Library Notes

The number of veteran students at MSU continues to increase. In the afternoon of Wednesday, March 8, 2017, the grand opening of the Oldham Family Veteran Student Center was held on the First Level of Duane G. Meyer Library at Missouri State University. Hundreds of people attended. The Office of Veteran Student Services (VSS) helps MSU achieve its goal to create educated adults. According to the VSS website, “The mission of the Office of Veteran Student Services (VSS) is to…

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The March 6th edition of The Standard, the MSU Student newspaper, contained a nice article in their “Spotlight On” series about Lynn Cline, who recently retired from the MSU Libraries after over 41 years of service. Chloe Skaar, the student-reporter, notes how Lynn began his career in Memorial Library, now known as Cheek Hall, then hired 120 student workers to help move everything into the new library. Skaar notes that Lynn “is cherished by them [his colleagues] for his experience,…

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The fundamental concepts of virtual reality and augmented reality have been around for some time now (see photo at right from the Virtual Reality Society). The new Virtual Reality service of the MSU Libraries is experiencing high demand and considerable interest at MSU and beyond. On March 1st Jir Shin Boey and Jan Johnson presented at the St. Louis Regional Library Network Tech Expo 2017 (includes a link to Jir Shin and Jan’s PPT).  Their presentation, Virtual Reality in the Library,…

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Consumer Health Complete (CHC), available from EBSCOhost, is a large full-text database of articles, reports, reference works, images, and videos focused on consumer-oriented health information. “This resource offers a well-rounded collection of full-text content from a variety of relevant source types, including journals, magazines, books, pamphlets, images, videos and more. Included are full-text health reference books and encyclopedias such as American Medical Association Complete Medical Encyclopedia, Complete Guide to Prescription & Nonprescription Drugs 2015, Cornell Illustrated Encyclopedia of Health, Mayo Clinic Family…

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George Hodgman, the author of the charming, witty memoir, Bettyville (2016), a NY Times bestseller and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, will visit MSU in April. A welcome reception will be held for him in Room 107 of Duane G. Meyer Library on Monday, April 17th, from 4:30 to 6:30. During the day on Tuesday, April 18th, he will meet with various classes and groups on campus, culminating in an evening talk on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m….

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In 2016, Cataloging modified 91,560 bibliographic records in the SWAN cluster database. It is important to keep up with these corrections, both to improve intellectual access, and to be ready down the road if we migrate to another ILS, or if BibFrame is implemented. In 2016, Cataloging modified 11,175 item records (ours) in the SWAN cluster database. This was not NEW cataloging, but making some change to the status or call number of an item added earlier. Database cleanup is unseen by…

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The Special Collections and Archives unit of the MSU Libraries has received a $2,500 grant from the Missouri Humanities Council to assist in “The Women of the Mother Road in Missouri.” Anne Baker, Interim Head of Special Collections and Archives, will serve as the principal investigator, working with documentarian Katrina Parks, whose web-based project for the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, route66women.com began interest in the topic. This oral history project will involve three screenings and discussions (two…

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On Saturday, March 18th from 10:00 to 5:00, our own Amy Hankins will be hosting Reptile Day at the Fairbanks, as part of our public service efforts for the Northwest Project. Reptile Day will be a hands-on, educational event for the whole family. Several knowledgeable people will be on hand with live reptiles and amphibians, and will answer any questions regarding these animals. We also plan to have a table featuring Missouri’s native species of reptiles and amphibians. Gotta love a…

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The Library Green Team is participating in a national effort in support of RecyleMania during the month of March.   RecycleMania is designed to raise awareness of the need to reduce waste.  Our primary message is Refuse to Use plastics that are not recyclable or difficult to recycle because few places take them. With the help of Jordan Schanda, MSU’s Sustainability Coordinator, her mom, and several students, we put together an art display on the ramp going into Meyer Library.

Last week Jan Johnson and Tom Peters submitted a grant application on behalf of the MSU Libraries to seek financial support for our public service efforts to create a neighborhood library in the Fairbanks School as part of the larger Northwest Project, involving MSU, Drury, and the Drew Lewis Foundation. Funds are being sought from the Gannett Foundation in the amount of $5,000. Gannett is the publisher of the Springfield News-Leader. The Gannett Foundation supports local organizations in communities served…

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