University Libraries - About the Libraries

Some of the most intricate and imaginative work at the University of Iowa Libraries takes place just out of sight: beneath the binding of a centuries-old book, away from campus at the Libraries Annex, or in the connections we forge across campus. And it’s not just the students, faculty, and researchers who use the Libraries’ resources to break new ground. Often, it’s library staff who surprise each other with the scale and impact of our work.

We’re proud to be able to share all of this remarkable work with you. I hope you enjoy exploring this issue, reading about our work, and getting to know the brilliant staff and students that make it all possible. Thank you for being part of the Libraries community.

Past, present, and future. This issue of BINDINGS reflects on the University of Iowa’s 179th anniversary celebration, including an exhibit at the Main Library Gallery titled “We Are Hawkeyes.”

Also in this issue: news about Libraries staff accomplishments and updates on grant funding that will support efforts of the Libraries’ Iowa Women’s Archives, Sackner Archive, and Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.

Our mission to provide stability. In this issue of BINDINGS, learn about the UI Libraries’ efforts to continue to deliver crucial academic resources to our campus community during a time of uncertainty due to the pandemic. This is the hallmark of librarianship: to be a steady-state presence in society, maintaining and promoting free access to reliable information that can shed light on human realities and allow thinkers, researchers, and creatives to transform our perspectives and contribute innovations.

Also in this issue: read about librarians who work hand-in-hand with researchers to optimize data management for a study examining toxic sites and buildings; learn how a generous donor supports the Libraries’ documentation of Iowa women in politics; meet the director of the Art Library; view rare books recently acquired by the Libraries.

Our mission to ensure access. In this issue of BINDINGS, learn about the UI Libraries’ efforts to connect people with trustworthy information. Our librarians created a YouTube series about research and disinformation and staff at the Regional Medical Library have worked to provide credible health information about COVID.

In addition, read about our efforts to ensure access to valuable stories about our campus through a Main Library Gallery exhibit that chronicles the history of a student-led effort to make the University of Iowa a welcoming place for Latino and Native American students.

Sparking positive change. This issue of BINDINGS covers the Libraries’ efforts during the pandemic, showing that the pressure of challenging circumstances can herald opportunities for collaboration and positive change. Read details of the Libraries’ work to reopen in the fall of 2020 with services for our users focused on safety. This issue also includes highlights about our staff and student employees, the Main Library Gallery Sackner Archive exhibition, our work toward anti-racisim, and the Libraries’ new Advancement Council.

We’re all in this together. This issue of BINDINGS includes a time line of library efforts from March through early August 2020. In March 2020, staff members of the University Libraries took quick action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their efforts focused on keeping our staff, campus, and community members safe and on maintaining support for online teaching, learning, and research.

Serving our community of scholars. With an eye toward the future, the Libraries moves forward with strategic planning to enhance student success; support research and discovery; actively work to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion; and engage all learners. We support our student employees and inspire undergraduate researchers. We offer engineering workshops. Our health sciences librarians provide a crucial searching service for researchers. Our Main Library Gallery offers curated collections to visitors from throughout the region.

Anticipating changes in our environment. To aid researchers and students whose work will help society navigate the coming challenges and opportunities, the UI Libraries offers access to information that shows where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Our catalogers think deeply about evolving societal views and how that evolution is reflected in our online cataloging practices. We help citizens respond to climate change; our librarians teach students about fake news; we bring literature to the public with new technology; and we assist first-generation students.

Investing in our research libraries.  The UI Libraries monitors investments in both resources and staff to ensure an integrated balance for our scholars, who rely not only on access to information but also on librarians who make vital contributions to the university community such as teaching in the classroom, helping with textbook affordability, shedding light on murky aspects of scholarly publishing, promoting Iowa researchers by increasing access to their work, and more.

The Brinton Collection.  The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections is home to the Brinton Collection, which includes artifacts, photos, films, and more from the late 19th and early 20th centuries—a magical era in entertainment history that observed the intersection of live theatre, radio, and film. The collection was preserved for many years by Michael Zahs, subject of the documentary film, Saving Brinton. Zahs has generously donated this collection to the UI Libraries.

The Ripple Effect: far-reaching results from the UI Libraries. Our library staff are the UI Libraries’ greatest asset. Each of our librarians provide one-on-one instruction for students, as well as individualized assistance for researchers. At the same time, library units colleborate to mount large projects that carry positive, campus-wide, and regional impacts. For example, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences is a regional office of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM). Serving the public with access to online health information, the staff in the Greater Midwest Region office of NNLM are engaging communities in the All of Us Research Program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

History’s lessons: studying our past to forge our future. The UI Libraries plays a key role in gathering, conserving, and digitizing traces of our past. Most important, we also make this valuable information readily available to students, faculty, and members of a global digital community. These library users access our materials to examine human histories and find ways to transform our futures.

Building your UI Libraries: efforts of many contribute to large-scale projects. Good ideas don’t simply pop up; they unfold through careful inquiry, planning, and collaborative effort. The UI Libraries accomplished five major projects, including a major upgrade to its resource management system; hosting Shakespeare’s First Folio in our Main Library Gallery; opening the Rita Benton Music Library in the new Voxman Music Building; establishing the Greater Midwest Region office for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine; and opening the UI Libraries Annex.

An Engaging Library: engaged learning for student success. From pop-up libraries to curriculum development, UI librarians work across the campus to assist faculty, inspire students, and facilitate active learning. Our librarians help students find, evaluate, and use library resources and play an active role in classroom instruction alongside faculty. UI librarians are also part of research teams, performing systematic reviews of literature that aid evidence-based research projects. The Main Library’s Learning Commons continues to be a gathering place where students learn from one another and engage in Libraries-sponsored learning.

A focus on library expertise. UI Libraries continues to evolve, anticipating user needs with staff experts who help students and faculty succeed. The Libraries facilitates academic success by engaging in all aspects of the educational continuum to support lifelong learning. We also work to advance knowledge and practice by providing active support throughout the research lifecycle. We explore new frontiers in areas of distinction through innovations that build upon interdisciplinary strengths, expertise, and collections. We engage Iowa’s diverse communities with resources and services that contribute to cultural vitality, health, and quality of life.