Library Notes

Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University, has had an article about Camp Joy in Lebanon published in OzarksAlive.com an online collection of articles about Ozarks history, culture, and life.  Camp Joy, located in Lebanon, Missouri, was first tourist camp between St. Louis and Springfield. During the early years and eventual heyday of Route 66 through Lebanon — from 1927 into the 1970s — Camp Joy was a favorite destination for tourists motoring down the Mother Road. Dean Peters consulted with…

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Lindsey Taggart, Director of Resource Management and Discovery at MSU Libraries, has been selected to be a member of Leadership Springfield Signature Class 38. From the full announcement: “The Signature Class is Leadership Springfield’s flagship program. For over 30 years, the program has identified leaders and familiarized them with the community’s opportunities, needs, problems and resources. Each year, participants are selected from competitive applications to participate in the nine-month program, which includes two retreats and intensive daylong, once-a-month sessions on a…

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In early June the Spring/Summer issue of OzarksWatch Magazine was published, with copies being mailed to the growing number of subscribers, and distributed to numerous newsstands throughout southwest Missouri.  The theme of the articles in this issue center around temperance, Prohibition, and moonshine. The authors of the twelve articles are: Connie Yen Susan Croce Kelly Mike O’Brien (2 articles) Brad Belk Leslie James (2 articles) Susan Young J. Blake Perkins Rachel Whitaker Curtis Copeland Shannon Mawhiney The Fall 2019 issue…

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Last week the MSU Board of Governors approved six new inductees to the MSU Wall of Fame, located on the third level of Plaster Student Union. Neosha Mackey, retired Dean of Library Services, is one of the new inductees. Congratulations, Neosha! The formal announcement notes: “Neosha Mackey (Aug. 19, 1985 – June 30, 2012) was a valued resource for library research and provided vision for improving library services. Beyond that, she was devoted to improving university life for international and…

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The successful series of events called “What’s Brewing @ Your Library” began a few years ago in December, at the conclusion of the fall semester. “What’s Brewing” offers an opportunity for MSU faculty and staff members to socialize, unwind, sample local craft beers and mead, and listen to good local music after Commencement. This year the MSU Libraries tried adding a “What’s Brewing” event in May, after spring Commencement. It was a success, and we anticipate that it, too, will continue…

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Thanks to the generous donations of Pete and Sara Morgan, Tina Wallace, and others, the MSU Libraries owns a growing collection of trench art. According to the Wikipedia article on this type of art, “Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences.” The image is of a letter opener, we think, made by Roy Wallace during World War I. The father of…

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The MSU Libraries, including the Ozarks Studies Institute, has an enduring commitment to collecting works and other information by and about Ozarks authors, past, present, and future. We make these works and documents available to researchers and members of the general public, and we celebrate Ozark authors through author talks, book signings, and other events. Recently the MSU Libraries discovered some correspondence between Almanzo Wilder, husband of the famed author who spent almost her entire adult life in the Ozarks,…

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On April 25, 2019, the MSU Libraries organized its third successful Living Stories event.  Held in conjunction with the Collaborative Diversity Conference, Living Stories: Bridging the Culture Divides was an event in which “Living Books” — real people — were able to share their cultural experiences with “readers” — other real people — who had signed up to have fifteen-minute conversations with them. Students from the English Language Institute offered their time to be Living Books and provided a wonderful opportunity for…

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Andrea Miller will present a poster at the annual Kansas Library Association: College and University Libraries Section Conference  to be held next week in Emporia, Kansas. The topic of her poster is: “Be a Warrior, Not a Worrier: Stay Prepared for Active Shooters.” The poster session will occur on Tuesday, May 21. Congratulations Andrea!

Nancy Holmer, Library Associate II in the Resource Management and Discovery area of the MSU Libraries, has announced her plan to retire at the end of July 2019, after nearly 39 years of service to the University Libraries and its users. Nancy began working for SMSU on September 2, 1980. Two years prior to that, Nancy had begun working at the Brentwood Branch of the public library as a circulation clerk. A retirement reception is being planned to be held…

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