Shannon Cary
Ellis Library Fire Alarm Testing Friday, November 7
The MU campus plans to test the Ellis Library fire alarm system on Friday, November 7. The audible testing (with horns and strobes) will occur between 6:00 – 7:30 am. Typically, the alarms only sound for 5-10 minutes per building. After the audible testing, Midwest Electronic Systems will silence the system and test all the smoke detectors and pull stations quietly throughout the day.
Museum of Anthropology, Fall 2025 Newsletter
Cycle of Success: Medical Students Explore the Roots of Science at Ellis Library
When Dr. Richard J. Barohn, executive vice chancellor for Health Affairs, joined a group of medical students at Ellis Library’s Special Collections, his goal was for his students to learn about the history of science. Guided by Dr. John Henry Adams, an instruction and research librarian, the students explored some of Mizzou’s antiquarian science books in the fourth-floor classroom.
“Isaac Newton once said, ‘We can see further because we are standing on the shoulders of giants,’” Barohn stated. “This visit gave our students the chance to quite literally meet those giants whose discoveries continue to shape their training.”
Students were invited to handle rare and historic volumes, a privilege once reserved for gloved hands but now safely done with clean, bare hands thanks to modern preservation practices. They began with a first edition of Galileo’s Dialogo (Florence, 1632), in which he used the newly invented telescope to confirm that the Earth revolves around the sun. They then examined two of Isaac Newton’s works: The mathematical principles of natural philosophy (London, 1729) and Opticks (London, 1730).”
The journey continued into the realm of medicine. Students read an early edition of Thomas Willis’s Practice of physick (Long, 1684), an anatomy book, where he described the intricate blood vessels of the brain—now known as the “Circle of Willis.” They also explored a first edition of Charles Bell’s The Nervous System of the Human Body (Washington, 1883), detailing the anatomy of the facial nerve and the clinical features of facial paralysis, now universally known as “Bell’s Palsy.”
Marian Toledo Candelaria, the head of Special Collections, stated, “The books that the School of Medicine students explored are some of the foundational texts of modern scientific thought. Designing relevant experiential learning opportunities is at the heart of what Special Collections offers to the Mizzou community, and students had the opportunity to touch, view, and discuss the books that contributed to making the medical field what it is today. We are thankful to Dr. Barohn and his students for championing Special Collections as an important partner in supporting STEM education at Mizzou.”
Barohn extended his thanks to the Mizzou Libraries, especially the Special Collections librarians, for making the experience possible. “Their stewardship of these collections ensures that our students can connect with the history of science and medicine in ways that inspire learning for generations to come.”
Highlighted Posts of the Week
Open Access Week Posts (Note: Additional Open Access Week posts will be published next week.)
- Celebrate Open Access Week With Mizzou Libraries
- Mizzou Author on Publishing OA
- RSC Added to Open Access Agreements
Other Posts
United Way Bake for Later Bake Sale – Call for Bakers!
As your United Way reps for this year, Gwen and I have planned a few events to take place over the next few months to raise money for the University’s United Way Campaign. The first one is the Bake for Later Bake Sale!
Here’s how it works:
- We will recruit “bakers” who would commit to baking something for their fellow library employee within a certain time frame (3 months or so).
- We will have an online silent auction the last week of October where Libraries staff can bid on an item to be baked for them later. After the auction, it will be the up to the winner and baker to work out the logistics of when the item would be baked and delivered.
Call for Bakers: If you would like to be a baker for this event, please contact Jennifer Walker or Gwen Gray by next Friday, October 24, and let us know what item you are willing to bake. You don’t need to bake anything now; you will just commit to bake something for later!
Royal Society of Chemistry Added to Open Access Publishing Agreements Available to MU Authors
Publishing open access is a great way to keep research open and retain your copyright. We do understand that publishing open access comes with a financial commitment that you wouldn’t necessarily have with traditional publishing.
To help offset costs, Mizzou Libraries has agreements with several publishers to offer discounts and author processing charge support for the following journals.
Want to lean more? Talk with your Subject Specialist about open access in your area.
NEW AGREEMENT: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
The MU Libraries now has a Read & Publish agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry, starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025. All charges for publishing in Hybrid, Gold and RSC Advances journals are covered for MU corresponding authors. Articles published open access in RSC journals are downloaded more often, which helps raise the visibility of your work Here is a complete RSC Journal list. Find out more.
