Library News

Nearly 250 works of art from the University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) permanent collection are now available for viewing by appointment, thanks to a collaboration between the Museum of Art and University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections.

This broad cross-section of prints, drawings and photographs will be stored in Special Collections, located on the Third Floor of the UI Main Library.

“The Museum of Art’s top priority since the flood has been to find creative ways to make selections from the collection available for UI classes,” said UIMA Chief Curator Kathleen Edwards, who chose the works to return to campus with input from UI faculty. “We are grateful that Special Collections can accommodate these key works and work with the UIMA on student and faculty access.”

The 197 prints, 38 photographs and 13 drawings are the first works from the museum’s collection to return to campus since the June floods forced evacuation of the building and removal of the collection to art storage in Chicago.

Instructors at the UI and other schools may make appointments for their classes to view selections from the group in a classroom adjacent to Special Collections. Individuals, including students, may make appointments to see specific works in the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Nathan Popp, UIMA curatorial graduate assistant, at nathan-popp@uiowa.edu for more information or to set up a Special Collections visit. Visit the UIMA Web site at http://www.uiowa.edu/uima for a link to a list of available works.

At least one class has already made use of the selection. On Oct. 2 students enrolled in “History of Prints” taught by UI art history faculty member Julie Hochstrasser were able to view and interact with 55 of these prints under Edwards’ supervision.

“The opportunity for students to see these original artworks is an essential and tremendously rich component of their art historical education,” Hochstrasser said.

“They have read about these prints in their textbook, and they have seen them in lecture as digital projections, but there is quite simply no substitute for the real thing. This is our ‘lab.’ This is what it’s really all about. We are enormously grateful that we have been able to continue with some semblance of business as usual.”

The remainder of the museum’s permanent collection remains in storage in Chicago. Several members of the UIMA staff visited the storage and conservation facilities in late August and left feeling optimistic. Limited access to the collection will likely be available for class use, research and future exhibition and educational planning.

With the increase in traffic in the Main Library this fall, the Food for Thought Library Cafe has decided to expand it’s Sunday hours. The cafe will open at 4 p.m. and close at 11 p.m.

“Since the IMU is closed this semester, we’ve seen a lot more students studying in the library,” says Kathy Magarrell, Head of Reference and Library Instruction. “When students are here studying they need food. Especially on Sunday afternoons when there are few other options nearby.”

University of Iowa Libraries’ conservator Gary Frost is working with Iowa City artists Emily Martin and Loret Mast to create an exhibit for Friday’s Gallery Walk at MidWestOne Bank (formerly Iowa State Bank) in downtown Iowa City.

Frost will focus his exhibit pieces on “Saving Collections: Storm and Salvage” and “Saving Collections: Recovery and Protection.”

The Gallery Walk is Friday, October 3 from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Iowa City.

Will there be libraries in 2020?  While none of us have perfect future vision, I think the answer to that must be “yes, if…”  

Mark Sandler, Director, Center for Library Initiatives, Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) will give this year’s library speaker series presentation on Wednesday, October 1at 10 a.m. in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol.

The “if’ here suggests we need to be doing some things now to assure the future well-being of our nation’s libraries.  First and foremost, we have to look beyond the past glory days of the local library and visualize what services will be relevant and desirable at a time when readers everywhere will have myriad opportunities for accessing needed information.  Libraries should be flourishing in 2020, but they need to get busy dreaming up their futures before the tides of change start overflowing the banks. 

A reception will follow the presentation in the North Exhibit Hall in the Main Library at 11:30 a.m.

It has been said that this presidential election is the most important in U.S. history.  Exercising your right to vote will determine the direction of U.S. domestic and foreign policy.  If the trends of the last two elections hold true, this will be a very close election in terms of number of votes.  Every vote counts.  

Hey! Rock the Vote! Here’s a link to the MySpace/ Rock the Vote / College Bowl challenge:  www.myspace.com/ultimatecollegebowl.  Right now Iowa State is in the top ten, while UIowa isn’t even on the board.  We can’t let those Cyclones beat us!

