Library Notes

In 1920 what we call World War I was a recent memory, the Roaring Twenties was just limbering up, and the stock market crash, the Great Depression, and  the Dust Bowl was far in the future. The year 1920 left its mark. A 101-year-old time capsule from 1920 was recently opened at the Christian County Courthouse in Ozark, Missouri.  Its existence was first discovered in a 1920 newspaper article by local historian Wayne Glenn, the Old Record Collector. From there…

Read More Read More

We Gave Them Thunder, the most recent publication of the Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, is being considered for the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. The book was co-authored by William Garrett Piston and John C. Rutherford. The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize is awarded annually for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or a subject relating to their era. The $50,000 prize was co-founded and endowed by…

Read More Read More

Professor Emeritus of History James Giglio has set up a special fund with the Missouri State University Foundation to support current and future faculty research and scholarly writing by helping other MSU faculty members to obtain information via interlibrary loan, one of many services offered by the Missouri State University Libraries. Professor Giglio has written many books, including The Presidency of John F. Kennedy (revised and expanded edition, 2006), Debating the Kennedy Presidency (2003), Musial: From Stash to Stan the…

Read More Read More

A new agreement between Missouri State University and the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will feature the Ozarks region on the national stage in the summer of 2023. The MSU Libraries, in close collaboration with partners and advisors from across the multistate region, will develop programming for the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “Through the Ozarks Studies Institute, the MSU Libraries has positioned itself as a regional expert on Ozarks’ history and heritage,” said Tom Peters, dean of…

Read More Read More

The Robert and Carol Noble Family Foundation has donated a massive collection of over 3,000 cookbooks to the Missouri State University Libraries.  Bob Noble is the founder and CEO of The Food Channel®, a very popular website. The large collection of printed cookbooks and books about the culinary arts was compiled to support the work of The Food Channel.  The Food Channel began as a print publication in 1989. Over the years, the publication evolved, expanded to outside subscribers and eventually…

Read More Read More

In 1958 Dr. Jim Brown was given the task of providing entertainment for the annual Greene County Medical Society banquet – without a budget. From this the Singing Doctors of Greene County was formed.  The original six members performed that night and the group continued performing until 1989.  The money they raised through performances and record sales supported a scholarship program for medical students. Through the years, Dr. Brown maintained the archives of the organization including recordings, publicity materials, business…

Read More Read More

Join the Missouri State University Libraries on Wednesday, October 20th, beginning at 3:30 p.m. as we celebrate the grand opening of our Ozarks Room, located on the third floor of the Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of MSU. This beautiful new space encapsulates the history and culture of the Ozarks through its diverse collection of books, photography and artifacts. Our grand opening celebration will feature a surprise announcement by MSU officials, as well as performances by…

Read More Read More

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt visited the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 to visit with President Clif Smart and other university officials about healthcare and STEM research and programs at MSU. In the late afternoon Senator Blunt, after meeting with local media representatives, was welcomed at a reception held in his honor in the new Ozarks Room on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library. Approximately 50 university and Springfield dignitaries attended. Senator…

Read More Read More

Retired MSU librarian Tammy Stewart was recently interviewed by her husband, Randy, as part of the KSMU “Sense of Community” series of interviews. Ahead of StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening, KSMU arts producer Randy Stewart reminisces with Tammy about how they met.  StoryCorps is a public radio program that gives people of all backgrounds the opportunity to record meaningful conversations and archive the recordings at the Library of Congress. Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after…

Read More Read More

On Monday, October 11th a new masking policy will go into effect for most of the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University.  Here’s a summary of how the new campus masking policy will affect users of Duane G. Meyer Library. These policies apply to all visitors to the building, regardless of status with the university. The current plan is to have this new masking policy in force through December 2021, subject to change, of course, if situational changes warrant. …

Read More Read More