Library Notes

Award-winning author of children’s books, Kwame Alexander, will be in Springfield on Thursday, April 27, 2023 to give a workshop and a public talk. Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 37 books, including AN AMERICAN STORY, THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI (co-authored with James Patterson), REBOUND, which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, and THE UNDEFEATED, the National Book Award nominee, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Medal-winning…

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The hardcover edition of the new book about Frost Flowers, with Dr. Michelle Olsen as the author and photographer, is due back from the printer/binder early next week. Dr. Michelle D. Olsen, Director of Institutional Research at Missouri State University, has painstakingly compiled a book of over 100 stunning photographs of frost flowers, a phenomenon unique to the Ozarks Mountain region of the country.     Also called Crystallofolia, frost flowers are sculptures of ice that extrude from the stem of…

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A new exhibit, Research, Conservation, Reconstruction, and Restoration will open in Special Collections and Archives on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Please join us for an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Meyer Library Room 306.

Crystal and Leland Payton have invested around 40 years, countless hours, and extensive expertise in developing a one-of-a-kind collection featuring more than 5,000 Ozarks cultural artifacts. That work will now benefit generations of Ozarkers to come through Missouri State University Libraries, which has acquired the Payton Ozarks Collection.    “I think we’re on the same wavelength. What is happening with MSU Libraries is exciting, and I’m thrilled our collection can be part of this movement for regional recognition,” says Crystal…

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The newest issue of OzarksWatch Magazine is back from the printer.   It focuses on “Faces and Facets of the Ozarks,” which is tied to the upcoming Ozarks program at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival this summer on the National Mall in DC.   It’s a big issue, with over 100 pages of great content. Thanks to all who helped bring this expanded special issue to fruition.   Information on how to purchase individual copies of this and previous issues, or…

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In recent years the number of leaks in the roof of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University has increased in scope and intensity, necessitating remedial action. Work to repair or replace major sections of both the older (40 plus years) and newer (20 plus years) roof are being undertaken this spring.  A mid-January email message to employees from Nathan Neuschwander noted that the roof over the major leak near the Third Level conference room…

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The search for a new Coordinator of Library Information Technologies (LIT) at the Missouri State University Libraries on the main Springfield campus has begun. The date of first consideration is Monday, February 13, 2023, and review of applications will continue until the position is filled.  The Coordinator of LIT leads and manages all of the information technology efforts of the MSU Libraries. They use advanced professional and technical expertise to provide leadership and guidance to the University Libraries concerning information…

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Jeffrey Lawson, a Library Associate I and Archives Specialist in the Digitization Lab in the Special Collections and Archives area of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University, is the “Featured Library Employee” in the January 2023 online issue of MO Info: The Newsletter of the Missouri Library Association.  In the full-page article on page 4, using the Q&A style, Jeffrey notes the wonderful Saturday morning’s he spent as a child at what is…

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Last week, members of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, Local 178, visited the Special Collections and Archives area in the Missouri State University Libraries. The group toured the Archives with department head Anne Baker and archivist Tracie Gieselman France before looking at the records of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, Local 178. Early documents from the Springfield Central Labor Council collection were also made available to the members of Local 178. This re-connection of…

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Dr. Michelle D. Olsen, Director of Institutional Research at Missouri State University, is publishing a book of photographs of frost flowers, a phenomenon unique to the Ozarks Mountain region of the country.     Also called Crystallofolia, frost flowers are sculptures of ice that extrude from the stem of the Verbesina virginica plant during the late fall, winter, and early spring seasons, when the temperatures are low enough for water in the plant’s stem to cool to a degree that is ripe…

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