For the Iowa City Public Library, one of the largest in Iowa, the role of the distributor is but one step in a process to get a fresh book onto its shelves. The system, which serves 100,000 residents in Iowa City and its surrounding, mostly rural communities, typifies the challenges most libraries face. The Iowa City Public Library serves more than 43,000 cardholders who accounted for 564,000 visits in 2025.The library has nearly 200,000 books and e-books in circulation, and 57,000 non-print materials, like DVDs, CDs, video games and art prints.In 2025, the library added nearly 18,000 physical copies of books to its collection.