International Open Access Week 2024 is here! This year’s theme is “Community over Commercialization” —and from Oct. 21 to 27, the Libraries is highlighting some of the many ways you can leverage community resources and support to make your work open access (OA) for free.
Welcome to day one of International Open Access Week 2024! We’re excited to celebrate all things OA. After all, the world needs your research, and you can reach a wider audience when your work isn’t behind a paywall.
When you think about access to a journal article, you might think it’s either only available to subscribers or available to everyone (OA). But there is a third option, called Green OA or self-archiving. In Green OA, the author makes a version of the article freely available through a disciplinary or institutional repository, in addition to the published version behind the paywall.
With Green OA, the publisher holds the copyright on the published article, so they control the self-archiving options, including:
Is there an embargo period after publication? (6, 12, 24 months?)
Most publishers also require the Green OA version to link to the published version.
If you think this sounds complicated, you’re not alone. Fortunately, the Libraries is here to help. Our librarians can help you navigate journal-specific self-archiving policies to make sure you’re archiving the right version, in the right place, at the right time. Iowa Research Online, our institutional repository, accepts pre-prints, accepted manuscripts, and other forms of posted content, like working papers. Please contact us for assistance; we’ll be happy to help.
Jade E. Davis, associate university librarian for teaching, learning, and research at the University of Iowa Libraries, was selected to serve as the interdisciplinary area director of digital learning impact and libraries for HASTAC, the world’s first and oldest academic social network.
HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory or “Haystack”) is a virtual platform that includes more than 18,000 people and 400 affiliate institutions and encourages members to invent new ways to collaborate, form groups, post blogs, and leave comments.
Davis is joining the HASTAC leadership team based at the CUNY Graduate Center and is one of two area directors, a new volunteer role. The service opportunity will leverage her expertise in digital knowledge production and access.
“HASTAC exemplifies how learning should work: as a distributed network of curious, motivated people creating together. One of my joys at the University of Iowa has been meeting many who have engaged with HASTAC as scholars, mentors, or participants,” says Davis. “I look forward to collaborating with colleagues at Iowa and across the country to explore innovative and distributed forms of knowledge creation, particularly for students.”
During the week of Oct. 21–27, 2024, the University of Iowa Libraries is celebrating International Open Access Week by sharing updates and information about all things open access.
In the Libraries’ Scholarly Impact Department, we get a lot of questions from UI authors who are interested in publishing their research open access (OA), but don’t have funding available to pay for costly article processing charges (APCs). While the Libraries have several open access agreements in place to cover these costs for select publishers, they don’t cover everything. Without grant money or funds from your department, you can be on the hook for thousands of dollars to make your work open. It might seem at times like OA is out of reach.
But did you know that 73% of open access journals do not charge an APC? That’s right. Most OA journal titles are what we call diamond OA, meaning that they are free for the reader and free for the author. The cost of making the publication OA is absorbed by the publisher, usually a scholarly society or university department or library operating on a small or non-existent budget. You can see diamond OA articles published by UI authors in this collection from Iowa Research Online.
You may be thinking, “if diamond OA is so common, why have I never heard of it?” Scholars choose to publish in journals that will help bolster their reputations and careers. Promotion and tenure committees often look at propriety metrics such as impact factor to determine how a publication should be considered as part of a scholar’s portfolio. These metrics are created by and optimized for the same entities that publish the journals charging the high APCs. So, you can see how and why diamond OA journals struggle to compete.
Still, there are diamond OA journals that are widely read and perform well against standard metrics. If you are an author interested in exploring diamond OA titles to submit your work, try searching the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for titles in your discipline. On the results screen, tick the box for “see journals without fees” to explore vetted diamond OA journals.
If you are an editor of a diamond OA journal, consider these steps to boost your journal’s visibility:
The department will hold a panel discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m.–noon. We will discuss diamond OA, as well as our publisher OA agreements, open data, open monographs, and the sharing of scholarship through repositories and personal websites (green OA). Click here to register and to find out more. We hope to see you there.
