Library Notes

OLGA, the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archive, located in Special Collections and Archives, part of the MSU Libraries on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University, had a information table at the Ozarks PrideFest held last Saturday on the square in Downtown Springfield.  Did you know the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archives, or OLGA, was founded almost 20 years ago? Professors Holly Baggett and Ralph Smith approached the Library in 2003 to establish a cooperative project with the Missouri…

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Mark Arnold, who has served the Missouri State University Libraries and its users for over 30 years, has decided to retire at the end of July. His current position is Library Systems Administrator – Support Specialist.  Just a few highlights of Mark’s amazingly productive career: He served as chair of the search committee that led to the hiring of David Adams as Systems Librarian. Mark is a citizen scholar and lifelong learner. Eleven years ago he earned a Master of…

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Join us on Friday June 16, 2023 beginning at 10:30 a.m. for coffee and pastries and check out the NEW “Broadcasting the Ozarks” exhibit! Created by the State Historical Society of Missouri-Springfield Research Center, the “Broadcasting the Ozarks: A History of RadiOzark Enterprises” exhibit showcases the history of Springfield’s RadiOzark Enterprises, the company behind nationally-known syndicated radio programs such as “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show,” “The Red Foley Show,” and Shorty Thompson’s “Saddle Rockin’ Rhythm”.   Learn about Springfield’s legacy…

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Robert Stephens, former mayor of Springfield, has donated ten London playscripts from the early 18th to the early 19th centuries to Special Collections and Archives, part of the Missouri State University Libraries.  Stephens was friends with Bill Burling, a professor of English at Missouri State University. They met often for lunch, and they began collecting these playscripts as a joint venture-hobby. Burling wrote many books, including  “Summer Theatre in London, 1661-1820, and the Rise of the Haymarket Theatre” and “The…

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Yesterday, June 7th, was National VCR Day! Machines to record on videotape were introduced in the 1950s, which was the beginning of the death knell for the kinescope, but they were so expensive (around $50,000 in 1956!) that only television networks and large stations were able to afford them.   The first commercial VCRs for home use were released in the 1970s. Betamax and Jack Valenti were soldiers in this format (and popular culture) war. In the early 1980s, the…

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Yesterday the Smithsonian officially released the schedule of activities, presentations, and performances at the Ozarks Program at the upcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC.  Missouri State University (MSU) is the lead partner with the Smithsonian Institution, collaborating to plan, promote, and present an exciting array of events at the Ozarks program at the ten-day Smithsonian Folklife Festival, from Thursday, June 29 through Sunday, July 9, 2023. Festival activities will occur daily from 11:00 to 5:30,…

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Route 66 researchers now have additional resources available through the Missouri State University Libraries. The Live Music Venues and Experiences on Route 66 oral history project, made possible in part by the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, can be found on the MSU Libraries’ YouTube channel and in Special Collections and Archives. This investigation of musical venues located in Springfield, Missouri, and around Lebanon, Missouri, offers a broad look of the community memory fostered by Route 66….

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