The University of Iowa Libraries is pleased to announce a new read and publish agreement with John Benjamins Publishing Company, an independent academic publisher of books, journals and online resources in linguistics and the language sciences. The agreement includes:
Unlimited open access publishing by UI-affiliated corresponding authors in all John Benjamins active journals and yearbooks, without payment of Article Processing Charges (APCs).
Read access for the university community to selected John Benjamins journals:
To publish open access in John Benjamins journals without paying APCs, corresponding authors simply submit their manuscript using their UI affiliation and email address—they will be automatically identified as eligible for the agreement.
Through this agreement, UI authors retain copyright of their articles, which are published with Creative Commons CC-BY licenses.
Open access publishing helps UI research reach a wider audience because it is free to read and not limited to subscribers. The John Benjamins read and publish agreement is one of a growing number of open access agreements in which the UI Libraries participates as part of its commitment to support open access.
Each year, the University of Iowa Libraries recognizes two graduate student employees for their contributions to the institution and the library or department in which they work. Recipients of an Academic Achievement Award (AEA) are selected by a committee based on their application essays and the feedback of their supervisors, and winners receive a scholarship of $2,500. The winners for 2023-24 are Jennifer Miller and Ramin Roshandel. Below, Miller and Roshandel spoke to us about their work in the Libraries, what they’ve learned, and how they hope to apply the experience to their future careers.
Jennifer Miller is an MA student in the School of Library and Information Science and an MFA candidate at the Center for the Book. She was selected for her work in Preservation and Collections Care. Originally from Iowa City, the committee expressed appreciation for Miller’s sense of wonder and enthusiasm toward the materials in her care.
How has your work at the Libraries helped you develop important professional skills? How might you use those skills in your future career?
My work in Collections Care has helped me develop the professional skills needed to repair, restore, and preserve books in the circulating collection. In the future, I hope to work as a teacher or an academic librarian (or both) to facilitate research projects rooted in non-circulating items (special collections) including artist’s books and other primary resources.
Has there been anything that surprised you about working in a library?
What has surprised me most about working in a library is the scope of the collection. For example, I recently cleaned and wrapped multiple oversized volumes of the London Times dating from the 1860s to 1900. These daily printed newspapers had been opened flat and bound together with a publisher’s binding. As I prepared them for off-site storage in the Libraries annex, I tried to imagine who read the papers when they first arrived here in Iowa City. Today, we usually think of printed newspapers as ephemeral, but these paper artifacts show the magnitude of printed news that circulated in our society pre-1900. The culture of the time period was reflected in every printed page, and they seem to be quite valuable as primary source research items. Yes, we can probably find digitized copies online, but these provide evidence showing how materially specific our cultural history of news production really was. The paper, the printing, the industry—it is all there in those objects which are now in storage in the annex. Perhaps they are waiting to become part of someone’s future research study.
Ramin Roshandel, a PhD candidate in music composition from Iran, received an AEA award for his work at the Rita Benton Music Library. The committee were impressed by his dedication to his work and his attention to detail, as well as his thoughtful engagement with library users who called on him for assistance.
How has your work at the Libraries helped you develop important professional skills? How might you use those skills in your future career?
Through my work at the Music Library, I have been able to develop a great number of research skillsets. I have been using those skills and will use them in the future both
in my own research as well as in my music composition pedagogy as an instructor.
Has there been anything that surprised you about working in a library?
There have been a couple of things that surprised me at the library, but maybe the most interesting one is, one time when I was looking for a book for a patron, I ran into another book in the stacks: The Canon of the Persian Music, which is the book I studied throughout my undergraduate time. It was, of course, the English version of the book, but finding it there, thousands of miles away, among thousands of other scores and books, was very surprising. It is also interesting that that book is not the only book about Persian music in the Music Library.
Student library employees are a crucial part of what makes the University of Iowa Libraries such a valuable, accessible resource for the community on campus and beyond. We’re grateful that these dedicated students make time alongside their classes to work with us, directing users to needed resources, caring for materials, and contributing their ideas to guide the UI Libraries into tomorrow.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, 13 undergraduate student employees have been awarded scholarships in recognition of their work. We’re proud to celebrate and learn from them all as they share how their time in the UI Libraries has influenced their interests, wellbeing, and approach to the future.