What issues are important to you?  Environment?  Education?  Economy? Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Constitutional rights?  In the last presidential  election, Iowa chose the winner by fewer than 11,000 votes—one third of the University of Iowa student population.  It’s your decision, your voice, your vote.

These are a few of the reasons that UI Libraries is making available Johnson County Voter Registration Forms, online voter information, and election resources in the UI Libraries collection http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/govpubs/us/elections.html .

Print the form online, or pick up the form in the Main Library.  Don’t have a stamp?  We’ll take it to the Johnson County Auditor’s Office for you.

When is Election Day? November 4, 2008

Who’s eligible to register to vote in Johnson County, IA?
If you are the person named on the voter registration form
If you’ll be 18 years of age by election day
If you are not currently judged by a court to be “incompetent to vote”
If you do not claim the right to vote anywhere else
If you have not been convicted of a felony (or have received a restoration of rights)
If you are a citizen of the United States
If you live at the address listed on your voter registration form

When is the deadline for Voter Registration?
5 p.m. Saturday, October 25.

Can I register to vote on Election Day?
Yes, but you’ll need to provide proof of local residence and identity.  If your Iowa driver’s license has an old address you can use a lease agreement, utility bill, bank statement as proof of residence.  If you don’t have an Iowa drivers license, you may use a photo identification card such as an out of state drivers license, student i.d., passport, or i.d.  issued by an employer as proof of identity.  However, it is recommended to register to vote in advance  to avoid long, slow moving lines on Election Day. Here’s the election day registration procedure.

Reference and Instruction Librarian Von Yeager was recently elected president of the UI African American Council. Von has been actively involved with the Council since coming to the University Libraries last year. His term as president will begin October 1.

Von also serves on the Hubbard Task Force for the Retention and Success of African American Men Associated with the University of Iowa.

The mission of the African American Council (AAC ) is to promote and improve the quality of life of African American faculty, staff and students at the University of Iowa. The African American Council is poised to address the changing needs and concerns of African Americans on campus.

To this end, through service and action, the AAC promotes awareness of important African American concerns and contributions to the University, while advancing the University’s commitment to diversity and academic excellence.

Thank you very much for those who joined us on the evening of September 10th to listen to Ms. Yoshiko Kajimoto’s firsthand story of Hiroshima atomic bombing in 1945. And for those who missed the event,  here is the “First Run” schedule of event recording by the UITV:

Wednesday, September 24
1:45 AM
4:00 PM
8:00 PM

Thursday, September 25
4:00 AM
5:00 PM

Monday, September 29
2:45 AM

Friday, October 3, 2008
6:30 PM

Additional playbacks will be scheduled later.

The first presentation of the Opera Studies Forum features a well-known Japanese author and the screening of a recently composed opera, in collaboration with the International Writing Program, the International Programs, the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, and the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, and the Department of Cinema & Comparative Literature.

On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 107 EPB, Masahiko Shimada will host a screening of the 2004 opera Jr. Butterfly (a sequel to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, that tells of the tragic romance of Butterfly’s son). Mr. Shimada will give an introduction to this opera, for which he wrote the libretto to music composed by Shigeaki Saegusa. The originalperformance was recorded at the 2006 Puccini Festival. Mr. Shimada will also be available to answer questions.

Mr. Shimada is (b. 1961) is an award-winning author, one of the most decorated writers and commentators in Japan today. In addition to writing numerous fiction publications, Shimada founded and directed a successful theater group during the 1990s and continues to work in performing arts. He currently teaches at Hosei University. In June-July of this year he presented a television lecture series on opera (eight 25-minute programs), which was broadcast by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation.

The devastating flood that hit Iowa last summer made headlines around the state, nation and world. Yet many stories could be lost if not preserved – or worse, simply remain untold.

University of Iowa Libraries - along with university and community partners  -  has invited the national StoryCorps Project to collect and preserve these stories of everyday heroism and kindness in a program titled, “Under the Current: Collecting Stories from the Flood.”

