Library News

The UI Libraries welcome National History Day students from across Eastern Iowa to a research workshop. These students prepare projects around a theme and present them at an annual competition.

Reference, Special Collections and Iowa Women’s Archives library staff put together a special library guide webpage for these students: http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/nhd .

Students will be visiting the Main Library on Thursday, November 19. If you have any questions, please contact Janalyn Moss, Reference & Instruction Librarian, 335-5698.

The History of Medicine Society has invited Matt Schaefer, Archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library to speak on the topic, “Iowa Doctors and the Germ Theory of Disease.”  

Wednesday, November 18
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Main Library, Second Floor Conference Room (2032)

The widely accepted notion that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases was very controversial when first proposed and doctors and scientists from different schools of thought and different countries reacted to the notion with varying degrees of skepticism.  Matt will examine the reception received by the germ theory in the Hawkeye State.

As always, light refreshments will be served.  Contact Ed Holtum for more information.

The University of Iowa Libraries will offer the workshop “Google U: Using Google for Academic Research” on two dates this fall.

Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 3, noon-1:30 pm.
Information Arcade Classroom 1 at the Main Library

This workshop is geared to the experienced Web searcher and will be especially useful for graduate students. Emphasis will be on using the Google family of search products, particularly Google Books and Google Scholar, for scholarly research. Time will be provided for practice searches and advice on particular research needs.

No registration is required but seating is limited.

“Memories of a Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivor” screening with introduction by Prof. Stephen Vlastos
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
3:30-5:00 pm
Main Library 2nd Floor Conference Room

Ms. Yoshiko 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 on August 6, 1945. She toured across the Midwest as part of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation’s goal to warn about the future destructive use of nuclear weapons in September, 2008.

Ms. Kajimoto came to UI campus to speak about her A-bomb experience and we received more than 200 attendees both from the university and Iowa City community at the event. We heard from people that her story was the one of most powerful A-bomb stories they have ever heard. If you have missed the opportunity, UITV recording of the event will be shown again at the Main Library 2nd Floor Conference Room on November 17th with introduction by Prof. Stephen Vlastos from the Department of History.

The School of Library and Information Science and Professor Padmini Srinivasan have invited Dr. Edward Fox from Virginia Tech University to speak about the future of electronic theses and dissertation. Also on

Thursday, October 29
2:00-3:15 p.m.
Second Floor Conference Room 2032, Main Library

Dr. Edward A. Fox holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from Cornell University, and a B.S. from M.I.T. Since 1983 he has been at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU or Virginia Tech), where he serves as Professor of Computer Science. He directs the Digital Library Research Laboratory and the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. He has been (co)PI on over 100 research and development projects. In addition to his courses at Virginia Tech, Dr. Fox has taught over 72 tutorials in more than 25 countries. He has given more than 60 keynote/banquet/international invited/distinguished speaker presentations, about 145 refereed conference/workshop papers, and over 250 additional presentations.

In the 1980s he was project director for the Virginia Disc series of CD-ROMs as well as for VPI&SU work on interactive digital video. He was editor for the Morgan Kaufmann Publishers book series on Multimedia Information and Systems. He also serves on the editorial boards of Information Processing and Management, Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, Journal of Universal Computer Science, and Multimedia Tools and Applications. He served as Chairman of the IEEE-CS Technical Committee on Digital Libraries. He has co-authored/edited 13 books, 95 journal/magazine articles, 41 book chapters, and many reports. These are in the areas of digital libraries, information storage and retrieval, hypertext/hypermedia/multimedia, computing education, computational linguistics, CD-ROM and optical disc technology, electronic publishing, and expert systems.

Professor Fox’s visit is supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to the School of Library and Information Sciences to train digital librarians for the 21st Century.  If you have questions please contact Vicki MacLeod at 335-5707.

Did you know that access to some scholarly journals can cost as much as buying a new car . . . every year? That is a price that UI Libraries cannot afford, but it is a research tool that YOU can’t afford to work without. So what do we do? Open Access: it means more readers, more recognition and more impact for new ideas.

We invite you to join us to hear Molly Kleinman, Special Assistant to the Dean of Libraries at the University of Michigan and a copyright specialist, talk about it: “Open Access or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Internet” at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 20th in the Bijou at the Iowa Memorial Union. 

