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Category: News
News
Dec
10
2018
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.
Nov
09
2018
Eight Big Ten universities, a federal funding agency, and private companies come together to fund the development of Collaborative Archive Data Research Environment (CADRE)
Students, faculty, and researchers across the Midwest and beyond will gain crucial access to large research datasets through a secure, cloud-based platform called CADRE (Collaborative Archive Data Research Environment). CADRE will be developed through a large-scale partnership led by the Indiana University Libraries and the Indiana University Network Science Institute.
The $2 million project is funded by an award of nearly $850,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary federal funding agency supporting the nation’s libraries and museums. Additional support comes from eight other universities in the Big Ten, including the University of Iowa; the Big Ten Academic Alliance; the National Science Foundation’s Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs program; and two private companies: Clarivate Analytics and Microsoft Research.
The University of Iowa Libraries will collaborate with IU Libraries and other partners from the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) to develop a cloud-based platform that will allow library users direct, hands-on access to bibliometric, patent, and other large databases.
Other BTAA partners are Michigan State University, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, The Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and Rutgers University.
“We firmly support this project because this type of shared secure data mining service is badly needed by research libraries, and importantly, by sharing the costs of enhancing, maintaining, and updating the platform across libraries, the costs become very affordable,” says John Culshaw, the Jack B. King university librarian at the UI Libraries. He says that without collaborative partners, the University of Iowa would not be able to “parse, secure, and host such enormous repositories of data, let alone develop the Graphical User Interfaces necessary to facilitate patron-driven queries.”
“This project exemplifies the role of libraries in the information age,” says Jamie Wittenberg, research data management librarian and head of scholarly communication at Indiana University Libraries, who will direct the project. “Our mission is to efficiently and effectively connect researchers with the materials they need to advance innovation and discovery. CADRE will open up the power of data mining to everyone, not only people with specialized expertise.”
Bibliometric research is the “science of science”
The ability to deeply analyze connections between these texts will support bibliometric research, a growing field that plumbs the world’s increasingly large and complex databases to reveal the underlying structural forces that affect the production of scientific knowledge. This work—often called the “science of science”—has shed light on a wide range of subjects. For example, bibliometric analysis has helped reveal the depth of women’s historical contributions to science and the influence of large-scale historical events on research activity.
CADRE will provide a user-friendly “front door” through which the partner institution members can request bibliometric analysis of available data. The project will automate many complex and time-consuming tasks that were previously required to conduct this research.
Product developers seeking input. To build user interfaces that will be of the highest utility for you, CADRE seeks your input. Potential users in all disciplines (faculty, staff, and students) are encouraged to provide input through user stories. To share your user story, please complete this form. All responses, no matter how abstract or seemingly trivial, are very helpful for us and will be given serious consideration as we plan for the development of CADRE.
Another important feature of the system is the power to share data. Individuals who use the platform will not only be able to share the results of their analyses, but also the software code, algorithms, workflows, methods, and the specific software versions and configurations used to run their analyses. This is critical for making the work reproducible, as well as helping the original researchers refine their methods for other projects.
Watch a video about the project
The first new materials to be accessed via CADRE are records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which contains data on publicly-available patents and intellectual property, and the Microsoft Academic Graph, a public database of 160 million scientific records.
Also contributing expertise to the project will be IT experts at Microsoft, Clarivate, and several units at IU, including the Research Data Services group; Science Gateways Research Center; Pervasive Technology Institute; and University Information Technology Services, or UITS. UITS will also contribute to the development of CADRE through access to the university’s supercomputing resources and cloud-computing platform, Jetstream.
Other organizations supporting the project include the Greater Western Library Alliance and the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana.
Oct
12
2018
During the month of Open Access week (October 22-28, 2018) we will be highlighting a number of guest posts from University of Iowa Faculty and Staff who have personal experience making their work Open Access. We appreciate their contributions.
The first post is by Danielle Medgyesi, recent MS Graduate, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health
Actualizing Unrestricted Knowledge Sharing for Collaborators, Partners, Allies, and Beneficiaries, Globally: From Iowa to Switzerland to Haiti
This year’s Open Access (OA) theme (2018): “Designing Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge” is especially relevant to a project our team recently published in an OA journal. As a University of Iowa graduate student in the College of Public Health, I worked closely with Assistant Professor Kelly Baker, PhD, and her extensive international network to develop a thesis project conducted in an internally displaced persons (IDP) community in Corail, Haiti. The community was established as part of the 2010 earthquake relief effort. Reflective of IDP communities worldwide, Corail has become a permanent residence for many families. Yet, residences face unsanitary and unsafe conditions due to a lack of permanent sanitation infrastructure and access to waste management services. The goal of the thesis project was to evaluate young children’s exposure to environmental hazards during play in public neighborhood areas that contain deteriorated latrines, trash, free-roaming animals, and open drainage canals.