“We have a responsibility to preserve the experiences of every day people who were touched in profound ways by this historic flood,” said Nancy L. Baker, University Librarian. “This project is a perfect way to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone, whether they volunteered to help save books or photos, sand-bagged, helped a neighbor or simply persevered through surviving the flood. Even more important, however, it that this project preserves people’s stories so that future generations will know first-hand what happened during this significant time.”

Those who would like to share their flood stories or who would like to nominate a pair to interview one another - can call 319-335-5069 or visit: www.lib.uiowa.edu/events/floodstories. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, Sept. 21.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is also preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Over 40,000 people have recorded their stories with StoryCorps and millions listen to the broadcasts on public radio and on the Web. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. 

The local project will include opportunities for 36 pairs of people from the local community – or a total of 72 people - to be interviewed to share their experiences either during or after the flood.

Interviews will be conducted Tuesday, Sept. 30 through Saturday, Oct. 11 with both the StoryCorps staff and local UI student facilitators who are enrolled in Applied Anthropology with Nanette Barkey, assistant anthropology professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Interviews will be held at University of Iowa Main Library as well as at the Iowa City and Coralville Public Libraries.

Interviews are conducted in the following format: two people who know one another and have a shared experience or memories related to the flood, will interview each other for 40 minutes, with a facilitator on-hand to help if needed. These interviews will be archived at the UI Libraries. Interviews conducted with StoryCorps staff will also be archived in the Library of Congress.

Nicole Saylor, Head of Digital Library Services at the University of Iowa, said that the most compelling stories come from two people who have a close connection to one another.

“All you need is a good story and someone to help you tell it,” Saylor said. “The best stories come from conversations between family members, friends or co-workers.”

David McCartney, University Archivist said that many participants in StoryCorps interviews describe the experience as a powerful catharsis as well.

 “Whether it’s a mother and son, two neighbors, a professor and a student or good friends, the most powerful stories come from two people who know one another well,” McCartney said. “Many participants describe this as a way to re-live an experience that may have been happy and exciting or harrowing and painful – but either way, they are incredibly important experiences to preserve for future generations.”

For more information on StoryCorps, visit: http://www.storycorps.net/.

Yoshiko Kajimoto will describe her experience as a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor at a presentation 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10 at the Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room A.

On Aug. 6, 1945, Kajimoto was a student directed to work in an airplane parts factory 2.3 kilometers from the epicenter of where the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Kajimoto is speaking across the Midwest as part of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation’s goal to warn about the future destructive use of nuclear weapons.

Foundation Chairman Steven Lloyd Leeper will speak about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the call for disarmament. He is a well-known peace activist and the first American to head the foundation. A reception will follow the talk.

“As a Japanese studies librarian in Iowa, I find that there is much about Japanese history and culture that I would like to share with my friends and colleagues here,” says the UI Libraries’ Chiaki Sakai, who helped arrange the presentation. “When I learned about the opportunity from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to have an atomic bomb survivor visit campus, I thought it could be a way for people learn from her dramatic experiences.”

This talk is sponsored by and in cooperation with the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. UI sponsors include: the UI Libraries, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, International Writing Program, the Bose Lecture Series of the Department of Political Science, Department of History, the UI Center for Human Rights and International Programs. Individual sponsors include Yozo Iwashita, Sakuragaoka Junior High School, Teiji Okada, the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), Mariko Mizugaki, Shinichi Kishi, the Hiroshima Peace Action Center, the Hiroshima Council against A- and H-bombs, Iwane Fujii, Takashi Yamaguchi and Yumi Ozaki.

The University of Iowa Libraries has a half-time Graphic & Web Designer position vacancy. The application deadline is September 9, 2008. Please follow the links to see a complete position description, including application instructions, for the Graphic & Web Designer position.

Creative, skilled, highly technical position designing web and print projects for the University of Iowa Libraries. Work as a member of a communications team that connects students, faculty/staff and general public to UI Libraries resources and services. Responsibilities: designs and implements innovative approaches to web communication for the UI Libraries’ website… (for the complete description).

At 1:00pm on Friday, August 29, there will be a brief disruption to the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery system due to a planned server upgrade. Service will resume as soon as the work is completed.

