Library Notes

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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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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