“A first gift and a lasting legacy: The heart behind Mizzou Giving Day”
Show Me Mizzou, March 4, 2026
“MU student crates exhibit showcasing Missouri artists for Black History Month”
KOMU, Feb. 22, 2026
Shannon Cary
Mizzou Libraries Launch New Strategic Plan to Strengthen Learning, Discovery and Community Impact
The University of Missouri Libraries has unveiled a new strategic plan that sets a clear, values‑driven direction for the Libraries’ future as the University’s scholarly home. Grounded in sustainability, adaptability and service to the Mizzou community, the plan outlines how the Libraries will focus resources, strengthen impact and support teaching, learning and research across the University.
“Mizzou Libraries are essential to the University’s scholarly environment,” the plan states, emphasizing a commitment to empowering everyone at Mizzou to explore, learn and discover. The strategic plan affirms the Libraries’ role in delivering services and resources that help every member of the University community thrive while adapting in strategic, creative and sustainable ways to meet current realities.
Central to the strategic plan are clearly defined strategic priorities, each supported by objectives designed to guide action and measure progress. These priorities build on the Libraries’ existing strengths while ensuring that future efforts remain visible, relevant and meaningful to Mizzou and the broader community:
- Sustainable Revitalization: Recalibrate and revitalize programs, spaces and practices to match current realities and resources. By focusing on what is achievable and meaningful, the Libraries will deliver visible wins, strengthen morale, and focus energy where it matters most, laying the groundwork for the Libraries’ future.
- Every Student’s Success: Building on the Libraries’ strengths in supporting undergraduates to support students at every level. These avenues of support prepare students for a changing digital landscape and reflect that the Libraries are a cornerstone to every student’s success.
- Revealing Research: Showcase the Libraries’ role in creating, preserving and connecting Mizzou’s research to the world. By surfacing its role in the research process, securing durable digital infrastructure, and leveraging campus and statewide partnerships, the Libraries will ensure Mizzou’s research is visible, valued and impactful.
- The Library and Our Land-Grant Mission: Advance Mizzou’s land-grant mission by extending knowledge, expertise and resources beyond campus to serve the people of Missouri. Through statewide and system-wide partnerships, distinct local collections, and services responsive to community needs, the Libraries will share knowledge and tools to support the people of Missouri.
Throughout the plan, Mizzou Libraries reaffirm their core values: engaging staff and partners with respect, celebrating Mizzou’s excellence in research and creativity, and fostering a culture of learning, assessment and continuous improvement. These values guide decision‑making and underscore the Libraries’ commitment to serving students, faculty staff and researchers at every stage of their academic journeys.
Welcome to Heba Abd El Salem
The Mizzou Libraries are pleased to announce that Heba Abd El Salam has been appointed as the Languages, Literatures and Digital Humanities Librarian. Her work combines librarianship, public history and anthropology, focusing on cultural heritage, migration and community-engaged scholarship. She is deeply committed to public service and education, which informs her approach to research support, teaching, outreach and digital humanities initiatives.
Heba began her library career as a graduate assistant at the undergraduate library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her degree from the School of Library and Information Science and a graduate certificate in digital humanities. During her graduate studies, she led an outreach project that connected immigrant communities with the history, art and culture of North Carolina and directed a multilingual digital exhibition showcasing the history of the Triangle area.
Before pursuing a career in library science, Heba earned a PhD in public history from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Central Florida. She has led cultural heritage preservation projects in Egypt and has experience as a program advisor at the American Research Center in Egypt, as well as a cultural heritage consultant at the American School of Overseas Research. Her focus has been on outreach, research and cultural heritage preservation. Additionally, Heba’s professional training includes internships at the British Museum in London and the Center for Cultural Heritage at Heidelberg University in Germany. She also served as a teaching fellow at Duke University.
Current Search Committee Members
Health Sciences Instruction Librarian
Rebecca Graves, Chair
Megan Ballengee
Piper Brown-Kingsley
Ralph Sieli
Deidre Wipke Tevis
Journalism Librarian
Jeannette Pierce, Chair
Navadeep Khanal
Peter Kouba
Tom Warhover, Journalism Faculty
Jennilyn Wiley
Social Sciences & Government Information Services Librarian
Rhonda Whithaus, Chair
Marie Concannon
Jeannette Pierce
Colleen Smith
In the News
“State Historical Society exhibit highlights 100 years of Black history”
Columbia Missourian, Feb. 18, 2026
“Mizzou makes updates to campus security and Ellis library hours”
The Maneater, Feb. 20, 2026
Expanding Access to Music Resources at Mizzou Libraries
Mizzou is dedicated to preparing students to make meaningful contributions to the world—as performers, composers, teachers and scholars—while expanding the understanding and impact of music through performance, composition and research. Mizzou Libraries plays a vital role in this mission, and thanks to generous donor support, that role continues to grow.