While we hope the system will be unavailable for a only short time, please plan accordingly and contact either the Hardin Library (lib-hardin-ill@uiowa.edu) or Main Library (lib-ill@uiowa.edu) Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Offices with any questions.

Each semester hundreds of students work at the University of Iowa Libraries, and you can too.

• Flexible Schedules. You can work 7 to 20 hours a week from early morning shifts to late night.
• Multiple Locations. The UI Libraries has 9 convenient locations across campus, both the east side and west side of the river.
• Variety of Jobs. There are all kinds of things to do to keep the library running: customer service, clerical, re-shelving or security.
• Pay. We offer a competitive $7.25/hour wage.
• Learn about Library Resources. You’ll become familiar with the information resources the library offers students, which can give you an advantage when it comes time for your next paper.

Apply at the Main Library in the Adminstration Offices on the First Floor. We accept applications continously and all of our openings are listed on Jobnet.

The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preference. The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. For additional information on nondiscrimination policies, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, (319) 335-0705 (voice) and (319) 335-0697 (text), 202 Jessup Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1316.

As the fall semester starts, the Main Library is open and ready for students.

• The second floor ITC (computer lab) is open;
• Library staff is available at the reference desk and through IM until midnight;
• You can check out books and study in the library until 2 a.m.

When you walk into the middle of the building you’ll notice the large plastic air tubes. These are circulating warm, dry air throughout the building. This summer during the flooding, the University’s steam tunnels (part of the heating and air conditioning system for the entire campus) were damaged. In order to maintain a comfortable temperature and appropriate level of humidity, Facilities Management has installed this temporary air circulation system.

If you have questions about where your classes are or just need help finding something, feel free to contact our reference library staff at 319-335-5299.

Library staff will be retrieving library materials for students, faculty, staff and other library users on a daily basis, Monday - Friday.  There will be a 24-48 hour turnaround from the point of your request until it’s available for pick-up.

You will need to use the InfoHawk “Request Delivery” service for books, scores and media.

Please do not send requests directly to any Art or Music Library staff.  The InfoHawk delivery system will help us keep track of requests much more efficiently. Keep in mind that any requests submitted on Fridays won’t be processed until Monday.

FOR BOOKS, SCORES, RECORDINGS        

When you locate the item you want in the InfoHawk catalog, you’ll notice a “request delivery” button in the Availability field.  Click on that link to initiate delivery.  You can choose the library that is most convenient for you. (See example below)

Need more info?  Click  here:    http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/deliveryrequest.html

If you need articles from journals, you will need to use the “Interlibrary Loan/Article Delivery Request System.”  If you have not used this system before, follow the link below for a 60-second tutorial:

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/help/tutorials/delivery/requestarticle.htm

Questions?  Call or e-mail Art or Music Library staff, they will help with the answers.

UI Electrical Distribution will be shutting down some power to the Main Library this morning in order to accommodate installation of a new temporary dehumidification system.  The dehumidifiers that were being used the past two months are being replaced with a different system.  This shutdown will cause some air-handlers and elevators to be off, and judging from past experience this action will cut power to the equipment in the ITC area on second floor.  The shutdown is expected to last for a good portion of the morning.

The Instructional Technology Center (ITC) in the Main Library is now operational. The transformer that powers the largest ITC on campus had been damaged when the lower level of the Main Library took on water during the flooding earlier this summer.

The damaged equipment has been replaced and the electrical supply has been tested. The computers are operational.

Nancy E. Kraft, Head of Preservation and David McCartney, University Archivist in the University of Iowa Libraries have been asked to participate in Governor Culver’s Rebuild Iowa project. They are part of the Cultural Heritage and Records Retention Task Forces.

Each of the nine Rebuild Iowa Task Forces is charged with developing and setting out a plan for action in a specific issue-area integral to Iowa’s rebuilding efforts. This charge and a list of Rebuild Iowa Task Forces are detailed in Executive Order Number 7, signed into law effective June 27, 2008 by Governor Culver.

The Cultural Heritage Task Force will consider the impact natural disasters of summer 2008 had (or continue to have) on cultural organizations and individuals associated with the arts, history and culture in Iowa. The Task Force will recommend immediate action steps needed, articulate unmet technical and financial needs, and recommend policies for long-term rebuilding efforts that incorporate arts, history and culture.