Cassidy Hibbert has been awarded the Judy and Mike Greer Scholarship in Memory of Mary E. Greer. Originally from Perry, Iowa, Hibbert is passionate about her work at the Main Library, particularly because it has helped her feel a sense of belonging as a first-generation student.
“I have had wonderful conversations about medieval sanitation and the tale of King Arthur with one of the student research assistants, and I’ve bonded over art and poetry with one of the women I work with. I feel like I fit into the Main Library so well, and connecting with my coworkers over shared interests has helped me transition into college life.”
Alyssa Lemay, a statistics and mathematics major from Sussex, Wisconsin, has been awarded a Judy and Mike Greer Scholarship in Memory of Mary E. Greer. At her job at the Main Library’s circulation desk, Lemay enjoys applying her problem-solving skills to tracking down the right resources for library users.
“Being able to work and communicate with a diverse range of people is the first step in creating an inclusive environment—and working at the library helps me practice those skills every day. Through the combination of knowing information and communicating it effectively to a wide range of people, I have begun my journey in making the university an inclusive place for all people to feel like they belong and can succeed.”
Maya St. Clair,a music therapy student from Ankeny, Iowa, was selected to receive a Benton Music Library Student Employee Scholarship. St. Clair is a fan of her early-morning shifts at the Rita Benton Music Library, when she has the chance to practice her organizational and communication skills.
“I love watching people light up when they get to talk about what they are studying. I have yet to meet someone at the Rita Benton Music Library who does not absolutely love what they are studying. Hearing excitement about composers, performances, competitions, and other opportunities boosts my excitement about music and my potential.”
Leah Kaminskyof North Liberty, Iowa, is a vocal performance major and recipient of the Benton Music Library Student Employee Scholarship for her work at the Rita Benton Music Library. Kaminsky says she looks forward to her shifts because of the library’s wealth of resources and its friendly team.
“The staff and peers I have gotten to meet and work with over my time have been so kind and welcoming and have become really amazing friends and colleagues of mine. I am beyond grateful for that.”
Olivia Comer is a communications major pursuing certificates in event management and leadership studies. Comer, who comes from Indianola, Iowa, has been awarded a Bentz Family Student Employee Scholarship, and enjoys helping users at the Main Library’s circulation desk feel comfortable and confident in the space.
“The empowerment of patrons is honestly the most rewarding part of my job. I find it personally fulfilling to be a part of the reason that someone comes to the library and uses our spaces and resources.”
Ana Koch of the Pomerantz Business Library was awarded a Bentz Family Student Employee Scholarship. Originally from Iowa City, Koch is in her third year at the UI College of Nursing. She appreciates the lively atmosphere of the business library, which is located in Biz Hub at the Tippie College of Business, and the congeniality of its visitors, which creates a sense of community.
“I speak with professors and graduate students about their course readings. I also make small talk with the baristas at Pat’s Too. The library staff and I celebrate events with food and small gatherings. And most importantly, I have the pleasure of assisting students with any type of problem they encounter.”
Kenna Prottsman is majoring in English and creative writing and was awarded a Bentz Family Student Employee Scholarship for her work at the Art Library. From Iowa City, she finds peace and contemplation in her job, and is moved by the kindness of the library’s users and the serenity of the space.
“We, as humans, unfold ourselves in spaces where our minds can flop about as needed. I theorize that this is why the library hosts so much unfolding. It is a safe place of choice – no one is there by obligation.”
Ruby Miller, a criminology and creative writing student from Iowa City, finds inspiration in her work at the Art Library. She’s been chosen to receive a Bentz Family Student Employee Scholarship. She admires the commitment and creativity of the students and faculty who spend time in the Art Library.
“The names in the laminated covers by the carrels have changed. Artists have moved on, and new ones have just reached the start of their careers. A thesis is in the works, after a few of the regulars check out more than eight books at a time. I wonder what they study, and how they are so committed.”
