Effective school library programs and professionally trained teacher librarians play an essential role in the instructional program of each school and student achievement. In 2006, a requirement that each school district in Iowa employ a qualified teacher librarian and have in place an articulated, sequential K-12 library program became a part of 281--Iowa Administrative Code 12.3(12).  

For information about meeting Iowa Code for Library Programs while engaging in continuous improvement, please refer to the Iowa Department of Education School Library Program Standards Guidance as well as Iowa School Library Program Standards. 

School Library Program Support Page

Our Book of the Month Program

Are you an educator looking to enrich your classroom with a diverse selection of books? Look no further! Keystone AEA Media Staff has curated box sets of books tailored to various grade levels for our Book of the Month / Rotating Reads Program. Each box contains 25 books, perfectly balanced with age-appropriate, high quality, fiction and non-fiction titles.  When enrolled educators return a box, they receive a new box set, ensuring a fresh and engaging collection for your students. Delivered straight to your school via Keystone AEA Van Delivery Services, our Book of the Month (BOTM) Program offers a convenient and seamless exchange process. To join, educators must be approved through their local School and District commitments.

Elevate your classroom's reading experience with a constantly rotating selection of engaging books. Sign up for the Book of the Month / Rotating Reads Program today and watch your students' love for reading grow. For more information contact media@aea1.k12.ia.us. 

5303 – Open Access
The functions of the Educational Services Division are intended to benefit staff and students affiliated with the Agency’s accredited PK-12 public and nonpublic schools. The Media Administrator shall consider requests for access to the functions for educational purposes from other nonprofit entities. All requests will be evaluated with consideration of the impact such access would have on the needs of the aforementioned PK-12 partners. The Agency shall not incur any costs associated with approved requests. 

September 17, 2018 - adopted
July 27, 2020 - reviewed
June 19, 2023 - amended
 

Non-profit entities should complete this form to request open access use.

To qualify for media access and van delivery services, preschool programs must meet the following criteria:

1. School District Affiliated Community Partner: The program must be affiliated with a local school district as a recognized community partner.

2. Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program: The program must participate in the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program and adhere to the standards set by IQPPS (Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards), NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), and Head Start.

For more information on these standards and how to become a qualifying preschool program, please visit the Iowa Department of Education Early Childhood page.

Teachers, administrators, and other school staff have access to a wide variety of digital professional journals (peer-reviewed, full text and more) using EBSCOhost and Gale databases.  Easy access is afforded to all participating Districts through Keystone AEA OneClick.  

For more information contact Virginia Saeugling or Mindy Reimer.

At Keystone AEA, we're dedicated to offering a diverse and high-quality collection of instructional resources to meet the varied needs and interests of our patrons.

To keep our collection relevant and engaging, we invite you to contribute your ideas for new purchases. Your suggestions help us better support and respond to the needs of the diverse learners we serve.

To request items not found in the Keystone AEA Media Collection, please complete this form. Keystone AEA Media Staff will evaluate each request based on the Keystone AEA Media Standards for Selection, budget considerations, and the item’s potential interest to other patrons. Requests are reviewed regularly.  *Please note: newly added collection items require 6-8 weeks for processing. We will do our best to communicate when requested materials are added.

We look forward to your contributions and thank you for helping us enhance our library collection! 

Recommend a Purchase

During winter months Keystone AEA van delivery to schools is occasionally delayed or canceled due to inclement weather.  When possible vans will attempt to deliver/pick up as scheduled even if schools consider a delay, early out or cancellation.  Please leverage our social media presence and our Keystone AEA website for any weather related announcements or updates.

If you have any questions please contact Rebecca Lower.

Media materials are selected and maintained by highly qualified personnel of Keystone Area Education Agency with the intention to implement, enrich, and support the educational program for the learner. Materials must serve both the breadth of the curriculum and the needs and interests of individual learners. The Agency is obligated to offer media resources for a wide range of abilities, interests and to respect many differing points of view. To this end, principles must be placed above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality and appropriateness to best meet educational needs.

These standards provide guidelines for material selection for both Keystone Area Education Agency’s media collection of resources as well as our digital resource suite.

Standards for Media Materials Selection

Van Delivery Services for External Organizations & Guidelines for Delivery
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) provide regular van delivery service to public districts and accredited non-public schools. This service is an integral part of the AEAs’ mission to improve student achievement. 

On occasion, external organizations make requests for their materials to be distributed through an agency’s van delivery service. The following guidelines and procedures have been established to determine an organization’s eligibility for delivery. It is our intention to ensure necessary standardization and efficiencies for staff who handle items to be distributed, privacy for teachers and school districts and compliance with U.S. Postal regulations and the Iowa Code. 

All requests for delivery of materials and information must be entered into the Request for Delivery of Materials Through Iowa's AEAs Van Delivery Service form. Once decisions about the request have been made, requesters can expect to be notified within 5 business days by someone from Iowa’s AEAs to confirm next steps.
 

All requests for delivery of materials and information must be entered into the Request for Van Delivery of Materials through Keystone AEA Van Delivery Services form.  Please read through and acknowledge Van Delivery Guidelines document before submitting a van delivery request.

Once decisions about the request have been made, requesters can expect to be notified within 5 business days by someone from Iowa’s AEAs to confirm next steps.

Our Science Consultant at Keystone AEA works with area schools and districts in Eastern Iowa to enhance teaching and learning with the use of science best practices. Our primary services include Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment. We offer classroom & curriculum support, coaching opportunities, and professional development to ensure success for all science educators and their students. 

• Reach out with questions or requests for science support to Keystone AEA Science Consultant, Jason Martin-Hiner (jmartin-hiner@aea1.k12.ia.us)
• For questions or requests related to VAST Kit delivery and pickup, contact Keystone AEA Van Delivery Manager, Becky Lower (rlower@aea1.k12.ia.us)

For more information please see our Eastern Iowa Science Collaborative page.