home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives Ediciones Vigía work on display in Special Collections and Archives

Ediciones Vigía work on display in Special Collections and Archives

An edition of Pierrot y la luna, a dramatic poem by Cuban poet Nancy Morejón, is on display in the Special Collections and Archives reading room through the end of April. The book was designed by Rolando Estévez, the director of the Cuban book arts collective called Ediciones Vigía, and is on loan from a private collection.

Ediciones Vigía was founded in 1985 by artist Rolando Estévez and poet Alfredo Zaldívar in Matanzas, Cuba, a city known for its poets and Afro-Cuban culture. Members of Ediciones Vigía crafted books using ordinary supplies that were easy to procure: brown paper, found objects, and repurposed materials. Each publication was released in an edition of two hundred or fewer copies. Vigía books often contain an element of playful surprise in the form of foldouts, flaps, and insertions. All Vigía books feature the oil lamp as a symbol of the workshop, which Estévez included as “a bright light that is a humble light, an intimate and familiar light.”

More Ediciones Vigía books will be on view in the Ellis Library Colonnade in April in conjunction with the conference Afro-Cuban Legacies: Visual Arts, Literature, Theatre, Music and Religion

Kelli Hansen

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

home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits Peer Navigator Corner: Cast Gallery

Peer Navigator Corner: Cast Gallery

Written by: Laide Agunbiade

The Cast Gallery in Ellis Library provides Mizzou students a unique opportunity to dive into art, history, and culture without ever having to leave campus! As you walk through the familiar corridors of Ellis, surrounded by the comforting scent of books and the stress of school, it’s easy to overlook the hidden treasures that are within the walls of the library.

On the second floor when you enter the quiet study area, you’ll find yourself surrounded by an impressive array of statues, but they’re all over Ellis as well. The gems that were hidden away for years are now on display to be seen by all.

However, the cast’s journey to Mizzou didn’t begin within the walls of Ellis Library. Their origins trace back to the vision of John C. Pickard and his vision for bringing cultural pieces to Mizzou. In the late 19th century, Pickard created the foundation for Mizzou’s Department for Classical Archaeology by collecting over 100 pieces of artwork. From ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance masterpieces, Pickard created a gallery with a range of diverse pieces.

As the pieces began to arrive in 1896-1902, they were installed in Jesse Hall before being relocated to Pickard Hall in 1975. There, they displayed Pickard’s legacy and deep appreciation of the arts.

In the spring semester of 2022, the gallery moved to another home on campus, finding a new residence within Ellis Library. Mizzou’s decision to do this showed their effort to share a significant hidden treasure, mixed in with lore of its forgotten past, to make the art accessible to all users who pass through Ellis Library.

As Mizzou is gearing up for the introduction of the Museum of Art and Archaeology collection, which will be located on the lower floor of Ellis Library, this is a perfect time to spotlight the art Pickard brought to campus years ago. The pieces that we walk past daily will serve as a reminder of the university’s rich tapestry.

So, the next time you find yourself coming to study, print, or just wander the halls of Ellis Library, I urge you all to take a moment to explore the gems of our Cast Gallery. Who knows what insights and inspirations you might discover through Ellis’ silent guardians!

home Events and Exhibits Mystery Date with a Book

Mystery Date with a Book

Take a chance on a Mystery Date with a Book! We’ve carefully wrapped up a variety of books from the MU libraries and written you some clues. If the book sounds like a match, go ahead and unwrap and check it out! You can find them on the shelves in the Ellis Library colonnade during the month of January.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives The Husni Collection: Magazine Mayhem!

The Husni Collection: Magazine Mayhem!

Samir Husni Magazine Collection

Samir Husni, Ph.D., believes in the power of print. His decades of research, collecting, and consulting produced a picture of American culture, all told through magazines. Husni, born in Lebanon, is an internationally recognized magazine expert. He earned scholarships to pursue advanced degrees in the United States, receiving a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri. Nicknamed “Mr. Magazine” by his students, Husni knows what it takes to launch a successful magazine, and what makes the magazine format special. In his 2019 book The Definitive Guide on How to Launch Your Own Magazine, Husni emphasizes the magazine’s role as a reflector in the Twentieth Century:
“This is what a print magazine does best: it reflects the souls and mindsets of the human consumer and engages their concerns and delights in a way no other medium ever has or ever will.”

