After prepping the Maps area last week, the actual abatement efforts began earlier today. Despite best intentions (and methods) a citrus-like smell can be detected in some areas of the building. We expect abatement to continue for much of this week.

If the smell causes a problem for you, please consider using one of the other libraries on campus:

1. Lichtenberger Engineering Library is directly across the street in the Seamans Center for Engineering.
2. Pomerantz Business Library located in the Pappajohn Business Building has seating on two levels.
3. Biological Sciences Library on Iowa Avenue provides quiet corners for individual studying.
4. Hardin Library for the Health Sciences located on the health sciences campus offers a 24-hour study room.

University Facilities staff are preparing the Map Collection for asbestos abatement, which should begin next Tuesday.

While the abatement project is underway, Map Collection’s entrance will be in the short hallway, to the east of the copy machines on third floor.

The Map Collection and staff are still available to people needing to use the resources. For more information, please contact the Map Collection (lib-maps@uiowa.edu).

Join us for the final evening in the six-part series When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“From Arabic to Latin: The Assimilation of Arab Knowledge” (26 min.)
As dissension mounted between the rival Arab dynasties in Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo, Christendom rallied to oppose the Muslims in Spain and Jerusalem. This program plots out the decline of the Empire of the Caliphate and the acquisition of Arab knowledge by Europeans starved for Islam’s intellectual riches.

“Forgetting the Arabs: Europe on the Cusp of the Renaissance” (27 min.)
Why was Islamic philosophy, once the epitome of Arab learning, eventually rejected by Muslims? And why, after assimilating it, did Europeans distance themselves from its formulators? This program seeks to understand the religious climate of the late Middle Ages, in which universities and madrassas became centers of power and models for evolving sociopolitical systems.

The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City Public Library, UI Middle East and Muslim World Studies Program, African Studies Program, and Medieval Studies Program are sponsors of this film series.

All films will be introduced by Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, University of Iowa Libraries, with discussion to follow. This film series will be shown in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the north foyer of the University of Iowa Main Library. For more information, contact Edward Miner at (319)335-5883 or edward-miner@uiowa.edu.

Flooring replacement, including asbestos abatement, will begin in the Map Collection on May 18 and in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) on May 21. Both departments are located on the third floor of the Main Library. The Map Collection project is expected to last through mid-August. The SLIS project should be completed by the beginning of June.

Map Collection will still be open as much as possible, and accessible via another door during the first phase and through the regular door during the second phase. It is very likely the department will close irregularly during normal hours. 

Map Collection visitors are strongly encouraged to call (319-335-5920) or e-mail (lib-maps@uiowa.edu) ahead to make arrangements.

The School of Library and Information Science will remain open regular summer hours. For questions about the project in SLIS, please contact the school at 319-335-5707 or e-mail (slis@uiowa.edu).

Join us for the fifth evening of the six-part series When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Thousand and One Nights: A Historical Perspective” (27 min.)
Encompassing fairy tales, romances, legends, fables, parables, and anecdotes, The Thousand and One Nights is a composite of popular oral stories that developed over several centuries, mainly during the Empire of the Caliphate. This program scrutinizes the wonderfully audacious tale of Scheherazade and what it tells the attentive reader about the dreams of Arab men and women during the empire’s golden age.

“Ulema and Philosophers: Faith vs. Reason in Islamic Arabia” (26 min.)
By replacing paganism with monotheism and tribal life with empire-building, the Arabs of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties effected a complete paradigm shift in their worldview. This program studies the codification of Islamic law and assimilation of non-Arab texts—and the ensuing competition between the ulema, or doctors of the law, and the philosophers, who saw reason as an equal to divine enlightenment.

The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City Public Library, UI Middle East and Muslim World Studies Program, African Studies Program, and Medieval Studies Program are sponsors of this film series.

All films will be introduced by Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, University of Iowa Libraries, with discussion to follow. This film series will be shown in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the north foyer of the University of Iowa Main Library. For more information, contact Edward Miner at (319)335-5883 or edward-miner@uiowa.edu.