This event is part of UI Libraries’ celebration of Open Access Week, October 19-23, 2009. Also that week, we’ll be posting more useful information about open access including our UI colleagues own experiences with open access.

For more information about scholarly communication and your role in creating a
sustainable system, check the Libraries website (www.lib.uiowa.edu/scholarly).

Co-sponsors of this event include the University of Iowa Libraries, Department of Communication Studies, Graduate Student Senate, the UI Center for Human Rights, College of Public Health, Widernet, Executive Council of Graduate and Professional Students, and the Project on the Rhetoric of Inquiry (POROI).

September 17th marks the 222nd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.  May we recommend pausing for a good cup of coffee or latte, maybe, to contemplate the significance of that document?  Java House (Washington St.) and T-Spoons will shine a light on individual rights established by the Constitution for the whole week of September 13-19, 2009.

Java House will feature the “Bill of Rights” by designating each brew station for one of the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

T-Spoon’s has created a special latte that is the “perfect Union” of white chocolate, cherry and blueberry. Like a flag in a cup!

Want your very own copy of the Constitution? Thanks to Representative Dave Loebsack, you can pick up a pocket-sized copy at the North Circulation Desk of the Main Library all week.

On a more serious level, although the U.S. Constitution is a fairly short document, it is the defining outline of the United States government.  The Constitution is the highest law in the land and all other laws must comply with its mandates.

If you want to learn the basics of U.S. Constitutional research take a look at this research guide: http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/us_constitution

Lecture by Dr. N. Peggy Burke, CLAS Alumni Fellow 2009, sponsored by the Dept. of Health & Sport Studies and the Iowa Women’s Archives.   A reception will follow the lecture.

Friday, September 11
3:30 – 5 p.m.
Pomerantz Career Center, Auditorium C20 

N. Peggy Burke (Ph.D. ‘65, Physical Education) has spent a life in service to the principles of women’s and human rights, civic engagement, and social consciousness that defined her academic career. She served on the CLAS faculty for more than 30 years, and since 1957 has been actively involved in the promotion of women in sport, receiving numerous honors for these efforts.

Her papers are held by the Iowa Women’s Archives: http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/findingaids/html/BurkePeggy.htm

The University of Iowa Libraries will offer two introductory workshops on RefWorks. RefWorks is a web-based service that enables you to save bibliographic citations from the library catalog and other library databases. Both workshops will be held in Information Arcade Classroom 1 (1st floor north, Main Library).

Thursday, Sept 17, noon-1:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept 18, noon-1:30 p.m.

In this workshop you will learn to:

* Create a RefWorks account and access it from on- and off-campus
* Create, edit, and delete citations in RefWorks
* Organize your citations and share them with colleagues at UIowa and beyond
* Use RefWorks to easily create and format bibliographies

Librarians will show you how to use RefWorks, and then give you the opportunity to practice with it at the end of the workshop. No registration is required, but seating is limited, so latecomers may be turned away. For additional RefWorks training options, including workshops held at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, see http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/find/refworks/workshops.html.

The decennial census has been called the statistical national family portrait that is taken every ten years.  The next snapshot is scheduled for April 1, 2010 and there will be big changes in the process. The constitutionally mandated census counts heads, families, housing facts, and social, demographic and economic characteristics.  The results may alter the boundaries of legislative districts, the apportionment of legislators within a district and allocated government funding.

On August 21, 2009, The University of Iowa Libraries’ will sponsor a workshop covering the important changes that researchers and information providers must know about the 2010 census.  Participants will go on virtual tours of resources and have hands-on practice with web-based information sources. 

Two speakers will present different perspectives on the upcoming 2010 census: Matthew Milbrodt, Information Services Specialist, Bureau of Census, Kansas City Regional Office, and Beth Henning, Coordinator, State Data Center Program, State Library of Iowa.

When:  Friday, August 21, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where:  Information Arcade, Classroom 1, Main Library, University of Iowa Libraries’
map of campus and parking options (note: the closest parking ramp is at the University Capitol Centre)

Cost:  No-Fee, but registration is required to accommodate space planning.

The number of workstations is limited so, please submit your registration by August 17th to reserve your place.  Questions?  Contact Marianne Mason by e-mail or by phone (319) 335-5538.

“The Inner Workings of the UI Libraries Conservation Lab” will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., July 22, at the University of Iowa Main Library Conservation Lab.