In October 2022, Husni donated his collection of nearly 100,000 magazines to the University of Missouri Libraries. This includes 24,000 first-issue magazines published after 1985, media kits and prototypes documenting the development of popular magazines, 10,000 magazines published before 1985 (2000 of which are premiere issues) dating back to the 1800s, foreign and non-English magazines, and Samir Husni’s publications about magazine publishing.

After a long year of work from Special Collections staff, Series 1: Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines is ready for use. This series contains every first issue published in the United States from 1985 to the present. Husni published a guide to new magazines each year; Simultaneously, he collected a physical copy of all magazines included in his guide. The Husni Collection has it all: Technology, Fashion, Pop Culture, Politics, Sports, Travel, and much more! Whatever your interests, this collection has a magazine for you. Contact Special Collections with questions on how to access materials and begin exploring the Husni Collection.

home Events and Exhibits Black History Month Books Display

Black History Month Books Display

Stroll by Ellis Library to pick up a book from our Black History Month Book Display! Celebrate African American authors, stories, culture and arts and learn the history of the African diaspora. Thanks to Paula Roper, social sciences librarian, for providing a curated lists of books from the library collections for the display.

home Events and Exhibits You Are Invited to the 5th Annual Virtual Missouri Affordable and Open Educational Resources Conference

You Are Invited to the 5th Annual Virtual Missouri Affordable and Open Educational Resources Conference

The Missouri Affordable and Open Educational Resources Conference (A&OER) planning committee invites you to the 5th annual virtual conference.

The MO A&OER Conference will be held virtually on March 7, 2024. A Creative Commons Pre-Conference Workshop will be held virtually on March 6, 2024. Registration for the virtual A&OER Conference is free to all attendees and we welcome out-of-state and international participants. Pre-conference training from Creative Commons will be limited to 50 attendees based in Missouri. Registration for both the CC Pre-Conference Workshop and the A&OER Conference is open through March 5, 2024. Limited space is available for the CC Pre-Conference Workshop so register early if you plan to attend.

The theme of this year’s conference will be “OER: A Student-Focused Innovation” and will focus on faculty/instructor/teacher experiences of adopting and adapting OER, creative uses for OER in the classroom, the impact of OER on student outcomes, open practice and pedagogy. We are excited to announce Dr. Virginia Clinton-Lisell as our keynote speaker. Her session titled “Degrees of Open: The how and why of incorporating open education into courses one step at a time” will be presented as a lunch keynote.

Visit the conference website for more details or register through Sched.

home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives Black History Month: “Life in America” Online Exhibit

Black History Month: “Life in America” Online Exhibit

Special Collections has a new digital exhibit in honor of Black History Month: Life in America: Sixteen Black Magazines from 1953 to 1998, curated by John Henry Adams. Magazines offer a snapshot of everyday life, both as it was and how some people might have wished it to be. What makes someone beautiful? What should people be wearing? Who are the important entertainers? What is the best music? What is happening in the world? What should children and teenagers be interested in? All of these are questions that magazines give answers to, and that is before we take into account what is being advertised in the magazines themselves. What is for sale? Who is expected to buy it? Taken together, magazines give us a chance to approach the culture of the past, but also to consider the present through the same lens.

The exhibit features magazines from a recent acquisition, the Samir Husni Magazine Collection, on topics ranging from beauty and fashion magazines to news and lifestyle magazines.

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John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Events and Exhibits On Display in Bookmark Cafe: Martha Daniel’s Grassland Expectations

On Display in Bookmark Cafe: Martha Daniel’s Grassland Expectations

Grassland Expectations
A plein air artist from rural Boone County, Martha Daniels enjoys sharing her love for nature through painting and art. Her background in wildlife conservation and nature education peeks through the paintings. Prairies are complex and fascinating habitats – the subject for many of her works. Martha sees art as a way to capture moments of beauty in the fields, woods, and rivers, then share those colors and forms with others as a connection to the outdoors. To her, art is a way to absorb the soul-soothing and spirit-calming aspects of the natural world.

On display throughout the spring semester in the Ellis Library Bookmark Cafe.

home Events and Exhibits The Roman Empire Book Display

The Roman Empire Book Display

What is your Roman Empire? If the answer is the Roman Empire, we’ve got the books for you! You can find some of our books on the Roman Empire on display in the Ellis Library colonnade. Feel free to check one out today!

home Events and Exhibits Cozy Comforts Book Display

Cozy Comforts Book Display

What makes you feel cozy? It’s time to break out those cozy comforts and slow down for winter break. Learn how to cook comforting meals, crochet some granny squares, meditate or improve your sleep. Here is the full cozy reads book list with links to the e-books.