Since joining Mizzou Libraries, Music Librarian Janet Hilts has been focused on strengthening and expanding music collections to better serve the academic community. Recent investments have significantly enhanced access to both digital and print resources that support performance, instruction and research across the School of Music.
One notable addition is IPA Source, a digital tool designed especially for voice performance students. This resource provides International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions of aria and art song texts, supporting accurate pronunciation and deeper engagement with vocal repertoire.
Another major enhancement is the new subscription to nkoda, a vast digital sheet music library. Through nkoda, students and faculty now have access to high-quality editions and in-copyright works for performance, analysis research and instruction. These materials were previously difficult or impossible to access at this scale.
These digital investments are complemented by substantial growth in physical collections. Between fiscal years 2023 and 2025, the number of music scores and books acquired annually increased by 123 percent. In fiscal year 2025 alone, 302 new music resources were added to the collection. This expansion was made possible in large part by the collaborative efforts of humanities librarians, who worked together to reallocate monograph funds more equitably. As a result, the fund for score and music book purchases increased by 79 percent.
With more music resources comes more behind-the-scenes work. The expertise and dedication of the Acquisitions, Collections and Technical Services team have been essential in ensuring these materials are acquired, processed and made accessible to users. Their efforts help transform donor generosity into tangible impact for students and faculty.
Collaboration between Mizzou Libraries and the School of Music continues to deepen. Currently in development is an ensemble sheet music collection project, along with ongoing efforts to add digital scores of new music by living composers. These initiatives point toward an exciting future of continued growth and innovation.
Your support helps ensure that Mizzou’s musicians have the resources they need to learn, create, and perform—today and for years to come. If you’d like to learn more about creating an endowment to support the Mizzou Libraries contact Matt Gaunt.
Digital Media and Innovation Lab in Ellis Library
The Digital Media and Innovation Lab (DMiL) in Ellis Library provides innovative technology and resources for your creative projects. The DMiL has an Audio Recording Booth, Digital Art Tools, and 3D Scanners in Room 156; interview recording room in Room 157, and a film studio in Room 3E21.
The DMiL is complemented by the Information Commons computers and equipment checkout at the checkout & information desk. The DMiL is available to students for class or personal projects.
You can make a reservation and check in or stop by for a consultation in Room 153.
Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 7 pm
Friday: 10 am – 3 pm
Questions & Consultation email: ellisdml@missouri.edu
Faculty Responds to New ProQuest Digital Collections
Faculty have already begun responding positively to the newly available ProQuest Digital Collections, highlighting their value for both research and teaching. The ProQuest Digital Collections, which offer discipline-aligned, multiformat content and vast primary sources spanning six centuries, serve researchers and students of all levels. The subscription includes many rare and exclusive resources, encompassing over 160 million primary source items.
One faculty member noted prior extensive use of related collections and welcomed expanded access through the Libraries’ new subscriptions, writing that they had used HistoryVault’s labor union and NAACP records, as well as Black history newspapers, “extensively—both in my own research and in my classes,” and had been preparing to recommend that the library acquire access before learning the collections were already available.
Another faculty member, Rabia Gregory, expressed strong enthusiasm for the new offerings, writing, “This is amazing…. I am super excited to have the Early Modern Collection, which amazingly gets us Early European Books—something I have wanted for a very long time. Thank you!”
Library faculty and staff have also reported receiving “very positive faculty feedback” about the new resources, including collections that replace microfilm access and expand existing digital holdings, as well as entirely new primary source collections now available to the Mizzou community.
You may access the ProQuest Digital Collections databases from the Mizzou Libraries A-Z Databases List. Click here for more information and a complete list of database titles.
In the News
“39 facts about Mizzou to mark its founding in 1839”
Show Me Mizzou, Feb.11, 202
“Columbia union employees rally for higher living wages”
ABC 17, Feb. 6, 2026
A Few Library Sweatshirts Still Available
I have a few extra library sweatshirts available; one each in the following sizes: S, XL, 2XL, 3XL and 5XL. Please get in touch with me if you’re interested.
Thanks,
Shannon (carysn@missouri.edu)