The program is part of the “Wednesday Night at the Lab” series offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the UI. The course fee is $5 for Osher Institute members and $20 for non-members.

Attendees will observe the cleaning and repair of flood-damaged items from the African American Museum of Iowa, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, and the Johnson County Historical Society. Each participant can experience the patience and skill required to be a conservator by stitching a pamphlet and making a protective enclosure.

Register online at http://www.olliatiowa.org, or contact Linsey Abbott at 319-384-4221 or coa-osher@uiowa.edu for more information.

The open house and exhibit, “De Partu Hominis; Six Centuries of Obstetrics,” will feature rare books on childbirth from the 15th through the 20th centuries.  Visitors can view and page through early atlases and manuals used by midwives and physicians featuring illustrations and descriptions of birthing chairs, forceps, caesarean section, the development of anesthesia, and complications of labor and delivery. 

Among the dozens of works to be displayed include William Hunter’s striking 1774 atlas, The anatomy of the human gravid uterus, Oliver Wendell Holmes’ controversial 1842 treatise,  The contagiousness of puerperal fever, and De formato foetu, a set of plates rendered in the Baroque style, published in 1626. 

Thursday, May 14 from 4:30 to 7:30
John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences 

The exhibit is part of a series of public lectures and presentation sponsored by the University of Iowa History of Medicine Society.  The John Martin Rare Book Room is located on the fourth floor of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.  For additional information, please contact Ed Holtum, Curator at 335-9154.

Space is still available in the Energy Workshop scheduled for May 19th.

The University of Iowa Libraries’ will sponsor a 3-hour hands-on workshop in using U.S. Department of Energy databases and will be taught by Tim Byrne, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, DOE, Oak Ridge, TN.  Participants will learn to navigate DOE databases, develop query formulation, and database-specific search techniques.  Participants will become familiar with major web sites and learn to use databases through individual and federated searching.

Tuesday, May 19
10 a.m – 1 p.m.
Information Arcade Classroom 1, Main Library

These are .gov resources freely accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

To register, click here: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/govpubs/us/energy_wkshop.html . Registration deadline is May 15. For more information, contact Marianne Mason  or by phone at 319-335-5538.

To help students prepare for finals, the UI Libraries has put together a Finals Stimulus Package: FREE POP!

Main Library, North Exhibition Hall
Sunday, May 10 – Tuesday, May 12 @ 11 p.m. (while supplies last)

Lichtenberger Engineering, Mathematical Sciences and Physics Libraries
Monday, May 11 (while supplies last)

Biological Sciences, Pomerantz Business, Geoscience and Psychology Libraries
Tuesday, May 12 (while supplies last)

Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
Thursday, May 14 (while supplies last)

The UI Libraries received the Diet Coke, Coke and Sprite from an anonymous donor.

As energy independence, demands for innovation in the automobile industry, and a revitalized infrastructure gain urgency in public policy discussions accessing energy research has become increasingly important for the research community, for state and local planners and consumers of energy.

The University of Iowa Libraries’ will sponsor a 3-hour hands-on workshop in using U.S. Department of Energy databases and will be taught by Tim Byrne, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, DOE, Oak Ridge, TN.  Participants will learn to navigate DOE databases, develop query formulation, and database-specific search techniques.  Participants will become familiar with major web sites and learn to use databases through individual and federated searching.

Tuesday, May 19
10 a.m – 1 p.m.
Information Arcade Classroom 1, Main Library

These are .gov resources freely accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

To register, click here: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/govpubs/us/energy_wkshop.html . Registration deadline is May 15. For more information, contact Marianne Mason  or by phone at 319-335-5538.

Join the exhibit organizers for the Opening Reception of the newest Main Library exhibit “When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.”

Tuesday, April 7 at 4 p.m.
North Exhibition Hall

There will be Middle Eastern food by Ali Baba Restaurant; Middle Eastern music played on the qanun (or kanun) will be performed by Firaz Sultan. The qanun is a plucked string instrument similar to the zither.

