The southwest corner of the Second Level of Duane G. Meyer Library — known affectionately as “the Wedge” — is getting a complete makeover. The Wedge will offer a great new place to study, as well as a great view of the main campus quad. The installation of new carpeting is well-nigh complete, as is repainting of the walls. Ten new tables, with 40 new chairs, have been put in place. The Provost, Frank Einhellig, provided the funding for this…
Late last month the libraries of the University of Missouri at Columbia and Missouri State University in Springfield began very preliminary conversations that may eventually lead to a collaborative long-term print retention program involving these two universities. Ann Campion Riley, the newly-appointed Vice Provost for Libraries and University Librarian at Mizzou, and Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services at MSU, had a phone conversation covering basic possible parameters of such an agreement. Ann Campion Riley and her staff will work…
In Fiscal Year 2017 private giving to the MSU Libraries increased over 700% to nearly $1 million, compared to FY16. Nearly 1,000 individuals made donations in FY17 to the MSU Libraries. Gifts to the MSU Libraries include both in-kind gifts and financial contributions. A major contributor to this phenomenal year-over-year growth was the substantial in-kind gift from Pete and Sara Morgan of their world-class collection of military insignia. That gift will continue coming to the MSU Libraries in FY18, and…
Jim Coombs, the Maps and GIS Librarian at the Missouri State University Libraries, and GIS Student Assistant Emilie Burke, designed several specific, detailed maps that will appear in September in a new book written by J. Blake Perkins, Hillbilly Hellraisers: Federal Power and Populist Defiance in the Ozarks (University of Illinois Press). One of the maps, Arkansas Physiographic Regions, used boundaries of the Ozark Plateau, Arkansas River Valley, and Ouachita Mountains established by the Arkansas Geological Survey. Another map, Railroads in the Arkansas…
GreenFILE offers information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. It is a collection of scholarly, governmental, and general-interest titles that includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and related topics. The database provides indexing and abstracts for approximately 295,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,600 items. GreenFILE covers the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health, and technology. This database…
On Thursday evening, September 21st, in the Historic Fox Theater on the Square, Katrina Parks, a documentary film maker from Los Angeles, will be showing excerpts from her forthcoming documentary about Route 66 from female perspectives — the women who lived, traveled, and worked along the Mother Road. As part of this project, Ms. Parks has been collecting oral history interviews on this topic. This event, which will begin at 6:00 p.m., is free and open to the public. The…
As the MSU Libraries continues to make digitized episodes of the Ozark Jubilee television program available online, several related items have also been generously donated to Special Collections and Archives, either for digitization or for the libraries to preserve the original items, including music recordings, episodes of the show, programs, photos, and much more. Many thanks to Keith Keltner, Donnie Thompson, and Danny Houser for these fantastic collections. We’d also like to thank our interviewees for our “Ozarks Voices” and Route 66 oral…
Last month, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges released a 20-page report, written by Terrence MacTaggert, about the challenges and opportunities facing university presidents in the 21st century. Quoting from the webpage that links to the full report: “The 21st-Century Presidency: A Call to Enterprise Leadership is the latest in a series of periodic reports from AGB to examine the nature of the presidency and governance. Written by AGB Senior Fellow Terrence MacTaggart, former chancellor of the Minnesota…
The annual GEP 101/UHC 110 Pizza Party at Meyer Library is designed to get new students into the library for the first time while providing us with an opportunity to establish lasting connections with them. This also gives students a sense of the services, spaces, and collections we have all in one building. The event provides a fun, no pressure environment for students to explore the building. This year our annual pizza party will happen on the third Friday of the…
The Missouri State University Libraries is pleased to announce that the dedication of the world-class Pete and Sara Morgan Military Insignia Collection will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library on the Springfield Campus. Refreshments will be served. At 3:30 remarks will be made by the Morgans, Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services, and Frank Einhellig, Provost. All are welcome to attend this free event as…