Sam fell in love with libraries around July 2008. While completing an undergraduate requirement to volunteer in the community and in the middle of the summer reading program which was themed “Catch the Reading Bug” that year, Sam was challenged with a transformative moment.

“Sam, if you hold the tarantula, I’ll pet him,” stated the trepidatious eight-year-old library program participant.

By sharing that brave moment together, Sam recognized how libraries serve as incubators of opportunity and act as containers for shared learning, growth, and connection. In facing their mutual fear of spiders, Sam came to understand how libraries provide life changing opportunities which need to be shared. 

Sam changed academic majors and never looked back.

Sharing good library news enabled Sam to utilize their marketing skills as a presenter, author, consultant, as well as a committee member for the #LibrariesTransform campaign and the Rainbow Roundtable Open to All toolkit. During the pandemic closure of their library, Sam bridged information from local leadership, updates about library services, and weather reports featuring staff pets in the YouTube series Some Good Library News which is still going strong today.  

Recently, Sam’s work has turned toward advocacy. In 2023, during Sam’s ILA presidency, Iowa experienced the second most library adverse bills in the nation. Leaning into media experience to bring awareness to the public and inviting all to the table to ensure that the impact, resources, and sustainability of library services continues has created some of the broadest conversations on access and intellectual freedom to ever occur in the state.

Cedar Rapids Gazette – “Iowa City librarian fighting for a place even for books that ‘hurt my feelings‘.”

Iowa Public Radio – “Things like best practices, standardization, how we accredit libraries, and make sure that they’re getting the appropriate amount of funding is a huge endeavor every single year from the State Library, and I’m a little concerned that if it becomes a political agency, things that are important for intellectual freedom, information access, and intellectual standards will be at risk.”

Des Moines Register – “We went to the folks who were dealing with this on the frontlines and asked what they would logistically need to make this book restriction bill applicable.”

Washington Post – “The overrepresentation of these books in challenges and removals means that LGBTQ students and students of color will suffer,” said Sam Helmick, president of the Iowa Library Association, “All students will learn is that ideas and speech are things to fear and avoid.”

When they aren’t advocating for free people reading freely or sharing the good news about libraries, Sam likes to run themed 5Ks, read, convert card catalogs into wine racks, travel, and assemble LEGO.