Inside the University of Iowa Libraries is your look behind-the-scenes to meet the people and discover the stories making our organization unique and valuable. From cutting-edge databases to rare books, join us to explore a world of research, preservation, and discovery that fosters student success through countless touchpoints.
Her journey at the Libraries began as student worker, and now she eagerly passes on the passion for librarianship to her student workers. Lindsay joined the Libraries staff during her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at the UI School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), graduating in 2014. Now, she is the lead public services librarian for Special Collections and Archives. From handling materials to greeting people at the front desk, Lindsay creates a welcoming and engaging environment to interact with the Libraries’ unique collections. Let’s dive into Lindsay’s world through a Q&A and discover how her personal interests, including Beatrix Potter, fuel her passion for librarianship.
Q: When is your job most rewarding?
A: It’s working with our student employees and interns. Being able to mentor and inform students from all walks of life and backgrounds is really rewarding, whether they have specific career goals within librarianship or just want a fun student job to gain workplace experience. I get a sincere sense of fulfillment when our students find their place within the Libraries.
Our student employees not only get frequent, direct experience navigating the Libraries’ wide range of resources to support their own academic endeavors, but they also learn about and gain appreciation for librarianship and the work that goes on behind the scenes.
Q: How did you find your way to the Libraries?
A: I have the University of Iowa’s Museum Studies Certificate program to thank! My undergraduate certificate internship was in Special Collections, which inspired me to pursue a library degree for my master’s education.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of work?
A: Known by many of my colleagues, I collect Beatrix Potter materials, some of which are actually on display this semester at Macbride Hall as part of the My Collections campus collaboration. I also serve as a trustee for the international Beatrix Potter Society, and that has been a great avenue to bring my librarian skills to a group that is not only outside of the Libraries, but the United States as well.
Q: What advice would you give those embarking on their own careers in librarianship?
A: Don’t take yourself too seriously. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day pressures and demands of academia and librarianship, but at the end of the day, just do your best with the resources you have and remember why you pursued librarianship in the first place.
That’s where she met Tim Shipe, curator of the International Dada Archive, who connected with her interest in surrealism and introduced her to a sample of Dada pamphlets and periodicals from the archive. At that point, Wieder says, something clicked. “The Archive was just incredible,” says Wieder. “And all of this is happening here in Iowa. It was one of the main reasons why I came here for grad school, because I knew I would have the resources that I needed to do my research and to do it really well.”
As it turns out, Wieder’s work in the Dada Archive is in perfect alignment with her area of study. Wieder, now a third-year PhD student in the Department of French and Italian, is at work on a dissertation focused on the roles of women surrealists in the French Resistance. Surrealism shares a common art historical lineage with Dadaism, itself an avant-garde art movement that originated in the Europe of the early 20th century. Wieder concedes that Dadaism “isn’t for everybody,” but she finds inspiration in the movement’s offbeat energy. Its products include sound poems, which many find confounding.
“Sometimes I come across a piece that makes me think, ‘this doesn’t make any sense. What am I looking at?’ but I still want to get it,” Wieder says. “I want to sit and work with the piece. I’m drawn to the ambiguity. Even if the artists don’t always try to be understood or to generate any meaning, it’s still fun to take time with the piece and pick it apart.”
As it happens, facilitating understanding is a big part of Wieder’s role. Her work in the Dada Archive is mainly focused on assisting other scholars as they prepare to publish articles in the International Dada Archive’s scholarly journal, Dada/Surrealism. She checks citations, copy-edits articles, and even draws upon her fluency in French to offer translations—a service Shipe calls “invaluable.”
“Emily has been an enormous asset to the International Dada Archive and the Department of Special Collections and Archives,” says Shipe. “Not only has she been able to track down and correct countless citations, but she has also been able to improve on translations by established French scholars who have expressed gratitude for her suggestions.”
