Need in-depth research assistance with a paper or project for class?  The Ellis Reference Services Department provides one-on-one research help if you are having trouble locating information on your topic.  A RAP consultation session gives you one-on-one uninterrupted time with a librarian for in-depth assistance in identifying appropriate sources for a research paper or project.

• RAP is an appointment-based service and it is open to all MU students.  RAP consultation appointments can last from 15 minutes to an hour.

• To schedule a RAP consultation appointment, students need to:
  * Fill out a RAP Consultation Request Form online or
  * Fill out a paper form at the Ellis Library Reference Desk

• For more information, call the Ellis Library Reference Desk at 882-4581

MU Libraries presents an online exhibit that documents the journey of the library of Geofroi Jacques Flach, a renowned bibliophile and professor of law, from France to Ellis Library in Columbia, Missouri. For forty years, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Professor Flach collected books on the political history of Europe, Mesopotamia, Russia, Japan and Ireland on the subjects of religion, feminism and other social causes. Especially notable are the St. Raymond de Peñafort manuscript Summa de poenitentiate et matrimonio, dating ca. 1200 AD, and Disputatio Inter Clericum et Militem, a rare incunabulum published in Paris in 1498.

Henry Ormal Severance, director of Ellis Library from 1907 until 1937, acquired the library of Professor Flach in Paris in March of 1920. This collection of approximately 6,000 volumes, many of which have Professor Flach’s original bookplates, is housed in Ellis Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections.

The online exhibit is available at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/exhibits/flach/index.htm.

During Intersession, McDonald’s will be open 7:30 am to 4 pm, Monday -Friday. Memorial Union’s Wheatstone Bistro will be open 10 am to 1:30 pm and the Starbuck’s will be open 7 am to 4 pm. No weekend hours.

The Black Studies Program presents “Giants of Black Thought: An Exhibition of Poster Presentations” by Spring 2009 Introduction to Black Studies students (Dr. David L. Brunsma).

Opening and Reception
Thursday, May 7
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Ellis Library, Room 202

Come see our students’ work and enjoy light refreshments. The students explore the following Giants:

W.E.B. DuBois
Patricia Hill Collins
Audre Lorde
Eldridge Cleaver
Maya Angelou
Marcus Garvey
Carter G. Woodson
Nikki Giovanni
Angela Davis
Toni Morrison
bell hooks
Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
Frantz Fanon
Randall Robinson
Martin Luther King Jr
Malcolm X
James Baldwin
Michael Eric Dyson
Cornell West
Lisa Jones
Charles Mills
Zora Neale Hurtson
Richard Wright
Assata Shakur

If you are unable to attend, the exhibit will be on display for two weeks in Ellis Library, Room 202.

MU Libraries celebrates the 75th anniversary of the syndication of the comic strip Alley Oop with a digital exhibition drawing from the libraries’ V.T. Hamlin and Comic Art Collections, which are permanently housed in Special Collections at Ellis Library. The exhibit explores the evolution of the strip, as well as its place in the history of the comic art medium and American culture. Personal photographs, correspondence, original artwork, daily and Sunday strips, books and various other ephemera are included.

This digital exhibit is inspired by the physical exhibition mounted in Ellis Library from September 10th through the 30th, 2008, and includes all of the items featured in the physical exhibit, plus some additional artifacts. Video of all of the events are available for viewing online as well, including the Keynote speech with Jack and Carole Bender, the current artists of Alley Oop; talks by local literary and art historians; a panel of young cartoonists from St. Louis and Chicago; and a talk by legendary underground cartoonist and MU Professor Emeritus of Art Frank Stack.

The online exhibit is available at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/exhibits/alleyoop75th.htm.

2009 and 2010 Missouri Budget Outlook by James R. Moody and Associates

The MU Libraries are celebrating National Library Week by launching on Twitter and asking our users to send us their thoughts, ideas and suggestions for the Libraries. The MU Libraries are connecting with more users in more ways than ever. This year, 50% more patrons have walked through the doors of Ellis Library than visited last year. To accommodate these users, 35 new computers have been added to the Information Commons, two new group study rooms have been made available and additional seating has been added to the Bookmark Café. To keep up with what is happening at Ellis Library and the eight branch libraries, visit our Web site , join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

“The Columbia Public Library is seeing similar increases,” says Melissa Carr, Library Director. “We have added computers and services to keep up with the influx as well.” We now have 25 new Internet-access computers, and we have added program sessions to help patrons applying for jobs online or who are working on resumés. Our virtual branch is busier than ever and features new information content to help patrons answer many commonly asked questions. You can now also subscribe to regular library news e-mails, receive our RSS feeds or follow us on Twitter.

Stafford Library at Columbia College celebrates National Library Week with patrons by providing free coffee in the library during the week. The library’s collection is highlighted with displays and informational items. “Columbia College students use the library not only to study but to prepare for class presentations and to meet with friends and classmates,” states Janet Caruthers, Library Director. “We are always striving to provide resources and an environment that are beneficial to our students’ needs.”

“Everyday, libraries in Columbia help to transform our community,” says Jim Cogswell, Director of MU Libraries. “At the MU Libraries, the Columbia Public Library, Stafford Library and other libraries in the area, people of all backgrounds come together (in person and online) to meet up with friends and study, to attend lectures and concerts or view an exhibit, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get help finding a job or to find homework help. During National Library Week we want to remind the members of our community about the valuable resources they can find at their local libraries.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

Find out the latest news about the Libraries by following us on Twitter. Please share your comments and suggestions about the MU Libraries.

Do you need help with a paper? You can now see a writing tutor in Ellis Library! Stop by for a free, walk-in session for help with any part of the writing process, from brainstorming to revising drafts. Writing tutors are available to both undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines. You can find a writing center tutor in study alcove 151D, next to the Reference Desk, during the following times:

Fall and Spring Semester Hours (no hours during Summer Semester)

Sundays: 7-10 PM
Mondays: 7-9 PM
Tuesdays: 7-9 PM
Wednesdays: 1-4 PM

No appointment necessary!

For more information, contact Rachel Harper at harperrp@missouri.edu.

