News
The UW Libraries has begun a two-year pilot partnership with The Wall Street Journal. Current students, faculty and staff may register now to get free access to WSJ.com, the WSJ mobile app, podcasts, and educator tools now through December 22, 2022. Recognized as a leading source for business and finance, The Wall Street Journal also covers U.S. and world news, politics, arts and culture. What happens after the pilot? During the two-year trial, UW Libraries will assess usage data to…
With the holidays upon us, we would like to echo the public health advice from UW Environmental Health and Safety to encourage all huskies in having a safe and healthy holiday. The following is the latest news and updates from the Libraries: UW Press Book Sale: Get 40% off books now through December 31st – local stories with global appeal for every reader on your list. Makes the perfect gift. Libraries Operations: No change. We anticipate very little change in…
In 2019, the UWCHR celebrated its 10th anniversary. As a part of the celebration, I facilitated a public FOIA training workshop, and rewrote the training manual to be relevant to a wider audience looking to do public interest research. The manual, How to FOIA, was published by UW Pressbooks and provides guidelines on how to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, highlighting an important tool for human rights activists and anyone conducting research on the U.S. federal government. How…
We seek transparency in our planning processes during this time of constant change. Our monthly blog updates will outline the latest news on UW Libraries reopening plans and resources each month. These monthly blog posts will also be posted on the Libraries COVID-19 update page ongoing. Here’s the latest news for November: Operations UW Libraries remains in a Phase 2 operational plan, and we do not anticipate any changes to operations in the coming month in terms of access to…
This fall, I am working at the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) in Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries as their archivist-in-residence. Through a paid internship with Northwest Archivists, I have been processing the RIDGE records remotely from my home in Iowa. The newly-acquired collection documents land use activism in Kittitas County, WA. We selected this collection for processing because of its unique relationship to Washington State’s labor history. I was really drawn to working on this collection…
Research in the 21st century is based on interdisciplinary connections and relies on technology to create and share for the public good. We know that it can be challenging for students and faculty to connect across disciplines, access technology, learn relevant skills, and share research openly. We are excited to bring together a suite of services to more equitably support this work in the virtual Open Scholarship Commons (OSC). The OSC will provide a hub for cross-disciplinary knowledge creation and…
When UW Libraries buildings were closed at the start of the pandemic, our teams needed to respond quickly to adapt work for many employees whose jobs do not easily lend themselves to telework by identifying projects that could be completed remotely. At the start of the pandemic, we had multiple accessibility projects underway, but given the time-intensive nature of the work, progress was slow. With the increased availability of staff and student employees, there was an opportunity to tackle some…
International Open Access Week (October 19-25) is a coordinated annual effort by scholarly communities across the world to celebrate both our achievements and aspirations in making “openness” the default for research and ensuring that equity is at the center of this work. This year’s theme, Open with Purpose: Taking Action to Build Structural Equity and Inclusion, is especially relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of barrier-free access to trustworthy information and laid bare the inequities in our…
This summer, the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) within the UW Libraries Special Collections, was lucky enough to have Diana Rocha, MLIS student from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, complete their final semester practicum with us. Working remotely, Diana enhanced access to several important collections documenting the histories of the Latinx community in Washington. These collections are of great significance for academic research at the UW and beyond. Students and faculty, historians, journalists and other researchers can use these…
The UW Libraries Cabinet has reviewed our current plan for phased re-opening, and have decided to maintain our approach at this time. Based on the protocols outlined within University of Washington COVID-19 Safe Start Phases, Libraries spaces will remain closed to the public during Phase 2. Per our current plan, limited study spaces will be opening up in Phase 3. As always, the health and safety of our UW community remains at the center of our planning decisions. Though the…