Library Notes

As we all prepare for the new academic year, in light of our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, changing user needs and expectations, a university-wide hiring freeze, major systems changes, and increased fiscal constraints, several Libraries employees (faculty and staff) have stepped up to assume additional roles and responsibilities for the MSU Libraries and its users, beginning in August: David Adams will devote more of his professional time and talent to BearWorks, MSU’s Institutional Repository, and our expanding e-publishing…

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The Standard, the student-run campus newspaper at Missouri State University, recently featured a story by reporter Jack McGee about our “Enduring COVID-19” collaborative collecting initiative and included information about the partnership with the History Museum on the Square, the State Historical Society of Missouri, and  the Springfield-Greene County Library District.  Ozarks Pubic Television created a webpage about the “Enduring COVID-19” project that provides more information and links about the collaborative project: If you’d like to submit your story about the…

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During the first half of July 2020 the Missouri State University Libraries received quite a bit of coverage in the local media about various initiatives: On July 9, Anne Baker, Head of Special Collections and Archives, was interviewed by Josh Conaway from KSMU, Ozarks public radio, about how materials in Special Collections are being curated and protected during the current pandemic. You can listen to the interview here.  Also on July 9, Ash Garza, a reporter for The Standard, the…

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With the plethora of changes, dangers, shortages, fiscal constraints, and unknowns we all are confronting this year, the job of establishing the fall hours for Duane G. Meyer Library on the Springfield campus of Missouri State University has been much more challenging than during a typical year. Holly Kouns, Coordinator of Public Services, did an excellent job of considering all of the factors, including previous usage data for the building, to construct the following schedule.  Beginning Saturday, August 15, the…

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The week before the start of Fall Semester always is a busy time on the MSU campus. This year is no exception. Among many things, it’s the week when new faculty members receive orientation.  Because of the current pandemic, including the need to maintain social distancing, Duane G. Meyer Library will play a bigger role in New Faculty Orientation.  On Monday, August 10, the group will meet in the recently renovated Sunderland Foundation Auditorium — Room 101 off the main…

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As we all work together in this new era to create a university library that continues to be safe, productive, and forward-thinking in pursuit of its mission, this summer several employees of the MSU Libraries are transitioning to new roles and responsibilities. This is an ongoing process. Further reallocation of employee expertise and other resources of the MSU Libraries will be announced as details are finalized.  Andy Lokie has been a member of the Library Science Faculty since coming to…

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Forty years ago the Center for Ozarks Studies at SMS (now the Ozarks Studies Institute, an initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries), and Veriation Films produced two documentary films about life in Shannon County Missouri. “Shannon County: Home” was the first film, released in 1981. The films won several awards. Recently Lynn Morrow, who worked on the films, contacted the MSU Libraries with the information that one of the awards never was formally announced at SMS. The award was…

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To keep up with accessibility trends and best practices, Jessica Bennett, a member of the Library Science Faculty at Missouri State University, recently attended the HighEdWeb Accessibility Summit.  Many valuable sessions were offered during the day-long virtual conference, but the keynote stood out as something new and unique to consider as we work towards reworking the library website.  The Keynote: Kickstarting Accessibility with Design Systems presented by Heather Battaglia and Robert Jolly (both with 18F) introduced the United States Web Design…

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Three employees of the MSU Libraries — Tracy Stout, Shannon Mawhiney, and Sue McCrory — recently completed MSU LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Development), a University program that prepares leaders and supports MSU’s vision of: Being an employer of choice by providing supervisors opportunities to explore their leadership capabilities. Being a responsible and transparent steward of the University’s resources. Working for continuous improvement in programs, policies, and procedures. Being collaborative, to promote meaningful partnerships that further the university’s goals. This series…

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The first annual Missouri Association of Testing (MOAT) Conference, originally scheduled to be hosted in May here at Missouri State University, has been tentatively rescheduled as a virtual conference for Thursday and Friday, September 17 and 18, 2020.    Sessions topics include Accuplacer, HISET, RegisterBlast, SB 807 (Missouri’s State-Mandated Civics Exam), informational sessions about the National College Testing Association (NCTA), and transitioning your testing center post-COVID-19.    Sue McCrory, the head of the MSU Testing Center, managed by the Missouri…

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