Construction of a state-of-the-art Cisco TelePresence room is currently underway on the first floor of Ellis Library near the Administrative Offices. This room is part of the University of Missouri System’s new high-definition Cisco TelePresence system that will be linked to AT&T’s global network. The new TelePresence system will foster greater teaching and research collaboration while reducing travel time, travel-related expenses and carbon emissions.

Gary Forsee, University of Missouri System president, and his wife, Sherry, are providing the lead gift of $1 million for the new four-campus TelePresence system. The university’s strategic advanced technology partners, Cisco and AT&T, are contributing to the equipment, installation, maintenance, design, technical assistance and networking of the new Cisco TelePresence rooms.

Construction is expected to be completed by June 30, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/news/releases/news08102801.shtml or contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu.

The Journalism Library now has one Kindle2 available. The Library has subscribed to the Los Angeles Times, the Houston Chronicle, the Boston Globe, the Financial Times and Technology Review, a high tech magazine from MIT.  The device can be checked out for three hours but cannot leave the building.

MERLIN has purchased the Mergent Web Reports.
Mergent Web Reports/Digitized Archive Manuals: provides electronic access to all Moody’s/Mergent manuals ever published dating back to 1909. (Municipal and Govt manual currently not available.) WebReports contain more than 180,000 documents covering over 100 countries and industries using an easy-to-navigate and reliable system.

The Law Library is providing campus access to the U.S. Code.
Complete coverage (1925-1926 Edition - 2006 Current Edition) of The United States Code. The U.S. Code is the official consolidation and codification of all general and permanent laws of the United States that are in force as of a certain date. Exact page-images of the original bound edition are provided. Access provided to the campus by the MU Law Library.

The Journalism Library is now on Twitter. You can find us at: http://twitter.com/mujlibrary

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Departments of Classics, Women’s and Gender Studies, and the American Association of University Women, Columbia Branch, partnered to salute the life and legacy of Eva Johnston. Johnston, a native Missourian, was the first female professor of Classics at MU as well as its first Dean of Women. A residence hall is named in her honor.

The display is entitled “Eva Johnston: Classicist, Leader, Mentor” and can be found in a wooden case on the main floor of Ellis Library from March 2 to 31, 2009. It includes photographs, letters, reports, translations, books, and pamphlets all made available courtesy of MU Archives, Western Historical Manuscript Collection, the Classics Department, Ellis Library, and the AAUW- Columbia Branch.

The display text, written by Carlynn Trout, highlights Johnston’s work as a scholar, teacher, dean, and organizer of various organizations at the University and in Columbia. Dr. Jane Biers, AAUW, assisted with the installation.

Thursday, March 5, 2009
7:00 PM
Ellis Library Colonnade

MU’s Center for the Literary Arts is proud to present - in conjunction with the English Department and MU Libraries - a reading by one of America’s finest travel writers: William Least Heat-Moon. This event is free and open to the public; no tickets are necessary.

Friday, March 13
7:00 p.m.
Conley House Parlor
602 Sanford Street

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth this year, the Friends of the MU Libraries and the Life and Literature Series will be presenting a very special evening of dramatic readings of some of Poe’s most beloved poems and short stories, performed by members of MU’s theatre department. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sheila Voss at vosss@missouri.ed or (573) 882-9168.

Thank you to everyone who participated in answering a series of pop-up questions on the Libraries Web site. The questions were designed to gather quick feedback on user preferences. The information gathered will inform decisions the Libraries make regarding allocating resources and setting priorities for Ellis Library and the branch libraries.  Several participants were randomly chosen to receive a $15 gift certificate to the University Bookstore.

https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/

The MU Libraries will sponsor an exhibition in the Ellis Library Colonnade from March 3rd to March 31st in conjunction with the 5th Annual MU Life Sciences & Society Symposium commemorating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his On the Origin of Species. “150 Years of On the Origin of Species: The Historical Journey from Specimens to Species to Genes” will trace the concept of biological variation from the Renaissance through the 20th Century using rare and historical books and illustrations, primarily from the MU Libraries Special Collections & Rare Book Department and the Ellis Library general collection.

In conjunction with the “150 Years of On the Origin of Species” exhibit, the Libraries will host a presentation titled “Darwinism New and Old” by MU Philosophy Professor Andre Ariew on Thursday the 5th of March at 1 p.m. in the Ellis Library Colonnade on the philosophy of evolution and creationism. In this talk, Dr. Ariew will examine the differences between Darwin’s theory of natural selection and modern versions.

Register at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/guides/classestours/endnotefridays/default.php

Register at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/guides/classestours/workshops/default.php

Trenton Boyd, head of the Zalk Veterinary Medical Library, received the 2009 Murray Gottlieb Prize from the Medical Library Association. The Murray Gottlieb Prize is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on the history of medicine and allied sciences written by a health sciences librarian. The Gottlieb Prize was established in 1956 by Ralph and Jo Grimes of the Old Hickory Bookshop, Brinklow, MD, in order to recognize and stimulate the health sciences librarians’ interest in the history of medicine.

The title of Boyd’s paper is “The Lost History of American Veterinary Medicine: the Need for Preservation.” A version of the paper has already been accepted for presentation at the 2009 ICML/ICAHIS Conference in Brisbane Australia in September of this year.

In partnership with the College of Arts and Science’s ASSET Office and Mike Watson, Director, eight Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV video cameras are available for check out at the Ellis Library Reserve Desk on one day loan for use by students, faculty and staff of MU. These cameras are on loan to MU Libraries from the ASSET Office.

Want to get involved? Make new friends? Gain valuable leadership skills? And most importantly, do you want to make a difference?! The MU Libraries are looking for enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated undergraduate students who would like to serve as Ruth E. Ridenhour MU Libraries Student Ambassadors. Ambassadors will teach fellow students about the libraries, represent the libraries at alumni events and advise the libraries on marketing services to students.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Sign up today at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/studentambassadors.htm.

