Library Notes

The Missouri State University Libraries, in collaboration with the Smithsonian and other partners, is seeking a select number of participants for the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival program “The Ozarks: Faces and Facets of a Region.” The festival, to be held June 28-July 9, will bring Ozarks-based musicians, artisans, cooks, performers and others to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to celebrate and share their culture. Presented through two weeks of performances, workshops, demonstrations and other participatory experiences, the event will highlight…

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Boris the cat made his highly anticipated return to Duane G. Meyer Library last week in an effort to help students decompress after the start of the fall semester. Boris Karloff, named after the English actor who starred in the 1931 Frankenstein movie, is a certified pet therapy cat with Love on Leash. The 4-year-old Maine Coon has polydactyl front paws (or two extra toes), which, according to legend, is a symbol of good luck. Boris and his owner, Sue,…

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The Missouri State University Libraries welcomed hundreds of students back to campus this fall with its “Pop into the Library” tabling event. The four-day affair, spearheaded by the Marketing and Communications team, invited students to learn more about the University Libraries’ resources, services, and spaces. Nearly a dozen employees from across the library volunteered at the event to connect with students, answer library-related questions, and hand out free popcorn, sodas and University Libraries swag. Students and library employees alike enjoyed…

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BearFest Village activities will resume this week ahead of MSU Football’s first home game on Thursday, Sept. 8. In an effort to prioritize student study and research during this time, Meyer Library will switch to “study hall” hours on Thursday, Sept. 8 from 4-7:30 p.m. Here’s what library users need to know: If you plan to visit the library Thursday, Sept. 8 between 4-7:30 p.m., you need to arrive before 4 p.m. to gain access into the building (this applies…

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The Missouri State University Libraries is looking for a Distributed User Support Specialist (DUSS).   In this position, you’ll install, maintain and resolve problems with computers, software and other equipment.   If you’re a user-focused, customer-service professional with a talent for all things tech, please apply:   jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/65099

Anne Marie Baker and Tom Peters, two members of the Library Science faculty at Missouri State University, plan to attend — virtually — a two-day symposium on “Historic Roads in the Context of Cultural Routes” to be held September 15-16, 2022.  The Missouri State University Libraries is a member of the Research Route 66 consortium coordinated by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the U.S. National Park Service. At least one organization from each of the eight states through…

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Because of the pandemic, in-person use of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University came to a complete halt in March 2020 and has been rebounding slowly but surely ever since. Building usage has now completely rebounded, and then some.  In August of 2022, usage of Meyer Library surpassed the number of visitors to the building back in August 2019, before COVID-19 became a global health challenge. This complete rebound is doubly impressive, because…

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Clif Smart, President of Missouri State University, addressed the full-time employees of the MSU Libraries during an all-library meeting held on Wednesday, April 24, 2022.  He began his remarks by noting that the university had a very good year during Academic Year 2021/22, despite the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The university now had the authority to add new doctoral programs following normal regulatory processes, and we have $80 million in capital improvements funding for the Temple Hall expansion…

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Local children’s book author David Harrison is working with the Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, to publish his autobiography, tentatively titled There Once Was A Boy. This week, he met with the new OSI managing editor, Elaina Kersey, to discuss his hopes for the book and ideas for cover design, distribution, and more.    Harrison, a Springfield native, is in his mid-eighties and has had a long and successful career, publishing books as…

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The Missouri State University Libraries is excited to have the annual conference of the Missouri Library Association come to Springfield next month. Katie Hopkins and Jesse East from the Springfield-Greene County Library District are serving as the coordinators of this conference, which will be held September 28-30, 2022 at the Oasis Hotel and Conference Center.  Several members of the MSU Library Science faculty will be presenting at this conference, and other faculty and staff will be attending to learn from…

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