Library Notes

The two finalists for the Associate Dean of Libraries position at MSU are Dr. Jan Figa and Rachel Besara. Dr. Figa’s MLS is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His doctorate, also from UIUC, was done in the Dept. of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. He has served as library director at both Rockford (IL) University and Illinois College. His primary interview day will be Tuesday, May 16th. Ms. Besara’s MLS is from Florida State University in Tallahassee, with an…

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Please encourage all student workers to attend the MSU Libraries Student Workers Reception to be held next Thursday, May 11, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 107 of Duane G. Meyer Library. The reception will honor our amazing student workers, especially those who are graduating this month. If you haven’t already done so, please send Joyce Stefka an email message with the names of all the graduating student workers in your unit. Refreshments will be served! Graduating student…

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One of the two fit desks available on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library recently became so buff that it pulled up stakes and moved down one level, in anticipation of the renovation of the southwest area of the Second Level this summer. The fit desks have proven to be quite popular with library users and employees, but the Space Committee (Jessica Bennett, Tracy Stout, Nathan Neuschwander, and Tom Peters) noticed that, when the two fit desks were…

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On April 3rd the MSU Libraries applied for a $5,105 grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service. We proposed to conduct, in collaboration with Ozarks Alive, at least 20 oral history interviews with individuals involved in and/or knowledgeable of the history of the trucking industry along the Route 66 Corridor in Missouri from 1926 to 1985. For example, Campbell 66 Express, a trucking firm based in Springfield, Missouri, was founded in 1926, the same year as Route…

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Yesterday we learned that the dates for the on-campus visits of the two finalists for the Associate Dean of Library Services have been set. The primary visit dates for the two will be Tuesday, May 16th and Tuesday, May 23rd. Each finalist will fly into Springfield on the respective Monday before, and fly back out on Wednesday morning. In next week’s Library Notes we’ll provide the names of the two finalists, links to their resumes, and the schedules for their visits. At…

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In 2015, the library developed 12 key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs include data (numbers) collected each month through Google Forms that various people submit. Can you tell someone how many people walked in the building last year? Do you want to quickly see if our website usage has gone up or down recently? Just take a look at the KPIs to find out. There are a variety of levels at which you can examine the numbers. For quick references, look…

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The Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change provides a multi-authored, academic yet non-technical resource for students and teachers to understand the importance of global warming, to appreciate the effects of human activity and greenhouse gases around the world, and to learn the history of climate change and the research examining it. The site includes a Reader’s Guide, with broad subjects like ‘Atmospheric Sciences’ and ‘Climate Models’ that provide links to more specific subjects, an A to Z list of encyclopedia…

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The Meyer Library has recently acquired two sets of Google Cardboards as an alternative offering to our virtual reality services at Music and Media.  The Google Cardboard is simply a VR viewer that works with a smartphone.  If your smartphone is relatively new (Android 4.1 or iOS 8.0), you can view 360 degree videos and photos, interactive maps, explore VR apps installed in your phone.  Google has also made the Cardboard specifications open to all, so you can make one…

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Earlier in April the MSU Testing Center, a unit of the MSU Libraries, added ten more test-taking cubicles, bringing the total available seats to 65, including the 3 DRC (Disability Resource Center) accommodation rooms.  At present, the new cubicles are being used as additional paper-based exam stations, until additional network access and computers are installed. Once network access and computers have been set up, the Testing Center will be able to accommodate an additional 5 Pearson Vue stations, bringing that total…

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A total of $40,000 has been made available this summer for internal, competitive innovation grants. The purpose of the Summer Innovation Grants is 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, virtual world, mixed reality, augmented reality, etc). All six submitted proposals were funded. Raegan Wiechert will continue her good work enabling users to search by genre terms. Shannon Mawhiney will add…

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