For more information, contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

Wednesday, February 11
Noon
Ellis Library Colonnade

The Esterhazy Quartet
MU’s Quartet-in-Residence

   Eva Szekely, violin
   Susan Jensen, violin
   Leslie Perna, viola
   Darry Dolezal, cello

Quartet in G Major, Op. 54, No. 1   Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
   Allegro con brio
   Allegretto
   Menuetto & Trio - Allegretto
   Finale - Presto

Pastorale    David N. Baker (b. 1931)

Danzas de Panama   William Grant Still (1895-1978)
   1. Tamborito
   2. Mejorana y Socavon
   3. Punto
   4. Cumbia y Congo

Paragon Rag   Scott Joplin (c. 1867-1917), arr. Willliam Zinn

On December 20, 2008, Judy Maseles, head of the Engineering Library and Technology Commons (ELTC), accepted an award on behalf of the ELTC staff at the College of Engineering Graduation Ceremony. The award, which was presented by the Dean on behalf of the students of the College, was “For exceptional professional service rendered to the students of the University of Missouri College of Engineering from January 1992 to December 2008.”

The certificate awarded to the ELTC staff reads, “Your understanding of the problems and concerns that are unique to engineering students has enhanced their learning experiences, bolstered their career opportunities and quality of life at the College of Engineering. This accomplishment has also enabled the College of Engineering to increase student retention and graduation rates as well as enhance their learning experience.”

The 2009 MU Libraries calendar posters are now available at the North and West entrance security desks. Please stop by and pick up your free calendar or

contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

The MU Libraries are now open in Facebook and everyone is welcome to visit. The MU Libraries’ Facebook group offers news about Libraries resources, services, events and activities. You can join the MU Libraries group to get advance information about the Libraries or just to show support for the premier source for scholarly information and serious study spaces at MU. Just search for MU Libraries under Groups to find us. For more information contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu.

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/collections/documents/mo/2007tax.htm

 

 

The University of Missouri will be presenting a one man art show featuring the fine art paintings of Gary St. Ivany of Camdenton, Missouri. The show will be exhibited at the Bookmark Café’ in the Ellis Library on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia beginning on January 20 and ending on May 15, 2009.

Gary paints everyday in his studio overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks in Camdenton, Missouri.
His paintings are in numerous private, corporate and public collections and were featured in the
following magazines: Columbia Home and Life, August 2007, Kansas City Home and Garden and
St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles, September 2007, Lake Lifestyles, December 2007. The St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, April 27, 2008 featured the developing art community at the Lake of the Ozarks and
included Gary’s Art in the article. Gary is represented by the Sturdevant Gallery in Osage Beach,
Missouri and Dunklin Street Gallery in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Gary’s paintings are done primarily in oil and acrylic and he stretches his own canvases to fit the unique frames that he selects for his paintings. His style is flowing and varies from impressionistic to abstract, but always with strong design and a vibrant use of color. Gary’s subjects include landscapes, portraits, animals, and abstract designs.

Gary says, “I make my art for the pure pleasure, joy and beauty that art can bring. I want my paintings to evoke an emotion from the viewer.”

Please visit Gary’s website www.garystivany.com to view Gary’s Art.

Ellis Library is exhibiting several displays for the month of December. In the large wall case there is a display of photography by Paul Hagey, graduate student in magazine writing. Paul started doing 35mm black and white photography as a graduate student at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, when he took an introduction to photography class in 2003. Soon after, he began taking landscape photographs as part of long trips into Utah, New Mexico and eventually Mexico. A few years later he visited and photographed Kyoto, which became part of a landscape photography show at the MU Craft Studio titled Location, a photographic study of Japan and Mexico. The current set of photographs is part of a larger photographic portrait of Missouri.

The remaining displays are a celebration of winter themes, including an exploration of snow and snowflakes, animals in winter, the evolution of Santa Claus and staff picks for holiday reading. All of these show the range of materials available in the MU Libraries. We’re also grateful to Walter Wehtje, Curator of the Bird and Mammal Collection of the School of Natural Resources for the loan of several bird specimens.

Keep your eyes open for Beetle Bailey in Ellis Library on December 10 around 5 p.m. Beetle will be making special “celebrity” appearances to talk to you about the exciting new changes at the new Student Center. Take your picture with Beetle and have a chance to win prizes or a shopping spree at the University Bookstore! Submit your pictures online at www.mustudentcenter.com.

The Black Studies Program

–presents–

Giants of Black Thought

An Exhibition of Poster Presentations

by Fall 2008 Introduction to Black Studies Students
(Dr. David L. Brunsma)

Ellis Library, Room 202

The students explore the following Giants

W.E.B. DuBois Patricia Hill Collins Audre Lorde Eldridge Cleaver Maya Angelou Marcus Garvey Carter G. Woodson Nikki Giovanni

Angela Davis Toni Morrison bell hooks Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Frantz Fanon Randall Robinson Martin Luther King Jr Malcolm X

James Baldwin Michael Eric Dyson Cornell West Lisa Jones Charles Mills Zora Neale Hurtson Richard Wright Assata Shakur

The exhibit will be on display for two weeks in Library 202

Chamber Music at Noon
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Ellis Library Colonnade
Noon

PROGRAM
Fantasia for violin and harp, Op. 124 (1907), Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
performed by Siri Geenan, violin; Maria Trevor Duhova, harp

Sonata for flute, viola and harp (1915) , Claude Debussy
I. Pastorale (1862-1918)
II. Interlude
III. Finale
performed by Steve Geibel, flute; Leslie Perna, viola; Maria Trevor Duhova, harp

Sponsored by MU Libraries and the University School of Music

Steve Weinberg, University of Missouri professor and former executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, has worked in newsrooms and written books. He knows a good journalism novel-which he defines as “those with journalists as protagonists”-when he reads one. He began collecting these novels in 1983, just for fun at first, and now the growing collection consists of over 3,200 books. These volumes, previously housed in Ellis Library’s Special Collections, have recently been deposited in the brand-new MU Journalism Library for use by faculty, students and the public. The Journalism Library occupies two levels of the new Reynolds Journalism Institute.

In a February Editor and Publisher article, Weinberg discussed the tendency of journalism novels to romanticize and misrepresent the profession. This makes his collection of good, credible novels a valuable resource. Journalism professors have a reliable collection of options for assigned readings. Students can gain insight into their future profession through these stories. Anyone who is interested can catch a glimpse of what it’s like to work in the field of journalism.

In gratitude for Weinberg’s generosity in sharing his collection, the Journalism Library will host a reception at 2 pm Wednesday, November 12, in the library. MU faculty and staff are invited to attend. His entertaining article discussing his collection in Editor and Publisher can be found at
this link.

