Library Notes

Last week Deb Burling, the widow of Bill Burling, a professor of English at Missouri State University, donated dozens of book about London theatre and literature of the late 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries to the MSU Libraries.  Burling died in March 2009 at the age of 60 from melanoma cancer, which he had battled for years. According to his daughter, quoted in a March 12, 2009 article in The Standard, “Bill was an avid gardener, astronomer, chef, wine taster, crossword-puzzler, interior…

Read More Read More

A small fabric study yurt is being assembled at the bottom of the main stairwell in Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University. The yurt, which eventually will accommodate one or two people, has been donated by the Springfield office of Scott Rice Office Works.  One essential part is on order. We hope to have the yurt ready for use soon. 

The Missouri State University Libraries had not one, but two information tables at the annual Showcase on Teaching and Learning one-day symposium held on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 in the Plaster Student Union on the main Springfield campus of MSU.  Holly Kouns and Ethan Danner staffed the main information table. Kouns reported that there was good traffic mid-morning of MSU faculty members, both new and returning, who stopped by the table.  Kevin Wilson staffed the table focused on the MSU…

Read More Read More

Chris Craig from the MSU College of Education and Tracy Stout from the MSU Libraries made an excellent presentation yesterday about Open Educational Resources (OER) at the annual MSU Showcase on Teaching and Learning. Approximately 20 people attended. Craig and Stout addressed some of the basic questions related to the OER movement, such as definitions and measures of the quality of educational resources, accessibility, and affordability.  They emphasized that the OER movement is not asking classroom instructors to change their…

Read More Read More

Next Tuesday morning, August 15th, from 8:30 to 9:30 in Meyer Library room 107, all full-time and part-time employees of the Missouri State Libraries are invited to attend an all-library meeting. Staff members should confer with their supervisors before finalizing plans to attend.  During the first half of the meeting, President Smart and Provost Jasinski will provide overviews and updates about several key university initiatives, including: 2022-23 key accomplishments at MSU 2023-24 Academic Affairs CAP (Continuous Agility Process) Inclusivity principles …

Read More Read More

Although it’s still summertime and the start of the fall semester is over a week away, several employees of the Missouri State University Libraries are making plans to attend professional meetings and conferences this fall. For instance: Nathan Neuschwander plans to attend — virtually– the 2023 WOLFcon Conference. Quoting from the conference website, “WOLFcon 2023 brings together members of the Open Library Foundation’s project member communities as well as users of their products. Participants will attend presentations, community sharing conversations,…

Read More Read More

On Friday and Saturday (August 11 and 12), the Missouri State University Libraries will have an information table at the big Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Downtown Springfield. We have been doing this for several years now as a way to connect with “roadies” and to promote the collections and research materials related to Route 66 available through the MSU Libraries.  Authors, artists, collectors, associations, societies, tourist bureaus, and others will gather in the Old Glass Place on East…

Read More Read More

Last Friday,  July 28, the Missouri State University Duane G. Meyer Library hosted its annual Rare Wine Rare Books event. The dinner raised funds to support the rare books collection, and this year’s party theme was a tour through Italy. Over a five-course dinner with various red and white wines, guests were entertained with a video made by student workers, trivia, jokes, giveaways, and, of course, rare books. On all three levels of the library, there were first editions and…

Read More Read More

This summer a team from Missouri State University, led by Professor Tracy Stout (Library Science), participated in a kickoff event for a program through the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The AAC&U Institute on Open Educational Resources provides a year-long engagement opportunity for teams to actualize an ambitious strategy to broaden campus engagement with adoption on OER.   Later this month, Tracy Stout and Chris Craig (College of Education) will present at the August 16th FCTL Showcase about lessons…

Read More Read More

Work began last week to replace the carpet on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University. The work, the first step in a larger renovation project for the Third Level, is expected to last two weeks. The project will generate some dust,  noise, and inconvenience. In the coming months new furniture will be deployed, supported in part by the MSU Student Government Association.