YSS Board
Meet our board!
Chair
Dee Shalon-Deur
I have been a youth services librarian since 2016. My favorite part about being a youth services librarian is working with all ages, from littles in my movers and shakers programs to escape rooms with tweens, teens, and families; I love it all. When I am not at work, I love spending time with my partner, Scott, and our corgi, Ellie, knitting, reading, and enjoying food. My favorite picture book is Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley.
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Vice Chair
Danielle Ziegler
I'm one of the Youth Services Librarians at the Ames Public Library. When I'm not hanging out with our youngest patrons at Baby Time, I'm buying picture books or getting ready for an after school adventure with elementary students! As you can see, I'm lucky enough to work with all sorts of ages and groups. Outside the library, I love to read and spend time with my husband and children, whether by going on a family road trip or playing board games. One of my favorite storytime books is One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom. You can never go wrong with a barfing snake--words to live by!
Secretary
Keri Weston-Stoll
I am the Youth Services Manager at the Waukee Public Library. I have been working full-time with children and teens in public libraries since 2006, though my love of promoting early literacy has been a life-long calling. There is photographic evidence that I started “reading” my favorite stories, such as The Monster at the End of This Book, to my younger sisters from the time they came home from the hospital. These days, I still love many picture books, but I also greatly enjoy a lot of YA fiction, particularly the Arc of a Scythe series. I have been a member of ILA since 2010.
Awards Chair
Sheila Olson
I am the Children’s Librarian at Altoona Public Library. I have worked at a few different libraries in the metro over the past 12 years. I love planning programs and STEM activities. When I'm not at the library, I'm an avid gamer and movie buff. My favorite storytime book is Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher.
Keeper of Memories
Katie Dreyer
I am the Youth Services Librarian at the Pella Public Library, where I have worked for the past 17 years. I have held the position of chair for the Youth Services Subdivision more times than I can count and am now the keeper of memories. I now serve as Director of the Iowa Library Association. My main goal each day at the library is to show a little kindness, maybe get a leg hug from a little, and not say the alphabet in my head more than five times. When not living in the library I enjoy being a professional auntie to my own nieces and nephews along with many other lovies. I am also a dog mom to one very spoiled hound mix, Nellie May.
Executive Bord Liason
Amanda Bellis
I’m Amanda and I’m the Teen Services Librarian at the Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library, where I have a bad habit of putting holds on most of the YA books I order! I also serve on the Iowa Library Association Executive Board and chair ILA’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion. While reading is definitely my favorite activity, I have been known to be lured away from a book by good movies, tv shows, and video games, and I also play trombone with the DMACC Jazz Band. Picking a favorite book is next to impossible, but one of my favorites (and a go-to recommendation) is the Morrigan Crow series by Jessica Townsend; I’m also a huge comics geek and love almost anything mystery.