Library Notes

Giraffe-style native flagstone architecture is a distinctive feature in the Ozarks. It was a common construction method during the first half of the twentieth century.  Alesha Cerny, Architectural Historian for the Southeast Region of the National Park Service, will be on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University on Thursday, March 7, 2024 to give a talk about “giraffe-style” native flagstone architecture in the Ozarks.  The event, which is free and open to all, will begin at 4:00 p.m….

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Each spring the Missouri State University Libraries, located on the main Springfield campus, has the opportunity to award three student scholarships. All of them support library assistants or students who want to pursue a master’s degree in library science. They are made possible by long-term library supporters. Full details about the scholarships and requirements are available here. Karen Horny Library Student Employee Endowed Scholarship Fund Awarded annually to a student in good academic standing at Missouri State University that has…

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Early on Tuesday afternoon, February 20, 2024, Dr. John Jasinski, Provost at Missouri State University, visited Duane G. Meyer Library to personally deliver promotion letters for two members of the MSU Library Science Faculty who had applied for promotion to the rank of Full Professor.  Both Joshua Lambert and Andrea Miller were pleased to receive this visit from the Provost, along with his thanks and congratulations. Dr. Jaskinski noted that achieving Full Professor is a major life achievement, and he…

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Have you heard about the podcast hosted by Jay Howard, senior instructor at Missouri State University? Since January 2021, Jay has been talking to people at universities and colleges about their creative work and how their work contributes to the community. Over time the title of the podcast has changed and is now known as The Humanities District. Jay worked at the Missouri State University Libraries as a student employee during his undergraduate years, so he is no stranger to…

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The COVID-19 Pandemic had a profound impact on the way we all live our lives. Sadly, approximately seven million people worldwide died from the disease.  In the grand scheme of things, one relatively minor impact was a decline in the number of on-site users of the Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University.  Years before the pandemic, the annual number of visits to Meyer Library often was close to three-quarters of a million. For…

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The Kentwood Series of monthly events, talks, and presentations is taking shape for the remainder of 2024. Here is the current schedule: Thurs. March 14: Rachael West from Eating the Ozarks presents about the Wandering Forager Thurs. April 11: David Harrison and Chris Craig perform in poetry and song Thurs. May 9: Creative writer Laura McHugh talks about her latest novel, Safe and Sound Thurs. June 13: TBD Thurs. July 11: Author Steve Wiegenstein explores 19th century utopian communities in…

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The Missouri Affordable and Open Educational Resources Conference (A&OER) planning committee invites you to the 5th annual virtual conference. The MO A&OER Conference will be held virtually on March 7, 2024. A Creative Commons (CC) Pre-Conference Workshop will be held virtually on March 6, 2024. Registration for the virtual A&OER Conference is free to all attendees and we welcome out-of-state and international participants. Pre-conference training from Creative Commons will be limited to 50 attendees based in Missouri. Registration for both the CC Pre-Conference Workshop…

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The Missouri State University Libraries is actively exploring using artificial intelligence to assist with the basic functions of an academic library. Here are two promising AI applications: Using AI to Assist with Creating Metadata Representatives from Meyer Library are in conversation with OCLC reps concerning an upcoming AI metadata and cataloging resource. OCLC’s AI for metadata maintenance and cataloging is developed by academic catalogers and aims to use AI for the purposes of metadata enrichment, classification and categorization, AI-driven recommendations,…

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Dr. John Schmaltzbauer, the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies in the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions at Missouri State University in Springfield, will give the spring lecture at the Johnson Library & Museum in Osceola, Missouri. The lecture has been rescheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. CDT on Thursday, May 16, 2024. A buffet dinner will precede the lecture at 6:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Ample parking is available on the…

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Two Independent Women, Changing Times, And A Bully Pulpit:  Join Author Susan Croce Kelly on February 8th For the Low-Down on Pioneer Newswomen Lucile Morris Upton and Betty Love, Lucile Morris Upton was one of the people who made reading newspapers worthwhile, and she is the subject of a new biography published by the University of Arkansas Press: Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: the Live & Times of Lucile Morris Upton, by Susan Croce Kelly. Come and listen to author Kelly discuss…

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