Library News – Page 68

Conversation with Author of Land of the High Flags – Jan 30

Long before war engulfed Afghanistan, Rosanne Klass was there. The young teacher from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, viewed the country with fresh eyes and embraced its people with her friendship. In 1964, she described her experiences in this little-known land, making surprisingly prescient observations in her now-classic memoir, Land of the High Flags: Afghanistan When the Going Was Good.

Now this Iowa native is donating her manuscripts to the Iowa Authors Collection at the University of Iowa Libraries. She will sit down for an informal conversation about her experiences in Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 30 at 2:30 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room (rm 2032) in the Main Library.

At a time when Afghan women were still subjected to purdah—hidden behind high walls and in shroud-like burqas—Rosanne Klass was the first woman to teach boys from Afghanistan’s remote villages. Her presence, both a shock and a risk, contributed to the ending of purdah.

Klass returned to Kabul as a journalist in 1965, reporting on the first Communist riots. After the Soviet invasion she had predicted, she founded the Afghanistan Relief Committee, which provided medical and other humanitarian aid to Afghan victims inside the war-torn country. She also directed the Afghanistan Information Center at Freedom House, a major source of information for the American and international press and media.

This event is free and open to the public. Please contact Kristi Bontrager, UI Libraries Public Relations Coordinator at 319-335-5960 for more information.

Win tickets to Hancher “With Love from the Libraries”

Before you get overwhelmed with assignments for the new semester, the Libraries wanted to welcome you back with a chance to win a pair of ticket to Hancher for dinner and a show on Tuesday, February 12th at 7:30 p.m. Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be playing the Love Songs of Duke Ellington, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

To win, you need to write a short essay (250-500 words) comparing a scholarly work from your discipline to any part of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. You also are required to submit a complete citation of the scholarly work your are comparing. If you’re so inclined, you write a sonnet instead of the essay.

All entries are due on Monday, February 4th at 12 p.m. (noon) and must be submitted online through the web form. A panel of librarians will choose the winning entry. The winner will be announced on Friday, February 8th.

For complete rules, information and to submit your entry, check online at www.lib.uiowa.edu/events/withlove.

Street Literature on Display in Special Collections

For over 400 years, news was disseminated to the poor and uneducated masses in England, Ireland, and other European countries through street literature. Many forms eventually reached America and other parts of the world. Street literature was a mirror of society, with its half-truths, lies, folk poetry, romances, and all manner of other foibles. Every imaginable subject was covered: politics, church propaganda, birth, death, love, marriage, adultery, murders, executions (often including what was claimed to be a final letter/confession by the accused), other crimes, sea adventures, and wars.

This exhibit concentrates on types of street literature in England in the 16th through 19th centuries: how it was produced; the subjects it embraced; two of the chief publishers of the 1800s; and samples and copies housed in the University of Iowa Libraries.

The exhibit in Special Collections on the third floor of the Main Library will be on display through March. It is FREE and open to the public during regular library hours.

McTyre Named Chair of the Midwest Music Library Association

Ruthann McTyre, head of the Rita Benton Music Library, was named the Chair of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association this fall.

As Chair, McTyre plans to continue the outreach efforts to Midwest library schools as well as lead the chapter’s participation with the MLA/Music OCLC Users Group jointly sponsored Educational Outreach Program which will provide educational opportunities for music librarians, public librarians, library school students, and library support staff at the regional level.

Chapter promotes the growth of music libraries and collections of music and music materials in the Midwest; it brings together music librarians in the region to exchange ideas and discuss problems. Member states in the MLA Midwest Chapter include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin.

McTyre has been a member of the Midwest Chapter since she joined the UI Libraries in 2000. Before becoming chair, McTyre had served the Chapter as the Program Chair. She had previously been involved with other regional chapters in Texas and North Carolina.

William Blake turns 250…

And we’re celebrating with birthday cake between 12 and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28 in the North Exhibition Hall of the Main Library!

The poet, printmaker, painter, and visionary William Blake was born on November 28, 1757. This year marks the 250th anniversary of his birth.

In addition to serving birthday cake, the Libraries have installed a special exhibit (William Blake at 250) with the help of William Blake scholars from the University of Iowa Mary Lynn Johnson, John Grant, Eric Gidal and Judith Pascoe.

U of Iowa Faculty Senate Approves Author’s Addendum for Publishing Agreements

The University of Iowa Faculty Senate Approved the “Addendum to Publication Agreements for CIC Authors” at their October 23, 2007 meeting. This addendum is intended for authors to use to help them protect their intellectual property rights when publishing their work.