“Darwin, Discovery, Death and Damnation: Sources of Victorian Religious Doubt”

Dr. Julie Melnyk Thursday, November 6 1-2 p.m. Ellis Library Colonnade Victorian Britain experienced a profound unsettlement of religious faith. In this lecture based on the final chapter of her new book, Victorian Religion: Faith and Life in Britain, Julie Melnyk examines the many sources of religious doubt in the period. While the problem of innocent suffering had long haunted thoughtful Christians, new challenges to Christian belief arose in the nineteenth century, including scientific advances in geology, the development of Darwin’s theory of evolution, new ways of reading the Bible, the increasing knowledge about world religions and discomfort with some central religious doctrines, including eternal damnation. Dr. Melnyk will also discuss the differing - and sometimes surprising - effects that religious unsettlement had in the lives of women and men of the period, as well as the general effect on British religion and society.

On Saturday, October 25, visit Ellis Library after the Homecoming Parade from 10 a.m. to noon for refreshments, tours and family activities. You will also want to check out the Libraries exhibit: “Of Thy Noble Past: The Early Years of MU Football.” This event is free and open to the public.

“Of Thy Nobel Past: The Early Years of MU Football” is on display throughout the month of October in the Ellis Library Colonnade. The exhibit contains football photos and memorabilia provided by the University Archives.

On Monday, October 20 from 4-5 p.m., visit the Ellis Library Colonnade for a celebration of MU football. Todd Donoho, author and sports journalist, will be on hand to talk about the history of MU football and Truman the Tiger and to sign books. Truman the Tiger will also make a special appearance. And don’t forget to check out the special exhibit: “Of Thy Nobel Past: The Early Years of MU Football.” Refreshments will be provided and children are encouraged to attend this free event.

MU officially unveiled the “You Have a Voice” violence awareness campaign on September 17th on Lowry Mall. “You Have a Voice!” is a poster campaign that uses the faces of MU’s most prominent leaders to promote awareness and provide resources for survivors of violence. The MU Libraries are proud to participate in this campaign by displaying a rotating exhibit of You Have a Voice! posters in the West Entrance of Ellis Library.

For more information about this campaign, visit
http://studenthealth.missouri.edu/yhav.html.

The MU Libraries will host a reception for Greg Mortenson at Ellis Library in the First Floor Colonnade on Tuesday, September 16 from 3-4 p.m. Please join us for refreshments and an opportunity to meet the fascinating author and subject of this year’s Mizzou Reads book. If you already have the book and would like him to sign it, please bring it with you. For more information, contact Shannon Cary at
carysn@missouri.edu
or (573) 882-4703.

Journalism Library Author/Scholar Reception

Thursday, September 11

4-6 p.m.

Open to the public. Refreshments are provided.

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/showmehow/groupstudy.htm

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced that The State Historical Society of Missouri will join a select group of institutions to create a national, digital resource of historically significant newspapers. The Society will receive a $179,740 grant to digitize and provide access to 100,000 pages of Missouri newspapers from the period 1880-1920.

This award brings Missouri into the National Digital Newspaper Project, a twenty-year undertaking begun in 2005 to incorporate newspapers from all states and territories published between 1836 and 1922. The online database, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, is maintained by the Library of Congress and already contains papers from California, New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

The Missouri Press Association is a major partner in this effort and will contribute $10,000 in matching funds to the project. The Frank Lee Martin Journalism Library and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan are also supporting the grant with outreach and educational activities and by providing increased access to digitized newspapers.

The
MU ShowMe Magazine Collection is now available on the Digital Library.
.

This collection contains all known issues of The Showme (1920-1923), The Missouri Outlaw (1924-1930), The New Missouri ShowMe (1930-1932) and Missouri ShowMe (1932-1957), a long line of humor and satire magazines published by students of the University of Missouri from 1920 through 1964. The Showme first appeared in 1920 and was irregularly published under varied titles until 1957, and was revived, briefly, between 1960 and 1964. The collection also contains a few issues of Harlequin, a short-lived magazine, created by students as a replacement for Missouri Showme when it was banned by the university administration.

Articles in the Missouri Showme and earlier and later titles consist primarily of spoof and parody of campus and student life. The magazine had many titled theme issues among which were: Escape, Showme Girl, Sex, Expose, Hangover, Sweatsock, The Ozarks, Insanity, Halloween, Take Home to Mother, Saturday Evening Pest, The Draft, Hanukah, Alcoholic, After Truman, who? O’Toole for President, A Freshman’s Handbook of Misinformation, Get Your Hand Out of My Stocking, Confidential, and Communist Exchange. The development of this digital collection is primarily due to the work of two individuals, (Gerald T.) Jerry Smith, BJ ‘52, Showme Editor ‘50 who prepared a history of the Showme entitled, “Missouri SHOWME The Final, FINAL issue: Memories of staff members of the University students’ humor magazine -1946 thru 1963,” and Mizzou editor, Karen Worley, who suggested the idea of the article for the Alumni Association magazine, Mizzou, and worked with the MU Libraries and Jerry Smith to publish a longer and more detailed version for the University of Missouri Digital Library.

This online collection was compiled using copies from the University of Missouri Libraries, Special Collections, Archives and Rare Book Division, the Alumni Association Office of Publications and Alumni Communications and the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Many of the University of Missouri’s former presidents, faculty and curators are buried in nearby Columbia Cemetery. The University Archives has created the online exhibit, “Spirits of Mizzou,” which highlights the final resting place of these notable leaders, administrators and scholars. This exhibit includes an interactive map with portraits, short biographical sketches and photos of the gravesites honoring these individuals who have helped to forge the spirit of Mizzou. Visit this exhibit at

http://muarchives.missouri.edu/exh_mu_cemetery.html.

For more information, contact University Archives at 573-882-7567.

During June and July, Ellis Library will host the exhibition “Songs of Clay” by Access Arts. Many of School of Service-Access Arts board, staff and students are part of the MU family of alumni, administration, staff and students.

