News
In early February, before travel restrictions were implemented, and the true nature of the global pandemic was fully understood, I made an acquisitions trip to Southeast Asia to purchase materials for the UW Libraries SE Asia collection. While adhering to all of the CDC and UW guidelines for travel, it was still an anxious time to be traveling in Asia; but for me, it was a familiar itinerary. Visiting small publishers, government offices, museums and archives, and other sources of…
As faculty across campus raced to prepare for spring quarter, there were many concerns over how classes could be conducted without access to the Libraries. For example, Izumi Matsuda, a senior lecturer in Asian Language and Literature, was considering not offering her Tadoku class because of its reliance on the physical books available in the Tateuchi East Asia Library. “My course was scheduled to meet every week in the Library, where we had access to over 400 physical books on…
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is magical! I don’t just believe that ILL is magical because this is the work that I do, but it is the opinion of others as well. We hear that phrase a lot from our users, especially in this remote learning environment. Interlibrary Loan has always been committed to helping the UW community get access to resources from around the globe. The global ILL community has adapted during this crisis to continue providing an efficient service to…
Today, May 21st, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (#GAAD) focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments. As the Accessibility Coordinator for UW Libraries, I routinely answer questions about what the Libraries are doing to ensure accessibility is considered and properly implemented, especially as more content is moved online; so today is great opportunity to shine a light on all of the work our Libraries team has been doing in this…
The annual UW Libraries Student Video Contest asks students to create original videos showcasing the Libraries through the lens of student experience. Across all three campuses, UW Libraries is the “heart” of the University – our people, places, resources and programs support students, faculty and our local community in so many ways. As this year’s contest kicked off on Valentine’s Day, what better theme could we choose than “love”? The contest asked the student filmmakers to consider, why do you…
As students in the iSchool’s Library and Information Science program, we have been working at UW Libraries during our tenure here. Our capstone project is focused on the UW Libraries Recommended Reads for Equity collection, an initiative that was launched in 2018 with the support from a UW Diversity and Inclusion Seed Grant and the UW Libraries. Recommended Reads for Equity is a collection of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)-focused books curated by members of the University of Washington community…
UW Libraries inaugural Going Public event launched in 2017 as a forum for sharing ideas and exploring ways researchers communicate their work to the public through the media. In the following years, other topics were explored–like public scholarship, citizen science, and community-based participatory research. Hosting events like this is central to UW Libraries mission and vision advancing research for the public good. As Libraries work has evolved far beyond a mechanism to provide resources alone, we strive to help researchers…
It’s Preservation Week 2020! This month marks the 10th anniversary of Preservation Week®, a public awareness initiative that aims to promote preservation and conservation in communities with the help of libraries, institutions and museums. Preservation Week inspires actions to preserve personal, family, and community collections in addition to library, museum, and archival materials. It also raises awareness of the role libraries and other cultural institutions play in providing ongoing education and outreach. Here at UW Libraries, we’ve put together an…
“Every time I remember Elizabeth Becker’s pictures, I cannot help but see Pol Pot’s total control of the production and consumption of these images; his vision of Kampuchea saturates them all. I cannot see beyond it.” –Adrian Alarilla The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) has awarded the 2020 Primary Source Award in the Research category to a collaboration between the Libraries’ Southeast Asia Section, artist Adrian Alarilla, and Anthropology Prof. Jenna Grant on the video installation The Age of the…
Do you know YOUR subject librarian? Have you ever utilized the Libraries’ consultation services for help with your research? While UW maintains remote learning, our UW Libraries staff will be here to help you, huskies! Beyond helping users find the electronic books and resources they need, Librarians are talking with students and faculty on the phone, online and over email to offer a wide range of support. Elliott Stevens, UW’s English Studies and Research Commons Librarian, gave us some insight…