The Records Retention Task Force will consider the issue of records physical and electronic storage. Such documents may include historical records, vital records, court documents, private business records and others. The Task Force will consider how the recent natural disasters have impacted physical preservation of such records, best practices for records retention, and the dual needs of digitization and hard-copy retention.

These task forces also are collecting imput from Iowa citizens at local listening sessions. All of this gathered information and recommendations will be presented to the Governor in a report at the beginning of September.

Beginning Thursday, July 31 – Smart Search will be unavailable as we upgrade the operating system. This upgrade is expected to take a few weeks, but will be operational by the start of the fall semester.

Library users can still find books and journals in the InfoHawk Catalog or search for articles in our thousands of databases.

On August 1st, faculty members will be able to authorize a designated person (proxy) to request and pick-up materials in their name for Interlibrary Loan materials. An online request form is available at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/ill.html.

All notices will be sent to the faculty member and to the proxy.

A list of items checked out or requested via the Proxy card can be viewed by logging in to the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery system.

To access the proxy account use the three sets of three numbers from the pink barcode number on the Circulation-issued proxy card as the Hawk ID. The password will be emailed to you shortly after submission of this form.

If you later wish to have the account cancelled, please contact interlibrary loan staff to cancel the account and prohibit any further checkouts or requests.

The University Libraries are now accepting reservation requests for the Information Arcade classrooms for Spring 2009. Priority will be given to instructors who submit requests before August 28, 2008.

TWO CLASSROOMS
Classroom One features 24 student workstations, Windows XP environments Pentium 4 computers are available at each student desk. All workstations provide access to common ITC and Information Arcade software resources and the Internet.

Classroom Two features 24 student desks and a powered storage cart with 24 Student laptops. The Dell D820 laptops are loaded with Windows Vista and make use of the classroom’s wireless network.

If you require additional software for your classes, please indicate so on the classroom reservation form.

INSTRUCTOR’S WORKSTATIONS
The Classroom One instructor’s station is equipped a Dell Pentium 4, and can project to two high-end Sharp projectors. The instructor’s station is also equipped with a VCR and has additional inputs for laptop computers and any external audio or video peripherals.

The Classroom Two instructor’s station is equipped with two laptops, either or both of which can display on two high-end Sharp LCD projectors. It is also equipped with a VCR, DVD player, visual presenter, and inputs from your own laptop if preferred.

The Information Arcade classrooms are intended to support courses that require multimedia software, electronic sources and integrate new pedagogical methods into courses.

SUPPORT
Various levels of staff support are always available to instructors teaching in the Information Arcade classrooms. For basic orientation to the technologies available in the classroom, please contact Ann Khan at 335-5447 or via e-mail annadora-khan@uiowa.edu.

For assistance in preparing a class or for in-class instructional help, staff from the Information Arcade, as well as the Reference and Library Instruction Department are available. Simply indicate assistance needs on the online classroom reservation form.

For more information, or to reserve the Information Arcade classroom for your semester course, please visit the classroom web page.

Library staffer Grace Katzenmeyer and her friends are featured in an article in the Senior Living section of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. These women have been friends for more than 70 years.

Read more about Grace and her long-lasting friendships.

To best support our library users needs and accommodate difficulties they had returning materials while the Main Library was evacuated (the period from Friday, June 13 through Wednesday, July 9), we have adjusted the following due dates.

Faculty loans that have not been recalled are now due June 1, 2009.
Graduate loans that have not been recalled are now due January 28, 2009.
Short term loans that were due between June 12 and July 9 are now due August 1, 2008.
Items that were recalled and were due between June 12 and July 9 are now due August 1, 2008.

This week we will begin processing recalls and sending notices that were received while the Main Library was closed.

If you have any questions about due dates, you can “Check My Account” from the Libraries’ website. You may also contact Main Library Circulation staff at lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or 319-335-5912.

Moving Special Collections materials to the lower-level storage area has progressed very quickly, and we expect to have the third floor hallway cleared today.

