home Cycle of Success, Ellis Library, Resources and Services OER Librarian Chosen to Lead Open Textbook Network Initiative

OER Librarian Chosen to Lead Open Textbook Network Initiative

Cycle of Success Interview with Outreach Librarian, Grace Atkins

Q: You’ve been selected by the MOBIUS Board to serve as a MOBIUS System Leader for the Open Textbook Network Initiative. Congratulations! What does this mean?
A: Thank you! Let’s break it down: MOBIUS is a network of 192 libraries that provides access to shared information resources, services, and expertise. When one of our university libraries doesn’t have a book or other resource, we go into the MOBIUS online catalog and see if one of the other branches has what we need. In turn, we do the same for other MOBIUS partners.
The MOBIUS system just gained membership to the Open Textbook Network (OTN), which provides access to the Open Textbook Library, a set of peer-reviewed, customizable academic textbooks. Over 350 campuses are part of the OTN, and now Mizzou faculty will have access to their huge set of online textbooks that are free to students.

Q: This sounds like a form of OER?
A: Yes, free textbooks are a form of an Open Educational Resource (OER). An OER can be “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others." To over-simplify, an OER is a free textbook or any other teaching resource/tool that students don’t have to pay for. Which is great, because right now a student at Mizzou currently spends an average of $500—$700 each year on course materials (see May 2017 OER report for more stats).

Q: Why were you nominated for this position?
A: I’ve been the coordinator for our campus’s OER Interest Group for two years, and I recently presented on OER at MOBIUS’s annual conference a few weeks ago. I’m currently working to support the new MU System OER Initiative that Dr. Choi announced today.

Q: How does being a member of the Open Textbook Network support the UM System’s new OER Initiative?
A: The Open Textbook Network (OTN) promotes access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks. Founded and run by the University of Minnesota's Center for Open Education, the OTN manages the Open Textbook Library which contains open textbooks licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. With our membership, we now have access to these resources, which provide options for faculty who pursue the MU System OER Initiative.
Of course, we’ll also be working with OpenStax, SPARC, and other OER organizations and discovery tools. With an UM System initiative this big, it’s useful for faculty to have many options when it comes to OER, and it’s even more useful to have a trained experts and librarians such as myself to provide resources, instruction, and support for those faculty. 

Q: So, what is the role of a System Leader in the Open Textbook Network?
A: The Open Textbook Network has what is essentially a train-the-trainer program for new members. As a System Leader, I’ll be trained to train the other libraries in the MOBIUS system, including the libraries here at Mizzou. I’ll be going to a summer institute at the University of Minnesota in August to learn all about how to use and customize the resources and templates in the Open Textbook Library, and then I’ll train other librarians in our MOBIUS system to teach faculty, staff, and other educators on how to use these free resources in their courses.

Q: How does a leadership role with the Open Textbook Network contribute to the libraries’ Cycle of Success?
A: Providing access to course materials at no cost creates a more equitable learning environment for students. When all students can afford to access the textbooks they need, their academic performance and retention improves. If I teach librarians how to teach faculty to use the Open Textbook Library, then the libraries have established a cycle that ultimately results in student academic achievement.

You can learn more about Open Educational Resources (OER) at libraryguides.missouri.edu/OpenEducationalResources

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Cycle of Success, Ellis Library Cycle of Success: Robert Altenbernd and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

Cycle of Success: Robert Altenbernd and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

Robert Altenbernd recently submitted a story about his experience working with Gwen Gray, our Social Sciences Librarian, during his time in the in the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program. EBV is a "one-of-a-kind initiative designed to leverage the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities and a passion for entrepreneurship. The aim of the program is to open the door to economic opportunity for our veterans by developing their competencies in creating and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture." There are three phases, and Phase 2 is a nine-day residency at an EBV university. All of the participants apply to the program and go through an interview process.  This year, 19 are on the Univeristy of Missouri campus, for eight days.  There are three from Missouri, but participants come from North Carolina, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, D.C., all across the country.  Their business ideas range from nonprofits that will serve post-9/11 veterans to retail storefronts to making apparel for reenactors. This is the second year Mizzou has participated in the program, and this participation was featured in Inside Columbia magazine last year. 


