The EBSCO Foundation has made a solid five-figure gift to the Ozarks Studies Institute (OSI), an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, located in the Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus.

The gift will be used to support the work of the OSI, including various oral history projects and public programs, including the big ten-day program being planned to highlight the entire Ozarks Region at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in DC in late June and early July of 2023. 

Brian Duncan, senior vice president of EBSCO Information Services, and an Arkansas native from Fayetteville, shared that he applauds and supports the work of the OSI and other cultural memory institutions in the five-state region to preserve and promote the history and life of the Ozarks. 

Tom Peters, MSU Dean of Library Services, observed that, with the launch of the new Ozarks Room on the third level of Meyer Library last year, the OSI has become more visible and effective in all of its Ozarks-related activities. The OSI is active in book publishing, the twice-yearly publication of OzarksWatch Magazine, an ongoing speakers series, including talks by authors of new books about the Ozarks, digitization projects, collection building, and public programs, including the mule panel discussion at West Plains and online this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Peters said, “This gift helps Missouri State University to advance its public affairs mission, specifically by providing additional resources to serve the entire Ozarks region. Everyone at the MSU Libraries is very appreciative of this wonderful gift, and we will put the money to good use to continue the substantial work of the Ozarks Studies Institute, and to position the OSI, the MSU Libraries, and the entire region for continued success.”