Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Force respectfully submits its report to the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) for its consideration of the impacts of the tornadoes, storms, and flooding on Iowans and their cultural, historical, and arts institutions and organizations and records collections and archives. As the RIAC fulfills its obligations to guide the recovery and reconstruction of Iowa, the cknowledgement that culture and records as Iowa’s identity is important, and that if these items of cultural heritage vanish from Iowa’s landscape, the items that Iowans associate with their history, traditions, and sense of place also disappears. Iowa is certainly not the only state that has experienced this type of disaster; however, many states have not recognized culture and records as critical concerns as part of the recovery and rebuilding process. When rebuilding Iowa stronger, smarter, and safer, quality of life is an important consideration for attracting new residents, making it a necessity to keep culture alive and thriving in Iowa. Additionally, the cultural arts constitute a vital economic industry, providing employment to thousands of Iowa’s citizens and generating millions of dollars in local and government revenue across the state. In the case of records, these items are irreplaceable and provide important information for the daily workings of government and life in our state, and maintain vital records of Iowa’s heritage and traditions. This report provides background information on the damages incurred in Iowa from the disasters and additional context for policy and rebuilding discussions. It also offers recommendations to the RIAC for steps that might be taken to address the significant and important challenges faced by Iowa’s cultural, historical, and arts institutions and organizations; individual artists and other cultural workers; and records retention entities and officials.

Working with Iowans building a culture of conservation, Program Summary, November 2008

Over 94% of Iowa ’ s land is held in private ownership, and the programs of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Division of Soil Conservation (IDALS-DSC) have been established to work with these landowners. Over 90% of the landscape is used for agricultural production so much of our focus is in rural communities, but we haven’t overlooked the importance of land management in urban areas. It is crucial to understanding of both conservation and hydrology issues, that what happens on the landscape has immense consequences to the environmental health of our state and the quality of life we enjoy. IDALS-DSC is striving to integrate our programs with other agencies and local concerns to improve water and local concerns to improve water and soil quality throughout the state and nation.

Report on a special investigation of certain collections of the Tama County Clerk of Court and the Tama County Sheriff’s Office for the period January 1, 2007 through August 31, 2009

Report on a special investigation of certain collections of the Tama County Clerk of Court and the Tama County Sheriff’s Office for the period January 1, 2007 through August 31, 2009

Report on a special investigation of certain driver’s license collections at the Sioux County Treasurer’s Office for the period July 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of certain driver’s license collections at the Sioux County Treasurer’s Office for the period July 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010

Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Force respectfully submits its report to the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) for its consideration of the impacts of the tornadoes, storms, and flooding on Iowans and their cultural, historical, and arts institutions and organizations and records collections and archives. As the RIAC fulfills its obligations to guide the recovery and reconstruction of Iowa, the cknowledgement that culture and records as Iowa’s identity is important, and that if these items of cultural heritage vanish from Iowa’s landscape, the items that Iowans associate with their history, traditions, and sense of place also disappears. Iowa is certainly not the only state that has experienced this type of disaster; however, many states have not recognized culture and records as critical concerns as part of the recovery and rebuilding process. When rebuilding Iowa stronger, smarter, and safer, quality of life is an important consideration for attracting new residents, making it a necessity to keep culture alive and thriving in Iowa. Additionally, the cultural arts constitute a vital economic industry, providing employment to thousands of Iowa’s citizens and generating millions of dollars in local and government revenue across the state. In the case of records, these items are irreplaceable and provide important information for the daily workings of government and life in our state, and maintain vital records of Iowa’s heritage and traditions. This report provides background information on the damages incurred in Iowa from the disasters and additional context for policy and rebuilding discussions. It also offers recommendations to the RIAC for steps that might be taken to address the significant and important challenges faced by Iowa’s cultural, historical, and arts institutions and organizations; individual artists and other cultural workers; and records retention entities and officials. Supplement to main report.

Agency Fact Sheet, Department of Culture Affairs, FY2009

This document produced by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services has been developed to provide a multitude of information about executive branch agencies/department on a single sheet of paper. The facts provides general information, contact information, workforce data, leave and benefits information and affirmative action data.

Iowa History and Culture : A Bibliography of Materials Published Between 1952 and 1986, 1989

This bibliography was compiled by two reference librarians, Patricia Dawson and David Hudson with the goal of making it easier of tracking down material on Iowa history and culture. This supplements the Iowa History Reference Guide published in 1952 by William Petersen.

NLG Museum Connecting to Collections, Statewide Planning Grant, Developing a Statewide Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan for Iowa, Final report.

The Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium, Iowa Museum Association, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the State Library requested the IMLS CTC grant funds so we could develop a statewide plan to help the stewards of cultural property plan for protection and disaster recovery of collections. We are very pleased with the results of our grant activities. Thanks to the IMLS CTC grant over 200 Iowa collection care takers have received basic training in disaster preparedness and response, 24 care takers have signed up to become cultural collection first responders, a dozen disaster planning/response trainers are available upon request, and over 40 institutions have ReAct Paks. We have created a variety of training tools ranging from basic awareness to in-depth training, established a website of disaster resources, and geo-referenced hundreds of cultural collection sites around Iowa. In addition, the IMLS grant was just the motivator we needed to participate in other national/international efforts which in turn strengthened our IMLS grant project.

Improving Traffic Safety Culture in Iowa – Phase II, July 2013

Phase II of Improving Traffic Safety Culture in Iowa focuses on producing actions that will improve the traffic safety culture across the state, and involves collaboration among the three large public universities in Iowa: Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, and University of Iowa. More specifically, this second phase synthesizes the expert opinions solicited in Phase I with prevailing public views and/or opinions gathered from a follow-up survey on Iowa’s 2000 public opinion survey, which the University of Northern Iowa, Center for Social and Behavioral Research, administered. More recent data on the opinions of Iowans and of people nationally contrasted with past data will help better define the public’s position on top safety culture issues. This, in turn, will provide a better basis for developing actionable, fundable, and ultimately successful strategies that will make a tangible difference in improving traffic safety in Iowa.

Consumer Advisory: Debt Collections & Debt Collection Scams, February 2015

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Tax Time Scams & Tips

A Survey of Traffic Safety Culture Among Iowa Adults, TS-1101, 2012

Iowa’s traffic safety culture is influenced by laws and policies, enforcement methods, driver education, roadway engineering, and drivers’ behaviors. The Center for Social and Behavioral Research at the University of Northern Iowa was contracted by the Iowa Department of Transportation to conduct a general population survey of adult Iowans. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,088 adult Iowans from October to December 2011. A dual-frame (cell phone and landline) sampling design was used. The interview covered a wide range of traffic safety topics (e.g., traffic safety policies, enforcement techniques, and distracted driving). Most Iowans said driving in Iowa is about as safe now as it was 5 years ago; however, one-fourth said driving in Iowa is less safe now. There are a number of driving-related behaviors many adult Iowans consider serious threats to traffic safety and never acceptable to do while driving. Yet, many Iowans report often seeing other drivers engaging in these behaviors and admit engaging in some themselves. For example, nearly 1 in 5 adult Iowa drivers said they have sent or read a text message or email while driving in the past 30 days despite this being prohibited since July of 2011. A slight majority said they support using cameras on highways, interstates, and city streets to automatically ticket drivers for speeding, with even stronger support for red light cameras. A comprehensive approach to traffic safety in Iowa is required to encourage protective factors that enhance traffic safety and reduce the impact of detrimental factors.

Improving Traffic Safety Culture in Iowa, 2011

Vehicle crashes rank among the leading causes of death in the United States. In 2006, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety “made a long- term commitment to address the safety culture of the United States, as it relates to traffic safety, by launching a sustained research and educational outreach initiative.” An initiative to produce a culture of safety in Iowa includes the Iowa Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP). The Iowa CHSP “engages diverse safety stakeholders and charts the course for the state, bringing to bear sound science and the power of shared community values to change the culture and achieve a standard of safer travel for our citizens.” Despite the state’s ongoing efforts toward highway safety, an average of 445 deaths and thousands of injuries occur on Iowa’s public roads each year. As such, a need exists to revisit the concept of safety culture from a diverse, multi-disciplinary perspective in an effort to improve traffic safety. This study summarizes the best practices and effective laws in improving safety culture in the United States and abroad. Additionally, this study solicited the opinions of experts in public health, education, law enforcement, public policy, social psychology, safety advocacy, and traffic safety engineering in a bid to assess the traffic safety culture initiatives in Iowa. Recommendations for improving traffic safety culture are offered in line with the top five Iowa CHSP safety policy strategies, which are young drivers, occupant protection, motorcycle safety, traffic safety enforcement and traffic safety improvement program, as well as the eight safety program strategies outlined in the CHSP. As a result of this study, eleven high-level goals were developed, each with specific actions to support its success. The goals are: improve emergency medical services response, toughen law enforcement and prosecution, increase safety belt use, reduce speeding-related crashes, reduce alcohol-related crashes, improve commercial vehicle safety, improve motorcycle safety, improve young driver education, improve older driver safety, strengthen teenage licensing process, and reduce distracted driving.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs; Culture Connects Iowa, FY13-FY15

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ FY13-FY15 Annual Report. The department recently developed a new mission and vision to focus our efforts and ensure everything we do is in the best interest of Iowans. As we move forward, we will empower Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. The department will accomplish this mission through the collective efforts of the various entities under our umbrella, including the Iowa Arts Council, State Historical Society of Iowa and Produce Iowa: State Office of Media Production. The impact of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs on our state can be measured through quality of life initiatives that are catalysts for attracting, recruiting and retaining jobs, companies, and talent to Iowa.