Library Notes

On Tuesday officials of the Man Booker Prize announced this year’s winner from the six books (and authors) that had been “shortlisted” as the finalists: The Overstory, by Richard Powers (being cataloged) Nine strangers are summoned by trees to save what little is left of North America’s virgin forests. Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan (being cataloged) George Washington Black, or “Wash,” an eleven-year-old field slave on a Barbados sugar plantation, is terrified to be chosen by his master’s brother as his manservant….

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Mark Arnold, Library Systems Administrator/Support Specialist, is the MSU Libraries Employee of the Month! Mark has been a part of the University Libraries family since 1993. We talked with Mark recently in relation to this prestigious honor. Here’s what he had to say: What originally attracted you to library work? “I’ve been excited about libraries for as long as I can remember. When my mom wanted to encourage me to do something I really didn’t want to do, she would…

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Kudos to MSU Libraries Student Employee of the Month, Della McEntire. Della is a senior Global Studies major working in the Research & Informational Services unit of Duane G. Meyer Library. Della is known for consistently providing excellent customer service with a positive attitude. All-Time Favorite Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Della says, “If you’ve only ever watched the movies, you’re missing out!” One Thing Students Should Know About the Libraries: The online chat feature, Ask A Librarian. Have…

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Once again, this election year the MSU Libraries is collaborating with the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the League of Women Voters to facilitate a voter education and participation campaign. Free voter education pamphlets, as well as quick-info cards, have been placed on the First Level of Duane G. Meyer Library — on the table next to the stairs, and on the RIS research help desk. Lisa McEowen, a Library Associate III in Special Collections and Archives, is facilitating this effort.

Joshua Lambert, a tenured member of the Library Science faculty at Missouri State University, will present on Friday, November 2, 2018 at the annual “Brick & Click” academic library conference in Maryville, Missouri. His talk will focus on “Key Performance Indicator Tracking Using Google Forms.” An excerpt from the abstract: “Key performance indicators (KPIs) can help libraries make informed decisions, but they can take a significant amount of time to track and analyze. Using a network of Google Spreadsheets, the…

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A new committee of the MSU Libraries has been formed: The Building Coordination Committee. Members include: David Adams, Chair Joshua Lambert Cherri Jones Lisa McEowen The committee is working on a formal charge, but essentially it will provide oversight, direction, and vision for such things as safety, security, and cleanliness in Duane G. Meyer Library. The committee also will work with other cost centers to ensure that all the major systems in the building — HVAC, lighting, time, plumbing, etc….

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The MSU Libraries has purchased a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-4000S wide-format printer for library use. We have a few types of paper in stock and can get a variety of others if requested in time. If you need to print something in large format contact Nathan Neuschwander with your print size and paper needs.

A new exhibit, Exploring and Conserving the Past, will open in Special Collections and Archives on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.  Please join us for an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Meyer Library Room 306. This educational exhibit is the culmination of the best student research from the 2017-2018 Citizenship and Service-Learning (CASL) integrated courses ART/MST 488: Basic Conservation of Art and Artifacts and ART 386: Art of Africa, taught by Dr. Billie Follensbee. Objects studied are on loan from historical and educational institutions in…

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Two faculty members of the MSU Libraries are presenting at the 2018 Annual Conference of the Missouri Library Association, being held this week in Columbia: BREAKOUT SESSION: Diversity in Libraries: Creating Interdisciplinary Space at Missouri State University—Duane G Meyer Library PRESENTER: Jessica Bennett, Assistant Professor, Missouri State University Machine learning, artificial intelligence, cyber-physical systems and robotics, human language technologies, human/AI collaboration, machine perception and sensing, augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, digital personal assistants, robotic/ AI librarians, IoT—what a diverse…

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The MOBIUS Consortium Office in Columbia recently provided the Library Administration at the MSU Libraries with some data, gleaned primarily from Google Analytics, of trends in recent years of usage of core systems and services provided by MOBIUS to its member libraries. Some trends: The number of users annually of the MSU Catalog declined by 17.7% from FY15 to FY18. During the same time period, the size of the MSU community of students, faculty, and staff grew by 8.0%. Circulation…

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