
- Verify citation and identify libraries that own the requested material. Check and adhere to the policies of the lending library.
- Send the request using SILO ILL system, OCLC Resource Sharing, other electronic networks, mail, e-mail, or fax.
- Send requests, unless covered by other agreements, first to like-type, like-sized, and nearest libraries. Regent university libraries are libraries of last resort, and shall be accessed only when all other resources have been exhausted.
- Responsibilities of the Participant as Lending Library:
- Honor ILL requests from all participating Iowa libraries.
- Do not charge Iowa borrowing libraries for interlibrary loan.
- Follow its own policy regarding charges to the borrowing library for faxes and for materials lost or damaged during the interlibrary loan process.
- Report interlibrary loan activity in accordance with the following:
- Report eligible interlibrary loan transactions annually in accordance with directions and deadlines established by the State Library.
- Submit the Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement Report form and Transaction Log (if applicable) to the State Library by July 31, 2026. No report is necessary if all interlibrary loans transactions were made through OCLC or SILO. Provide additional information for reporting purposes as requested by the State Library.
- If a loan was not made through SILO or OCLC, provide verification, along with the report, that it was made in response to a specific request for the item from another library. Verification may be in the form of photocopies of requests or a log listing the transaction.
- Report a photocopy of an article as one transaction regardless of the number of pages photocopied.
- Report each copy of the same title loaned for book discussions as one transaction unless you are sending a set intended to check out as a single item. For example, ten copies loaned for book discussions would count as ten transactions.
- Items packaged together as a unit and checked out as a unit, are counted as one transaction. For example, ten copies of a book grouped together as a set and checked out as a single item would count as a one transaction.
- Libraries that are part of a shared automation system must provide documentation that interlibrary loans reported for reimbursement were checked out by a resident of a city other than their own.
- The State Library of Iowa shall:
- Administer the Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement program on behalf of participating Iowa libraries and distribute reimbursement contingent upon receipt of funds.
- Post a copy of the Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement Report form and the Transaction Log on the State Library’s website.
- Inform libraries about the availability of Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement funds and answer questions on the details of Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement. Changes to the program shall be communicated in a timely manner to all participants and other interested parties.
- Reimburse participants annually for each item loaned to eligible libraries. Reimbursement is based on transactions from the previous year. FY26 Reimbursement is based on the funds available and the total number of transactions in FY25.
- Monitor compliance with the Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement terms of agreement. Audit reports as needed to ensure compliance, and take appropriate action if a participant is not honoring the terms of this agreement.
According to the ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT made by and between the State Library of Iowa, and the Participating Library, hereafter referred to as the Participant, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below effective July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026, it is mutually understood and agreed:
Purpose
Direct State Aid is a program funded by the Iowa Legislature and administered by the State Library of Iowa. The Direct State Aid Program pays participating libraries based on their Tier Level established by the State Library’s Standards and Accreditation Program.
The purpose of Direct State Aid is to improve library services and to reduce inequities among communities in the delivery of library services.
- General Provisions
- A public library must participate in Open Access and Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement in order to be eligible for Direct State Aid funding.
- Tier 0 public libraries may participate in Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement without participating in the Direct State Aid program.
- Libraries must return the completed ENRICH IOWA AGREEMENT indicating, in the box provided, that the library wishes to participate in Direct State Aid, Open Access, and Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement. It must be signed by the library director or other signatory authority, and received at the State Library, Des Moines office, on or before June 20, 2025.
- The Participant shall:
- Have an Internet Use Policy in place.
- Verify their FY26 Tier Status by June 30, 2025.
- Have a current accreditation report on file at the State Library demonstrating that the library meets the standards requirements of Tier 1, 2, or 3.
- Submit the FY24 Iowa Public Library General Information Survey (Annual Survey) to the State Library by December 1, 2024.
- Submit the FY25 Direct State Aid Report by July 31, 2025. The report will include a listing of the Direct State Aid payments received and expenditures made.
- Expend FY26 Direct State Aid funds by June 30, 2026.
- The State Library of Iowa shall:
- Administer the Direct State Aid program on behalf of participating Iowa public libraries and distribute reimbursement contingent upon receipt of funds.
- Post the Direct State Aid report form on the State Library’s website.
- Inform public libraries about the availability of Direct State Aid funds and answer questions on the details of Direct State Aid. Changes to the program shall be communicated in a timely manner to all participants and other interested parties.
- Reimburse participants annually based on the formula established by the Iowa Commission of Libraries. Please refer to the Enrich Iowa FAQ for a complete explanation.
- Monitor compliance with the Direct State Aid terms of agreement. Audit reports as needed to ensure compliance, and take appropriate action if a participant is not honoring the terms of this agreement.
- Notify participants of their FY26 Tier Status by June 30, 2025.
FY25 Enrich Iowa Program
List items for FY25 Enrich Iowa Program Participation Information
Access more information and resources for Enrich Iowa's current fiscal year programs.
- Enrich Iowa FY25 Funding Amounts for Libraries
- FY25 Enrich Iowa Agreements Received. Enrich Iowa Agreements for FY25 were due April 30, 2024.
Copy of the FY25 Open Access Letter of Agreement (for reference only)
Open Access Worksheet & Instructions: Find out more about eligible and ineligible Open Access transactions and patrons; access a printable worksheet to gather data before submitting the online report.
Contracting Cities List: See a complete list of all contracting cities and cities that contain branches along with the associated libraries. Note: this is not a complete list of eligible cities. This list can change over the course of the year, so check back for updates.
Copy of the FY25 Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement Letter of Agreement (for reference)
FY25 Interlibrary Loan Transaction Log: Use to track items that are requested outside of SILO.
The FY25 ILL Request for Reimbursement Online Form will be available July 2025. FY25 forms will be due July 31, 2025.
- Use the ILL Request for Reimbursement online form if you have any interlibrary loans to eligible Iowa libraries beyond those made through the SILO or OCLC ILL systems to report. You do not need to file a form if you have no transactions beyond SILO or OCLC ILL to report. Do not report requests made for your own patrons. This is for loans of your materials to other libraries in Iowa.
- NOTE: Postage for ILL items returned is not reimbursed. Reimbursement is based on the number of loans only.
- The report should be submitted online only. Please do not sent reports by fax or snail mail; reports sent in these formats may be lost.
- Have your transaction log ready to submit with the report form. You will be required to attach the transaction log to the report before you are able to submit.
- When you submit the form you will receive an email notice as a receipt. The receipt notice will include attachments of the form and any transaction logs submitted. Keep this information for your own records - you do not need to forward this to State Library staff. Submitting the report gives the State Library access to the copies submitted.
- A user name or password is not required to use the ILL Request for Reimbursement Online Form.
Copy of the FY25 Direct State Aid Letter of Agreement (for reference only)
Direct State Aid funds for FY25 were distributed to participating public libraries in Fall 2024. All Direct State Aid funds received in FY25 must be spent by June 30, 2025.
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