As with many Global Health efforts, this project required resources and collaborators beyond the academic setting. We worked closely with colleagues at the non-profit organization, Terre des hommes, including our team leader at headquarters (Switzerland) and local staff working with and living in Corail (Haiti). As the project unfolded, our network of allies and those impacted by and interested in the health and safety risks of young children grew extensively. Thus, for the project to reach its’ full potential, we needed to involve and inform a diverse audience—from caregivers living in Corail, local partners in Haiti, and more broadly non-profit organizations and other academic institutes globally. Knowledge sharing, especially in the context of international research, is heavily dependent on the ability to overcome geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic barriers. Publishing in an OA article to ensure free access to the public is a step in the right direction to overcome such barriers. Yet, reflective of the 2018 theme, it is our responsibility as researchers and those involved in information sharing to continuously evaluate and develop new strategies so that research is truly accessible to a diverse audience, including those who have limited access to the internet and literacy.
Conclusively, I would like to express my support and gratitude for the OA fund at the University of Iowa and encourage others, especially students, to take advantage of this wonderful resource. With the decision to re-fund the OA program in the spring, the staff at the University of Iowa library were swift to respond and process our application to publish the thesis project in an OA international journal (IJERPH). The library’s quick turnaround permitted the manuscript to be available to the public shortly thereafter. Having the OA fund at the University of Iowa is a valuable resource for faculty and graduate students who may not have other means to pay for the processing fee. I look forward to following OA efforts as they continue to expand and reach a global audience.
Sep
27
2018
Eleven employees have been awarded UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarships for 2018-19. Congratulations to our winners!
May
08
2018
The Iowa Women’s Archives is seeking funding to digitize audiovisual materials in its collections that are no longer accessible because of their obsolete formats. These audiotapes, videotapes, and films document sports, politics, activism, domestic life, and a host of other topics.
Gifts supporting the IWA digitization project will be matched by a generous donor! Double your gift’s impact by donating now at bit.ly/iwa-giving.
If you would like your gift to be used for the IWA digitization project, please follow these steps:
1. Enter the dollar amount in the box next to “OTHER.”
2. In the comment box, type “for the IWA digitization project.”
Thank you!
If you would like to learn more about this match or how you can establish a matching gift, please contact:
Mary L. Rettig
Director of Development
University of Iowa Center for Advancement
mary-rettig@foriowa.org
318-467-3809 or 800-648-6973
Apr
18
2018
The University of Iowa Libraries has announced the establishment of the Jack B. King University Librarian Chair. Sue Curry, University of Iowa Interim Executive Vice President and Provost, appointed current university librarian John P. Culshaw as the first to hold the endowed chair at an investiture ceremony April 19, 2018 in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber.
“The Libraries are at the heart of the university’s academic mission. We are very grateful that the King family understood that and chose to support the Libraries, the university, and our students in this important way,” says Curry. “I am delighted to appoint John Culshaw to this new endowed position, in recognition of his extraordinary leadership of the Libraries and his vision for their future.”
The Jack B. King University Librarian Chair was established and endowed in 2017 through gifts from two generations of the King family, who were long-time advocates of libraries. Jack B. and Geraldine (Jerry) King combined their estate gift with funds from the Iva B. King trust, established by Jack’s parents, Fred (1928 B.A.) and Iva King. The UI Libraries supplemented the King family gift with funds from the Friends of the UI Libraries to establish the endowed chair.
The endowment will fund critical needs and strategic opportunities within the UI Libraries.
“I am humbled to serve the University of Iowa Libraries as it establishes its first named chair in honor of Jack and Jerry, especially in light of their lifelong commitment to encouraging careers in academic librarianship,” says Culshaw. “This endowment will enhance the UI Libraries’ continuing efforts to support research and to teach students to think critically about information sources.”
Culshaw has served as the university librarian since 2013. In addition to his campus duties, he is a member and chair of the Board of Governors of the HathiTrust Digital Library and member of the Executive Committee of the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance. Culshaw was elected in 2017 to the Association of Research Libraries Board of Directors and in 2018 will complete a term as a director-at-large on the Board of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
The University of Iowa Libraries provides one-on-one and classroom support for students, collaborative instruction with faculty, research support for scholars at all levels, digital and material collection management, scholarly publishing support, and assistance with data management. The Libraries’ archives and special collections hold, preserve, and make available primary source materials that enable scholars to create new knowledge.
For more information about the University of Iowa Libraries, visit www.lib.uiowa.edu.
