Did You Know – Library News

Sep 20 2022

Libraries Resources Available for Textbooks and Course Materials

Posted on September 20, 2022September 20, 2022 by Anne Bassett

The cost of textbooks continues to rise due to an industry heavily dominated by large publishing companies. While there is no single solution to the problem, the University of Iowa and University Libraries is committed to continuing to find ways to help reduce the cost for course content.

Here are some resources:

Check the University Libraries using InfoHawk+: We may have an e-book or physical copy of the book in our collections that you can check out and use. If the book isn’t on our shelves or in our databases, it may still be on course reserves. If not, you might consider asking your professor to place a copy in the library for students to use.
- Search by:
  - Course name
  - Instructor
  - Book title
Faculty can adopt free and openly licensed Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of commercial textbooks. OER are teaching, learning, and research resources (such open textbooks, audio and video material, etc.) that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. The Libraries provide support for faculty wishing to pursue this option though our OpenHawks program. You can also find examples of OER across disciplines and formats in repositories such as OER Commons and the Open Textbook Library.
ICON Direct is a way to order digital content from specific publishers and delivering the content to students and faculty. More information.
Can you use an older edition of a textbook? If your professor says it’s okay, you can often find older versions at a greatly reduced price.

Aug 16 2022

We have books and so much more… 10 ways your Libraries can help you

Posted on August 16, 2022August 22, 2022 by Anne Bassett

The University of Iowa Libraries are here to help. We provide vital opportunities for engaging in critical learning, research, creative work, and clinical care through staff expertise and exceptional collections.

Here are 10 convenient services we provide to support your success. We look forward to assisting you!

1) There are seven University Libraries on campus.* 

Art Library
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
Litchenberger Engineering Library
Main Library
Marvin A. Pomerantz Business Library
Rita Benton Music Library
Sciences Library
*Law Library (a separate entity from the University Libraries)

2) Specialist librarians for every major and subject.   

3) Access 1000+ research databases with a HawkID.

4) Get quick answers from librarians through the library chat website and text a librarian for help at 319-313-2395. 

5) Have library materials delivered and receive scans of articles and chapters via email.  You can also borrow items not owned by the Libraries through Interlibrary Loan. 

6) Four rare book rooms and five archives provide access to unique resources.

Rare Book Rooms

LEARN MORE

lib.uiowa.edu

Feb 20 2022

Presidents’ Day Resources

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by Anne Bassett

On Presidents’ Day and every day, it’s easy to find information about those holding the highest government office in the United States by visiting the University of Iowa LibGuide for Presidential Resources.

University Libraries is also designated as a Federal Depository Library, so we can help you find public U.S. government information for class assignments or just to satisfy your curiosity. Please visit https://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/us/, or contact John Elson, federal and state information librarian, via john-elson@uiowa.edu for assistance.

The federal Presidents’ Day holiday was originally established to commemorate the birthday of the country’s first president, George Washington, on February 22. It’s since expanded to celebrate the lives of all U.S. presidents and fall on the third Monday in February.

By John Elson, federal and state engagement librarian

Jan 23 2022

What’s New in the Public Domain in 2022?

Posted on January 23, 2022January 23, 2022 by Anne Bassett

COURTESY: THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN AT DUKE LAW SCHOOL

Now, you have even more works—and for the first time, sound recordings—available to be freely digitized, read, and used as the basis for new work.

On Jan. 1, 2022, debut novels by Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, and about 400,000 sound recordings from before 1926 were among the many books, recordings, movies, and other creative works that entered the public domain.

So, why is the public domain important? Permission is no longer needed to copy or use the works, which is an essential opportunity to foster learning, innovation, and the creation of new works.

Here are some places to check out the newly available creative works from 1926 available in the public domain:

Hathi Trust Digital Library – These materials from the Google Books Project have been digitized for years, but as of January 1, the full-text is now available to everyone.
Center for the Study of Public Domain – Duke’s Public Domain Day page has some great selected highlights.
The Public Domain Review – This journal specializes in mining the public domain.