Elizabeth Ayers is pursuing an English and creative writing major and an undergraduate-to-graduate track at the UI School of Library and Information Science. She’s from Iowa City says her time working in Conservation and Collections Care solidified her resolve to study library and information science, and she appreciates her team’s receptiveness to her ideas. She received a UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship.
“Having my opinions taken seriously makes me feel like a valued member of the team, and I hope to promote others in the same way. Whether by congratulating a coworker on a promotion, or simply complimenting their new haircut, I strive to make everyone feel they belong in the library.”
Courtney Dage of Bloomington, Illinois, is pursuing a major in global health studies and will begin her master’s program in public health at the university in the fall. She was selected to receive a UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship. Her serendipitous interactions with library users at the Main Library have been a source of connection and community.
“I truly do feel as though my horizons have been expanded due to conversations with library patrons whether that be about important world issues or just life lessons in general which is why my work has left such an impact on me.”
Adam Holmes has been awarded a UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship for his contributions to the Lichtenberger Engineering Library. Originally from Iowa City, Holmes is a mechanical engineering major who recently added an art minor, a choice he attributes in part to the architectural materials he’s encountered in his job.
“My time at the Engineering Library has not only strengthened my appreciation for the multitude of services and programs we offer, but it’s also helped me to embrace change, seize opportunities, and craft a flexible and dynamic path forward for my life.”
Juliann Pawlowski comes to the university from Plainfield, Illinois, and is pursuing a biomedical engineering major and an informatics minor. She received a UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship for her work at the Sciences Library, where she says her coworkers and manager have fostered a welcoming and friendly environment.
“This job has had a massive impact on me. I truly do not believe I could see myself working anywhere else due to the amount of support from not only the students in the same spot as I am, but also the staff.”
Angeles Pineda is an informatics major with a minor in dance from Chicago. Pineda was selected to receive a UI Libraries Student Employee Scholarship for her work at the Lichtenberger Engineering Library. She says the experience helped her adjust to life in a new place, as well as build her confidence as a first-generation student.
“My supervisors and coworkers did a great job in making me feel welcome in the workplace. This was as simple as asking me how my day was going or helping me better understand my physics homework.”
Bookbinder, video game enthusiast, disco connaisseur
At Glémot workstation, instruments of precision and creativity combine to solve complex challenges.
How did you find your way into preservation and collections care?
I was somewhat aware of library preservation while I was a grad student working in the Conservation Lab, but was more interested in becoming a conservation technician—treating one book at a time—than I was in larger-scale collections care work. Coming out of my Book Arts and Library Science degrees, I was looking for tech jobs and book arts studio manager jobs: I really wanted to work on making or repairing books with my own two hands. The pandemic hit right as I was wrapping up my MFA, so those plans were put on hold for a while. During lockdowns and work-from-home, I focused on expanding my bookbinding skills as much as I could, and I made and repaired books from my little home bindery. Then, when jobs started opening up again in 2021, I found a collections care tech position at the Library of Congress: it was a high-volume, production-style bench position that allowed me to perform repair work on tons of books and grow my bookbinding skills through a library preservation focus. That job really opened my eyes to preservation and collections care as a career pathway and steered my library interest to collection-level preservation.
I like to frame preservation work through the question: “How do I help this book become (or stay) accessible to users, researchers, and students?”
What kinds of materials are your favorite to work with?
Never in my life did I think I’d say this, but right now I’m getting a kick out of working with old newspapers. It’s true they don’t feel great to the touch, and they are generally a preservation nightmare because of their fragility (which is caused by the fact that most newsprint is inherently acidic), but I love discovering what headline events and social movements were five years or five decades ago. It feels a little like getting to look back through time.
My all-time favorite materials to work with, though, are the books in the Conservation Lab’s Bookbinding Model Collection. I got to work with that collection in grad school, and once a week I work to organize, describe, and preserve this one-of-a-kind teaching collection, which traces the history and evolution of bookbinding crafts through time and across cultures. It’s a real gem.
