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Iowa Rural Development Council is a non-profit organization with public, private, and non-profit partners from all over the state. They are focused on supporting rural communities and encouraging rural development across Iowa. IRDC had a great deal of information they wanted to make available to the public, and that was a priority in their search for a website designer. Happily, Big Imprint and Creative Mellen partnered to create a website that shares IRDC’s important information in an attractive, accessible way.

If you want to get involved with the Iowa Rural Development Council, it’s easy—just let them know! You’ll be added to the mailing list and invited to meetings. Groups, businesses, schools, and associations can also be members. Sustaining members contribute funds which help the IRDC pay staff, create websites, host the Annual Iowa Rural Summit, and offer other events. All of their members contribute to the success to the organization.

The Iowa Rural Development Council was formed in the 1990s and has gone through several phases. Ten years ago, organization got a boost of new life. Their number of core attendees grew from five to eighty people and they’ve added two hundred people to their mailing list. The IRDC has recently partnered with the governor’s office and supports their work in creating and empowering the rural Iowa Task Force.

The IRDC was not spared the impacts of COVID-19. Their 4th Annual Iowa Rural Summit, to be held in April 2020, was moved to August 2020 and held completely online, which provided a whole new challenge for the organization. The Summit ended up being a rewarding experience and was able to reach many participants from all over the state, allowing rural leaders to bring important issues to the table. The IRDC is now planning their 5th Annual Iowa Rural Summit. Information about that offering, and more, can be found on the website.

The IRDC was starting from scratch when looking to create a website. They knew rural community leaders were looking for information on how to get projects going, address issues in the community, and address housing and other needs. The IRDC also knew they wanted a company based in a rural community to create their new website. Big Imprint was fortunate to rise to the top of their list.

Bill Menner, the Executive Director at IRDC, said, “Big Imprint did such a great job and had such a compelling story, and we as an organization love West Liberty. We wanted to have a website that could be easily updated and kept fresh by someone who isn’t experienced with websites, and Big Imprint delivered that.”

Once they saw the site come to life, the IRDC loved it. They appreciate the fact that everything about the site is uniquely Iowa, from the photographs to the content. When asked, Bill identified multiple aspects of the website that are his favorite. He loves that he can easily update content on the website by himself and create a post where everyone can see it. On the homepage, he likes the six colorful boxes that let people know where to go for specific information and the rotating logos at the bottom that display the names of sustaining members.

They are always thinking ahead at the IRDC about issues that are important to rural communities. At the top of their list are rural access to emergency services, healthcare, and access to capital for small businesses. They will continue to elevate issues of importance and draw the attention of policymakers to make good things happen for rural Iowa. We at Big Imprint are excited to see what the Iowa Rural Development Council does next!

Musser Library has been proudly serving the Muscatine area 118 years. More than just a library, Musser is a hub for knowledge, interaction, and community support in Muscatine and beyond. Added together, the library’s 19 employees have decades of experience in connecting patrons to resources. Recently, Big Imprint got to become part of the opportunities that Musser Library provides by designing a new website to accompany the library’s big move.

In June 2018, the library pulled up its roots at the corner of Iowa and 3rd Streets in Muscatine and moved to a new location on 2nd Street, a transition made possible with the help of the Carver Foundation, the City of Muscatine, and the HNI corporation, which donated its former headquarters.

The move allowed the library to expand in size and in resources. The new building provides thirteen meeting rooms ranging from group study areas to a board-style conference room. Their technology upgrade included new self-check stations and Microsoft Surface tablets. Musser also brought in people to help accommodate library users who speak languages other than English, broadening their reach even further.

One of their proudest accomplishments is bringing in the LENA Program. LENA is a national program designed to assist with language development in young children from birth to age three. Through LENA, Musser Library helps parents cultivate language skills and cognitive abilities in their children by increasing their exposure to new words, which promotes early literacy and school readiness. Musser Library is one of the few libraries in Iowa that offers this program.

Like many businesses and community resources, Musser was impacted by the spread of COVID-19. In March 2020, the library had to close completely. In the ensuing weeks, staff were able to develop precautions that allowed the library to safely open to the public by reducing the number of open hours and limiting patron circulation. Staff provided curbside pickup, bringing checked out materials to patrons in their cars. To continue programming, the library staff recorded events for adults and children and shared these videos to their Facebook and the public TV station. To support online learning for area students and community members obliged to work remotely, the library added exterior wi-fi hotspots that allow 24/7 internet access from the comfort of your vehicle. The library also added a blog on their website to share information as they continue to extend their services and gradually resume normal operations.

The Musser Library website was a huge help during the pandemic, when electronic communication was crucial. Big Imprint is grateful to have played a part in this. We designed a new website for Musser Library back in 2018, during their move to the new building. They wanted an updated look and a site that was user-friendly and mobile responsive.

The Library chose Big Imprint because they wanted to work with a local company and they liked the aesthetics of other sites we’ve done. They felt we would understand their audience. Fortunately, when the new website rolled out, the feedback was positive. The Muscatine community enjoyed the website’s updated look and new offerings.

For Bobby Fiedler, the library’s assistant director, the advantages of the new website are twofold. Bobby enjoys the look of the site and the easy navigation, but he’s especially pleased with the online room reservation portal. We provided software that allows patrons to find available meeting rooms and reserve them quickly and easily online. Overall, the new Musser Library website has made their online presence more accessible and easier for patrons to navigate, all part of the quality service that library staff are dedicated to providing.

While their priority right now is to restore as many services as possible, library staff have lots of ideas for the future. One option under discussion is the possibility of cooperating with Muscatine Power and Water to install charging stations for electric cars. Given their commitment to providing as many resources as possible to the Muscatine community, we look forward to seeing what amazing things come from Musser Library in the future.