Join us for the fourth evening in a six-part series of When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Secrets of the Human Body: Islam’s Contributions to Medicine” (27 min.)
This program investigates the practice of medicine during the Abbasid Caliphate, offering profiles of Jurjis ibn Jibrail, personal doctor to Caliph al-Mansur; Yuhanna ibn Masawayh, head of Caliph al-Ma’amun’s House of Wisdom; Rhazes, whose Kitab al-hawi outlines an exemplary clinical approach; Avicenna, universally known for his Canon of Medicine; and Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi, the father of modern surgery.

“Everything under the Sun: Astronomy, Mathematics, and Islam” (26 min.)
Picking up mathematics and astronomy from where the ancient Greeks had left off, Arab scholars paved the way for the Copernican revolution and the rebirth of science in Europe. This program reveals the Empire of the Caliphate’s role in developing the Indo-Arabic decimal system, algebra, and algorithms and in refining the science of optics and the Ptolemaic model of the solar system.

The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City Public Library, UI Middle East and Muslim World Studies Program, African Studies Program, and Medieval Studies Program are sponsors of this film series.

All films will be introduced by Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, University of Iowa Libraries, with discussion to follow. This film series will be shown in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the north foyer of the University of Iowa Main Library. For more information, contact Edward Miner at (319)335-5883 or edward-miner@uiowa.edu.

Join us for the third evening in the six-part series When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Muslim Town: Urban Life under the Caliphate” (27 min.)
Although the first towns the Arabs founded during the expansion of Arabia were only vast campsites, it was not long before their temporary dwellings gave way to the magnificent signature architecture of Arabian culture. What was it like to live in the Arab cities of the Abbasid dynasty, grand oases of refinement and innovation?

“An Art of Living: Arab Aesthetics in 9th-Century Spain” (27 min.)
As life among the aristocracy in Damascus and Baghdad attained its zenith of refinement, another important cultural center was developing in Islamic Cordoba. This program focuses on the remarkable cultural contributions of Ziryab, a talented young musician who fled the East for Andalusia and became the era’s preeminent arbiter of style and taste.

The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City Public Library, UI Middle East and Muslim World Studies Program, African Studies Program, and Medieval Studies Program are sponsors of this film series.

All films will be introduced by Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, University of Iowa Libraries, with discussion to follow. This film series will be shown in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the north foyer of the University of Iowa Main Library. For more information, contact Edward Miner at (319)335-5883 or edward-miner@uiowa.edu.

Did you know that you shouldn’t PAY for newspaper and magazine articles that you find on the Web?

The next time you’re asked for your credit card while doing your research online, check the UI Libraries’ resources first.

Our Resources by Type – News and Newspapers will link you to a wide range or current and historical newspapers. E-journals can link you to electronic coverage for your title.

If we don’t have the article in print or electronically, you can get it free through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Nancy E. Kraft, Head of Preservation at the UI Libraries has been selected as a 2009 recipient of the Presidents’ Award presented by the Midwest Archives Conference.

Nancy has advocated for the preservation and proper management of Iowa’s cultural treasures throughout her career.  She is a leader in the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium and has been personally involved in the development of a successful statewide preservation training program through the Consortium.  Those efforts alone would make her eligible for the Presidents’ Award but she is nominated for her extraordinary work following the historic levels of flooding that struck Iowa in the summer of 2008.

Last June when all UI employees were officially asked not to report to work, Nancy assisted repositories and archives in her hometown of Cedar Rapids. She worked late into the night during that time, even though she was under no obligation to do so. She continued performing this service for other repositories at various times on nights and weekends for the balance of the summer and into early fall.

“I simply could not have survived the flood without Nancy’s assistance,” said Susan Kuecker, curator of the African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa. “Even though Nancy was off of work the week of June 16, she and I were constantly in touch.  I had an e-mail from her on Sunday evening, June 15, offering assistance.  I called her at 7 a.m. on June 16 and arranged to have a meeting with her and our director at 8 a.m.”

The Presidents’ award, established in 1986, recognizes significant contributions to the archival profession by individuals, institutions and organizations not directly involved in archival work but knowledgeable about its purpose and value. Recipients are chosen by a committee comprising the three most recent past presidents of MAC from nominations submitted by committees in each of the 13 states in the MAC region.

“Nancy’s tireless efforts following last June’s devastating floods alone merit this recognition,” said David McCartney, University Archivist and one of the nominators. “In addition, her lifelong commitment to assisting our profession is deeply appreciated. We thank her for all she has done for us in preserving and strengthening our collections.”