Iowa State University Library news 

Christine King has joined the Iowa State University Library as a Social Sciences & Humanities Librarian and Associate Professor.  She serves as as a subject specialist for the areas of Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, and Kinesiology, and as Coordinator of the Learning Connections Center in the Parks Library.  She has previously worked as a librarian at Purdue University (1999-2007) and State University of New York at Stony Brook (1985-1999).  She is a co-editor of a new e-journal, First Opinions, Second Reactions, published by the Purdue University Press.

The Special Collections Department of the Iowa State University Library has recently been named a Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) Affiliate Site. The Department is one of 106 partner sites in the Heritage Area, which also include the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum, the Carl & Mary Koehler History Center, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum.

The Iowa State University e-Library now includes a new section of web pages with information targeting distance learners, a growing group of students and faculty at ISU.  Since many distance learners are unable to come to the ISU campus and use the physical library, the Distance Learning web pages provide a brief orientation to the many online resources and library services available to all faculty and to all students registered in credit-bearing courses.  http://www.lib.iastate.edu/class/distlearn/distlearn_main.html

The ISU Document Delivery Service fee structure has changed recently in an effort to assist distance learners.  There is now no charge to an ISU card holder to ship an ISU Library book to an address more than 25 miles from Ames.  Return postage is payable by the requester.  This policy change, in conjunction with another policy change recently made in ISU’s Interlibrary Loan service, means that distance learners will have books shipped to them at no charge whether or not the book is held by the ISU Library or is obtained from another library.

A new cooperative program has just been initiated between the Ames Public Library and ISU Library.  “Bikes at Work” is providing Tuesday and Thursday Interlibrary Loan delivery service between the two libraries.  The bike delivery service allows for faster delivery of publications and other hard-copy documents as opposed to the delay caused by regular mail being routed through Des Moines and then back to Ames.

Submitted by Jody Graden and Kris Stacy-Bates