Wieder has written book reviews for publication in Dada/Surrealism, and is currently working with Rich Dana of the Sackner Archive to prepare an exhibition for spring 2025 in the Main Library Gallery. In spring 2024, she was selected to receive a Stanley Award for International Research, which she will use to travel to Paris in October 2024 to conduct research for her dissertation.
Wieder credits her work at the Libraries with stoking her interest in the interconnectedness of the Dada and surrealist movements, and she’s grateful to her colleagues in Special Collections and Archives for their mentorship. After finishing her PhD, she eventually hopes to become a professor of French literature. Her work at the Libraries, she says, has helped her gain confidence as she uses the full resources of a research university.
“It’s incredibly satisfying to be around people who are experts in their field,” says Wieder. “And then, of course, being surrounded by old books and posters and other materials—I mean, it doesn’t really get better than that.”
Emily Wieder’s employment is supported by the Dada Fund, a philanthropic account that supports Dada and Surrealism in the Libraries. To learn more about the International Dada Archive, visit our website.
For Jane Roth, the connection to the University of Iowa started with her mother and father—and it’s continued to grow thanks to her commitment to helping students be as successful as possible during their time on campus and beyond.
Roth recently completed her one-year term as chair of the Libraries Advancement Council (LAC), which actively champions the Libraries and provides guidance and feedback to help the UI Center for Advancement’s (UICA) effort to increase support through fundraising, advocacy, and engagement. She’s been a member of the group since it started near the end of 2020.
Roth’s connection to Iowa began with her parents, and her generosity includes donating original Herky drawings to Special Collections and Archives with her mother in her father’s memory.
“I’m proud of serving on the Council from its inception and also having the chance to serve as chair,” says Roth, from Leesburg, Virginia. “From preservation to providing the latest in online resources, fostering excellence and student success is at the forefront of everything the Libraries does. It makes a real impact because it touches all areas of campus, and I believe I’ve made a difference too, which is important to me.”
Roth’s mother, Bernice “Bunny” Havlicek, earned a GN degree from the College of Nursing in 1940 and her father, Frank, earned a BS in physical education in 1948. Frank also served as the as the business manager of Athletics and held a contest for a new university mascot in 1948. In fact, it was drawings of the winner—the beloved Herky the Hawk—that first connected Roth to the Libraries. She and her mother donated the Dick Spencer III Collection of Herky Pen and Ink Drawings to the University Archives in Frank’s memory in 2016.
A gift from Roth to the Libraries also provides funding to employ graduate students who are dedicated to special projects. Some of their work includes curating an exhibit showcasing the evolution of Herky and collecting student life archival materials. Currently, Anastasia Scholze-Wang is processing photos, drill charts, and video recordings from the Hawkeye Marching Band records so they can be digitized.
LAC members gathered for a photo during the group’s fall 2023 meeting. (From left to right, starting at lower left)
Row 1: LeAnn Lemberger, Amy Sullivan, Linda “Lin” Phillips, and Virginia Eichacker. Row 2: Aaron Schaefer; Tom Rocklin; Jane Roth; and Barbara McFadden. Row 3: Christie Krugler; John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian; and Paula Wiley, UICA associate director of development, Libraries.
“Providing opportunities for students is very important to me,” says Roth. “Anastasia’s work is also an example of how the Libraries has ties across the university and lifts up other areas on campus.”
And one of those areas is the College of Nursing. Roth also serves on its Campaign Advisory Board and the Bernice Weede Havlicek Scholarship has supported more than 15 students since it was established in in 2014.
Now as Roth reflects on her time serving as the LAC chair, she says she’s looking forward to continuing to serve as a champion for the Libraries.
“It all comes back to the Libraries because everything is connected,” says Roth. “It’s about meeting students’ needs while never losing sight of the past and traditions that brought us here.”
Christie Krugler, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now serving as chair of the LAC and Linda “Lin” Phillips, Norwalk, Iowa, is vice chair.
The Council’s next meeting is scheduled for October 2024.
The LAC recognized Roth’s service as chair during its spring 2024 meeting.
