Council Bluffs Public Library Foundation

Council Bluffs Public Library Foundation Council Bluffs Library Foundation - supports CB Library financially Over $12.5 million dollars were donated to construct and equip the library.

The Foundation was originally created to administer the successful fund drive to construct the new library building. Since that time, additional dollars donated to the Foundation have made possible the following areas of support:

Building and Grounds improvements $25,000.00
Additions to the Library collections $158,500.00
Microfilming documents $2,000.00
Programming $30,750.00
Security System

$43,880.00
Staff education $22,228.00
Summer reading program $6,014.00
Technology udpating and additions $323,320.00
Teen Center $161,731.00

Teen Central had an incredible summer! 🎧📚174 teens (grades 6th–12th) joined the Council Bluffs Public Library Summer Rea...
09/03/2026

Teen Central had an incredible summer! 🎧📚

174 teens (grades 6th–12th) joined the Council Bluffs Public Library Summer Reading Program this year, logging an impressive 4,614 total days read.

🎁 426 prizes distributed, including pool passes, ice cream coupons, journals, and bags
🏆 Grand prize winners:
Sam Bernard: Bose QuietComfort Headphones
Eryx Tackett: Build-Your-Own LEGO Bundle

🎉 42 teen programs held over the summer, with 381 teens attending book clubs, video game tournaments, writing workshops, anime club, and more!

From headphones to hand-built LEGO sets, this summer's teen readers proved reading and fun go hand in hand. Congrats to our winners, and thank you to every teen who picked up a book (or 4,614 days' worth)!

Programming like Teen Central is made possible in part through Foundation support. Want to help keep opportunities like this going for Council Bluffs teens? Donations are always welcome at councilbluffslibrary.org/about/library-foundation. 💙

Summer 2026 is a wrap, and Council Bluffs kids showed up in a big way! 📚☀️This year, 1,058 kids ages 0–11 joined the Cou...
09/01/2026

Summer 2026 is a wrap, and Council Bluffs kids showed up in a big way! 📚☀️

This year, 1,058 kids ages 0–11 joined the Council Bluffs Public Library Summer Reading Program, and the results speak for themselves:

📖 21,834 books read by our youngest readers, ages 0–5
📖 14,071 days of reading logged by kids ages 6–11
🎁 2,512 prizes handed out, including pool passes, ice cream coupons, journals, books, and baby toys
🎉 66 kids' programs held over the summer, with 4,441 kids and families in attendance

Every book read and page turned is proof that Council Bluffs kids love to read. Thank you to every parent, grandparent, and caregiver who made this summer's challenge a success!

Programming like this is made possible in part through Foundation support. If you'd like to help keep next summer's reading challenge growing, donations are always welcome at councilbluffslibrary.org/about/library-foundation. 💙

In Memory of Dolly PartonCouncil Bluffs is mourning alongside the rest of the world today. Dolly Parton, one of the most...
08/27/2026

In Memory of Dolly Parton

Council Bluffs is mourning alongside the rest of the world today. Dolly Parton, one of the most beloved voices in music and one of the most generous hearts in philanthropy, passed away this week at age 80.

Here in Council Bluffs, her legacy isn't just something we admire from a distance. Since our library became a local affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in February 2022, the program has:

📚 Served over 3,600 kids in our community
📦 Mailed more than 93,000 free books to homes right here in Council Bluffs
👶 Currently supports over 1,700 kids enrolled and receiving a free book every month

Dolly always believed that access to books should never depend on a family's zip code or income. Locally, that vision is made possible through the CB Public Library Foundation, which helps fund Imagination Library's presence in our community so kids here can keep getting books in the mail every single month.

Thank you, Dolly, for believing every child deserves a home library. Your legacy will keep showing up in mailboxes across Council Bluffs for years to come. 💙

If you'd like to help keep the program strong here at home, you can support Imagination Library locally at councilbluffslibrary.org/about/library-foundation.

September at the library is something special. 📖As kids head back to school, the CB Public Library kicks into high gear ...
08/24/2026

September at the library is something special. 📖

As kids head back to school, the CB Public Library kicks into high gear with youth and teen programming — weekly offerings, daily events, and everything in between. All of it supported by the CB Public Library Foundation.

Whether your kid loves reading, creating, or just needs a great place to be after school — the library has something for them.

Check out everything coming up under the Events tab at councilbluffslibrary.org and mark your calendars. 📅

Ever wonder what the CB Public Library Foundation does? 💙The City funds the library. We help fund some things that make ...
08/20/2026

Ever wonder what the CB Public Library Foundation does? 💙

The City funds the library. We help fund some things that make it extraordinary.

Since 1983, the Foundation has existed to support the CB Public Library with private donations and grants — filling the gaps that government funding can't cover. Things like new programs, upgraded equipment, special projects, and the spaces that make this library a place people want to be.

We operate independently, led by a volunteer Board of Directors whose only job is to make sure this library keeps growing for the people of Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, and surrounding areas.

