Top Ten Wins of 2025
Published on December 30, 2025
In no particular order, here are some of the biggest and best developments of the year.
1. New Director!
Jodi Fick, director of Siouxland Libraries since 2017, retired and passed the torch to Alysia Boysen. Alysia has been a longtime librarian with us, so she knows Siouxland well.
2. Oak View Branch Renovation
In August, the Oak View Branch (3700 E 3rd Street in Sioux Falls) closed for a major renovation. On Dec. 22, they welcomed library guests once again! Improvements include a new family restroom, additional study rooms, and a beautiful courtyard. To celebrate reopening and their 20th anniversary, Oak View will host an open house Wed., Jan. 7.
3. 30th Birthday Celebration
Libraries have been in our community for over a century (read about it here and here), but Siouxland Libraries as an entity was formed through a city-county partnership in 1995. We celebrated with a Pack the Library party at all branches, selling special bookmarks, and recreating old photos on our social media channels.
4. Book Sales
We started selling gently-used books and media this year at the Downtown Library and the Ronning Branch! Every item costs $3 or less. Book sales at more branches may be soon to come.
5. Sculpture and Landscaping at the Ronning Branch
Ronning celebrated the installation of the new sculpture, "Toadstool Jubilee," created by local artist Steve Bormes. Thank you to Maren Engel, Arts Coordinator for the City of Sioux Falls, and the Southern Hills Neighborhood Association for helping us share art with our community.
6. Parking Lot and Sidewalk Work at the Caille Branch
The new curb-less entry has made the Caille building more accessible—and customers have noticed!
7. New App
We rolled out a new Siouxland Libraries app, with features like the ability to request a meeting room and even check out physical items at the library.
8. Sharing Knowledge
Library staff were involved with conferences galore this year: the South Dakota Library Association’s “Branch-Out” mini-conference, SDLA’s Tri-Conference, the South Dakota Early Education Conference, and the Dakota TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference. Many Siouxland staff members attended or presented (or both!) at these events.
9. Adult Writing Contest
We’ve held writing contests before, but the kids had all the fun—until this year! During October’s Scary on the Prairie program series, we asked for adults to write stories with a horror bent. Read the winning entries here.
10. New Collection: First Chapters
Our Children’s Fiction section used to cover a pretty wide range of difficulty levels. Now, we’ve introduced First Chapters: short chapter books with larger text and some illustrations. Finding the “just-right” book helps readers build confidence and enjoy reading!
Who knows what 2026 will bring!
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