Library Notes

The Missouri State University Testing Center, located on the Lower Level of Duane G. Meyer Library and administered by the MSU Libraries, was very busy during Final Exam Week earlier this month. For the Spring 2024 Final Exam Week, the Testing Center administered 791 exams, including: 119 accommodated exams for DRC clients 87 remote exams, primarily through Zoom 450 computer-based exams 54 paper-based exams 25 comprehensive program exams 27 placement/entrance exams This is a slight increase over the SP23 finals…

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One facet of MSU’s CAP (Continuous Agility Process) initiative focuses on Open Educational Resources (OER), and Tracy Stout, a library science faculty member of the Missouri State University Libraries, is providing local and statewide leadership on this initiative. The Academic Affairs CAP is a systematic, ongoing process that keeps academic affairs fresh, relevant and market-savvy. As part of a learning and growing organization, the process is designed to be continuous and agile. The April 30, 2024 CAP report to the MSU…

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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 Johnson Family Student Ephemera Collection documents the Johnson family’s experiences at State Normal School #4 and Southwest Missouri State Teachers College. Two aunts, an uncle, and the donor’s father all attended what is now Missouri State University in the 1910s and 1920s. The collection includes university bulletins, programs, sports memorabilia, a 1920s football and helmet,…

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This week, 5 student workers from the libraries at the Springfield MSU campus are graduating. Ainsley Frieling, Gabriella Martin, Claire Russell, Georgeanna Cannon, and Annie Simphaly are heading off to the next phase in their lives. Ainsley has worked at the service desk and now works with Interlibrary Loan. Georgeanna and Claire are student managers at the service desk. Gabriella works in the Marketing and Communications department. Annie works in Special Collections.  “Students are at the heart of everything we…

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The Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, is publishing a new book on float fishing. Authored by local writer Tom Koob with cartographic specialist Curtis Copeland, the book charts the history of a unique Ozarks past time from its origins through the decline of the sport and industry. The book is in production currently and is expected to be available for purchase in late summer or in the fall of 2024. This spring, the…

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The spring issue of OzarksWatch Magazine will be back from the printer soon, ready for distribution to subscribers and sales to the general public. The theme of this issue is Ozarks Treasures. As Susan Croce Kelly notes in her managing editor’s overview, “Almost from the time that Hernando de Soto trekked across the southern Ozarks, there have been stories of treasures hidden in our Ozark hills, secreted in caves, or buried deep in the woods. All those stories of Spanish…

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The next phase of the Ozark Jubilee Digitization Project is underway. Newly processed episodes are being uploaded to the dedicated YouTube channel of the MSU Libraries. As of today, 130 segments ( approximately 30 minutes each) have been uploaded and are available free of charge to all.  Thanks to the persistence and perspicacity of Wayne Glenn, the Old Record Collector, and the hard work and technical expertise of Craig Amason, another batch of Ozark Jubilee recordings is being uploaded to…

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This afternoon, April 18, 2024, beginning at 4:00, Kitty Ledbetter will speak about the life of Si Siman, music mogul, entertainment director, and executive producer of the Ozark Jubilee. This talk will concentrate particularly on Si’s relationship with Chet Atkins.  The event will be held in the Ozarks Room on the Third Level of Duane G. Meyer Library on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University. The event is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.  Ledbetter’s…

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Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown announces her retirement from Missouri State University (MSU) Libraries after sixteen years of service. Before coming to MSU, Grace served sixteen years with Indiana University Libraries where she was a tenured Associate Professor. She served at IU as a Reference Librarian for graduate students and faculty in the, presently named, Herman B Wells Library, and as a branch head librarian for both IU’s Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library and former Weil Journalism Library. Dr. Jackson-Brown started as…

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Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University in Springfield, announced today that he plans to retire at the end of December 2024.  Peters will have served the university and the region for over twelve years, beginning in August 2012. During his time at MSU, several major things have been accomplished:   First FOLIO: In the spring of 2020, during the first months of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Missouri State University Library became the first library in the world…

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