The Iowa City Public Library is a center of community life that connects people of all ages with information, engages them with the world of ideas and with each other, and enriches the community by supporting learning, promoting literacy, and encouraging creativity. The Iowa City public library is the busiest library in the state of Iowa, seeing over 826,217 visitors each year.

ICPL upholds values such as equal access to quality resources, a sense of belonging for everyone, collaboration through strategic partnerships, responsiveness to the community, enjoyment of creativity and reading, intellectual freedom, and the importance of literacy. Established in 1896, the Library continues to evolve, guided by strategic planning to better serve the needs of its community.”