A strong library makes a strong community. And that's what we're here to protect.

If you'd like to help, donations are always welcome at councilbluffslibrary.org/about/library-foundation. 💙

Have you heard about Council Bluffs Reads? 📚We're bringing world-class authors to the library — and Kristin Harmel is ou...
08/18/2026

Have you heard about Council Bluffs Reads? 📚

We're bringing world-class authors to the library — and Kristin Harmel is our first!

Kristin is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and #1 international bestselling author of Meet Me in Paris, The Paris Daughter, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker's Wife, and a dozen other novels translated into more than 35 languages and sold all over the world.

She began writing professionally at 16 as a sportswriter, went on to write for PEOPLE magazine, and is the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.

We can't wait to bring her to Council Bluffs. More details on her visit coming soon!

And that's not all — our second author will be announced the last week of August and will be joining us in October. Follow along so you don't miss it.

🌐 councilbluffslibrary.org

Never miss what's happening at the library. 📬Our Foundation newsletter is packed with things worth knowing about: new pr...
08/12/2026

Never miss what's happening at the library. 📬

Our Foundation newsletter is packed with things worth knowing about: new programs, highlights, challenges, events, and more.

Every program highlighted in our newsletter exists because of community support. If you love what the library offers, consider making a donation at councilbluffslibrary.org/about/library-foundation. 💙

Already subscribed to the CB Public Library newsletter? This one is different — sign up for both and stay fully in the loop.

Sign up here: secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/MdHMLdBhntGOoxaHyd2t5Q

Since 1983, the CB Public Library Foundation has funded projects, programs, and spaces that make this library more than ...
08/10/2026

Since 1983, the CB Public Library Foundation has funded projects, programs, and spaces that make this library more than just a building. 📚

Here's a look at what your community has made possible:
🏛️ The Library Building (1994) — We helped raise over $12.5 million to design, build, and equip the library you walk into today.
🎒 Teen Central (2010) — A dedicated space on the second floor for grades 6-12. Comfortable seating, wireless laptops, vending machines, and yes, a graffiti wall.
🛠️ MakerSpace (2015) — 3D printers, VR technology, CAD software, and more. A space for tinkerers, techies, innovators, and entrepreneurs right here in Council Bluffs.
🎤 Speaker Series (2020) — World-renowned authors brought to our community. Past speakers have included Carl Hiaasen, Mary Roach, and Geraldine Brooks.
🌻 Youth Area Remodel (2022) — New furniture, new shelving, easier-to-clean spaces for kids and caregivers, and a beautiful pollinator mural by artist Angela Griner.
📬 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (2022) — One free book every month, mailed directly to children from birth to age five living in Council Bluffs.
📍 Library Kiosk (2024) — The Foundation made it possible for the library to establish a second physical location in Council Bluffs for the very first time.

And beyond the big projects, we also fund library security, digital search tools, magazine displays, author visits, concerts, and special events year-round.

A strong library makes a strong community. Thank you for being part of this. 💙

Happy birthday, AMH-y! 🎉Two and a half years ago, a new helper joined the Council Bluffs Public Library, and she has bee...
07/22/2026

Happy birthday, AMH-y! 🎉

Two and a half years ago, a new helper joined the Council Bluffs Public Library, and she has been hard at work ever since. AMH-y is our automatic material handler, which is exactly what her name says she is. She is not the fanciest machine in the building, but she keeps the whole return process running smoothly.

Here is what happens every time you drop a book in the return slot. AMH-y checks the item back in, reactivates its security, and sorts it into the right bin. From there, a staff member inspects each piece by hand to check for damage and make sure it is clean and ready for the next reader. Then it heads back to the shelves, waiting for someone new to pick it up.
AMH-y was made possible through joint funding from the City of Council Bluffs and the Council Bluffs Public Library Foundation. She is a great example of what your support helps bring to life, the kind of behind-the-scenes investment that keeps your library working better for everyone who walks through the doors.

So here is to two and a half years of sorting, checking, and keeping things moving. We think she has earned a little celebration. 🎂📚

Here is something worth celebrating: every Dolly book, every kiosk, every refreshed space at the Council Bluffs Public L...
07/17/2026

Here is something worth celebrating: every Dolly book, every kiosk, every refreshed space at the Council Bluffs Public Library exists because people in this community believe in it.

The Foundation is here for the extras. The things beyond day-to-day operations that turn a good library into a place people are proud of. Think the Speaker Series that has brought authors like Mary Roach and Geraldine Brooks to town. The Youth Area remodel where kids and caregivers play and learn together. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library mails a book a month to local kids from birth to age 5. The Cochran Park book kiosk, open 24/7 in the neighborhood.

None of it happens without generous donors who know what a strong library means for a strong community.

To everyone who has given, thank you. You are the reason these spaces and programs exist.

What is your favorite thing the library has added in recent years? Tell us below.

Address

400 Willow Avenue
Council Bluffs, IA
51503

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(402) 515-1200

Website

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