Excerpt from the “Statement on Publishing Agreements”:

Faculty authors should consider a number of factors when choosing and interacting with publishers for their works. The goal of publication should be to encourage widespread dissemination and impact; the means for accomplishing this will necessarily depend on the nature of the work in question, the author’s circumstances, available suitable outlets, and expectations in the author’s field of inquiry. In general, authors are encouraged to consider publishing strategies that will optimize short- and long-term access to their work, taking into account such factors as affordability, efficient means for distribution, a secure third-party archiving strategy, and flexible management of rights.

To read more of the statement and view the addendum, visit the full Statement and Addendum.

Book Discussion- Cornwell’s newest release- Book of the Dead

Are you looking for some fun and easy reading over Thanksgiving break? Try Patricia Cornwell’s newest release Book of the Dead! Follow forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta as she skillfully tries to solve the murder of a U.S. tennis star found dead in Rome.

After the break, come and join us over lunch for a book discussion as well as a visit from a local autopsy and forensic pathologist who will be on hand to provide an expert’s perspective. Cookies and drinks provided.

Copies of the book are available on loan from Hardin Library or the Patients’ library in UIHC.

When: November 30, 11:30-1:00

Location: John Colloton Pavilion, Solarium, 8th Floor

Carreon Honored with Catalyst Award

The University of Iowa Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity has announced the recipients of the 2007 Catalyst Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2007 Catalyst Award Reception, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in the Wayne Richey Ballroom, Iowa Memorial Union.

Outreach and Recruitment Librarian Rachel Garza Carreon will be honored as one of this year’s staff winners.

The Catalyst Awards are designed to honor individuals, departments or programs, and students or student organizations engaged in diversity initiatives during the previous academic year which have served to promote the development of an inclusive, diverse campus community. A minimum of three $500 awards, one to an individual, one to a department or program, and one to a student or student organization will be presented during a reception to which all nominees, nominators, and the campus community are invited.

UI Librarian Wright Wins Iowa City Council Seat

Michael Wright, head of Acquisitions and Rapid Cataloging, won an at-large seat on the Iowa City council.

Mike joined the University of Iowa Libraries in 2002 after working as a consultant. He earned his Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Minnesota.

We congratulate Mike on his hard work in the Libraries and in community.

Ghosts from the Stacks at the Main Library

In celebration of Halloween, The University of Iowa Libraries is unlocking the archives to expose artifacts on grave-robbing, demon conjuring, local hauntings, and other spooky subjects covered in the University’s collection of rare books, manuscripts, and ephemeral publications.

Librarians from Special Collections, University Archives, and the Hardin Library for Health Sciences’ John Martin Rare Book Room will discuss highlights from their collections at a presentation titled “Ghosts From the Stacks,” which will be held in Room 2032 of the Main Library at noon on Oct. 31. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the public.

A corresponding online exhibit of artifacts, including the early 20th century Halloween cartoons of Pulitzer-prize-winning Iowa cartoonist Ding Darling and ghostly cover art from the teen sleuth novels of UI alumna Mildred Wirt Benson, is currently featured on the Iowa Digital Library website, http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu .

Speakers at the Oct. 31 event will present rare books – such as The Discoverie of Witchcraft, published in 1584, and The Secrets of the Invisible World Laid Open from 1770 – along with items related to local ghost stories like the origins of the Oakland Cemetery’s Black Angel monument, and the fabled triple suicide and subsequent haunting of Currier Hall.

“Virtually all communities can boast of some ghoulish episode from the past and Iowa City is certainly no exception,” says Ed Holtum, curator of the John Martin Rare Book Room, who will be discussing the 19th century grave-robbing scandal that came close to shutting down the UI’s medical school in its first year.

The online exhibit pulls together items from the Libraries’ existing digital collections, which feature such diverse artifacts as a 17th century compendium of monsters, the papers of 1950s radio homemaker Evelyn Birkby, and the slide collection of Geosciences professor emeritus Dick Baker.

With events like “Ghosts in the Stacks,” the Libraries hopes to promote use of these valuable primary source materials and rare historic publications, both in person and online. “Our goal for the session is to increase awareness of the Iowa Digital Library among members of the UI community,” say Jen Wolfe, metadata librarian for Digital Library Services, who will be speaking on author Benson. “And to scare them.”