American Chemical Society (ACS) Journals
The American Chemical Society offers a discounted open access fee to MU affiliates since MU is a Subscribing Institution. Members of ACS receive an additional discount. ACS Open Access Fee Chart
Astronomy & Astrophysics: A European Journal
Starting in 2022, the EDP Sciences journal Astronomy & Astrophysics will be published under the Subscribe to Open (S20) model. MU affiliated corresponding authors can publish their articles Open Access without paying APC’s (article processing charges) as long as the University of Missouri Libraries continue to subscribe to this title.
BMJ Case Reports
The Health Sciences Library subscription to BMJ Case Reports includes a waiver of the individual membership fee of £273 normally required to publish cases. Submission instructions.
Cambridge University Press Journals
MU Libraries has entered into a transformational “Read and Publish” agreement with Cambridge University Press. This agreement greatly expands electronic access to Cambridge University Press journals and provides 10 APC waivers for MU corresponding authors to publish their work OA.
Because of the limited number of waivers available with this agreement, MU Libraries has decided to support authors on a first come, first served basis. If there are remaining waivers at the end of the year, MU Libraries can retroactively make other articles OA with the approval of the author. Read more about the agreement and see a list of eligible journals
Company of Biologists
From 2023 through 2025 MU is participating in the Company of Biologist’s Read & Publish Open Access Initiative. MU authors can publish OA at no charge. Some of the journals Company of Biologists publishes include Development, Journal of Cell Science, and Journal of Experimental Biology.
Electrochemical Society (ECS) Journals
MU is a subscriber to ECS Plus, an agreement that allows MU faculty to publish their articles in Electrochemical Society (ECS) journals (Journal of the Electrochemical Society and ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology) as Open Access with no charge to the author. There are no limits on the number of papers that can be published in any given subscription year. Find out more.
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
The University of Missouri has joined the shareholder consortium of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. This open-access journal features interdisciplinary academic research and practice articles on all things food systems. The shareholder membership, good through April 2024, covers the University of Missouri-Columbia, including MU Extension. This membership waives the typical Article Processing Charge for publishing in this journal.
Proceedings of the National Academies of Science of the United States of America (PNAS)
MU researchers publishing articles in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) receive a discounted open access fee of $2,000, compared to the regular fee of $2,500, to make their papers immediately free online. Find out more.
Welcome to Dylan Martin
The Mizzou Libraries are pleased to welcome Dylan Martin as research and instruction librarian, supporting social sciences and cultural studies departments, and chairing the library’s copyright team. A passion for public service and education drives his commitment to libraries.
He began his library career as an intern at Ellis Library after earning a B.A. in English literature from Mizzou. He later completed his MLIS at the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies. He held a reference assistantship during graduate studies and completed internships focused on archives and community history.
Martin previously served as institutional repository librarian at Lincoln University of Missouri, where he supported STEM departments and led technology and media initiatives. From 2021 to 2025, he worked at Columbia’s community radio station KOPN 89.5FM, managing operations, leading a major relocation project, and eventually serving as general manager.
Now back at Mizzou Libraries, Martin brings a diverse background in librarianship, media, and community engagement. His research interests include copyright, intellectual freedom, and community history archives.
Outside of work, Martin enjoys kayaking, mountain biking, exploring new cuisines, and amateur radio (Technician Class – KE0YNK). He also enjoys tinkering with musical instruments, electronics, and mechanical devices.
Cycle of Success: Resource Sharing Team Navigates International Law to Support Faculty Research
When a faculty member requested a rare academic title available only in a few libraries in Germany, the Mizzou Libraries’ Resource Sharing team sprang into action. The title was not held by any U.S. libraries, and only two German institutions participating in OCLC’s International Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service had it in their collections. Ordinarily, these libraries reliably fulfill our requests. But this time, both declined. The reason? A surprising consequence of international trade policy.
Ivy Hui, a senior library specialist in Access Services, stated, “We were informed that beginning on August 22 of this year, the Deutsche Post/DHL will not ship packages to the US due to new rules in place between the US and the EU where packages of under $800 in value are no longer exempt from duty.”
Despite the setback, the Resource Sharing team didn’t give up. They worked closely with the faculty member to identify the most critical sections of the book. With the help of the German libraries, they obtained the table of contents and secured scans of two key chapters. These were delivered to the faculty member using a different software platform, in full compliance with German copyright law.
This story is a powerful reminder of the value of the Resource Sharing/Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. Even when traditional borrowing isn’t possible, our team finds creative solutions to connect researchers with the materials they need.
Help Needed!
We need a few additional volunteers to help maintain the Ellis Library Staff Lounge on Mondays and Thursdays. Cleaning takes 15-20 minutes, and we provide the gloves, supplies, and training. Sign up for one shift or more per semester – your choice!
Contact Gwen Gray, MULSA Staff Lounge Chair, GrayG@missouri.edu, if interested.