Library Notes

The MSU Libraries has begun a multi-year process to develop a new space and service that will enable members of the MSU higher learning community to use cutting edge technologies to fuel interdisciplinary teaching, learning, research, and service.   Two years ago the Provost provided funding for a 3D printer and scanner.  Jan Johnson and other library faculty and staff members began exploring other newer technologies.  Last year, an HTC Vive virtual reality headset was introduced. This summer, the library…

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MSU Library’s Amy Hankins is hosting another Reptile Day at the Fairbanks (1126 N. Broadway Ave. in Springfield). The event happens on Saturday, August 12th. This will be the second Reptile Day, and the only event of its kind held in the city of Springfield. Admission is free. All are welcome. Featured will be live reptiles and amphibians of all kinds for people to get up close and personal with. Knowledgeable herpetology enthusiasts will provide the animals and answer any…

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Folklore permeates the everyday lives of people around the world. We inherit a rich tradition of holidays, festivals, language, stories and fairy tales, proverbs, foodways, and folk remedies that define our society and our place within it. World Folklore and Folklife provides an exciting and accessible way to explore this vast and growing treasury of knowledge. Subjects covered in this database include: celebrations and rituals, food and drink, holidays and festivals, music and dance, religion and belief, tales, myths, urban legends, and traditional…

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A group of information science researchers here at the Missouri State University Libraries has undertaken a major study of the information needs and habits of MSU faculty members. As we all know, information technologies, resources, behaviors, needs, and expectations have changed significantly in recent years. The “Meeting Faculty Where They Start” study, begun in January of 2015, is using survey and interviewing methodologies to gain knowledge about the current scholarly information seeking and behavior habits of 24 faculty members from…

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Rachel Besara will be joining the Missouri State University Libraries team as the new Associate Dean of Library Services. Her Bachelor of Science degree, Summa cum Laude, with a concentration in Science Education, is from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Her MLIS is from Florida State University. Most recently, Rachel has served as the Director of STEM Libraries and Research Initiatives at Florida State University. Among her many responsibilities as AD at the MSU Libraries, Rachel will coordinate…

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The Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) is an acquisition, research, and reference service that contains over 2 million MARC fiction and non-fiction records for children’s and young adult media as well as more than 400,000 quality reviews for many of these titles accessed in a single search. Included are 1.2 million value-added elements such as awards, curriculum and author links and reading metrics, plus 90,000 cover images. CLCD has increased the number of foreign languages to 310 of which 100…

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The Dial (Collection M 100), published from August 1941 to December 1951, was essentially a program guide for local Springfield radio stations KWTO and KGBX (though KGBX was dropped midway when the station changed ownership). While it included programming schedules, such as the nationally syndicated Korn’s-A-Krackin’ hillbilly variety show, the precursor of the nationally live TV broadcast, the Ozark Jubilee, The Dial also included biographical sketches and photos of local and national radio personalities (like Chet Atkins, the Carter Sisters…

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This fall two library faculty members from the MSU Libraries will team up with librarians of the Springfield-Greene County Library District to offer a series of short workshops, designed for members of the general public, to help us all to spot, assess, and respond appropriately to “fake news,” which recently has gained national attention. Tracy Stout and Jessica Bennett from MSU will present the workshops at The Library Center on South Campbell on dates and times to be determined. Watch…

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Todd Parnell, retired banker and former President of Drury University, has joined the Advisory Board of the Ozarks Studies Institute. Todd comes from a long-time Ozarks family, and he is a prolific author of fiction with Ozarks themes. He just published the third novel in his first trilogy about the Ozarks, Donny Brook. Current members of the OSI Advisory Board include: Brooks Blevins, History Department, Missouri State University Susan Croce Kelly, Managing Editor of OzarksWatch Magazine Kaitlyn McConnell, Founder and…

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