Library News

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.