You can return library materials to any of our campus libraries (except the Main, Art or Music libraries), no matter where you checked them out. PDF of a map of campus libraries.
If there are materials in the Main, Art or Music libraries you need for your research or teaching, please contact the Main Library Interlibrary Loan Department. Currently our online request system is not operational, but we will take requests via email at lib-ill@uiowa.edu.
Though the Main, Art and Music libraries have been evacuated because of flooding and the other libraries on campus are closed this week, the work of a research institution like University of Iowa continues.
The electronic resources to which the UI Libraries subscribes are available online; however the discovery tool we use, Smart Search, is currently down. You can Find Articles or search databases.
Librarians and other library staff are intermittently monitoring email reference from their homes. If you have an question or need help navigating our electronic resources, please Email a Librarian.
For flood related questions, please see the University’s Flood Information website.
During the temporary closing of the University campus, library books that are either overdue or have been recalled by another library user should not be returned. If you have checked out University library materials, please keep those materials in your possession.
We will waive any fines accrued during this time.
Once we return to campus, Libraries staff will announce where library materials may be returned.
Volunteers in the Main Library moved thousands of books yesterday and through the evening. Operations have concluded at the Main Library and it is closed.
In the local newspapers and on the evening news, we’re seeing images of the Iowa River breaching its banks. As we know, this is not the first time.
The Iowa Digital Library has images and descriptions of previous floods in the Irving Weber’s Iowa City Digital Collection, from the Iowa City Town and Campus Scenes Collection; as well as some editorial cartoons by Ding Darling.
Of course there are also historical images of the Iowa River in less destructive times, which may help us look ahead to the time when the sandbags are gone and the river returns to its banks.
Some Special Collections materials stored in the Main Library’s lower level are in the process of being moved as a precaution against a rising water level. This shift in location may make some collections difficult or impossible to retrieve through the duration of the flood.
Researchers and scholars who expect or wish to use Special Collections materials should contact the department at 319-335-5921 or lib-spec@uiowa.edu to confirm that specific materials will be available to them in a timely way.
Libraries officials have met with engineers from Facilities Management to determine steps necessary for securing the Main Library and it’s collections against the rising flood waters. The area of most concern is the lower level storage facilities which include Special Collections materials.
Beginning at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, the fifth floor study lounge in the Main Library will be closed. The lounge will be used as a temporary storage space for materials at risk of being flooded in the lower level.
Crews of students will be moving these materials using the Elevator D near the South entrance. We encourage people using the Main Library to utilize the other elevators in the building.
Further information about flood preparations in the Libraries will be posted here on the Library News.
With an update in May, RefWorks, the web-based citation management tool used in the UI Libraries, now has even more features.
First, Write-N-Cite III (the tool that allows RefWorks and MS Word to interact) is now generally available (previously it was in beta). Key things you should know about Write-N-Cite III (WNC III) are:
For more information on using WNC III, please contact us or look at the instructions at http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/help/Refworks.htm#Using_Write-N-Cite_for_Windows_III.htm
Second, Write-N-Cite 2.5 for Mac is now available. This update allows WNC to work with the Leopard operating system and Word 2008. No other major features were added.
Finally, you are now able to attach documents (Word files, PDFs, JPEGs, etc.) to a RefWorks record. This is useful if you want to keep a copy of the article with the record on the RefWorks server. There is a 100mb upload limit (this should cover at least 100-200 articles in most cases). The RefWorks administrators can increase this limit on a case by case basis. More information can be found in the RefWorks FAQ at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/find/refworks/#9.
If you have any questions, please contact either Steve Ostrem in the Main Library at 335-5521 or Jonathan Koffel at the Hardin Health Sciences Library at 335-9731.
During the summer of 2005, the UI Libraries hosted The Changing Book Conference. Bookworkers from around the world came to Iowa City for the weekend to discuss how the object we know as “book” has changed over time.
Evolving digital formats have forced libraries’ approaches to paper book collections to change in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. The Changing Book: Transition in Design, Production, and Preservation takes an insightful look at the evolution of books from its historical origins to its digital emulations. This visionary source examines the continuing role of the paper book, trends in print book production and the future of the physical book. On-demand printing, book conservation and traditions in bookmaking are discussed in detail.
“The Changing Book captures the essence of this significant conference on the history of book, its conservation and preservation, and the book as art,” says Peter D. Verheyen, Preservation & Digital Access Librarian, Syracuse University Library. “Intricately intertwined, these themes are addressed by leading practitioners who represent a wide range of backgrounds developing a picture of a field of study that is vibrant and marries the past with the future. The Changing Book is must read for all in the field or interested in joining it.”
These first-rate selections of proceedings from The Changing Book Conference held in 2005 focus on the creativity and innovative ideas important to any library professional managing library collections. The contributors represent an excellent cross-section of book experts – conservators, book binders and designers, book artists, educators, preservationists. They discuss the topic of the book from their point of view, from a 14th century Bible restoration to discussions of the impact of computer technologies on literature and book production. This resource provides numerous photographs and illustrations, and is extensively referenced.
You can purchase the book online from Barnes & Noble.
University of Iowa Libraries Head of Preservation, Nancy E. Kraft, will be delivering the keynote address at the 10th annual Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium S.O.S. Save Our Stuff! preservation seminars. Kraft will discuss Connecting to Collections, a national preservation initiative and Iowa’s role in this effort.
Conference topics include identification of 19th century photo processes and care of photographic collections; customized storage systems; historic structure maintenance; emergency preparedness; behind the scenes tours of State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI), and a special session and tour of the Battle Flag Project at the SHSI.
The S.O.S. Save Our Stuff! preservation seminars will be held at the State Historical Society of Iowa building in Des Moines, IA on Friday June 6, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Genealogists, librarians, archivists, museum workers, conservators, county clerks, historical society volunteers and anyone who cares about preserving our heritage are encouraged to participate. The SOS seminars and tours will cost $40 for ICPC members and $50 for non-members. The fee includes the State Historical Society of Iowa building tours and lunch. Registration by May 31, 2008 reserves your lunch.
Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC) is a membership organization seeking to initiate, encourage, and enhance preservation and conservation activities by providing basic preservation education and training.
Detailed information about joining ICPC and registering for SOS can be found at http://web.grinnell.edu/individuals/stuhrr/icpc, or request a registration form by contacting Nancy E. Kraft at 319-335-5286, nancy-e-kraft@uiowa.edu or Lucy David at 319-338-0514, lucy-david@uiowa.edu.