Join us for the second night of the six part film series When the World Spoke Arabic: The Golden Age of Arab Civilization.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Andalusian Epic: Islamic Spain” (27 min.)
This program addresses the expansion of the Arab empire into Spain, where Muslims ruled with tolerance for more than seven centuries. The introduction and consolidation of Islamic power in Spain, the creation of the Umayyad emirate by the sole survivor of the Umayyad dynasty, the rise of Cordoba as a cultural rival of Abbasid Baghdad, and the gradual ebb of Arab rule on the Iberian Peninsula are all discussed.
“They Surveyed the World: Exploring the Arab Empire and Beyond” (27 min.)
During the 10th century, people routinely journeyed from one end of the huge Arab empire to the other—and even into non-Islamic lands far to the north and the east. Who were these travelers, and what did they seek? This program captures what it was like to be a pilgrim in a caravan bound for Mecca, an official carrying out the Caliph’s orders, a scholar seeking knowledge, a merchant in search of new markets, and an explorer charting the seas.

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.

As part of the International Year of Astronomy, participants from around the world are hosting astronomy-related events in celebration of 100 Hours of Astronomy, April 3-5.

The University Libraries is joining in by providing a look at some of our history of astronomy materials. See rare books by Galileo and Brahe, celestial atlases and star charts, and explore the history of astronomy at the University of Iowa, including films featuring Dr. James Van Allen. 

Friday, April 3rd at 11:30 am
Main Library, Room 2032 

Presentations will be by Greg Prickman, Assistant Head of Special Collections, Wendy Robertson, Digital Resources Librarian, and Kari Kozak, Science Education & Outreach Librarian.

Photos, personal papers, oral histories, manuscripts, military records, original legal documents, maps and artifacts that chronicle lives, historical events and social movements are the kinds of material that make up archival collections. These resources are not only preserved for the historical record, but are collected for discovery and use. Technology has significantly increased the accessibility of these collections through databases that are free to the public.

Federal Documents Librarians at the UI Libraries are hosting a workshop on the use of archival materials. Speakers include: Lori Cox-Paul, Kansas City Regional Office, National Archives and Records Administration; Matt Schaefer , Hoover Presidential Library; Mary Bennett, State Historical Society of Iowa; as well as David McCartney, University Archivist; Karen Mason, Curator of the Iowa Women’s Archives; and Gary Frost, University Conservator all from the University of Iowa Libraries.

For more information, please check http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/govpubs/us/archives_wkshop.html

The workshop is currently full, but you are welcome to add your name to the Wait List.

When was the last time you really devoured a good book? This year, the University of Iowa’s Center for the Book invites faculty, staff and students to join us in celebrating the annual International Edible Books Festival by creating a delicious book to share with your fellow literary and food enthusiasts.

To celebrate this international event, the Book Arts Club is organizing an exhibition of edible books to be on display on April 1st (no joke!) in the North Lobby of the University of Iowa Main Library. There are only two rules; entries must be edible and they must have something to do with books as shapes and/or content. An entry fee of $5 goes to support the Book Arts Club.

Edible books will be on display from 10am – 12 noon, followed by a reception and book tasting from 12 – 2pm. The awards ceremony starts at 12:30 pm, with prizes awarded based on Best Book Structure, Most Creative Literary Reference, and Best In Show. Also, all entries are automatically entered into a raffle for free sketchbooks from Blick Art Materials.

* The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly event held on April 1st throughout the world. This event unites bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented, and then consumed. Information and inspiration can be found on the Festival’s home page at www.Books2Eat.com.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~ctrbook/events/index.shtml#edible_books

With the fall of Rome, Europe turned its back on the marvelous contributions of Classical civilization. But the legacy of Greek thought was not completely lost. It lived on and developed elsewhere: in the Arab world. Supported by expert commentary and enhanced by footage of historic Arab architecture and period works of art, this comprehensive series (in twelve parts, shown over six evenings) documents the remarkable history and the most significant cultural, scientific and technical achievements of the Arab empire, which came to prominence between the 7th and 13th centuries.

Dates: April 1, 8, 15, 22; May 6, 20
Time: 7pm
Venue: Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room A

The first showing will be WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 7PM, ICPL, Meeting Rm. A

“The Arabs Make Their Entrance: Islam and Empire” (26 min.)
As the shadow of the Dark Ages fell across Europe, the scene for the advancement of Western civilization shifted to the Near East. This program charts the rise of the Arab empire, from its roots in the long-standing rivalry between the Byzantines and the Sassanids.

“Once Upon a Time: Baghdad During the Abbasid Dynasty” (26 min.)
The victory of the Abbasids over the Umayyads signified much more than the replacement of one dynasty with another. With it, Islam saw the birth of a multiethnic concept of power, in which both Arab and non-Arab Muslims could share authority.