How do you maintain focus on your detail-oriented work?
A cup of coffee before diving into detail-oriented work is a must, and I usually pair it with a podcast episode (or two or three). I particularly love audio essays that consider the intersection of video games and art/art history or think about why certain narrative/interactive features of video games work as well as they do. On the days where the weather is particularly overcast, I turn on some old disco hits instead…it helps the coffee go further.
Any particularly fun anecdotes about the job?
As a rule of thumb, using tape on books and library materials is a big no-no. Tape generally makes paper brittle over time and is terribly challenging to remove without damaging the item it’s on, if it can be removed at all. This year I’ve been working on repairing a couple of pop-up books, and the material I am using to repair the pop-up elements is…tape! Granted, it’s very specialized and conservator-approved tape, but I’m still tickled to be using what should be an illicit technique as a valid repair.
What advice would you give to a college student about careers, libraries, or life in general?
I think the most important thing you can do for yourself as you prepare for your life outside of school is to build community. Hopefully, you’ll end up in a really good job you are excited to show up for and grow into. But even if your job is less than perfect, the thing that will carry you through those inevitable professional and personal rough patches in life are your friends and loved ones. The same people you share meals and interests and trust with are the people who will be pumped to read over a cover letter or resume for you in the future and who you’ll help debrief after that interview. I’m a firm believer that no one accomplishes anything without some degree of help and support, and that extends to job searches and building career paths.
More concretely though: keep a running document where you keep track of all your resume activities. Cultivate a hobby that has nothing to do with your work. Remember to drink water, and stop to stretch from time to time.
Glémot’s workstation and tool collection highlight the multifaceted nature of preservation and collections care work. Presevation is both an art form and a technical skill. According to Glémot, “I am most excited for those days where I get to plug away at the bench making boxes or mending tears in paper, but any task that leads me to return a book to the stacks feels like time well-spent.”
Acclaimed author, Hawkeye, former student library employee
Carmen Maria Machado has seen the stacks from every angle: as reader, shelver, and writer. And during her time at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she came to appreciate the UI Libraries as study spaces and research resources. The Her Body and Other Parties author chatted with us about what she learned from her time as a student library employee during undergrad, and made sure to share some fittingly wry and writerly advice.
Did you ever have a job during undergrad or grad school that you did alongside coursework? How did that affect your time as a student?
Yeah, I had jobs in college! I actually worked in [my college] library. I wasn’t very good at it, to be super clear. I was pretty lackadaisical—I feel like I never quite mastered it. I was mostly at a little desk in the front where you could ask me questions. But then they would have me shelve, and I just could never figure out the classification system. I feel like I was always putting books in the wrong place.
I also worked at a paint-your-own-pottery studio in college. In grad school, I was teaching because it was part of my funding package. And after grad school, I worked at Lush. I came home every day smelling like all of Lush. I’ve had a million jobs. I mean, I wasn’t really making a living full-time as a writer until a few years ago.
What’s your relationship to libraries in general?
Oh, I love libraries. I used to spend a lot of time in my local library as a child. I literally belonged to a group of teenage library workers. Back then, me and my friend who worked in the library together left a note for our favorite librarian. We taped it under one of the shelves. And years later, my friend went back and let me know that it’s still there.
And later—obviously when you’re doing research, libraries are a huge resource. I remember going into the UI Main Library during grad school and using the microfiche and visiting Special Collections. It felt so exciting.
Do you have any advice for undergraduates?
It can be so hard to exist right now. But really, what I’d say is: “Always move toward your obsessions.”
What has changed about your writing over time?
It always changes. It always is sort of shifting. When I was in grad school, I began to figure out what I wanted my voice to be, what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it. But I was definitely one of those kids who always wanted to be a writer.
What is it like to see your own books on the shelf?
When I was younger, it always meant so much to see books on shelves. So seeing my own work on people’s bookshelves and in bookstores and libraries—it’s really surreal and beautiful. And I wish I could go back and tell little Carmen that that was going to happen one day. I always believed it would, on some level.
