Julie Qidwai
UI researcher and graduate student, Industrial Engineering

Hometown: Cedar Falls, Iowa

Julie Qidwai knows a good library when she sees one. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native and graduate student in industrial engineering grew up around libraries. And she couldn't be happier with the ways the UI Libraries network -- with the help of its generous contributors -- has enabled her to conduct research through its varied, user-friendly services.

Julie's father is the archivist at a university library and her mother, a university instructor, has a degree in library science. Now Julie finds herself immersed in the finer points of a university library.

As a researcher at the UI's National Advanced Driving Simulator, studying the effects of alcohol and drugs on driving behavior, Julie -- who earned a B.S. degree in psychology from the UI in 1999 -- says, "I use the Libraries' online services almost every day. I use InfoHawk to find out whether the University possesses publications I need. Being able to access online full-text versions of recent versions of many journals has been a godsend."

She adds, "If the Libraries don't have what I need, I can submit a request to Interlibrary Loan, where they do their very best to find my citations, even when the details are lacking. The Libraries' Government Publications department has also ordered a number of reports from the Department of Transportation for me to use.

"In short," says Julie, "I barely have to leave my desk, which allows me to spend more time analyzing than searching. Thanks!"

From extensive collections to excellent service, the University Libraries system has it all, thanks in large part to thoughtful and loyal contributors. And as Julie makes clear, the Libraries system helps make the work of UI community members -- undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff -- possible.

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