Library Notes

On Thursday, August 1, 2024, Vanessa Lockhart will start as Administrative Assistant II for the Missouri State University Libraries. This is a new position at the MSU Libraries, emerging from the former Executive Assistant position.  Vanessa’s principal work area will be in the Ozarks Room on the Third Level.  Vanessa previously has worked as an Information Specialist in the Financial Aid Office at MSU, as well as at the Ozarks Small Business Incubator in West Plains, and the Titanic Museum…

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Introducing our new 24/7 Chat Reference Service! This service allows anyone to get research help at any time, from any location, by providing continuous support from our own librarians, guided assistance from BotBear, and a cooperative network of librarians. Whether you have general questions, need assistance with getting started on your research, or finding and using resources, you’ll now have around the clock support. Ask us anytime, anywhere, and make the most of your academic journey with our on-demand chat…

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The Missouri State University Admissions Department visited the Duane G. Meyer Library on Tuesday, July 16 for a presentation and tour of the building to learn more about how the library serves the community of MSU. The visit was organized by Holly Kouns, coordinator of public services, in collaboration with Tracy Stout, head of research and instructional services, Tracie Gieselman-France, archivist, and Derek Moser, director of research management and discovery. The group got to check out the library’s services, resources,…

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New Year’s Day                                                       January 1, 1934 Had a good time last night. Aunt Me and I went to the midnight show, ‘Convention City,’ at the Paramount…” This begins the 1934 diary of a Springfield teenager. Agnes Rita Walsh spends the next several months documenting her life – her plans, the people she knew, and…

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The Kentwood Series of talks and presentations about various facets of Ozarks history and life continues this evening (Thursday, July 11th) beginning at 7:00 p.m., when the renowned author, educator, and historian Steve Wiegenstein will speak. His talk will focus on utopian communities in Missouri, past and present. Nineteenth-century Missouri was home to several alternative communities, often termed “utopian communities” for their emphasis on social betterment and a different way of life. But although their neighbors sometimes considered these utopians…

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Special Collections and Archives inside the Duane G. Meyer Library is exhibiting the memorabilia of Ramona McQueary’s time involved in the P.E.O. Sisterhood. P.E.O. stands for Philanthropic Education Organization. Founded in 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan University by seven female students, P.E.O. exists for the betterment of women, sisterhood, and loyalty through grants, scholarships, awards, and loans that help women to attain their educational goals. McQueary herself was very active at Missouri State University, then known as SMSU. She served on…

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The Kentwood Series of talks and presentations about various facets of Ozarks history and life will continue on Thursday, July 11th, beginning at 7:00 p.m., when the renowned author, educator, and historian Steve Wiegenstein will speak. His talk will focus on utopian communities in Missouri, past and present. Nineteenth-century Missouri was home to several alternative communities, often termed “utopian communities” for their emphasis on social betterment and a different way of life. But although their neighbors sometimes considered these utopians…

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A recently completed collaborative project is “Our Food: Our Stories,” an oral history series containing sixteen interviews that seeks to preserve experiences of Ozarks farmers and the rich Ozarks agricultural heritage. Interviews have been collected from a diverse group of farmers across the region with particular emphasis on the stories of indigenous people, as well as immigrants, veterans, those who are underserved, the socially disadvantaged, individuals of color, as well as beginning and seasoned farmers. This project is a collaboration…

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On Friday, June 7, 2024 and Saturday, June 8, 2024, the Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, will serve as a vendor at the 30th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains, MO. The OSI booth will have books and magazines for sale at a table underneath a canopy. Funded partially by the Missouri Arts Council and the Missouri Folk Arts Program, the festival, which began in 1994, exists to acknowledge talented…

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