You’re right in the middle of the alphabet, so that’s pretty good real estate.
The University of Iowa Libraries are pleased to announce a new read and publish agreement with the Geological Society of London (GSL), effective through Dec. 31, 2025. The agreement grants:
Unlimited open access publishing by University of Iowa-affiliated corresponding authors in GSL hybrid journals and book series without payment of Article Processing Charges (APCs);
Read access to the Lyell Collection for the University of Iowa community.
All actively published GSL hybrid journals and book series are eligible, including:
Journal of the Geological Society
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology & Hydrogeology
Petroleum Geoscience
Geoenergy
Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
Scottish Journal of Geology
Special Publications
Memoirs
Engineering Geology Special Publications
GeoHorizons
To confirm eligibility, corresponding authors simply submit their manuscript using their UI affiliation and email address.
Through this agreement, UI authors retain copyright of their articles, which are published with Creative Commons CC-BY licenses.
Open access publishing helps UI research reach a wider audience because it is free to read and not limited to subscribers. The Geological Society of London read and publish agreement is one of a growing number of open access agreements in which the UI Libraries participates as part of its commitment to support open access.
The University of Iowa Libraries are pleased to announce a new open access agreement with the Biochemical Society, effective through Dec. 31, 2026.
The agreement, negotiated through the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), guarantees full read access to all Biochemical Society journals (published by the Society’s publishing arm, Portland Press) and unlimited, fee-free open access publishing by corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Iowa.
Emerging Topics in Life Sciences (co-owned with the Royal Society of Biology)
To confirm eligibility, corresponding authors simply designate their University of Iowa affiliation upon submission. Detailed instructions are available from Portland Press.
Through this agreement, UI authors can publish their work open access without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). Authors retain copyright of their articles which are published with Creative Commons CC-BY or CC BY-NC-ND licenses.
Open access publishing helps UI research reach a wider audience because it is free to read and not limited to subscribers. The Royal Society of Chemistry Open Access Agreement is one of a growing number of open access agreements in which the UI Libraries participates as part of its commitment to support open access.
The University of Iowa Libraries are pleased to announce an expanded open access agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), effective Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2026.
The agreement expands our limited 2023 agreement, providing:
Open Access publishing of an unlimited number of articles by corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Iowa, without payment of article processing charges in any of the RSC journals;
Access to read articles in all RSC Journals for the University of Iowa community.
All RSC journals are eligible, including RSC Advances, Gold OA journals, and hybrid journals.
To confirm eligibility, corresponding authors simply designate their University of Iowa affiliation and use their University of Iowa email address upon submission and in the manuscript. Detailed instructions are available from RSC.
Through this agreement, UI authors can publish their work open access without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). Authors retain copyright of their articles which are published with Creative Commons CC-BY or CC BY-NC licenses.
Open access publishing helps UI research reach a wider audience because it is free to read and not limited to subscribers. The Royal Society of Chemistry Open Access Agreement is one of a growing number of open access agreements in which the UI Libraries participates as part of its commitment to support open access.
Victor Zulu has to take control of the family-owned club in which both his father and brother were killed. Will he be next? He’ll have to watch his back with gangsters coveting the club as a place to push drugs. Meanwhile, his brother’s best friend, Fana, wants to buy the club from the Zulus – but with what money? And then there’s Busie, his brother’s widow whom Victor secretly loves, but even she seems to have secrets. A thrilling tale of mystery and suspense, danger and daring.
The 1960s – Ferdinand arrives in Paris from Côte d’Ivoire, ready to take on the world and become a big somebody.
The 1990s – It is the Golden Age of immigration, and Ossiri and Kassoum navigate a Paris on the brink of momentous change.
The 2010s – In a Sephora on the Champs-Élysées, the all-seeing eyes of a security guard observes the habits of those who come to worship at this church to consumerism.
Amidst the political bickering of the inhabitants of the Residence for Students from Côte d’Ivoire and the ever-changing landscape of French immigration policy, Ferdinand, Ossiri and Kassoum, two generations of Ivoirians, attempt to make their way as undocumented workers, taking shifts as security at a flour mill.