In her honor, the Libraries added to Special Collections a copy of Lippincott’s Hand-book of Nursing for Family and General Use, one of the first manuals of nursing printed as the career was codified in the late 19th century. A poster encouraging young women to join the United States Cadet Nurses Corp, a WWII entity that saw over 100,000 women join the profession and war effort, was also added. Roth’s mother, Bunny, was working on Dec. 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the impact was felt even in Iowa.
The book and poster were purchased in honor of Roth’s service by the Friends of the University of Iowa Libraries.
Detail from The City is My Religion: A Typographic Memoir. Jennifer Farrell. Chicago: Starshaped Press, 2020. x-Collection Oblong [FOLIO N7433.4.F3677 C58 2020]. Special Collections & Archives, University of Iowa Libraries. Photo: Sara J. Pinkham.Sentinella. Daniel Essig. Asheville, North Carolina: Daniel Essig, 2013. x-Collection Oblong [N7433.4.E88 S45 2013]. Special Collections & Archives, University of Iowa Libraries. Photo: Sara J. Pinkham.Stara Kniha (Old Book). Jan Sobota. Dallas: Jan Sobota, 1980-1998. x-Collection. Special Collections & Archives, University of Iowa LibrariesPsalterium cum Antiphonis, late 15th century. Rebound and treated in the University of Iowa Libraries Conservation Lab by William Anthony in 1985. Medieval Manuscripts [xMMs.Ps3]. Special Collections & Archives, University of Iowa Libraries. Photo: Sara J. Pinkham.
Books have the extraordinary power to turn their stewards into time travelers. A roughly sewn leather cover on a medieval book or a centuries-old doodle can reveal a lot about a book’s owner and its use. Minuscule notes scribbled in the margins of a plague-year calendar can hold weightier sway over today’s post-pandemic imaginations. A delicate handwritten book of recipes for everything from medical tinctures and elixirs to inks and imitation port wine lends some insight into 19th-century conventional wisdom.
From January through June 2024, the Main Library Gallery’s spring 2024 exhibit, Making the Book, Past and Present, showcased a global selection of rare historic books and modern book art. Using items from Special Collections and Archives at the University of Iowa Libraries, the exhibit explored the intersections of history, art, and practicality. From medieval manuscripts and early modern works to recent book sculptures, pop-ups, and movable books, these carefully curated materials comprised a visual feast representing the strong connection between books and makers past and present.
The exhibition was curated by Eric Ensley, curator of rare books and maps at the Special Collections and Archives, and Emily Martin, adjunct assistant professor of bookbinding and book arts at the University of Iowa Center for the Book.
And be sure to visit the Main Library Gallery in fall 2024 to explore Hawkeye Histories | Sporting Stories. The exhibit examines the role of sports in shaping life at Iowa, and catalogs how sports at the university have been influenced by broader national organizations and movements. From the early establishment of men’s and women’s sports at the turn of the 20th century to burgeoning big-time men’s sports of the mid-1900s, the elevation of women’s sports post-1970s, and the tumultuous and triumphant 2000s, the exhibit invites you to revisit familiar and explore unfamiliar Hawkeye sport histories.
Lingvarvm duodecim characteribyus […] Guillaume Postel. Parisiis: Prostant Apud Dionysium Lescuier, 1538. x-Collection [VAULT P213 .P6].
In this 1538 printing, Guillaume Postel became one of the first people to experiment with printing in non-western typefaces. Printing in languages like Arabic was a challenge for early printers due to its being written in a cursive script in which letterforms must connect. As a polyglot with a keen interest in representing language, Postel worked with printers to try to tackle this problem—this ‘printing in twelve characters’ is the product of that attempt. Our copy in Special Collections and Archives is notable, as it was heavily annotated by a person, possibly a 16th-century scholar, eager to learn these languages.
Monica Ong is a talented book artist who works with unusual forms. Here she uses the planisphere, an object used to find constellations in the night sky, to showcase a poem she wrote. One can turn the dial and slowly move through her poetry as the stars travel through the night sky as seen from China.