As a neighborhood art school in Columbia, School of Service - Access Arts provides workshops, internships and volunteer opportunities to MU students. School of Service - Access Arts is a non-profit community arts instruction program offering quality experiences in the arts, accessible to everyone regardless of age, origin, background or ability. The program’s focus is to empower all people to a higher level of creativity and self-expression. The goal of School of Service - Access Arts is to elevate everyone’s innate creativity through compassionate instruction in an adaptive and inspiring environment. For more information contact Norleen Nosri at 573-875-0275.

For more information about exhibits at Ellis Library, please contact Delores Fisher at
FisherD@missouri.edu.

The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate
May 9
3:30 p.m.
Elmer Ellis Auditorium

Please join author Michael Wallis as he guides us down memory lane on The Lincoln Highway, which follows the 3,000-mile highway from New York City’s Times Square to San Francisco Bay. Wallis will discuss some of the offbeat sights and tales he experienced in researching the ultimate American travel book. With a chapter dedicated to each of the 13 states that the highway passes through, this book will delight those looking to uncover their local roots as well as adventurers yearning for a classic American cross-country road trip. RSVP preferred-contact Sheila Voss at vosss@missouri.edu or at (573) 882-9168.

The Department of Textile and Apparel Management in the College of Human Environmental Sciences presents Milestones: An exhibit illustrating milestones in American culture from the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection. This exhibit will be on display in the Ellis Library First Floor Colonnade throughout the month of May. For more information, please contact Laurel Wilson at wilsonl@missouri.edu.

It’s National Library Week - a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians, and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide - and the perfect time for our campus community to come together @ the MU Libraries-Your Connection to Knowledge.

The MU Libraries are celebrating National Library Week by holding a party for the MU faculty, staff and students. Please join us for refreshments and library information at Ellis Library on Wednesday, April 16 starting at 11 a.m.

“Everyday, libraries in big cities and small towns, colleges and universities, in schools and in businesses help transform their communities,” says Jim Cogswell, Director of Libraries. “At our libraries, people of all backgrounds can come together to access the Internet, research and write papers, use a study room, get assistance from a subject specialist, check out DVDs, meet up with friends or grab some coffee in the Bookmark Cafe.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

For more information contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

Graduation no longer means losing access to the valuable resources of the University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries. A partnership between the MU Libraries and the Mizzou Alumni Association now connects members of the Association with several of the library resources available to students daily.

The MU Libraries have created a Library Resources for Alumni Web page, which can be viewed at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/resourcesfor/alumni.htm. Among its multiple features, the page provides users with quick access, from the comfort of home, to thousands of articles in reliable journals found in EBSCO Academic Search Alumni Edition and Business Source Alumni Edition.

“Accessing library services online has been a growing need for many alumni”, says David Roloff, Director of Membership & Marketing for the Mizzou Alumni Association. “Providing access to these databases provides additional value to MAA membership.”

Typically, academic libraries sign license agreements that allow only students and faculty to access library electronic resources via the Internet. However, when EBSCO Publishing, a major library database provider, began offering alumni packages to schools, it became possible for alumni to access the resources also. The convenience of instantly finding useful information is something MU students, faculty and staff have grown accustomed to on campus. The expectation is that alumni will appreciate that power too.

“When you want to know more about a topic, you can retrieve full-text online articles that are more authoritative and reliable than many Internet sites found via Google,” stated Jim Cogswell, Director of Libraries.

For more information about accessing alumni resources, contact Rhonda Whithaus at whithausr@missouri.edu or (573) 882-9164.

For more information about the Mizzou Alumni Association, visit www.mizzou.com.

These databases are available only to University of Missouri-Columbia alumni. The resources can be utilized by alumni in accordance with copyright regulations for personal, non-commercial use.

Many books in the MU Libraries are fragile, others need minor repairs, still others require extensive help if they are to survive this century. Those of us who consider books our friends cannot bear to lose them, and it is in that spirit that the Friends of the MU Libraries have initiated the Adopt-A-Book Program. By adopting a book, you will ensure that it gets the help it needs to remain with us for years to come. Please consider sponsoring a book. All monies will go directly to the care and maintenance of rare, fragile and just plain good books. As our thanks, your adoption will be noted in the MERLIN online catalog, and you will be invited to an annual Celebration of the Book event, sponsored by the Friends of the MU Libraries.

For more information and to adopt a book online, please visit http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/adoptabook/adoptabook.php

Join us for an amazing performance by the Contreras Saxophone Quartet on April 8 at noon. Since its formation in 2005 at MU, the Contreras Saxophone Quartet has quickly established itself as one of the premiere collegiate ensembles of its kind in the country. Now, you can enjoy their music in the beautiful Grand Reading Room (Room 201) of Ellis Library. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

Celebrate National Poetry Month! The MU Libraries are hosting a reading and signing by Walter Bargen, the first Poet Laureate of Missouri. As Poet Laureate, Mr. Bargen is responsible for promoting the arts in Missouri and for
composing an original poem in honor of Missouri.

Mr. Bargen, of Ashland, has published nine books and two chapbooks of poems over the past 28 years. Among his work is The Feast: Prose Poem Sequences, which won the 2005 William Rockhill Nelson Award for best poetry book by a Missouri writer. His work has appeared in more than 100 publications, and he has received a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship as well as various other awards.

This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, April 9, 3-4 p.m.
Ellis Library, 1st Floor Colonnade

For more information contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

Patrons may now keep a record of the MERLIN materials that they check out. After logging into “My Library Account” on the MU Libraries home page (mulibraries.missouri.edu), you may activate this feature by clicking on “Reading History” and choosing “Opt-in.”

You may choose whether or not you would like this feature enabled within your library account. However, there are some important considerations that you should keep in mind:

1. The list of items in your Reading History will display only MERLIN (MU, MST, UMKC, UMSL) materials that you have checked out. In other words, nothing that you borrow from MOBIUS or Interlibrary Loan will be included in this Reading History list.
2. The Reading History list will only include materials you check out from the point that you turn on your Reading History. Materials that were checked out prior to turning on your Reading History will not be included in the list.
3. The information that you allow to be collected in your Reading History is not protected by any privacy laws. Any records retained by an individual or institution, including your Reading History, could be subpoenaed through the proper legal channels. The UM Libraries will protect a user’s privacy to the fullest extent possible. However, under the State of Missouri Records Law, library records are not exempt from disclosure.
4. Once an item has been returned, the libraries maintain no record of what you borrowed, and library staff have no access to your reading history.
5. If you are concerned about someone else seeing a list of what you are reading, the safest step is not to turn on your reading history.