Sharply satirical, political and poignant, Standing Heavy is a searingly witty deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption, an unprecedented and unforgettable account of everything that passes under a security guard’s gaze.
There are ruined things in the town of New Dutchess, New Jersey. A hotel that was never finished; a train line that never came. This is the town that Åsa Morgan thought she’d leave behind; this is the town Virgil Carey couldn’t leave. It’s the town where Dean Polis first started writing songs, and the town where something awful fell from a building one day. It’s where the band Alphanumeric Murders got their start, and where a series of tape recordings reveal the troubled history of the band and the lives of its members.
Ex-Members is a novel about punk scenes, old secrets, and hometowns that stalk us and break our hearts despite our best efforts to escape.
The Beads of Slavery is a fiction story about twins who were separated at birth grew up in different societies with diverse culture, their destiny of uniting two communities had them fall in love with the same man.
A vital reconstruction of Italian Futurist poet Ardengo Soffici’s visual poetics, presented for the first time in English in Olivia E. Sears’s exacting translations.
With a foreword by Marjorie Perloff
With unexpected lyricism, buzzing between the entropic and the erotic, Soffici’s unrelenting poems manifest his milieu’s fascination with the metropolis. Guillaume Apollinaire called it “very important work, rich in fresh beauties.” This facsimile-style edition–with a foreword by Marjorie Perloff, helpful annotations, and an informative afterword by the translator–offers a glimpse into the vibrant early avant-garde, when modernity held tremendous promise.
This is the first work of fiction based on the struggle of the Ogoni ethnic nationality. It is set in Bukhana. Niger Delta Command tells the story of betrayals, lies and jealousy that imploded the struggle of the Bukhana kingdom, an oil-producing tribe. The author uses suspense and flash-backs to recall how the mass movement was built, how indigenous ideologies transformed into a movement of international repute. How local people destabilized a nation-state, Ngana Federation and the major oil firm, Deep Oil.
The story is built around Patrick Deebom, a young activist groomed for a dangerous mission by his Uncle; who uses his connections in the force to set up a militia group. Navy Captain JJ Martins-Yellow and his friends are determined to free Prof. Benaale Saro Bunaale detained in military cells. Thus, they formed the Niger Delta High Command (NDHC), mobilized resources for media war against the government, stole weapons to attack oil installations, and infiltrate government security networks.
At birth we are given a role–it is our name. Good Actors is a side-eyed illumination of the artist as self-help guru, oracle, and sage, but more importantly as mother, lover, and friend. Part psychological experiment, part conceptual art piece, part screenplay, Good Actors is 100% a joyful celebration of language and life. And because it is Sommer, the book is hilarious, melancholy, and existential.
Fresh and electrifying—stories, poems, and essays by African and diaspora writers, edited by author Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond.
Relations punctures the human illusion of separation. New and established storytellers reshape the narratives that divide and subjugate, revealing the truth of our shared humanity despite differences in language, identity, class, gender, and beyond. This vital anthology is Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond’s striking vision of a meeting place of perspectives, centered in the African and diaspora experience.
In a post-Black Panther world, it is an urgent and welcome embrace of the diversity of Blackness. A refreshing collection of genre-spanning literature, it offers a vibrant meditation on being—inviting connection across real and imagined borders, and celebration of the most profound relations.
An honest lyric, a mighty harpoon straight from the heart, Golden’s debut collection, A Dead Name That Learned How to Live, weaves poems, family photographs, & self-portraits to share a journey of survival & living in the American south. Exploring themes of loss & legacy, nation & love language, forgiveness & fortitude, Blackness & being, Golden continually asks–What shifts within & around us when we choose to name ourselves & our kin here–our tragedy & triumphs, our human failures & feelings, our desires to be free?
Released on their parents’ 30th wedding anniversary (August 29th, 2022) as a dedicated love letter & living archive, this debut is an awe & ode towards southern Virginia & Eastern Shore Maryland, Black family pasts, presents, & futures, to Black queer beginnings & belongings outside and within the family home.