Jan
23
2018
Iowa Research Online (IRO), the University of Iowa Libraries’ open access research repository, surpassed 10 million downloads in January 2018. IRO preserves and provides access to research and creative scholarship created by the University of Iowa’s faculty, students, and staff. The repository was launched in January 2009, and since then, its materials have been downloaded in 234 countries around the world.
FAQs about Iowa Research Online
Who can contribute to IRO? Any University of Iowa researcher (staff or faculty) can contribute to IRO, as long as copyright allows. The repository also includes some UI student work (theses and dissertations, honors theses, and selected class projects).
What’s the benefit of contributing to IRO? Work appearing in IRO gains wider availability since it’s accessible online without restrictions (no paywall requiring paid membership).
Who can access materials in IRO? Anyone in the world may access for free.
What’s the all-time most popular download? Nurse manager competencies http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2681/
What is the most popular download in the US? Life and Adventures of Jack Engle: An Auto-Biography http://ir.uiowa.edu/wwqr/vol34/iss3/3/
What are the most popular downloads outside the US?
- United Kingdom: Design of wind turbine tower and foundation systems: optimization approach http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1042/
- India: Chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of nanomaterials and its applications http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2501/
- Philippines: The caregiver’s journey: a phenomenological study of the lived experience of leisure for caregivers in the sandwich generation who care for a parent with dementia http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/599/
- China: Oxidation and reactivity of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, a reactive intermediate of dopamine metabolismhttp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/918/
Sep
16
2017
Four employees have been awarded the UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship for 2017-18. Congratulations to our winners!
JEIRAN HASAN is a graduate student pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in flute performance and pedagogy. She works at the Rita Benton Music Library. Hasan assists students, faculty, and researchers with a wide variety of questions. “When I began working in 2014, I had no idea how much the library would change my life,” she says. “The most interesting aspect of working in the library is the interactions I encounter with students from different backgrounds and interests. With my familiarity in Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, and Azerbaijani, I have been able to assist international patrons and patrons interested in ethnomusicology.”
CLARICE KELLING is a senior majoring in education with a minor in theatre. She works at the Main Library in Access Services (Service Desk and Circulation). Kelling helps reshelve materials and assists patrons at the Service Desk in the Main Library. Kelling began working at the library her freshman year. “Working here has helped me gain knowledge about libraries. As a future educator, I need to be able to find sources easily as well as help others search and handle various materials for their academic goals,” she says. “At the Main Library, I have the opportunity to practice this while also gaining inside knowledge about how libraries aid in education no matter the grade.”
MELISSA LAUER is a sophomore with a triple major in English, creative arts, and studio arts, with a minor in history. She works in Conservation and Preservation. Lauer mends and preserves books at the Main Library, where she “maintains the integrity and availability of the library’s circulating and non-circulating collections, caring for the materials that make the library the invaluable resource that it is. [Working in] the conservation lab has seamlessly united my majors in English and Creative Writing and Studio Arts and minor in History, deepening my appreciation of the physical book, my understanding of its content, and my love of the historic connection that the books I heal perpetuate.”
ELIZABETH RIORDAN is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in library and information science. She works at the Main Library in Special Collections. Riordan feels fortunate to have landed in Special Collections at the UI Libraries. “When I enter work at Special Collections, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have let the unexpected take me to where I am now,” she says. Riordan supports research through the rich narratives available in Special Collections—the kind of narratives that deepen our understanding of history and allow researchers to interact with source materials in ways that reveal the stories of past eras and help us understand our path forward.
Oct
21
2016
During the month of Open Access week (October 24-30, 2016) we will be highlighting a number of guest posts from University of Iowa Faculty and Staff who have personal experience making their work Open Access. We appreciate their contributions.
The third guest post is by Leonardo Marchini, DDS, MSD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Preventative and Community Dentistry.
See his Iowa Research Online deposited publications here.
I consider open access publishing a better way to share research findings, since by removing the financial barrier to access it allows for a larger audience to read and use the findings worldwide. It also allows for authors to share their publications more widely, by promoting it in research oriented social media and e-mailing it to groups of researchers in the same field, allowing for even more exposure.
However, most journals in my research field are not open access. In a recent work with a broader focus, I searched for a journal capable of reaching a larger audience and then selected an open access Journal with a higher than average impact factor in my field. The submission process happened as usual, and the peer review was intense, but the manuscript was accepted after a couple review rounds.
However, the publication fees for this journal would be a problem if I was not supported by the UI Libraries Open Access Fund. My experience with the Open Access Fund was amazing! I applied and got funded really fast!
Since then the article has been published and received great attention from the scientific community in many countries, as we had a lot of comments and requests for additional information through channels that would not be available for non-open access articles, like researcher networks. I hope it will reflect in more citations in the near future.