Library Notes

The Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, and the Springfield-Greene County Library District are collaborating again to organize and host a free public talk by Sarah Jane Nelson, author of a new biography of Max Hunter. The free talk will begin tonight, Thursday, April 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at the Library Center on South Campbell Avenue.  Copies of Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector, from the…

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A book launch reception for The Orbit of Meter: Writings on Poems and Prosody by Robert Wallace will be held Monday, April 17, 2023, from 3:00 to 5:00 on the third level of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University. The book was edited by James S. Baumlin and Anne Marie Baker, foreword by Christine Wallace, and is the latest publication of the Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University…

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The new “Songs of the Ozarks” playlist is performing well on the dedicated YouTube channel of the Missouri State University Libraries. The “Songs of the Ozarks” series is part of Missouri State University’s scholarly content leading up to its participation in the 2023 Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival. The festival will feature the history and culture of the Ozarks region, presented in part by the university, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Emalee Flatness started this oral history project with…

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A good old-fashioned Ozarks Jamboree, a type of variety show common to the Ozarks for over 100 years, from the Weaver Brothers & Elviry in the early 20th century to today’s Branson shows, is being organized by the MSU Libraries, in conjunction with the MSU Alumni Association and the Office of the President, for Friday evening, May 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. CDT in the new John Goodman Amphitheater on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University.  The…

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From recording music to collecting books, Gordon McCann has spent decades preserving, sharing and documenting the Ozarks. His countless hours of dedication will now live on through Missouri State University Libraries, which has acquired his books – numbering in the thousands – regional memorabilia and ephemera, local music recordings and more.  “Many items in Gordon’s collection are one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable,” says Tom Peters, dean of MSU Libraries and director of the Ozarks Studies Institute. “His years of work are monumental to…

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Last weekend Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University, attended the annual meeting of the Research Route 66 group, which is organized and led by Kaisa Barthuli, the program director of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service. The meeting was held at the El Vado Motel on old Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This meeting partially overlapped with the annual meeting of The Road Ahead Partnership,…

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The Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, is helping to produce the upcoming 5th Annual Showcase of the Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest, to be held in the Shrine Mosque, May 18-20 of 2023 (Thursday – Saturday).  Western Swing Music is a type of American country music that was popular in the Thirties and Forties, primarily in the Southwest, from the Ozarks to California. Swing music is an amalgamation of rustic, cowboy,…

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The Missouri A&OER Conference (Affordable & Open Education Resources) was another success!  The 4th annual conference was organized by the Missouri A&OER Conference Planning Committee, chaired by MSU faculty librarian, Tracy Stout.  The conference was held virtually on March 9th and had 191 registrants, an increase from last year. Highlights from the conference include a keynote by Dr. Robin DeRosa titled, “Pedagogy and the Power of Open” and a workshop for faculty titled, “Make an Impact with OER!” All sessions were…

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The Missouri State University Libraries, located on the main Springfield campus, is collaborating with Missouri Humanities and other cultural memory organizations on a cluster of “Roots & Routes” Signature Series events in Springfield on Friday and Saturday April 28-29, 2023. These events are free and open to the public.  The Sixth annual symposium will focus on the theme “Roots & Routes of the Ozarks: People & Pathways.” Conversations will center around the movement of people into, out of, and within…

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Rachel Besara, Associate Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University, attended the 2023 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week.  While there she not only attended sessions, did committee work, and made connections, but she also participated in three presentations:   A panel “Less Stress, More Success: Learning to Effectively Manage up” with Michelle Demeter (New York University), Bridgett Birmingham (Florida State University), and Ginger Williams (Fort Hays State University), Two round tables, “Transformative Data…

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