Interested in finding out more about U.S. copyright law and how to determine a work’s copyright status? The Scholarly Impact Department helps faculty work through complex copyright issues, such as what can be used in the classroom, how to retain your rights as an author, and how to apply Creative Commons licensing. Feel free to send an email to mahrya-burnett@uiowa.edu to set up a consultation. You might also try these excellent copyright resources:

Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center – This handy reference chart is great for a quick check on copyright status.
Digital Copyright Slider – This Flash-based slider provides copyright status for works, depending on when they were published and whether copyright was renewed.
UI Libraries Copyright Guide – This guide provides the basics on copyright issues, such as Fair Use, seeking permissions, author rights, and licensing.

Apr 03 2020

Emergency access to copyrighted books

Posted on April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 by The University of Iowa Libraries

Effective immediately and until normal access to physical collections resumes, students, faculty, and staff at the University of Iowa have online access to a large portion of the University Libraries’ print collection—volumes that would have been difficult to access from library facilities that are closed due to COVID-19.

Reading access to digitized copies of print volumes has been granted to the UI by HathiTrust, a not-for-profit, collaborative digital library that holds over 17 million volumes digitized from academic and research libraries. The UI Libraries, in collaboration with the Big Ten Academic Alliance, is a founding member of HathiTrust.

This means that any books available through HathiTrust that are also in the UI Libraries’ collections will be available online without the additional step of requesting a digital scan. HathiTrust’s online collection contains nearly half of the UI Libraries’ book collection for an additional 1.6 million volumes now available online for our campus community.

To take advantage of this resource:

Visit HathiTrust and click the yellow “LOG IN” button.
Select “University of Iowa” and log with your HawkID.
Use the site to locate the item you wish to view.
Click on the Temporary Access link at the bottom of the record to check out the item through the Emergency Temporary Access Service.
You will have 60 minutes of access to the book during any session. If you remain active in the book during any session, access time will be extended.
Please note that it is not possible to download books from HathiTrust. This is to protect authors’ rights.

HathiTrust has provided detailed instructions, including how to use the service on a phone or tablet.

For help with access to these and other digital resources at the UI Libraries, please contact us.

Dec 10 2018

UI Libraries and student government collaborate to reduce textbook costs

Posted on December 10, 2018December 31, 2018 by The University of Iowa Libraries

How will I afford my textbooks this semester? Can I pass this course even though I don’t have the book? Is it illegal to download this PDF of the book that I found online?

These are the kinds of questions students ask at the beginning of the semester. The solutions they find are creative. Sometimes a whole group of roommates will share a book. In other cases, they will find a dubious copy for free online. Other times, they skip textbooks entirely. For some students, it’s a matter of buying food or buying books.

UI Libraries and UI Student Government are easing some of this burden with a collaborative project called the Textbook Affordability Pilot (TAP). Under TAP, a committee of library staff and student government representatives collect donated textbooks and purchase new ones for “high impact courses.” These are classes for which the cost of books is high and more than 100 students are enrolled in the course. These books are placed on course reserves in Main Library and the branch libraries for students to use free of charge.

Plans for TAP began in the summer of 2017, when student government approached the Libraries with questions about making textbooks more affordable. The UI Libraries encourages faculty to bypass traditional textbooks where possible by using books from the Libraries’ collection and using open educational resources. The Libraries also keeps copies of some textbooks on course reserve. Despite these efforts, librarians and students realized more could be done.

UISG Director of Academic Affairs, Tristan Schmidt, and Scholarly Communications Librarian, Mahrya Burnett, along with interested colleagues, began to explore the idea of purchasing textbooks and collecting donated copies. There was broad interest on both ends. Eventually, UISG and UI Libraries both allocated funds, totaling $17,000 for the one-year pilot. The committee drafted a set of criteria for books to be included in TAP and identified objectives for success. Then they started buying and collecting books.