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.

One of the most controversial episodes in the history of public health was the late 19th and early 20th century eugenics movement. Relying on faulty science and nationalist bigotry, eugenicists sought to identify and retain “superior” human genetic stocks while restraining the spread of “inferiors.”

Kathryn Gaskill, Honors Candidate the Department of History, will provide insight into this dubious movement in her presentation to the UI History of Medicine Society,  “A ‘More Perfect’ Nation; The Midwest’s Role in the Eugenics Campaign to Eradicate Degeneracy.”

Tuesday, March 24
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Main Library, Room 2032
Light refreshments served.

Midwestern states, including Iowa, acted to limit reproduction of their population’s “degenerate” elements by legislating involuntary sexual sterilization of the “feeble-minded” and habitual criminals. These states also attempted to retain the “favorable” members of society through the Country Life Movement, which sought to prevent urban migration by making farm life more attractive to rural young people.

The session is open to the public. For additional information, contact Edwin Holtum at 319-335-9154.

The Herstory Subcommittee of the Council on the Status of Women & the Iowa Women’s Archives present

A Women’s History Month Reception
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Program begins at 5:15, refreshments served.

Join us in celebration with guest speaker(s) Prof. Linda Kerber and Prof. Leslie Schwalm in the Iowa Women’s Archives (3rd floor, UI Main Library).

The next History of Medicine Society presentation will feature Dr. Blaine Houmes, Cedar Rapids Emergency Medicine Physician, who will speak on “Medical Aspects of the Lincoln Assassination.”

Dr. Houmes is known for his extensive knowledge of Abraham Lincoln and is an avid collector of Lincoln literature and artifacts.  As an emergency medical physician he has a special interest in the medical events relating to Lincoln’s assassination.  Dr. Houmes’ collection features prominently in the exhibit now on display at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch: “Abraham Lincoln: Three Collectors’ Perspectives”

Date:               Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Time:              5:30 – 6:30 pm
Location:        Room 2032, Main Library
As always, light refreshments will be served

Driving Directions
Parking Information
Accessibility Information

Because the presentation will take place in the Main Library, you’ll also be able to take advantage of the related exhibit currently on display in the North Lobby:  “Lincoln’s Legacy in Iowa; a Bicentennial Celebration.”

Of special interest also is the University of Iowa Libraries’ new web site, Abraham Lincoln Digital Collection which showcases the University of Iowa Special Collections’ holdings of books, letters, pamphlets, and memorabilia that explore the life and legacy of Lincoln.

The University of Iowa Libraries will offer two introductory workshops on Smart Search, a new resource discovery tool, in February. Smart Search makes it easy to search across all UI Libraries content, including books, digital materials and online journals, from one search box.

Both workshops take place in Main Library, Information Arcade Classroom 1. No registration is required, but seating may be limited. Dates and times:

* February 24, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
* February 27, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

For more information, contact the Main Library Reference & Library Instruction Department at 319-335-5299.

The first biennial conference, Art, Fact and Artifact: The Book in Time and Place, of the College Book Art Association begins today, January 8 and runs through Saturday, January 10 and is hosted by the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

Conference activities include talks, artist presentations, exhibits, demos, professional development and tours over the three days. A complete schedule is available on the conference website.

Many of the activities including registration and the keynote address take place in the Main Library.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Graduate College, the English Department, the School of Art and Art History, the UI Main Libraries, and the School of Library and Information Sciences.

Get your caffiene fix with a mug o’ joe at the Main Library.

Sunday, December 14; Monday, December 15; and Tuesday, December 16 at MIDNIGHT free coffee will be available (while it lasts) near the Food for Thought Library Cafe.

That should keep you juiced through the wee hours.

Louise Rosenfield Noun, social activist, art collector, author, philanthropist and co-founder of the Iowa Women’s Archives, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1908. Noun became widely recognized for her leadership and commitment to a number of organizations and causes.

Please join us in a celebration of her life with cake and conversation.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Iowa Women’s Archives
Third Floor, Main Library

She served as president of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union and the Des Moines chapters of the League of Women Voters and the National Organization for Women. Noun established the Chrysalis Foundation in 1989 to provide financial assistance to Iowa women. She wrote several books, including Strong-Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in Iowa; More Strong-Minded Women: Iowa Feminists Tell Their Stories; Iowa Women in the WPA; Journey to Autonomy: A Memoir; and Leader and Pariah: Annie Savery and the Campaign for Women’s Rights in Iowa, 1868-1891.

