JoAnn Koskey (82BBA, 98MAc)

JoAnn Koskey has had a lifelong love for her local public libraries. Now she's paying it forward to help the next generation of librarians.

JoAnn Koskey (82BBA, 98MAc) has loved to read since she was a child. "The library was always one of my favorite places," says JoAnn, who grew up in Muscatine, Iowa, and, as a kid, was drawn to books featuring the fictional detective Nancy Drew—written by Iowa journalism graduate Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (25BA, 27MA) under the pen name Carolyn Keene.

When JoAnn came back to the University of Iowa in the mid-1990s to pursue a master's degree in accounting, she decided to take a few classes in what is now called the School of Library and Information Sciences.

"Taking those courses was a great experience, but ultimately it was not the right time for me to switch careers," says JoAnn. "It definitely gave me a new appreciation for the work that goes on inside libraries."

JoAnn's gratefulness for the libraries has stuck with her throughout her professional career—which included 25 years in auditing, budgeting, and grant accounting at the University of Iowa and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. That's why she has volunteered with the Coralville Public Library, Iowa City Public Library, and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Patients' Library.

When she helped her mother, Mary Lick (69MA), establish a scholarship in her estate plans to benefit students in the University of Iowa School of Music—in part because Mary received a piano scholarship during her studies—JoAnn decided to create her own scholarship in the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Sciences.

The JoAnn M. Koskey School of Library and Information Sciences Scholarship will be established from a beneficiary designation of JoAnn's TIAA retirement account. When a donor such as JoAnn leaves a TIAA account to a qualified charity like the State University of Iowa Foundation,* the funds pass completely tax-free to the charity. If JoAnn were to leave her TIAA account to loved ones, it would generally be subject to income tax—and sometimes federal estate taxes—when distributed.

With her gift, JoAnn hopes to help future librarians pursue this important career and make an impact on even more young kids' lives.

"It's expensive to go to school now, and I know that scholarships are extremely helpful to students," says JoAnn who worked in the Burge Hall cafeteria as an undergraduate student to help pay for her living expenses. "I thought I would do what I can to help."

Learn how you can make a difference at the University of Iowa by contacting Susan Hagan, JD at 319-335-3305 or susan.hagan@foriowa.org.