Consider these factors prior to agreeing to “Opt In” to your Reading History.

For more information, contact Judy Maseles at MaselesJ@missouri.edu or (573) 882-2715.

View the “Women in History” mural created by the 5th grade students of West Blvd. Elementary School under the guidance of their teacher, Jonette Ford. This exhibit will be on display throughout March in honor of Women’s History Month.

Join us for an amazing performance by the MU Bassoon Ensemble on March 11 at noon. This new ensemble is comprised of members of the MU bassoon studio. They made their debut at Whitmore Recital Hall and were later featured in performance at the St. Charles Community College Double Reed Day. Now, you can enjoy their music in the beautiful Grand Reading Room (Room 201) of Ellis Library. This event is free and open to the public.

CHICAGO-The Acquisitions Section of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) has selected Karen Darling, head of acquisitions at the University of Missouri Libraries, to receive the 2008 Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award. The award will be presented on Sunday, June 29, at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony during the 2008 American Library Association (ALA) meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

The Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award, sponsored annually by Harrassowitz, is given to a librarian to recognize contributions and outstanding leadership in the field of acquisitions and includes a $1,500 gift.

Darling has a strong record of dedicated service to all of the institutions in which she has worked and the associations with which she has been active. She brings a global perspective to her work in Missouri through her international affiliations (and through the fact that she earned her advanced degree in London). Darling has demonstrated leadership in developing electronic collections at Missouri and has, in the words of one of her nominators, “helped faculty see librarians as moving the campus forward in electronic access, leading change rather than defending the status quo.”

Darling has had a long and distinguished career. She is currently the head of the acquisitions for the University of Missouri Libraries at Columbia and has held positions at the University of Oregon, the University of Texas at Austin and also the University of Arizona. Darling has presented many papers at ALA and at IFLA on serials and acquisitions management. She has been involved with ALCTS for many years in both the Acquisitions and Serials sections. Most recently, she has served on the ALCTS Board as director at large. She has also served on the ALCTS nominating and membership committees. In addition to being active in ALCTS, she has been on IFLA committees dealing with serial publications and has been a valued member of the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG).

“Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award presented to Karen Darling.” American Library Association. 2008.

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/february2008/darling08.htm (Accessed 21 Feb, 2008)

The Ellis Library Chamber Series presents the Missouri Quintet on Tuesday, February 12 at noon in the 2nd floor Reading Room (Room 201). The Missouri Quintet is quickly generating a reputation as one of the finest woodwind quintet chamber music ensembles in the country. Please join us for this amazing performance. This event is free and open to the public.

Don’t miss Nicola Benedetti’s free mini-performance and audience Q&A in the Colonnade of Ellis Library on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Ms. Benedetti has been performing on the violin since age five. She recorded her debut album in 2005, which received critical acclaim and debuted at Number 1 on the British Broadcasting Company Music charts. She has since captivated audiences worldwide with her performances.

She will be performing Wednesday evening in Jesse Hall with pianist Pei Yao Wang. For ticket information, please visit http://www.concertseries.org/event-details.php?id=103&view=day&date=2008-01-23.

The 2008 MU Libraries calendar posters are now available at the North entrance security desk. Please stop by and pick up your free calendar or contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

Every year over 900 MU students choose to broaden their horizons by spending a term studying overseas. The MU International Center hosts a photo contest for study abroad returnees annually. The photos are divided into three categories: Portraits, Landscapes, and Cross-Cultural Moments. This year 32 finalists will proudly display in the Bookmark Cafe from January to March, 2008. The “Best in Show” prize winners will be selected and honored during the Spring 2008 semester. You are invited to visit the MU International Center Web site to see current finalists and past photo contest winners:
http://international.missouri.edu/studyabroad/after/photo.shtml.

The Honors Humanities Sequence presents Chants of Hildegard von Bingen performed by Margaret Waddell in Ellis Library, Room 201 on Friday, Feb. 29 at 11:00 a.m.
Hildegard von Bingen was a Benedictine abbess in the 12th century. She composed 77 chants, plus a morality play containing 87 chants called Ordo Virtutum (Order of the Virtues), which is the earliest known western music-drama by a single composer. Unlike Gregorian chant, Hildegard’s expressive melodies contain large leaps, with the range sometimes spanning well over an octave.



Margaret Waddell has been studying and singing Hildegard’s chants since 1993. Margaret is a member of the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies. Margaret performs Hildegard’s chants throughout the Midwest.



Come join the Honors Humanities students and faculty for this amazing performance.
For more information, contact Julie Melnyk at melnykj@missouri.edu.

The Missouri School of Journalism’s Centennial Timeline is now available at http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/. The Web site is composed of a significant number of historical images from the MU Libraries University Archives collections. Gary Cox, Public Services Archivist, worked closely with the School to provide copies of almost 200 images to the centennial timeline project.



Each decade of the timeline will be released in a series of monthly e-mail newsletters containing news and updates about the Sept. 10-12, 2008, joint centennial and dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. To receive the e-mails, sign up at http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/updates.html.



For more information about the images provided by University Archives, contact Gary Cox at CoxGD@missouri.edu.

Join us for an performance by the Con Brio String Quartet, Xylophone Marimba Quartet, Trombone Choir

November 13, 2007
performance starts at noon
Colonnade of Ellis Library
(1st floor)

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/events/EllisLibraryChamberSeries11132007.pdf

An Easy Click Takes You Back to Missouri Cities in the 1880s

Maps from 1880 to 1920 of Missouri Cities Are Now Digitalized at University of Missouri Library’s Website

By Kelsey Jackson

COLUMBIA, Mo. - With a quick computer search by city or street name, people can now study historical maps of every Missouri city between the years of 1883 to 1922 online at the University of Missouri’s Digital Library Web site.
Originally compiled and published by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Company to assess the risk of insuring property, the 6,500 maps in the digitized Sanborn collection are drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. The maps include detailed information such as location of water mains, fire alarms and fire hydrants and are color-coded to identify the construction material of each building.

