Library Notes

Brooks Travis, the Coordinator of Information Technology at the Missouri State University Libraries, is presenting today at WOLFcon, the World Open Library Foundation Conference, which is being held online this year. “This annual conference is open to all members of the community, and to anyone who wants to learn more about the Foundation and the open source communities that are a part of it.” This is the third such conference, which attracts approximately 250 attendees.  Brooks is one of nine…

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The new Ozarks Room on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University is now open. In general, the room will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, books and other library materials in the collection in the Ozarks Room can be retrieved whenever the library is open by going to the main service counter on the main level, right at the top of the interior…

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The MSU Libraries’ E Learning Librarian, Jessica Bennett, was recently awarded the 2020 Certified Distance Educator (CDE) Award, sponsored by the Distance Education Committee at Missouri State University. The purpose of the CDE Award is to: Encourage continued professional development in distance education.      Provide recognition of continued growth in distance education.       Foster instructional innovation. We congratulate Jessica on her continued efforts in online learning innovation and excellence in distance delivery.

While the label “big data” makes us think of major technology companies, the MSU Libraries collects and evaluates many points of data as well. The library technical infrastructure is constantly gathering data about services, collections, and spaces, and library employees are regularly adding to and enhancing those data. When people use the MSU Libraries web page, Missouri State Digital Collections, or MSU Libraries’ YouTube channel, Google Analytics counts their visit and tracks their behavior while maintaining patron privacy. Later the data are used to…

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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 aid available online. The Fern Nance Shumate and Nancy Shumate Collection documents the lives of several Ozarks women. The majority of the collection concerns the Shumate women, mother and daughter. It also highlights the literary works of Mary Huff Nance (mother of Fern) and Dr. Louise A. Jackson (friend of Nancy Shumate). Dr. Jackson also shared her life story…

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Eight full-time staff employees of the Missouri State University Libraries reached a 5-year service milestone in calendar year 2020.

A new collection of stereograph cards created by photographer Domino Danzero has been digitized by Special Collections and Archives, part of the Missouri State University Libraries, and are now viewable in 3D in the online Digital Collections. Domenico (“Domino”) Danzero, born in Italy in 1871, immigrated to the United States at the age of 19.  He and his wife Bridget settled down in the Ozarks in the mid-1900s and moved to Springfield, Missouri, in 1907.  Among other hobbies and professions,…

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Jessica started with Missouri State University Libraries as a student assistant and quickly became a student manager for Access Services. She has worked as non-student part time since her December 2020 graduation by providing leadership over the department’s student hiring and training. We are thrilled to announce that Jessica accepted a full-time position at the Springfield-Greene County Library District and started last Thursday. We were sad to see her go, but excited for this next step in her post-graduate career. 

For the first time in a long time, the Missouri State University Libraries soon will welcome two new employees with approximately the same start in late May and early June. Both new hires will be filling newly created positions. As announced last month, Mohammad AlHamad will join our team as our E-Resources Strategist, and today we’re announcing that Laura French will join as our Marketing and Communications Specialist.  For the past seven years Ms. French has served as the Strategic…

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In late June Laura McHugh has a new novel coming out, What’s Done in Darkness, set in the Arkansas Ozarks. McHugh will be here on Tuesday evening, October 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. to give a talk. This event is free and open to the public. Current plans are to offer this event both in-person and online via Zoom.  Here’s the basic story line: “Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth has become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God and moved their family to…

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