Asian and Indo-Islamic Collection; A Portfolio of Leaves Taken from Rare and Notable Books and Manuscripts. New York: Society of Foliophiles, 1928. Typography Lab [FLAT FOLIO Z6605.O7 B7].
Special Collections and Archives has a rich collection of early manuscripts, including those from beyond Western Europe. While today it would be considered unethical, decades ago large portfolios of manuscripts were cut up into individual pages and were sold to universities and private collectors. Though these portfolios are testament to longtime interest in early manuscripts—even if misguided—today we are still able to use these portfolios to instruct in the history of books and manuscripts across many locations and cultures.
University of Iowa Center for the Book MFA graduate Radha Pandey is a talented book artist who moves from the serious to wryly funny in her works. In this, one of her more serious works, Pandey considers ‘deep time,’ or the accreted layers of history as told through her hand-carved and layered pages that resemble the layered landscapes on which humans dwell.
Bookbinding illustrations by Gary Frost, conservator emeritus.
The University of Iowa Libraries’ Book Model Collection (BMC) is one of the only places in the world where a visitor can hold a facsimile of a Mesopotamian clay tablet in one hand and its electronic successor, the e-reader, in the other. This collection, which comprises more than 300 items housed in an alcove in the Conservation Lab, is among the Libraries’ rarest assets—and a valuable teaching resource for preserving the cultural heritage of the book.
These bookbinding models exemplify book structures, demonstrating to students how a book operates. They range from practical to experimental and may reproduce traditional bookbinding techniques of various eras and cultures.
According to Suzanne Glémot, collections care specialist, something important happens when students interact with a model. What a collection like this exists to do, she says, is “shift the focus from books only being valuable for their text to books being valuable for their craft histories and their structural inheritances.”
The BMC began with Bill Anthony, the Libraries’ first university conservator, who came to the institution in 1984. He and his apprentice, Mark Esser, established the formalized version of the BMC in connection with an exhibit, The Art and Craft of Bookbinding, which traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in fall 1987. In curating the exhibit, Anthony established a professional correspondence with Gary Frost, then an early-career bookbinder.
Frost became crucial in guiding the BMC after he officially joined the conservation department in 1999, retiring in 2011. Now conservator emeritus, Frost continues to be actively involved in the BMC’s evolution; it was Frost’s idea to sort models chronologically and to include e-readers in the collection.
Decades after its founding, the BMC is a cornerstone—not just of the Libraries but also the curricula of the Center for the Book and the School of Library and Information Science.
The BMC serves a dynamic community of conservators, scholars, librarians, artists, and bookbinders at Iowa and beyond. While some universities’ book model collections are narrower in focus, the expansiveness of the BMC makes it singularly valuable to those studying bookbinding, including students from the Center for the Book.
As Frost puts it, the history of the BMC is a kind of family tree, with modern students carrying on its legacy. “We’re looking across the fluidity of time, the fluidity of invention and development.”
For now, the next step is fully digitizing the BMC so that it can be accessed by researchers worldwide through the Iowa Digital Library.
Jade E. Davis joined the University of Iowa Libraries in October 2023 to take on the role of associate university librarian for teaching, learning, and research. Before her move to Iowa City, Davis served as the director of educational technology and learning management at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Davis has extensive experience in higher education and holds a PhD in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the author of The Other Side of Empathy, published in August 2023 by Duke University Press.
Davis discusses her first academic year at the university, what she loves about academic libraries, and what makes the Libraries so special.
In February 2024, Davis joined the Hawkeye community from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
How has your time at the Libraries been so far?
My experience at the Libraries has been wonderful so far. When I interviewed last summer, I was excited by the strong sense of community and care that everyone spoke about. The organization is truly built on the belief in each colleague’s potential and expertise.
I am very glad to be here and hope that my work will highlight the essential role the Libraries plays in supporting teaching, learning, and research excellence at the university. This is due to the skills, knowledge, and care that extend not just to the staff but to everyone in the community.
Tell us about a few of the goals you’ve set for yourself and the areas you supervise.