Louise Noun realized a long-term goal in 1992 with the establishment of the Louise Noun-Mary Louise Smith Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa Libraries. The Iowa Women’s Archives, which opened in October 1992, is devoted to preserving the history of women by acquiring and making available primary source material that documents the lives of Iowa women.  

Learn more about Louise Noun through the IWA Founder’s digital collection.

The University of Iowa Libraries will offer the workshop “Google U: Using Google for Academic Research” on two dates this fall:

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 4, 10:30 a.m. – noon
Arcade Classroom 1, Main Library

This workshop is geared to the experienced Web searcher and will be especially useful for graduate students. Emphasis will be on using the Google family of search products, particularly Google Books and Google Scholar, for scholarly research. Time will be provided for practice searches and advice on particular research needs.

PREVIEW COURSE CONTENT

No registration is required but seating is limited. Latecomers may be turned away.

Again this year, the UI Libraries welcome National History Day students from across Eastern Iowa to a research workshop. These students prepare projects around a theme and present them at an annual competition.

Reference, Special Collections and Iowa Women’s Archives library staff put together a special webpage for these students: National History Day Research Workshop.

Students will be visiting the Main Library on Thursday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 19. If you have any questions, please contact Kristi Bontrager, Public Relations Coordinator, 335-5960.

With the increasing importance of interdisciplinary research, and the increasing need for academic libraries to assume roles of information originator previously handled by others, new research alliances are forming on many university campuses.

Join us for a presentation by Dr. Richard Furuta from Texas A&M University, “Digital Libraries and Digital Humanities: Experiences with Research Partnerships among the Liberal Arts, the University Libraries, and Computing.”

Monday, November 17, 2008
3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Second Floor Conference Room (2032), Main Library

In his presentation, Dr. Furuta will discuss experiences at Texas A&M University involving research collaborations with liberal arts, the University Libraries and computing.  The collaborations, to be described from the perspective of the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries, involve applications as broadly separated as textual studies, textual iconography, and nautical archaeology.  Taken together, the projects give insights on issues encountered when satisfying the research needs of disparate academic units and some illustrations on the ways that libraries can help in this.

Dr. Furuta’s current areas of research include digital libraries, digital humanities, hypermedia systems and models, structured documents, and document engineering.  In the area of Digital Libraries, he was one of the founders of the 1994 and 1995 Digital Libraries Conferences, which subsequently evolved to form the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL).  He will be program chair for JCDL 2009 and was program chair for ACM Digital Libraries 2000.  He currently serves on the Steering Committee for ACM/IEEE-CS JCDL and was its chair from 2001-2005.  He also is an Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Digital Libraries. Dr. Furuta received the B.A. degree from Reed College in 1974, the M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Oregon in 1978, and the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington in 1986.

This colloquium is sponsored by the School of Library and Information Science and the IMLS Funded Digital Librarian Training Program.

Is the election becoming a little too intense for you?  Lighten up by casting your Great Northern Bean to vote in the Main Library’s strictly unofficial presidential bean poll on Election Day, Nov. 4th. 

The bean poll will be located at the kiosk near the Information Desk at the Main Library.

Here’s how it works; simply drop a bean in the glass jar marked with your candidate’s name between 8:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4th, Election Day.  Library Poll workers will tally the count and announce the results on Wednesday, Nov. 5th.

The six major presidential candidates according to Project Vote Smart are:

• Charles O. Baldwin (Constitution Party)
• Robert L. Barr (Independent, Libertarian Party)
• John S. McCain, III (Republican Party)
• Cynthia Ann McKinney (Independent, Green Party)
• Ralph Nader (No Party Affiliation, Independent)
• Barack H. Obama, Jr. (Democratic Party)

This year due to the closure of the IMU, the Flu Vaccine Clinic will be held in the Main Library in the Second Floor Study Lounge (directly upstairs from the the North Circulation Desk).

The Clinic will be held on TODAY Tuesday, October 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

How did librarians manage the natural disasters throughout Eastern Iowa?  Please join the School of Library and Information Science for this exciting and informative panel as those in the trenches relay their first-hand knowledge of disaster planning, managing volunteers, preservation efforts at area museums and libraries, and ongoing activities by public and academic libraries to rebuild and recover after the flood.