The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) through the Missouri State Library of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office gave the University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries a $16,208 grant to digitize and index the maps. The process took 18 months to complete. Now, people anywhere can see maps that were previously only available at the MU Libraries and Library of Congress. Plat books from Missouri counties that were produced by the government also are available at the library’s Web site.

“The maps are quite rare and those maps published before 1923 belong in the public domain,” said Michael Holland, head of special collection, archives and rare books at the MU Libraries. “Taken together, these maps reveal layers of change, allowing us to see the same area developed over time.”

People use the historical maps to research genealogy and historic buildings, to prove property rights and to study the history of a Missouri town, Holland said.

“Studying these maps really allows you to understand how a city grew,” Holland said. “They are historical records of the state and provide us with insight about some of the major land and property owners during that time. One of the remarkable aspects of these maps is their condition. The Library of Congress did a great job maintaining them and that makes a great deal of difference when examining the details of the maps. Sanborn maps published after 1922 through 1951 are available in hard copy at the MU Libraries’ Special Collections & Rare Book Department, but are not currently available online due to copyright restrictions.”

Founded in 2001, the University’s Digital Library has 20 text collections and 23 image collections including World War I sheet music, MU sports posters, and Victorian studio portrait photographs. Other items recently digitalized include the Missouri Alumnus, the MU alumni monthly magazine; The Savitar, the MU yearbook; and The Tiger Claw, the yearbooks of University High School at MU.

To view the maps, please visit: http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/.

“From Easel to Page - The Illustrator’s Art for the Books of Jane Yolen” University of Missouri - Columbia, Ellis Library First Floor Colonnade, November 2 - December 2, 2007. Mon - Thurs 7:30 am to 2:00 am, Fri 7:30 am - 8:00 pm, Sat 9:00 am - 8:00 pm, Sun noon - 2 am. Call (573)882-4391 for reduced hours during Thanksgiving Break. Jane Yolen will give a gallery talk on November 30 at 3:30 pm.

Exhibition Information:
Two art exhibits will open at the end of October in anticipation of an upcoming residency in Columbia by award-winning author Jane Yolen. A prolific fantasy and fairytale writer whose books are illustrated by many of today’s top illustrators, Yolen is lending a selection of the artwork from her personal collection for these exhibits. On October 30th, the Boone County National Bank will unveil fifteen illustrations in its Lobby Gallery. This exhibit titled “An Appeal to Childhood” will feature illustrations for some of Jane Yolen’s best loved picture books. Then, on the evening of November 1st, MU’s Ellis Library will present fifteen more illustrations coupled with the books in which they are featured in its Colonnade Gallery. This exhibit will feature art work paired with the finished book including several examples art by two illustrators for separate editions of the same work.

Contact: Mary Green, 573-443-3131, mary@kindcrone.com.

Much has been written about Missouri’s Civil War guerillas, but what about the women who associated with them? In this talk Dr. Whites will explore the shady identity of one of those women, Kate King, the alleged “child bride” of William Clark Quantrill, the man most responsible for the sack of Lawrence, Kansas. The evidence would suggest that Civil War women like Kate King (aka: Kate Clark Quantrill, Kate Clark, Kate Edwards, Kate Bateson, Kate
Head) had their own ways of waging war.

Please join us for this fascinating lecture and discussion. This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, November 8, 1 p.m.

Ellis Library, 1st Floor Colonnade

For more information about the series, including a list of upcoming lectures, please visit http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/faculty-lecture-series/
.

The University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries are pleased to announce that Wayne Sanders, a monograph and audiovisual cataloger and Head of the Monograph Catalog Unit at MU Libraries, has been selected for the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2008 Emerging Leaders Program. Sanders is one of 120 librarians from across the country chosen to participate in the program, which was created to prepare librarians for future professional leadership.

“We’re very proud that Wayne has been chosen for this honor, and is joining the ranks of the American Library Association’s next generation of leaders and professionals,” said Jim Cogswell, Director of MU Libraries.

Sanders joined MU Libraries in July 2006 as Monograph Catalog Librarian. He has prior experience in the Acquisitions and Catalog Departments of MU Libraries and in the Newspaper Library of the State Historical Society of Missouri. He has masters degrees in Library Science and Anthropology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in History and Anthropology.

Sanders is currently serving as the Chair of the Subject and Bibliographic Access Committee of the Anthropology and Sociology Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. He also serves as a member of the Technical Services Systems Committee of the Systems and Services Section of the Library Administration and Management Association.

The Emerging Leaders Program will be launched in January, during ALA’s mid-winter meeting in Philadelphia. Participants will put their leadership skills to work by serving on an ALA or chapter committee, task force, working group or project team, with the goal of assuming future leadership roles in ALA, one of its divisions, or state chapters.

In 1840 a young French medical student, amateur artist, and guest of the Chouteau family of St. Louis spent the summer living with the Osage Indians. Victor Tixier wrote vivid descriptions of the Osage Indians in his journal Voyage aux Prairies Osages . Dr. Lazzaro-Weis will discuss her work on the forthcoming scholarly edition of this work. Please join us for this fascinating lecture and discussion.
This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, October 24, 1:00 p.m.

Ellis Library, 1st Floor Colonnade

For more information about the series, including a list of upcoming lectures, please visit http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/faculty-lecture-series/
.

As part of the MU Libraries’ ongoing exhibition of local artists in the Bookmark Café, Donna Brunet, an MU alum, will be displaying her work during the months of October, November, and December.

Donna Brunet received an M.A. in history from the University of Missouri - Columbia, writing her thesis on Charles Valentine Riley, Missouri State Entomologist in the 1800s. During that time, she worked in the photograph collection at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

She taught approximately 60 individuals in Columbia how to identify butterflies as part of a research project on butterfly gardens for a Masters degree in Wildlife at MU. She began taking butterfly photos since she needed copyright-free images to provide to volunteers. Suddenly her life-time interests in insects and photography came together.

It is Brunet’s hope that individuals viewing her images are moved to look more closely at wildlife living in their yards and neighborhoods and that they are inspired to improve the habitat in their yards for insects.

For more information about Donna Brunet’s work, you may contact her at donna@insectpix.com or visit http://insectpix.com .

For more information about the exhibits at Bookmark Café, please contact Delores Fisher at FisherD@missouri.edu .

