University Libraries - Conservation and Collections Care

The University of Iowa Libraries is seeking nominations for the Arthur Benton University Librarian’s Award for Excellence. Funded by a generous endowment, this award acknowledges a Libraries staff member’s professional contribution in the practice of librarianship, service to the profession, […]

In March 2023, Conservation and Collections Care at the University of Iowa Libraries welcomed Yasmeen Khan as the featured speaker for its William Anthony Conservation Lecture for Book and Paper Conservators and Bookbinders, a celebrated event for the UI book arts community and beyond. During the […]

This remarkable facility boasts towering shelves, millions of volumes, and a satellite—and that’s just the beginning. The University of Iowa Libraries Annex sits on the outskirts of Iowa City, tucked between warehouses and against train tracks. Inside the 60,000-square-foot facility, long […]

The university librarians of the Big Ten Academic Alliance have launched the Big Ten Open Books project, a collaboration between the university presses and libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance. The first 100-title collection centered on gender and sexuality studies is now published. The works […]

Mahrya Burnett has been named the 2022 recipient of the Arthur Benton University Librarian’s Award for Excellence for her impactful contributions to the future of Open Educational Resources (OERs). As a scholarly communications librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries, Burnett champions […]

Linda Walton has been recognized with the 2023 Marcia C. Noyes Award, the highest distinction given by the Medical Library Association (MLA). This competitive national award is presented to a nominee with a longstanding and sustained record of excellence in medical librarianship. Walton’s […]

From the hardwood to Pasadena and the asphalt track to wrestling mats, now you have an opportunity to help preserve Hawkeye sports history, including the 1959 Rose Bowl, and make it accessible to all through a film digitization project. The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and […]

We’re grateful every day for our student workers, whose contributions are foundational to the University of Iowa Libraries. They’re the vital engine behind everything we do, from the front desk at the Lichtenberger Engineering Library to the stacks at the Main Library. These dedicated students […]

The National Weather Service is forecasting severe weather beginning Wednesday evening and extending through Saturday morning, with the greatest threat for dangerous wind chills on Thursday and Friday. To minimize nonessential travel, all library locations will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 22, and […]

Even the most unflappable students tend to feel stress spiking in the final week of the semester, when exams and essays loom. It’s also one of the busiest seasons at the UI Libraries, with visitors seeking energy and focus among the stacks. We’ve put together a list of recommendations and […]

An interpretive exhibit of history of communal book making includes a reconstruction of a printing and binding shop at Middle Amana. This site is opened from 10 to 4 on Saturdays.   The long and continuing Amana book publishing program aligns with a Protestant dedication to literacy, scriptural […]

By Gary Frost An example of the binding discussed below is also available under the title “Replica of the Stonyhurst Gospel” in the Book Model Collection on Iowa Digital Library. Binding description This small book (137 mm x 95 mm) known as the St. Cuthbert Gospel has witnessed many turbulent […]

Items selected by guest curators for display in the Main Library Gallery are frequently drawn from Special Collections & Archives. Preparations for exhibitions provide excellent opportunities for rare objects in Special Collections to be examined for conservation needs. Professional care of […]

The UI Main Libraries Conservation and Collections Care Department presents the 2021 William Anthony Conservation Lecture Peter D. Verheyen Down the Rabbit Hole: Embracing experience and serendipity in a life of research, binding practice, and publishing September 30, 6 pm CSTVirtual, free and all […]

As part time interim Preservation Processing Coordinator in the UI Libraries Preservation Department, one of my main duties is to supervise the student staff who do the day to day marking work for new acquisitions and items that need to be reprocessed for one reason or another. From January to […]

Nancy E. Kraft, Head of Preservation and Conservation, has retired after serving 18 years at the University of Iowa Libraries.

On Monday, April 22, Iowa Museums, Archives, Libraries Emergency Response Team (IMALERT) members assisted with the retrieval and salvage of collection items in the flood-damaged Pacific Junction Railroad Museum (PJRM). We could not have had a more “perfect” flood recovery experience. The Mills […]

The Preservation and Conservation department employs 19 students in positions ranging from digitization to book repair to conservation. Within the Marking unit, student employees mark new books to prepare them for patron use. We start by property stamping them, then we insert a security device, and […]

This week is Preservation Week, which is sponsored by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), a branch of the American Library Association (ALA). Preservation Week is an opportunity to learn about and take action to preserve collections. The theme for this year’s […]

About a month ago the conservation department received a book for repair from the John Martin Rare Book Room in the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Beth Stone, assistant conservator, noticed that the front cover of the book did not match the back cover. It was taller and wider than the text […]

Brad Ferrier, digital projects librarian, coordinates transcription and caption for Audio/Video (A/V) materials in the library’s collection. “Transcription is converting the speech in an audio file into a written plain text document. Caption is converting the speech in a video file into text […]