About Blommers Library

Hours | Collection |  Checkout Policy | History | Services | Interlibrary Loan

Hours

Monday - Friday

8:00am 12 noon, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Closed: Weekends and University Holidays

Catalog

Blommers Library catalog is not part of the University of Iowa Library Infohawk system. Use Blommers catalog to find the material in the library. Off campus access to the catalog is available via the VPN.

Collection

Blommers Library contains a collection of books, journals, research reports, and reference materials related to educational and psychological testing and assessment, as well as an extensive collection of published and unpublished tests. The library is not affiliated with the University of Iowa library system, and is supported with non-state funding from the Iowa Measurement Research Foundation.

Checkout Policy

Graduate students, staff, and faculty in the College of Education may check out books, journals, dissertations, and reports from the library. Other persons affiliated with the University of Iowa may also check out material on a case by case basis. The general public may use most library materials on site but may not remove materials from the library.

Tests in the collection may be examined and checked out only by qualified graduate students who are taking courses in which standardized tests are taught, and faculty members whose field is involved with standardized tests. These policies are in accordance with the professional ethics and standards of APA, AERA, and NCME, and with the regulations of test publishers. Tests from the library are not intended to be administered and the library does not provide any consumable test forms. For further clarification on test use in academic settings, see The Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment Statement on the Use of Secure Psychological Tests in the Education of Graduate and Undergraduate Psychology Students.

Circulation records are not confidential. If a book you need immediately is checked out, the librarian will contact the person who has it and request they return it.

You may renew material by phone, email, or in person.

Patrons are responsible for replacing lost library materials checked out to them.

History

As Iowa Testing Programs grew in prominence, Director E.F.Lindquist and the faculty decided a library that focused primarily on testing and measurement would be beneficial to them and their graduate students. The Blommers Measurement Resources Laboratory opened with non-state funding from the Iowa Measurement Research Foundation in 1973. Located in the newly-constructed Lindquist Center for Measurement, the library was named in honor of University of Iowa Professor Paul J. Blommers.

Blommers wrote numerous articles in the field of educational statistics and measurement. He and Professor Lindquist co-authored Elementary Statistical Methods in Psychology and Education (c1960, Houghton Mifflin); he and Professor Robert Forsyth co-authored the 2nd edtion (c1976, Houghton Mifflin).

Services

Research Assistance - The librarian can assist you with searches and will provide individual or classroom instruction in using databases, references sources, library catalogs, and other online resources. The librarian can also help you with locating tests, reports, books, dissertations, and journal articles listed in references.

Presentations to Classes -  Request a session for your class to visit Blommers Library or to have the librarian speak to your class about testing resources.

Recommend a Library Purchase - Suggest material for the library to purchase that is related to measurement and statistics. You will be notified when the item arrives.

UI Library Services: Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Books, journal articles, and other research materials not owned by the University of Iowa Libraries can usually be borrowed from other libraries. Free service for UI faculty, staff, and students.

Document/Article Delivery (DD)
Copies of journal articles and book chapters from a title held in any University of Iowa library (with the exception of the Law Library) can be scanned and emailed to you. Free service for UI faculty, staff, and students.