Library Notes

This week Dr. Frank Einhellig, Provost of Missouri State University, generously transferred some end-of-fiscal-year one-time funds to help the MSU Libraries advance two initiatives:  Ozarks Room: When the current project to renovate Room 003 on the Lower Level is complete, the ASPIRE service will move down there. The old Administrative Services suite on the Third Level will then be refurnished and repurposed as the new Ozarks Room, which will serve as the focal location for books, recordings, and other informational…

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On Wednesday, June 26, 2019, Jennifer Kent, the EAP Coordinator at Mercy, provided an overview of the Employee Assistance Program at MSU. Tom Peters attended and took the following notes. For more information, if you’re a current employee of MSU, please contact MSU’s Human Resources.  Three broad types of services: Mental Health Services for the entire family of employees Fiscal Counseling: debt management, budgeting, etc.  Legal Services All of these services are completely confidential.  All full-time and part-time employees may…

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The Ozarks Studies Institute, an initiative of the MSU Libraries, is collaborating with the Springfield-Greene County Library District to sponsor two talks in September by Ozarks authors. Both talks will be held in the Auditorium in The Library Center on South Campbell Avenue in Springfield. Both events are free and open to all.  Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m.: A History of the Ozarks: The Conflicted Ozarks The second volume of Brooks Blevins’s history of the Ozarks begins with the…

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Renovation of Library 101, the large Auditorium off of the main lobby of Duane G. Meyer Library on the Springfield campus of Missouri State University, began on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. The renovation work should be completed well before the official completion deadline of December 22, 2019. All of the chairs will be replaced, along with most of the table surfaces. Electricity will be made available to all users of the room, and one center aisle will replace the two…

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In June Craig Amason began working for the MSU Libraries as a non-student, part-time employee. Late last year he and his wife Amy relocated to Springfield from Georgia. Amy is coordinating the capital campaign for Drury University.  Craig has been working on a comprehensive plan for an oral history program at the MSU Libraries. He also is helping with event planning, including the regional premier of a Gatsby opera next March. Stay tuned for further details on that exciting event. …

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The Special Collections and Archives are of the MSU Libraries was honored to participate in the Celebration of Life for Byrne Blackwood last weekend. Archives staff member Jeffrey Lawson worked with Theatre and Dance Emeritus Faculty member Chyrel Miller and the staff of the Alumni Center to coordinate the three-day event to celebrate the legendary former director of Tent Theatre. Pictures and photo albums from Archives were displayed at an opening reception on Friday. Tent Theatre alumni gathered Saturday to…

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Paige Harp has agreed to serve as the coordinator of student-employees at the consolidated service points coming later this summer, beginning July 1st. Abby Harrison, a student-employee in IG12, will assist Paige. The consolidated service point is premised on the peer-to-peer service model, where students help students. Eventually, when a new Coordinator of Public Services is hired, they or their designee will take over this set of management responsibilities. 

Brooks Travis, LIT Coordinator for Missouri State University Libraries, has been selected to chair the MOBIUS ILS Software and Service Committee for the 2019-2020 term, succeeding Joanna DeYoung of Lindenwood University. The ILS Software and Services Committee is charged with:   “Working in conjunction with MOBIUS staff, this committee will be responsible for monitoring and researching current ILS library software trends and related product offerings.  This committee will engage the membership and make recommendations benefiting the MOBIUS membership regarding product enhancements…

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On May 31st Tracy Stout attended the first annual Colorado OER (Open Educational Resources) Conference in Denver.  Nearly 200 educators were in attendance from K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. Speakers included Angie Paccione, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education; U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse from Colorado’s 2nd District; Colorado Governor Jared Polis; Nicole Finkbeiner, Director of Institutional Relations at OpenStax; Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education at SPARC; and David Ernst, Executive Director of the Open Textbook…

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Six innovation grants have been funded for this summer by the MSU Libraries: Continued work on converting Library of Congress subject headings to genre terms, to facilitate and enhance genre searches for children’s and young adult literature. Raegan Wiechert, principal investigator A summer intern will be hired to assist with the SGF Augmented Reality project, a collaborative effort of several cultural memory institutions in Springfield. Tracie Gieselman-Holthaus, principal investigator Outdoor furniture for the south (main) side of Duane G. Meyer…

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