Gwen Gray's role, as one of the 11 EBV librarians around the country, is to be the support person for these participants while they are on campus, and after they leave. "Dr. Greg Bier (retired Army veteran) who runs the program, is a big proponent of the library and feels like too many entrepreneurs don’t know about the resources & services we offer." Phase 2 includes instruction within MU Libraries, and access to a guide created by Gwen. The guide includes information they can only access while here, links to free sites, and also links to the EBV Info Portal that participants have access to one year after starting the program. Gwen also sends the participants home with a handout, specific to each veteran, that includes information on public and academic libraries in their home areas as well as other sources of help to local entrepreneurs. She includes any useful databases and contact information for business librarians and Small Business Development Center counselors. This handout was a big hit during this program's inagural year at Mizzou: "Second, I want you to know I followed up with the small business development center you located near my home. Staff sat down with me and busted out my business financials. It was a lifesaver. I felt much more confident sending sound financial docs to lenders. I've secured land and my loan package is currently being processed. I owe you one."


Robert Altenbrend recently participated in Phase 2 of EBV, and had some kind words to say about Gwen's help:

"I am currently attending the EBV in-residence phase at Mizzou. I was having difficulties finding research data on starting a veteran support nonprofit. Gwen Gray was very helpful and found several resources that will assist with this project. This type of customer service and professionalism should be commended and reflects positive on Mizzou. This is coming from a lifelong Jayhawk who grew up in the Lawrence area:-) Please pass on my appreciation to her. Thank you."

We forgive Robert for his Jayhawk love, and wish him well with the rest of the program! 

 

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or workplease use the Cycle of Success form

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

Cycle of Success: Steve Friedman

Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

Steve Friedman is the Senior Editor within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Steven manages the preparation and editing of manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, grant applications, and various presentations. Steve contacted Diane Johnson, Assistant Director at the Health Sciences Library, to help with an issue they ran into with a manuscript that was accepted back in May 2015. With a final proof sent in, they were waiting for the journal to publish their article. Knowing it was a quarterly published journal, the team knew it would take some time to see the published article, but the journal’s last issue came out in April/June 2016, with no indication of any future issues. With no response from the editorial team, Steve asked Diane for her assistance.

“I contacted Diane Johnson in January to see if she had heard of this journal either having troubles or if she knew of a better contact. Her persistence paid off, in that we were able to get the most responsive contact from Wolters Kluwers to date. The lead author emailed this contact and we found out a day later that the journal would release us from copyright obligations due to a prolonged contractual dispute. We have moved on, and just sent this paper to another journal. But we would still likely be stuck in limbo if Diane hadn’t followed through with her great service. I am consistently impressed with the library’s attention to service. Thank you!”
If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form. 

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Cycle of Success, Government Information, Special Collections and Archives Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse with Special Collections and Government Documents

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse with Special Collections and Government Documents

Emilee Howland-Davis’ English 1000 classes spent this semester reading the post-apocalyptic novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, which is presented as a series of first-hand accounts of the social and political implications of the zombie outbreak.  To provide a real-world perspective to this work of science fiction, they also studied materials related to disaster and survival in Government Documents and Special Collections. Materials the students considered included:

The students presented historical and rhetorical analyses of the materials in Ellis Library. Kudos to them for their hard work, and hats off to their innovative instructor for making such great use of library resources!

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Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.

home Cycle of Success, Ellis Library, Resources and Services, Zalk Veterinary Medical Library Cycle of Success: Gwen Gray, Kate Anderson, and Supporting Entrepreneurship

Cycle of Success: Gwen Gray, Kate Anderson, and Supporting Entrepreneurship

Gwen Gray
Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

Gwen Gray, Business, Economics & Public Poloicy Librarian, spearheads the libraries’ involvement with a variety of programs. Through her work with Entrepreneurship Alliance students, Gwen promotes the libraries as an integral resource for teaching and research. Greg Bier, Director of the Entrepreneurship Alliance, indicates her positive impact. “I just wanted to thank you for working with my Entrepreneurship Alliance students Tuesday,” Bier said. “I think it is very important that they understand the tools right at their fingertips on campus. Unfortunately, not many of them think of Ellis as one of them. I also think you change their opinions. Thanks for being a great help!”

Gwen strives to integrate library resources and services into MU’s entrepreneurship programs. One such program is the Biodesign & Innovation Program. Through her work, Gwen assists Biodesign Fellows as they seek out information and research. The Fellows she works with speak highly of the assistance she provides. “Our Biodesign Filtering presentation tonight was a great success,” one Fellow said. 