MU Campus has signed a site license to provide EndNote and Reference Manager free to MU Students and at a discount for Faculty and Staff. For more information see http://doit.missouri.edu/software/sales/endnote.html .

The Library has created an introduction on EndNote at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/guides/paperassistance/endnote.mht (requires Internet Explorer) or download the PowerPoint presentation here http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/guides/paperassistance/endnote.ppt

The Miniature Book Society’s Traveling Exhibit presents a wide variety of miniature books along with photographs of collectors, designers and publishers. It also features books entered into last season’s Annual MBS Competition, “Distinguished Books” from previous competitions and other outstanding examples of contemporary miniature book publishing. This exhibit has been brought to Ellis Library in an effort to introduce contemporary miniature books to Mid-Missouri.

In addition, a collection of miniature books from Ellis Library’s Special Collections department has been assembled to display in accompaniment with the Miniature Book Society’s Traveling Exhibit. Books on display are children’s books, reference materials, art books, classic literature, and religious materials. While miniature books have been published as small as ¼” x ¼”, our smallest text on display is Holy Bible: contains a portion of the New Testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which measures 1.13″ x 1.5″. Books measure from this size to just over the Library of Congress limit for miniature books, at 4″, with Robert Burns’ Tam o’Shanter measuring 4.3″ x 3.5″. Also noteworthy is Special Collections’ oldest volume in this exhibit, written by Emperor Justinian I in 1667, Imperatoris Ivstiniani Institvtionvm Libri IV. Publication dates range 337 years, from Emperor Justinian’s work to contemporary art works, published as recently as 2004.

For more information about miniature books, or a list of Special Collections titles on display, please visit: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/exhibits/mini_index.htm, or call the Special Collections Reading Room at (573) 882-0076.

Electronic access to journals is cost-effective and convenient, but as library collections become more electronic, the question of long-term future access to this material has arisen. MU Libraries has taken an important step to ensure that its users will always have access to its electronic journals by entering into an agreement with Portico, a not-for-profit service launched in 2005 that offers a permanent archive of electronic scholarly journals.

“Our relationship with Portico means that MU Libraries can continue to expand electronic access to information, which is increasingly the preferred format of our users, while also maintaining our traditional preservation function, which is vital to many researchers,” stated Jim Cogswell, Director of Libraries. “The libraries have dramatically increased online journal access for our users in the past year, and we now have subscriptions for over 8,000 Internet journals from the top science, medical, and social science publishers. The journals made available through Science Direct, Wiley InterScience, SpringerLink, and Sage will all be protected through the Portico service.”

Portico provides all libraries supporting the archive with campus-wide access to archived content when a publisher stops operation, ceases to publish a title, no longer offers back issues, or for some other reason the content is no longer available from the publisher or other source. To date, over 5,300 journals have been promised to the Portico archive, and over 175 libraries are participating in the archive. Portico is actively receiving content from publishers and is engaged in carefully converting this content to an archival format and depositing it into the Portico archive.

The MU Libraries serve a student body of 28,000 plus a faculty of 1,800, and have a collection of 3.2 million print volumes, 35,000 journal titles (in print or online) and 7.4 million microforms. With an annual budget of $12.5 million, the Libraries support the instruction, research, service, and economic development missions of the University of Missouri-Columbia. By acquiring scholarly resources, developing innovative services, and applying new information technologies, the MU Libraries fulfill their primary purpose: to serve users. MU Libraries Web site is at the following address:

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu.

The University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries is proud to be one of 63 libraries nationwide selected by the American Library Association to host Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation.

Forever Free is a traveling panel exhibit that reexamines President Lincoln’s efforts toward the abolition of slavery during the Civil War. Organized by The Huntington’s John Rhodehamel, Norris Foundation Curator of American Historical Manuscripts, the exhibit consists of reproductions of rare historical documents from The Huntington’s collections and those of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and draws on the latest scholarship in the field.

Please visit http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/events/foreverfree/ for more information.

COLUMBIA, MO - The University of Missouri - Columbia Libraries house many old, rare, and unique books. Because of their age and rarity, these materials require special care. The William T. Kemper Foundation of Kansas City, MO has awarded a grant of $200,000 to help the MU Libraries establish a program to provide this special care.

“We are profoundly grateful to the Kemper Foundation for awarding this grant,” stated Jim Cogswell, Director of Libraries. “With this award, the MU Libraries will, for the first time, be able to provide proper care for our rare books and other artifacts.”

The grant, payable in equal installments over three years, will be used to fund necessary staffing and operational support for the initial phase of a new conservation program in the Libraries. Ultimately, the MU Libraries plan to create a comprehensive program that will provide for the preservation of endangered artifacts and the restoration of deteriorated materials to ensure continued access to these collections by future generations of scholars.

The Libraries plan to engage a consultant to oversee a needs assessment in the Rare Books and Special Collections department and to identify priority requirements within the department. In addition to paying for a consultant, the grant funds will be used to purchase equipment and supplies deemed necessary to protect and preserve the collections.

Grant funds will also be used to augment the recently-announced Friends of the Libraries Adopt-a-Book program. This program will allow individual donors to support the restoration or conservation of specific books in the MU Libraries collections. Funds from the Kemper Foundation grant will match donations made to the Adopt-a-Book program over the next three years. In this way, private donors will be encouraged to support the long-term conservation efforts of the Libraries.

For more information about rare books and special collections at the MU Libraries, visit
http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/. For further information about the Friends’ Adopt-A-Book Program, contact Gena Scott at scottgl@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4701.

The MU Libraries serve a student body of 28,000 plus a faculty of 1,800, with collections of 3.2 million print volumes, 35,000 journal titles (both in print and online), and 7.4 million microforms. With an annual budget of $12.5 million, the Libraries support the instruction, research, service and economic development missions of the University of Missouri-Columbia. By acquiring scholarly resources, developing innovative services, and applying new information technologies, the MU Libraries fulfill their primary purpose: to serve the information needs of users. MU Libraries’ website is at the following address: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu.

The William T. Kemper Foundation — Commerce Bank, Trustee was established in 1989, following Mr. Kemper’s death. The Foundation is dedicated to continuing Mr. Kemper’s lifelong interest in improving the human condition and quality of life. Its philanthropic areas of focus include education, health and human services, civic improvements and the arts.