However a few volunteers are needed Thursday afternoon and Friday. Please call the Main Library Information Desk at 319-335-5299 to sign-up for a shift on Thursday or Friday.

NO volunteers are needed over the weekend.

While we resume business as usual in the Main Library, library staff is also trying to return evacuated materials to their appropriate places in the lower-level storage space. Returning the materials will be a much slower process than taking them out to make sure that items are retreivable.

We could use a few volunteers to help with this effort over the next week. Only 30-40 people are needed at a time. We will be moving materials only during the Main Library’s modified summer schedule:

Wednesday, July 9 until 9 p.m.
Thursday, July 10 - 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Friday, July 11 - 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Saturday, July 12 - 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 13 - 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.

The Main Library will re-open to the public Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 a.m. and be open on a modified summer schedule.

Wednesday, July 9 and Thursday, July 10 - 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday, July 11 - 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13 - Noon – 6:00 p.m.
Monday, July 14 - Thursday, July 17 - 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

During the next few weeks, while library staff move materials to the lower level storage areas, library users may experience some minor inconveniences. Staff will be using two of the four elevators to move materials and some materials will be inaccessible. If you have questions, or need assistance finding materials, please Ask a Librarian.

Study Space
Seating throughout the Main Library will be limited through the rest of the summer. Evacuated materials from the library’s lower level remain on the upper floors. Crews of library student employees are returning materials to their proper locations in storage.

Computers
Publicly accessible computers will only be available on the first floor of the Main Library.

The second-floor ITC (Instructional Technology Center computer lab), will NOT be available. Electrical problems caused by the flooding has eliminated power to that area of the building.

Cafe
The Food for Thought Library Cafe will be closed through Sunday, July 13th and is expected to re-open on Monday, July 14.

Services
Books on 4th and 5th floors are available for check-out. Course reserve materials are available. Some materials from storage will be inaccessible for immediate future.

Media materials in course reserves are available. The DVD collection is available for check-out. Some films may be inaccessible for immediate future.

Reference and Instruction librarians are available in person, through online chat, email and the phone.

Special Collections librarians are available to help researchers with reference questions; however much of the collection from storage is inaccessible.

With the re-opening of the Main Library building, regular summer hours at Hardin and the branch libraries resume (except Art and Music libraries, which remain closed). Check UI Libraries’ website for a complete listing of hours.

We expect to re-open the Main Library to the public and return to regular summer hours (7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.) on Wednesday, July 9.

The building will remain closed on Monday, July 7 and Tuesday, July 8.

Retrieving Books
Circulation staff will continue to retrieve materials and deliver to other libraries for faculty, staff and students on Monday and Tuesday. Requests for print materials will be handled through the online form (http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/deliveryrequest.html).

Please provide as much information as possible about your needs – class date, best location for delivery, whether the materials should also be placed on Reserve, etc. If you have questions, please contact Library Circulation staff at lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or (319) 335-5912.

Media Services staff will NOT retrieve materials on Monday and Tuesday; much of the collection was evacuated from the lower level and needs to be returned to shelves. Any questions about media materials should be made via email lib-media-services@uiowa.edu or phone 335-5944.

Research Help Available
Reference library staff continue to answer reference questions via email lib-ref@uiowa.edu and online chat.

Art and Music Libraries
The Art and Music libraries remain closed until further notice. Art Library staff members can contacted via e-mail at rijn-templeton@uiowa.edu or kim-carpenter@uiowa.edu.

Music Library staff members can be reached via email at ruthann-mctyre@uiowa.edu, susan-malecki@uiowa.edu or amy-mcbeth@uiowa.edu.

Last November, University Conservator Gary Frost visited Arequipa, Peru, at former UI Librarian Helen Ryan’s invitation to assist in preservation assessment of the historical libraries in the area. Gary has returned to Arequipa to provide further assistance along with a couple of his colleagues from other universities. A major activity will be moving an entire collection out of a condemned, earthquake damaged library.

You can follow the progress of the team on Gary’s blog.