Kate Anderson

Kate Anderson is the head of the Zalk Vetinary Medical Library and works with Gwen on a number of projects, including that Biodesign Program and the Coulter Translational Partnership. In Coulter boot camps, teams of physicans and engineeers build their case for funding from the Coulter Foundation. The goal of the Coulter Foundation is to accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into products the improve patient care.  

Because entrepreneurs need expertise and resources from multiple disciplines, Gwen and Kate collaborate extensively. The biodesign fellows and the boot camp participants often acknowledge Gwen’s and Kate’s teamwork.

  • “I wanted to say a big ‘THANK YOU!’ to both of you for getting us all the information we needed in such a short period of time. You both made the success of [our] presentation possible!”
  • “Thank you so much for checking in with us. It really means a lot to know we have your support!"
  • “Many thanks for your kind help in award.  Really appreciate [Gwen’s] help and Kate’s timely support.”
     


This active collaboration enables the Libraries to have a positive impact on the biotech entrepreneurial climate not only on campus but in the greater mid-Missouri region as well.


If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or workplease use the Cycle of Success form

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Cycle of Success, Events and Exhibits Congratulations to the Undergraduate Research Contest Winners!

Congratulations to the Undergraduate Research Contest Winners!

The University Librareis Undergraduate Research contest seeks to recognize and reward outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students at the University of Missouri.

In First place, and the recipient of a $500 scholarship, is Victor Topouria, a junior in journalism. His paper is titled, “The fabric road to power: geography of the textiles trade along the new Silk Road and China’s path to geopolitical dominance through the textiles supply chain”. Dr. Joseph Hobbs, professor of Geography, supported his submission saying, “Victor provided exceptional insight into the ways in which China is re-shaping the economics and geopolitics of Asia (and the world) through the medium of textiles.”

The Second place winner and recipient of a $250 scholarship is Samuel Mosher, a sophomore in history. His paper, “The suppression of the African slave trade in The Illustrated London News explored how The Illustrated London News, the world’s first weekly illustrated periodical, reported on Great Britain’s suppression of the African Slave Trade from 1842 to 1869. Dr. Domingues da Silva, Assistant professor of African History, supported his submission saying “Rarely have I seen another freshman student make such a complete use of the libraries’ resources to write a research paper. The paper’s quality and originality are beyond question.”

Special  thanks to the Friends of the University Libraries for their support of this award.

Deb Ward featured in MCR Voices

Our very own Deb Ward was interviewed for MCR Voices. MCR voices is a short podcast designed to inform and educate members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and the general library community, on excellent practices.

In this interview, Deb discusses what she envisions for the future of the libraries as the Director of the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri. Deb mentions the new HSL advisory council, how she encourages HSL staff to help with the mission of the library, and how, even with a budget reduction, the libraries will still present a coherent picture of who we are, and what are our value is to our users in order to be successful. 

 

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Cycle of Success, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library Cycle of Success: Marybeth Bohn, Orthopedic Surgery

Cycle of Success: Marybeth Bohn, Orthopedic Surgery

Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

 

 

Maryboth Bohn is the executive assistant to Dr. James P. Stannard, MD. in the Missouri Orthopedic Institute.  Marybeth works in the academic office and assists with administrative paperwork. With a tight deadline approaching, and needing the information by the end of the business day, Marybeth contacted the health sciences library to ask for help in gathering metrics for promotion and tenure. Katy Emerson, Library Specialist Sr. in Interlibrary Loan, gave Marybeth some information on the possible metrics she could use for the Promotion and Tenure packet, while Taira Meadowcroft, Information Services Librarian, and Rachel Alexander, Graduate Library Assistant, gathered the metrics. It was definitely a great collaborative effort!

 

“I work in a fast-paced office assisting Dr. Stannard with his administrative work. Much of that includes academic activities such as reviewing P&T packets, writing letters, and gathering articles for research. If it weren’t for the help of the librarians in the Health Science Library, I would be in dire straits! They come to my rescue often! They are quick, upbeat, and always helpful. Recently, I needed publication metrics for a P&T review. Two of the librarians stopped what they were doing to help me and speed things along. They also took the time to explain what everything meant. I also appreciate their helpfulness in pulling articles for me when I am not able to access the articles myself. I have used the online request system and their online chat system quite easily and have always received excellent assistance. Don’t hesitate to ask a friendly librarian!”

