Library Notes

Yesterday, June 7th, was National VCR Day! Machines to record on videotape were introduced in the 1950s, which was the beginning of the death knell for the kinescope, but they were so expensive (around $50,000 in 1956!) that only television networks and large stations were able to afford them.   The first commercial VCRs for home use were released in the 1970s. Betamax and Jack Valenti were soldiers in this format (and popular culture) war. In the early 1980s, the…

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Robert Stephens, former mayor of Springfield, has donated ten London playscripts from the early 18th to the early 19th centuries to Special Collections and Archives, part of the Missouri State University Libraries.  Stephens was friends with Bill Burling, a professor of English at Missouri State University. They met often for lunch, and they began collecting these playscripts as a joint venture-hobby. Burling wrote many books, including  “Summer Theatre in London, 1661-1820, and the Rise of the Haymarket Theatre” and “The…

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Current and former MSU Libraries employees have published an article entitled Research Content as an Expression of the Scholarly Information Seeking Habits and Behavior of University Faculty in the Journal of Library Administration. A second companion article, Research Services and Spaces as Expressions of the Scholarly Information Seeking Habits and Behavior of University Faculty, will also be published later this summer in the same journal. Both articles are based upon our study Scholarly Information Seeking Habits and Behaviors of Missouri State University (MSU) Faculty found…

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Route 66 researchers now have additional resources available through the Missouri State University Libraries. The Live Music Venues and Experiences on Route 66 oral history project, made possible in part by the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, can be found on the MSU Libraries’ YouTube channel and in Special Collections and Archives. This investigation of musical venues located in Springfield, Missouri, and around Lebanon, Missouri, offers a broad look of the community memory fostered by Route 66….

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Yesterday the Smithsonian officially released the schedule of activities, presentations, and performances at the Ozarks Program at the upcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC.  Missouri State University (MSU) is the lead partner with the Smithsonian Institution, collaborating to plan, promote, and present an exciting array of events at the Ozarks program at the ten-day Smithsonian Folklife Festival, from Thursday, June 29 through Sunday, July 9, 2023. Festival activities will occur daily from 11:00 to 5:30,…

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On Friday, May 26, 2023 the Ozarks Studies Association (OSA) will hold their third annual one-day conference in Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University.  OSA 2023 Program Details   Host: Ozarks Studies Institute, Missouri State University   Sponsors: Ozarks Studies Institute, Missouri State University; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Missouri State University; English Department, Missouri State University; African American Studies Program, Missouri State University   8:00-8:15 Coffee, snacks, registration   8:15-8:30 Introduction…

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Special Collections and Archives, part of the Missouri State University Libraries, is excited to announce the addition of a new finding guide available online. The James River Basin Partnership Collection documents the organization’s commitment to improve Ozark waterways. Formed in 1997 in response to an algae bloom in the James River arm of Table Rock Lake, the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) advocates for continued improvements in water quality, conservation, and environmental education in areas affected by the James River….

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On Friday evening, May 12, 2023, a crowd of over 200 assembled in the new John Goodman Amphitheater (JGA) on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University to enjoy an Ozarks Jamboree, hosted by Jeff Houghton.  This was the first public event in JGA, held on a beautiful spring evening when the newly renovated pedestrian walkway under Grand Street finally opened after a prolonged construction period.  The audience was treated to three fantastic groups during the two-hour concert: David…

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Last week, Elaina Kersey, managing editor of the Ozarks Studies Institute at the Missouri State Libraries, attended the 2023 Library Publishing Coalition Forum. The conference was virtual and was held on Zoom, drawing attendees from all over the United States as well as from countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and China.  In two keynote sessions, speakers Dorthea Salo and Deborah Poff covered ethics in library publishing ranging from censorship to ChatGPT, paper mills, and predatory publishing. The keynotes…

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