Wayne Wiegand, author of Main Street Public Library spoke about the role of libraries in the Midwest from the late 19^th to early 20^th century.

"In his study of four emblematic public libraries, Wiegand challenges both traditional perceptions and professional rhetoric about the role of libraries in small-town communities." --University of Iowa Press

Simpson historian Nick Proctor spoke on Iowa and the Civil War at a reception for the State Historical Society of Iowa’s traveling exhibit, “The Fiery Trial: Iowa and the Civil War,” which is housed in a 32-foot trailer. Professor Proctor used examples of letters written to and from soldiers during the war.

Kathie Obradovich, political columnist of the Des Moines Register; Dennis Goldford, political scientist at Drake; and John Skipper of the Mason County Globe Gazette analyzed the 2012 presidential race and the Iowa Caucuses.

Renowned editorial cartoonist Brian Duffy exhibited a collection of his watercolors, which offer various depictions of the Iowa landscape. Riding his bike throughout the countryside, Duffy finds inspiration in the winter landscape.

Karen Keninger talked about important historical events relation to blindness in Iowa, the role of Iowans as leaders in a national civil rights movement for the blind, and recounted her personal experiences of growing up in Iowa as a blind person.