Library Notes

Kudos to MSU Libraries Student Employee of the Month, Della McEntire. Della is a senior Global Studies major working in the Research & Informational Services unit of Duane G. Meyer Library. Della is known for consistently providing excellent customer service with a positive attitude. All-Time Favorite Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Della says, “If you’ve only ever watched the movies, you’re missing out!” One Thing Students Should Know About the Libraries: The online chat feature, Ask A Librarian. Have…

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Once again, this election year the MSU Libraries is collaborating with the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the League of Women Voters to facilitate a voter education and participation campaign. Free voter education pamphlets, as well as quick-info cards, have been placed on the First Level of Duane G. Meyer Library — on the table next to the stairs, and on the RIS research help desk. Lisa McEowen, a Library Associate III in Special Collections and Archives, is facilitating this effort.

Joshua Lambert, a tenured member of the Library Science faculty at Missouri State University, will present on Friday, November 2, 2018 at the annual “Brick & Click” academic library conference in Maryville, Missouri. His talk will focus on “Key Performance Indicator Tracking Using Google Forms.” An excerpt from the abstract: “Key performance indicators (KPIs) can help libraries make informed decisions, but they can take a significant amount of time to track and analyze. Using a network of Google Spreadsheets, the…

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A new committee of the MSU Libraries has been formed: The Building Coordination Committee. Members include: David Adams, Chair Joshua Lambert Cherri Jones Lisa McEowen The committee is working on a formal charge, but essentially it will provide oversight, direction, and vision for such things as safety, security, and cleanliness in Duane G. Meyer Library. The committee also will work with other cost centers to ensure that all the major systems in the building — HVAC, lighting, time, plumbing, etc….

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The MSU Libraries has purchased a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-4000S wide-format printer for library use. We have a few types of paper in stock and can get a variety of others if requested in time. If you need to print something in large format contact Nathan Neuschwander with your print size and paper needs.

A new exhibit, Exploring and Conserving the Past, will open in Special Collections and Archives on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.  Please join us for an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Meyer Library Room 306. This educational exhibit is the culmination of the best student research from the 2017-2018 Citizenship and Service-Learning (CASL) integrated courses ART/MST 488: Basic Conservation of Art and Artifacts and ART 386: Art of Africa, taught by Dr. Billie Follensbee. Objects studied are on loan from historical and educational institutions in…

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Two faculty members of the MSU Libraries are presenting at the 2018 Annual Conference of the Missouri Library Association, being held this week in Columbia: BREAKOUT SESSION: Diversity in Libraries: Creating Interdisciplinary Space at Missouri State University—Duane G Meyer Library PRESENTER: Jessica Bennett, Assistant Professor, Missouri State University Machine learning, artificial intelligence, cyber-physical systems and robotics, human language technologies, human/AI collaboration, machine perception and sensing, augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, digital personal assistants, robotic/ AI librarians, IoT—what a diverse…

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The MOBIUS Consortium Office in Columbia recently provided the Library Administration at the MSU Libraries with some data, gleaned primarily from Google Analytics, of trends in recent years of usage of core systems and services provided by MOBIUS to its member libraries. Some trends: The number of users annually of the MSU Catalog declined by 17.7% from FY15 to FY18. During the same time period, the size of the MSU community of students, faculty, and staff grew by 8.0%. Circulation…

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On Tuesday, September 19, 2018, faculty and staff from the Special Collections and Archives unit of the MSU Libraries attended the gala 109th birthday party for the Landers Theatre. MSU President Clif Smart spoke to an invitation-only audience about the University’s commitment to promoting the arts in the community, and the library’s role in housing and preserving the archives of Springfield Little Theatre. Archives employees AnneBaker, Tracie Gieselman-Holthaus, and Jeffrey Lawson were recognized for creating a special exhibit to commemorate the Landers Theatre’s history. …

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Student employees in Special Collections and Archives recently worked on transcribing handwritten letters from the 1910s-1920s in two different archival collections: the Oscar Carter Collection (M 93) and the Helen Roman Collection (M 95).  Students today have less experience reading cursive, which made the task initially daunting, as nearly every letter in both of these collections was written in cursive.  Some less than perfect handwriting, as well as many spelling and grammatical errors, made the work even more difficult.  All…

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