Library Notes

As part of the planning process for the upcoming Ozarks Program at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in DC from June 28th to July 9th, many discussions have been held involving Smithsonian staff, reps from the MSU Libraries, and reps from other Ozarks organizations about the importance of pork as a protein source in the Ozarks. For hundreds of years hog butchering was an important family and community practice.  The logistics of having a demonstration of…

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On Sunday, December 18, 2022, the Men’s Chorus of the Ozarks (MCO) had their first holiday concert since 2019. A long-time supporter of the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archives (OLGA), a part of Special Collections and Archives at the Missouri State University Libraries, the MCO asked the Archives to provide a display on local LGBTQ+ history.

From January 24 to 26th, Jessica Bennett attended an Amigos Library Services webinar focused on curriculum mapping for academic libraries.  Curriculum mapping is a process for evaluating the curriculum’s cohesiveness, proper sequencing, and goal achievement. Academic libraries use it to assess connections and overlap between information literacy and the program curriculum to identify library instruction opportunities.  

The Missouri State University Libraries on the main Springfield campus offers a new database for music transposition — Art Song Transpositions. This database currently is available on a trial basis through May 15, 2023.  This database allows library users to transpose songs or arias into new keys and then print official, licensed scores for use. The database’s interface allows individuals to search for songs, make suggestions for additional titles, keys, and repertoires,  and to download and print selected materials. Due…

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Missouri State University’s Giving Day allows alumni and friends to come together and make a collective difference for our university. As thousands unite across the globe, we will make an immediate impact on the campus community and support Bears in need. Join alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff as we bring the Missouri State University community together for 36 hours of collective impact, from 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 until 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 2,…

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A new exhibit, Research, Conservation, Reconstruction, and Restoration will open in Special Collections and Archives on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Please join us for an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Meyer Library Room 306.

The hardcover edition of the new book about Frost Flowers, with Dr. Michelle Olsen as the author and photographer, is due back from the printer/binder early next week. Dr. Michelle D. Olsen, Director of Institutional Research at Missouri State University, has painstakingly compiled a book of over 100 stunning photographs of frost flowers, a phenomenon unique to the Ozarks Mountain region of the country.     Also called Crystallofolia, frost flowers are sculptures of ice that extrude from the stem of…

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Award-winning author of children’s books, Kwame Alexander, will be in Springfield on Thursday, April 27, 2023 to give a workshop and a public talk. Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 37 books, including AN AMERICAN STORY, THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI (co-authored with James Patterson), REBOUND, which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, and THE UNDEFEATED, the National Book Award nominee, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Medal-winning…

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In recent years the number of leaks in the roof of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University has increased in scope and intensity, necessitating remedial action. Work to repair or replace major sections of both the older (40 plus years) and newer (20 plus years) roof are being undertaken this spring.  A mid-January email message to employees from Nathan Neuschwander noted that the roof over the major leak near the Third Level conference room…

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The newest issue of OzarksWatch Magazine is back from the printer.   It focuses on “Faces and Facets of the Ozarks,” which is tied to the upcoming Ozarks program at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival this summer on the National Mall in DC.   It’s a big issue, with over 100 pages of great content. Thanks to all who helped bring this expanded special issue to fruition.   Information on how to purchase individual copies of this and previous issues, or…

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