Arequipa is in the southern region of Peru near the border with Chile. With a population of one million, it is the second largest city. The city is 40 miles from the coast and surrounded by volcanoes and expansive canyon lands. The region has had long pre-Incan settlement with an archeological record of more than 6,000 years. The Incan intrusion began in the 14th century. Spanish settlement was established in 1539.

Libraries for the education of clerics were founded beginning in the mid 17th century. Subsequent acquisition programs have continued to build the collections bringing together printed books imported to Peru as well as those printed in Peru over a period of five centuries. The genres collected include civil and canon law, theology, ecclesiastic history, philosophy, sociology, and linguistics. The church libraries have also served as repositories for magazines, newspapers and regional imprints of various kinds.

The project team will demonstrate actions needed to preserve these historical libraries. Specialists Chela Metzger from the Kilgarlin Center for the Preservation of the Cultural Record, University of Texas at Austin, Anna Embree, from the School of Library and Information Studies, The University of Alabama and project director Gary Frost, UICB Instructor and University of Iowa Libraries Conservator will demonstrate non-damaging exhibit installation, methods for preservation of historical libraries and cleaning and stabilization of book collections. The team will also participate in salvage of collections from earthquake damage.

All University of Iowa Libraries will be closed on Friday, July 4 to celebrate Independence Day.

Hardin Library will have limited hours (Saturday, July 5: 10:00am - 2:00pm, Sunday, July 6: Noon - 4:00pm); however the 24-hour study room will be open throughout the weekend.

The Lichtenberger Engineering Library will be open on Sunday, July 6: 4:00 - 8:00 pm.

Other than the Main, Art and Music libraries, all others will be open again beginning Monday, July 7.

The Main Library is Closed.

After moving library servers back to the Main Library, they are now up and functioning. Online services should be back to normal operating levels.

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2, all library servers will be shutdown in order to move them back into Main Library. The move will take approximately two hours. Once the move is complete, all library IT infrastructure should be restored to pre-flood levels.

This includes:

www.lib.uiowa.edu
sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu
proxy.lib.uiowa.edu
infolink.lib.uiowa.edu
mylibrary.uiowa.edu
blog.lib.uiowa.edu
smartsearch
libres.lib.uiowa.edu
illiad
etd.lib.uiowa.edu
cd-server.lib.uiowa.edu and all cd’s hosted on library servers
bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu
inpress.lib.uiowa.edu

Since the Main Library will be closed longer than previously hoped, we are setting up a process for library staff to go into Main Library once a day, Monday-Friday, to retrieve teaching/research materials.

Print materials – please use the delivery service request form (http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/deliveryrequest.html).

Media materials – please contact Media Services staff by emailing lib-media-services@uiowa.edu or calling 335-5944.

In both cases, please provide as much information as possible about your needs – class date, best location for delivery, whether the materials should also be placed on Reserve, etc.

We are being allowed into Main Library for only 30 minutes each day, and are not able using the building elevators, so will need to prioritize requests in order to best meet the needs of as many of our users as possible.

If you have questions, please contact Library Circulation staff at lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or (319) 335-5912.

If you have library books that were damaged in flooding, there are several options for returning them the UI Libraries.

DRY/UNDAMAGED BOOKS — return to Hardin or one of the branch libraries or wait until the Main Library is open.

SLIGHTLY WET/DAMP BUT NOT MUDDY — wrap in wax paper and put in your freezer. Contact Main Library Circulation lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or 319-335-5912. We will coordinate the retrieval of the damaged materials.

MUDDY/ICKY BOOKS and live in the Iowa City area — rinse as best you can, put in freezer bag and freeze. Wear gloves when handling books to protect yourself. Contact Main Library Circulation lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or 319-335-5912. We will coordinate the retrieval of the damaged materials.

BOOKS TOSSED/LOST DURING RECOVERY EFFORTS OF HOME — contact Main Library Circulation lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu or 319-335-5912. Staff will retrieve title information and start the replacement process.

