IA Code 21.12 specifies that effective July 1, 2025, all newly-appointed board members will be required to complete between one and two hours of education related to IA Code Chapters 21 & 22, which contain the state's open meetings and open records laws. The course must be completed within 90 days of election, oath of office, or assumption of duties. A certificate will be issued upon completion which shall be maintained and available for public inspection by the board’s governmental body. Read the Iowa Public Information Board's (IPIB) Advisory Opinion for more information about the training requirements.
The State Library is an approved training provider by the IPIB and has prepared a course for library trustees that meets the training requirements.
The State Library's course, titled Open Meetings, Open Records: Compliance is the Law provides an overview of the legal requirements and best practices for boards to comply with Chapters 21 and 22 in order to maintain transparency. The session will cover such topics as compliance with posting of meetings, public comment, requests for records, how and when library boards can go into closed sessions, and avoiding legal pitfalls.
Please note, this course is designed to be most applicable to library trustees. Elected or appointed officials for other types of governmental boards should consult the IPIB training schedule or check available training from other IPIB-approved training providers.
The State Library's course is fully self-paced and must be completed in Workday Learning, the State of Iowa's learning management system, in order to comply with the statutory requirement that a certificate be issued upon completion. The course must be completed as an individual; completing the course in a group setting is not permitted.
To complete the training, you will need to create a Workday Learning account, activate an inactive account, or log in to an existing active account:
Not sure if you have an account? Email LibContEd@iowa.gov, and include your full name and State Library staff will check your account status. The Iowa Dept. of Administrative Services has also prepared resources for External Learners for assistance logging in to Workday.
Chapters 21 & 22 Training
Enroll in Open Meetings, Open Records: Compliance is the Law
Log in to Workday Learning to register for and complete the Open Meetings, Open Records: Compliance is the Law course.
List items for FAQs Related to Required Open Meetings & Records Training
Still have questions after browsing the list below? Contact LibContEd@iowa.gov and a member of the CE Team will be able to assist.
The first thing to know is that in Workday your username & email address are identical. If you are trying to reset a forgotten password, enter your email address for both the username and email address when prompted.
Secondly, if you're ever prompted to choose between "External Learning Login" and "Employee Login" on the login screen, choose External Learning Login. Employee login is for State of Iowa employees only.
Finally, the Iowa Dept. of Administrative Services has prepared some resources related to External Learners and their Workday Logins that may be helpful.
Click the "Learning" button under "Welcome" on the Workday home screen.
Along the left, in the Learning menu, select Discover.
Select Browse Learning.
In the Browse Learning Content search bar, enter "Open Meetings, Open Records: Compliance is the Law"and select Search.
Select the Course from the search results. Select Start Course.
Email LibContEd@iowa.gov and we will double check you have the correct access to State Library courses in Workday Learning.
After viewing the course the first time, you will prompted to enter the library name as it should appear on your certificate. The course includes instructions on this process.
If you ever need to reprint the certificate, you can do so from the course in Workday Learning, or contact LibContEd@iowa.gov for assistance.
Our training is designed to be most applicable to library trustees. Other elected or appointed officials should consult the IPIB training schedule or check available training from other IPIB-approved training providers.
The Iowa Public Information Board specifies that the government body must retain a certificate verifying completion for the elected and appointed officials. Since the library is a department of city government, your city should maintain the official copy of your certificate. It is also advisable for the library to retain a copy of the certificate and that you keep a copy for your own records.
In order to be fully complaint with Iowa Code 21.12, each trustee must complete the course individually through their own Workday account for the required certificate to be issued. The State Library is not able to issue certificates for group viewing events.
Yes, anyone associated with a library may complete the training. However, it is only required for trustees who have been appointed after July 1, 2025.
The full training takes about 90 minutes to complete. It is entirely self-paced. Users may leave and come back at any time and progress will be saved.
