Library Notes

Lynn Morrow, retired director of the Missouri State Archives’ Local Records Program, MSU alum, and an Ozarks historian, recently donated his collection of photographs, slides, postcards, and more to Meyer Library’s Special Collections and Archives.  The material dates from approximately the late 19th century through the 20th century and covers the Ozarks region, as well as some areas outside of the Ozarks, such as St. Louis.  In addition to the 6 cubic feet of research material, Mr. Morrow also donated some of the equipment he…

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Dr. Lemont “Monty” Dobson and members of his film crew, Patrick, Jack, and Alex, recently used the VR (Virtual Reality) Room 302 in Meyer Library and the garden area behind the library to film part of a documentary called “America From the Ground Up” that airs on PBS. Past episodes are available on YouTube. The focus of the visit included interviewing Dr. John F. Chuchiak IV about his and MSU alumnus Justin Duncan’s work, “A Three-Dimensional Multi-Media Recreation of the 1601 Public…

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On Monday afternoon, April 2, 2018, a small electrical fire in a control box in one of the penthouses on the roof of the new section of Duane G. Meyer Library caused the library to be evacuated and temporarily closed while fire and safety crews extinguished the fire and assessed the damage, which was minor. The fumes from the small fire could be smelled throughout the building. According to Building Coordinator, David Adams, “A control box for one of the…

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Funding in the amount of $40,000 is available again this summer to support MSU Libraries faculty and staff members who want to create or improve a service, a body of content, and/or a space (real world, online space, or virtual world). The innovation could involve a new service, body of content, or space (or combination of two or all three of these), or an improved, expanded, or extended existing service, body of content, or space. Eight grant applications were submitted,…

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The South Central Regional Library Council, headquartered in Ithaca, New York, has invited Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services as Missouri State University, to lead and facilitate the one-day “Reflecting on Reference” conference they are planning for Friday, May 11th in Freeville, NY. The South Central Regional Library Council’s (SCRLC’s) mission is to lead and advocate for member libraries by promoting learning, collaboration, and innovation. It is one of nine Reference and Research Library Resources Councils comprising the Empire State Library…

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Molly Gunderson, Access Services Manager at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, visited Springfield and Missouri State University in late March to conduct a two-day external review of the Access Services Unit of the MSU Libraries. Access Services, which includes Circulation Services, Interlibrary Loan, and Building Services, is one of twenty programs of the MSU Libraries that are on a schedule for periodic two-year reviews. During the first year, program leaders and faculty and staff members conduct a self-study. During…

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The Children’s and Young Adult Book Review Board of Missouri, known and loved familiarly as the BRB, has released its annual report for 2017. The BRB, an initiative of the MSU Libraries, promotes and champions children’s and young adult literature, focusing on multicultural and series titles. In 2017, the BRB expanded its outreach efforts, presenting workshops on how to write a great book review for teachers and their students throughout the state. With an emphasis on 21st century skills, BRB…

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The Big Read is a collaborative project led by the Springfield-Greene County Library District, with the MSU Libraries as a partner organization. This year the Big Read is focused on pandemics past — and possibly in the future. On Thursday, April 19th beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Library Center on South Campbell, John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Greatest Pandemic in History, will be in town for an author talk and…

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An excellent tool presenting practical information about companies and the industries in which they compete, Business Insights: Essentials is a “fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals.” Business Insights contains nearly 500,000 company profiles, nearly 25,000 industry reports, more than 1,000 reports on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing individual companies (updated quarterly), over 2,500 market research reports, more than two million investment research/brokerage reports, and over 10,000 company histories….

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The Records of the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union (HEREBIU), Local 336 in Meyer Library’s Special Collections and Archives documents the Springfield labor union from 1945-1964 with by-laws, minutes, correspondence, and more. HEREBIU, Local 472, was chartered in 1934 and represented Springfield area bartenders.  Local 472 was popularly referred to as the Bartenders’ Union, while HEREBIU, Local 336, which organized restaurant workers, was often called the Culinary Alliance. In 1953, Local 472 amended their by-laws to exclude women…

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