The Libraries Damaged Library Materials Policy states “When a fire, flood, or some other event, beyond the control of the user, causes damage to library materials, the Libraries’ response will vary depending on the individual situation. If the user has access to property insurance, the library will charge the user the cost of repair or replacement and provide them with a price estimate statement for the insurance company. If the user has no insurance, the library will not charge for replacement of the damaged materials. However, library staff can consider fines and/or additional damage in determining whether to charge users beyond the basic cost of repair or replacement.”

Librarians at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences have compiled links to important health information in an online resource guide.

http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/floodrecovery

For other health information related questions, please Ask a Librarian.

Eric (Bill) Voss, library assistant in the University of Iowa Libraries Preservation Department, has received a $500 scholarship from The Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC).

Voss will use the scholarships for a class on the “Care of Oversize Paper Artifacts” at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies.  As part of his application, Voss noted that “our library collections contain a great many oversized paper artifacts. This course will improve the skills necessary for my work as a Preservation Assistant in the care and handling and treatment of physical artifacts.”

The Campbell Center, located in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, offers courses in Historic Preservation, Collections Care and Conservation Refresher courses.

In order to provide quiet study space for students while the Main Library is closed, we are extending hours in a few of the branch libraries. Most of the libraries have weekend hours. The extended hours will remain in effect until the Main Library re-opens.

The Biological Sciences Library at 120 Iowa Avenue will be open 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The Psychology Library in Seashore Hall will be open 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The Pomerantz Business Library in the Pappajohn Business Building will maintain regular hours (8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday).

The Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at 600 Newton Road will also maintain regular hours (7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 7:30 - 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Sunday). There is also a 24-hour study room available at Hardin.

Check the Libraries website for a complete list of library hours. Or contact the branch library directly.

There will NOT be extended hours over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

All fines will be forgiven while the UI Libraries are in flood-response mode. Once library services return to some semblance of normal we will provide a brief grace period before re-instituting our regular fine policies.

All the materials that were due June 25, 2008 have been automatically renewed through January 28, 2009.

Graduate students can review their list of checked out materials through My Account in InfoHawk and contact library staff at lib-maincirc@uiowa.edu if you have any questions.

You are welcome to return any books or other checked out materials to Hardin Library for the Health Sciences or any of the other branch libraries on campus.

The Main Library is currently closed.

Before the Main Library can be re-opened there are several critical steps that must be completed.

The remaining muck left by floodwaters that entered the lower level must be cleaned. And a visual inspection of this work must be approved.

The fire safety panel that was removed during the evacuation must be re-installed and operational.

Environmental safety engineers will take air samples throughout the Main Library building with extra concentration of samples from the lower level. These air samples will be sent to the lab for analysis.

Once the environmental quality assessment is a complete, a team consisting of people from UI Police/Public Safety, Facilities Management, ITS and Risk Management will collectively make the decision for re-occupancy.

Until that time, Libraries staff is working to provide the best services possible. Since the length of time before we are able re-occupy the Main Library has extended, Libraries IT staff has reinstalled critical interlibrary loan servers which will facilitate online requesting, processing and receiving of materials that may be housed (and currently inaccessible) in the Main, Art and Music libraries.

Hours at some of the branch libraries have been extended to provide students with quiet study space during the summer session. If you received a notice of materials being held for you at the Main Library prior to June 13, those materials are available at the Lichtenberger Engineering Library.

We will continue to update this website with information as it becomes available.

The Main Library is currently closed.

Re-opening the Main Library has been a priority for Facilities Management. Sandbags were removed, and crews have been working to remove floodwater and clean the resulting “muck” from the lower level. A fire panel that had been removed in the flood evacuation must be re-installed and the air quality must be tested before the building is approved for occupancy.

Once the Main Library is accessible to library staff, we will begin returning materials to the lower level storage areas. Currently the third floor is impassable because of stacks of boxes, and the second floor reading rooms are filled with stacks of books on the tables and floor.

Meanwhile Main Library staff who have been temporarily relocated to other libraries on campus, are working to resume library services as best as possible. No library staff are allowed in the building currently (except to check building conditions). Most of our online resources are still available and any materials needed for teaching and research that are currently located in the Main, Art or Music libraries can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. See previous entry for contact information.

We hope to return to the Main Library very soon and will continue to update this site with news and information.