An Updated Learning Resource for All Iowans at IA UCEDD

July 6, 2011

The Disability Resource Library (DRL) at Iowa's University Center for Excellence on Disabilities has a brand new location and a 21st century attitude! The DRL recently moved to its new space just off the main lobby at the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD). Patients and staff now have easy access to the library's 4,500 resources in a state-of the art facility.

The most popular addition to the DRL is a new interactive Smart Board, programmed with more than 1,000 early childhood education activities and free-play options. The Smart Board is height adjustable so that all children can participate in its activities, and includes tactile tools that can aid touch when dexterity is an issue. The whiteboard is also networked to the Internet for wide-ranging training possibilities, serving both staff and patients.

The library, in partnership with the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology, houses a statewide AT lending collection of augmentative and alternative communication devices, computer peripherals, switches and limited trial software programs. The DRL is now circulating iPads loaded with communication "apps," following a very successful iPod loan program.

DRL resources are not limited to those who visit or work at CDD. Iowans throughout the state can search the library at the updated DRL website to find out if the library has a particular title in stock, or to learn more about disability-related topics and issues. The new online catalog is formatted not only for standard computers, but also for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices to allow people to search from home or the office, or in the library.

Locate the DRL website at: http://www.uihealthcare.org/otherservices.aspx?id=16212
Search the library at: http://69.63.217.13/U95021Staff/OPAC/index.asp

DRL librarian, Mary Hubbard, assists CDD staff scouting literature for the latest trends and best practices to support their clinical work, and grant proposals and activities, but she thinks meeting with parents to help them locate reliable information is the heart of the DRL mission, and the single most rewarding part of her job.

AUCD network partners who would like to learn more about Iowa's Disability Resource Library should get in touch with Mary Hubbard at [email protected].