 

 

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work,
please use the Cycle of Success form

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Meet the Special Collections Intern: Kayla

Meet the Special Collections Intern: Kayla

This semester we have two new interns working on metadata, provenance, and digital projects with us in Special Collections. Last week we introduced Olivia; this week, say hello to Kayla.

Hello!

My Name is Kayla Thompson and I am one of the new interns in the Special Collections department at Ellis Library. I am senior studying English Creative writing with a varied collection of minors. Here are some fun facts about myself:

  1. My dream is to work in either a library or museum working with old books, manuscripts, and artifacts. For this reason, I am applying to graduate school for the fall for Library and Information Sciences.
  2. I love reading. Books are my favorite things in the whole world. At the moment I own somewhere around 500 of them, so old or new you can find just about any genre on my shelf, though, I prefer fiction. Currently I am in the middle of about five books including Homer’s Iliad, Cassandra Clare’s Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, and Skye Alexander’s The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book: Your Complete Guide to Crafting and Casting Spells.
  3. I am writing a novella about a young witch with no powers. Not quite sure where it’s going yet (if it’s going). I have wanted to write a book since I was 12, but have yet to produce something that I feel is worth putting out into the world. It’s mostly just a hobby at the moment.
  4. This summer I am going on a trip to study abroad in Greece. It has been a dream of mine since I was little. It will also be the last six credits I need to finish my Classical Studies minor.
  5. I own one fat and fluffy cat named Tora.
  6. And I probably drink way more coffee than could possibly ever be good for me.

So, that’s who I am. I can’t wait to get to know more about everyone I work with. I am already having fun and can’t wait to see where this semester in Special Collections takes me.

Be sure to tune into our Tumblr to see posts by Olivia and Kayla this semester.

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Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Meet the Special Collections Intern: Olivia

Meet the Special Collections Intern: Olivia

This semester we have two new interns working on metadata, provenance, and digital projects with us in Special Collections. First up for introductions is Olivia:

Hey! Hi! Hello, my fellow bibliophiles! I’m very excited to introduce myself to you as the new social media intern for Ellis Library’s Special Collections and Rare Books Department. My name is Olivia Mikus and I am a senior here at MU, double majoring in French and English Literature. I hope to become a French educator in the high school, and eventually college, setting. 

Here are some more interesting (at least I hope) tidbits about myself:

  • I am obsessed with all things French, so look forward to (or feel free to skim over) a few interesting French finds, should I stumble upon any, during my semester cataloging for Special Collections.
  • I have two pets, both named after a character or an actor from my most favorite television programs: My cat, Jess, named after a character from Gilmore Girls and my pittie, Topher, named after Topher Grace (Eric Foreman) from That 70s Show.
  • *queue Harry Potter theme* All things Harry Potter, all the time. Need I say more? Oh yeah, #ravenclaw4life
  • My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I read this for the first time in my 12th grade English Comp. course and have read it 3 more times since. That is where my love of classic English literature began and I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to channel that love into a major and, of course, this internship. (Here in special collections, we have an original hand-written manuscript of Charlotte’s and her sisters’ early childhood works. #geekingout)
  • If I could narrow my music interests down to a few groups they would include: The 1975 (Haven't heard of them? You should fix that…go on, I’ll wait), The Beatles, Blink-182 (Fun fact: Blink-182 and I were born the same year, 1992!) and Alanis Morissette, with whom I connect on a spiritual level. #90skid
  • I’m a definite foodie. I love to cook (though I’m no Julia Child) but even more so, I love to eat. Favorite foods? The edible kind, I don’t discriminate. I’m currently teaching myself to cook and I hope to someday start my own foodie blog about myself and my (sometimes disastrous, though always entertaining) cooking escapades. It’ll happen…one day.
  • Wanderlust: I have an unquenchable thirst to see every inch of this beautiful sphere we call Earth before I have to part with it.
  • Lastly, my most favorite movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Love, loss, brain damage, a sprinkle of science-fiction, Jim Carrey, and Kate Winslet with mood-changing hair…Seriously, what more could you ask for?

Thanks for tuning in to A Bit About Me with Olivia Mikus. I’m super looking forward to sharing with you all the interesting texts I find while working in Special Collections. I hope you will find them as interesting as I do!

Watch for Kayla's intro post next week, and tune into our Tumblr to see posts by Olivia and Kayla this semester.

Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.