Tuesday, November 4
Main Library, Second Floor Conference Room (2032)
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Scheduled to speak

• Nancy Baker, University Librarian, University of Iowa Libraries
• Tamara Glise, Interim Director, Cedar Rapids Public Library
• Nancy Kraft, Head, Preservation, UI Libraries
• Ruthann McIntyre, Head, UI Music Library
• Rijn Templeton, Head, UI Art Library

For more information contact, Patricia Katopol, in the School of Library and Information Science.

In this election season, competing proposals for health reform have again taken center stage.  Colin Gordon, the author of Dead on Arrival: The Politics of Health in Twentieth Century America, will place these proposals—and their prospects for success—in historical perspective.

Colin Gordon, Ph.D. is a professor of history at the University of Iowa, specializing in 20th Century U. S. History. For this program, Professor Gordon will provide a brief background on health care policy and its interaction with Presidential politics, prior to facilitating what we hope will be a lively discussion by all those in attendance.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, Information Commons, 2nd floor 

The University of Iowa History of Medicine Society is an informal group of students, faculty, staff, and members of the community sharing an interest in the history of medicine and the health sciences. We present speakers about once a month and, in the spring, host a banquet with a presentation from a well-known medical historian. We have no membership dues and we welcome participants from the University and the general community.

To become a member, simply send an e-mail to either Ed Holtum or Donna Sabin and ask to be placed on our electronic mailing list. In addition to alerting members of forthcoming presentations, the list is also a vehicle for members to communicate matters of interest relating to the history of medicine and the health sciences.

Edward Miner, International Studies Bibliographer, has been named as the 2008 recipient of the Arthur Benton Excellence in Reference Services Professional Development Award.

Join us at a reception honoring Edward’s acheivement.

Thursday, October 30, 2008
4 – 5 p.m.
North Exhibition Hall, Main Library

The Benton Award is awarded biennially to a professional staff member from the University of Iowa Libraries who has demonstrated outstanding commitment in providing reference services for the UI community. The $1,000 award will support the winner’s professional development activities related to the advancement of reference services and may be used to pay for attendance at conferences or workshops in that field.  Several faculty members from the South Asian Studies Program nominated Miner, who also provides collection management and reference services to faculty in African Studies and Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, among others.

A brief program beginning around 4:15 will include the presentation of a plaque to Miner. Light refreshments will be served.

There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.

As part of the One Community, One Book project, the UI Libraries will be hosting a discussion of Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone.  Though the book tackles a difficult subject, the prose is straightforward and uncomplicated, making this OCOB selection a quick read.

Wednesday, October 22 at 8 p.m.
Second Floor Study Lounge, Main Library (directly upstairs from the North Circulation Desk)

At the age of 12, Ishmael Beah fled attacking rebels in his home country of Sierra Leone during their civil war. Soon he found himself in the army, forced to participate in casual mass slaughter. This horrific life lasted until he was 15, when he was brought to a rehabilitation center sponsored by UNICEF and partnering NGOs. In his late teens, he eventually came to the United States where he remains. Mr. Beah finished high school in the U.S. and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Oberlin College. He is now a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee. He has established a foundation dedicated to helping former child soldiers reintegrate into society and improve their lives.

Refreshments will be served.

Find A Long Way Gone in the InfoHawk catalog.

See an interview with Ishmael Beah with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.

In collaboration with the UI Center for Human Rights One Community, One Book project and the African Studies department sponsored screenings of related films.

Wednesday, October 15, 7:00 p.m.
Iowa City Public Library Meeting Room A

Ezra is the first film to give an African perspective on the disturbing phenomenon of abducting child soldiers into the continent’s recent civil wars. This film tells the story of Ezra, a young boy kidnapped and forced to become a soldier with a rebel faction in the Sierra Leone Civil War. Ten years later, he is brought before a truth and reconciliation commission and made to revisit and understand his crimes so as to begin the process of psychological healing. In English; 105 Minutes. Introduction by Professor James Giblin.

It was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2007 Festival Panafricain du Cinema à Ouagadougou (FESPACO), Africa’s largest and most prestigious film event, and was selected for the International Critics Week at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

This Wednesday, October 15, Main Library will serve as a Satellite Early Voting Station.  The voting will take place in the North Lobby, and voting hours will be from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

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.