On Thursday, May 25, the State Library will be holding the first Great IA Shares Bag Count. Librarians will be asked to count and report the number of filled and empty IA Shares bags in their library to an online form that will be available that day. 

The count is taking place in order to inventory the number of bags currently in use and help estimate how many bags have been decommissioned due to damage or normal wear and tear. Numbers will be used to determine how many bags should be ordered as replacements and to keep as backup inventory in the future.

How to Access the Form

The online form to report bag numbers will be open for 48 hours starting Thursday, May 25 at 8:00 a.m. The link will be emailed to libraries and posted to the Library Talk forum. If a library has a regular IA Shares delivery scheduled for Thursday, the count should be made before the pick up happens.

The count will happen on a single day to reduce the likelihood of double counting bags as they travel between libraries. If a library will not be open on count day, they can count and report bag numbers on the day that they will be open closest to count day by email to Tom Keyser at [email protected].

About IA Shares

IA Shares has been in operation since November 2019. Since the service launched, more than 22,000 nylon bags have been ordered to hold materials being transported between libraries. In FY22, the statewide delivery service helped support 201,396 materials sent and returned between Iowa libraries via interlibrary loan transactions. Libraries also use the service to share materials, weeded books, and supplies with each other, saving the cost of postage and giving greater longevity to materials that may have otherwise been disposed of.

IA Shares is made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of Iowa.

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