As TAP began accepting donations last spring, the response from students was overwhelming. They donated hundreds of books, filling the UISG offices at the IMU. The committee is now working with faculty, students, and librarians to finalize its purchase list in order to get new books processed and on the shelves. TAP aims to have 100 books available for student use through course reserves at the Main Library and several other campus libraries by spring semester 2019. Their hope is to see the program grow over time so that more and more books are available for the students who need them.

For complete information about TAP, visit http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/TAP

TAP information for students
Can I access my textbooks for free? One easy way to find out whether your textbook is on Course Reserves is to use this simple search tool. Search by course name, instructor, or book title.

TAP information for faculty, instructors, and TAs
Do the textbooks for my course qualify for TAP? Faculty can email LIB-TAP@uiowa.edu to see if their textbooks are TAP eligible.

Feb 10 2016

LIBRARY SERVICES: Paging Service and CIC borrowing

Posted on February 10, 2016December 2, 2016 by The University of Iowa Libraries

NEW PAGING SERVICE—Beginning January 4, 2016, you can request up to 10 items for pickup at the Main Library through our catalog. Please request materials before 12:00 a.m. midnight for pickup after 12:00 p.m. noon the following business day. Requests received on a Friday will be ready the next Monday.

—When you have immediate need for items that are not available from the University of Iowa Libraries, search UBorrow. UBorrow enables you to find and request books directly from 15 major research libraries, with combined collections of more than 90 million volumes.

Learn more about and search UBorrow at guides.lib.uiowa.edu/uborrow

Oct 24 2011

“You Say Khaddafi, I Say Gaddafi”

Posted on October 24, 2011 by The University of Iowa Libraries

This month’s focus – foreign media coverage of Libyan leader, Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi, past and present.

Develop your research skills and put a little power in your papers. Learn transferable skills that can be applied to nearly all topics.

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

May 11 2010

Don’t Struggle with Research Next Semester

Posted on May 11, 2010 by The University of Iowa Libraries

During the last couple days of the semester, you’re tired, you’re frustrated and you’re spending WAY too much time searching for information for your paper.

The end of next semester can be better! You can learn how to Find the Good Stuff Fast!

Learn how to DO MORE than just Google for information
Find information resources your professors want
Save yourself the headache of searching – do more finding
Feel more confident in your information/research skills

If this sounds like a better end to the semester, add the course 417:001 Library Research in Context to your fall schedule. In this class, you’ll actually be able to use the information you learn for assignments and projects that you’ll be doing in your major courses. Two for one – now that’s something the University rarely offers you!

So log-on to ISIS and register for one of the following sections of 417:001 before the course closes!

417:001:003 Library Research in Context
Subtitle: Find the Good Stuff Fast
Instructors: Kristi A Robinson-Bontrager, Ericka A Raber
Time & Location: 10:30A – 11:20A W 4037 LIB

417:001:005 Library Research in Context
Subtitle: Find the Good Stuff Fast
Instructor: Steven F Ostrem
Time & Location: 1:30P – 2:20P T 4037 LIB

Or one of the online courses offered this fall:

417:001:EXU Library Research in Context
Subtitle: Find the Good Stuff Fast
Instructor: Daniel P Gall
Time & Location: ARR World Wide Web

417:001:EXV Library Research in Context
Subtitle: Find the Good Stuff Fast
Instructor: Dave Martin
Time & Location: ARR World Wide Web

417:001:EXW Library Research in Context
Subtitle: Find the Good Stuff Fast
Instructor: Christopher A Childs
Time & Location: ARR World Wide Web

Dec 02 2009

Did You Know? You can access the newest research online: full text

Posted on December 2, 2009 by The University of Iowa Libraries

Through the Libraries, you now have full text (PDF) access to over 1 million titles in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. For more information: http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/dissertations.