Overall, the area I supervise is dedicated to enhancing the Libraries’ role as a dynamic hub for teaching, learning, and research. We focus on promoting collaborative innovation, facilitating the dissemination of knowledge, and creating inclusive spaces where all users feel supported and valued.
We are excited to be defining the TLR (Teaching, Learning, and Research) portfolio in alignment with the goals of the portfolio, the university, and the Libraries. Additionally, we are actively enhancing our support systems, particularly for undergraduate research. This will enable us to grow and evolve existing programs in alignment with our theoretical focus.
Personally, my main goal is to continue to get to know the Libraries and the university so I can better cultivate those things that allow for the type of teaching, learning, and research that could only come from Iowa.
What do you enjoy about academic librarianship?
As the “L” in GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), what I love most about academic libraries is the meaningful interactions they foster. Unlike other institutions, academic libraries encourage people to engage with both the items and the staff. This “play” can involve exploring ideas, handling unique items, or using our spaces in creative and unexpected ways.
Academic libraries are spaces of exploration and creation, and I love the energy that this generates. I am always inspired by the incredible things we help bring into being through our resources and expertise.
How do you spend your free time?
Reality TV, video games (I am on my annual virtual reality kick, given all the new experiences that are being released), knitting, and theory books.
Currently I’m reading a book titled La langue anglaise n’existe pas. C’est du français mal prononcé, which translates to “The English language does not exist. It is badly pronounced French.” It came out this year and there were only three copies available in the United States. When I put in an Interlibrary Loan request, it was canceled. Instead, our wonderful acquisitions team ordered the book. It is a fun read and almost makes me want to go back through this interview and see how many of the words are badly pronounced French. If the book’s analysis is correct, it will be a bit over 50%. At the very least, “library” (librarie) is 100% a French word, but it means “bookstore.” As we know, libraries (in English), house free-to-use resources for our community. And we are so much more than books.
The Eichacker-Harper family was selected to receive the 2024 University of Iowa Family Spirit Award. Front row, from left: Julie Flack Eichacker, Lois Harper Eichacker, George Eichacker, and Kenton Eichacker. Back row: Milton Eichacker, Lois Eichacker Jr., and Virginia Eichacker (Submitted photo)
The Eichacker-Harper family has been making Iowa history for five generations. Now, the family has been recognized with the well-deserved University of Iowa Family Spirit Award for their longstanding contributions to the university.
Virginia Eichacker serves on the Libraries Advancement Council.
The Libraries is fortunate to work closely with Virginia Eichacker (BS ’87, JD ’92), who is a member of the Libraries Advancement Council (LAC). Her parents, Lois and George, as well as her brother, sister, and aunt, also earned degrees from Iowa—and the Libraries are proud to hold the Lois Eichacker Papers in the Iowa Women’s Archives (IWA).
The Family Spirit Award recognizes a family—spanning at least three generations of UI graduates—that has substantially benefited from and continues to advocate for the university, as well as contributes toward bettering the state of Iowa and its communities.
The family’s story is a testament to their community-minded outlook. Lois was the first African American president of the UI Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Lois’ sister and her daughter Virginia’s namesake, Virginia Harper, was one of the first five students to integrate Currier Residence Hall in 1946, where a mural now commemorates their achievements at the university and beyond.
Virginia Eichacker’s aunt, Virginia Harper (furthest right), was one of the five undergraduate women who integrated Currier Residence Hall in 1946.
Virginia Eichacker has come to treasure a black-and-white photograph of the five women taken during their first days in Currier. In February 2024, she shared a reflection on the image and her aunt’s legacy: “As I look at the picture of the young women who integrated Currier Hall in 1946, the first thing that strikes me was that they were not looking into the camera but at something that appeared to be in the distance,” she wrote. “She did not imagine that 75 years later (in 2021), [the photo] would be part of a mural in a room in Currier Residence Hall—which she had been excluded from the year before.”
The Eichacker-Harper family will be honored at the Iowa football game on Sept. 14, 2024.
