Chair: Kara Whatley
CVM Faculty: Cindy Cravens
HSL Librarian: Rebecca Graves
RAIS Librarian: Jill Kline
Libraries Staff Member: Katy Emerson
Shannon Cary
In the News
“Beneath a Tiger moon”
Show Me Mizzou, Dec. 19, 2024
Congratulations to Paula Roper on Her Retirement
After 38 years with the MU Libraries, Dr. Paula Roper will be retiring on December 24, 2024. After working as a teacher and for some federally funded projects, Paula came to MU to pursue her M.A. in Library Science. While enrolled, she served as a teaching assistant for the libraries’ library skills course. While working as a librarian in Ellis, she completed her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with an emphasis in Higher Education. During her career, Paula has had a tremendous impact on students, the libraries, and our community. As the Education and Black Studies Research & Instruction Librarian, she has long been lauded by students and researchers for her support in their successful academic endeavors. One scholar calls her The Oracle for her work in assisting with his development as a teacher and scholar and how she expertly integrated the libraries into the work of his students. Paula is well-known for her in-depth instruction sessions in which she provides students with clear guidance for their specific assignments and materials they can consult after class for further assistance. She is also always available for consultations and has come into the libraries to meet with students on evenings and weekends if that is what works best for the students’ schedules. Among those of us in reference, we are always amazed at Paula’s tenacity in tracking information to help users. Paula will follow every lead; call anyone she identifies to get the information the user is looking for. She is a true testament to doing whatever it takes to help our users be successful. In addition to her personal assistance to our students and researchers, Paula is a tireless advocate for community education and involvement. Over the years, she has coordinated several national traveling exhibits and events for the libraries, including Lincoln – The Constitution and the Civil War and Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation. She annually coordinates National History Day judges for the Strickland Memorial African-American History Prize and serves as a judge herself. As coordinator for Black History Month events, Paula develops amazing programs annually for the libraries, the campus, and the community. Each year, this month is capped off with Black History Month Trivia Night, a highly successful community event that Paula coordinates with the Daniel Boone Regional Library and MU Libraries. For her tremendous contributions to academic librarianship, Paula was awarded the 2024 Missouri Library Association Outstanding Professional Librarian award. You have been a wonderful colleague, mentor and friend, Paula. We will miss you!
A fun throwback interview with Paula as the December 2011 MULSA Spotlight Award Winner: https://library.missouri.edu/muse/december-2011-spotlight-award-winner-paula-roper/
When You Find Your Oracle at the Library: https://library.missouri.edu/news/ellis-library/when-you-find-your-oracle-at-the-library
In-Person Library Instruction Leads to Online Instruction: https://library.missouri.edu/news/cycle-of-success/cycle-of-success-in-person-library-instruction-leads-to-online-instruction
Paula Roper, Winner of MLA Outstanding Professional Librarian: https://library.missouri.edu/news/cycle-of-success/congratulations-to-paula-roper-winner-of-mla-outstanding-professional-librarian-2
If you are in Ellis Library, check out the wonderful display on the 2nd floor in honor of Paula’s MLA award.
Sign/Poster Request Form
If you need a sign or poster created, please fill out this form. This form is also available in the Communication box on the staff web page. If you have any questions signs, posters or other print jobs, contact Shannon Cary.
Renovation at UMSL
UMSL is undergoing a renovation which means a portion of their collection has been suppressed from EDS and the MOBIUS catalog, and certain items are not requestable. Currently, LC call number ranges: A-D, F-QC are largely unavailable. Most of these items fall under the two UMSL locations: UMSL TJL General Collection Level 1 and UMSL TJL General Collection Level 4. UMSL holdings for both of these locations have been suppressed from EDS and the MOBIUS catalog. In addition, these items have been given a temporary loan type of “non-circulating” to prevent patrons from requesting these items and to prevent these items from being selected to fill a request in FOLIO. If you currently have an item with one of these locations on your hold shelf, you can circulate these items to patrons even if the loan type is currently “non-circulating”. You will be required to enter an override. However, patrons will not be able to place requests for these two locations until further notice. New and returned items will be shelved in a new location UMSL TJL Renovation Stacks (Level 5), and they will be able to circulate
Goodbye to Clare Starkey
Clare Starkey will be leaving the University of Missouri Libraries on Friday, December 20th to begin a position with Westminster College as their Research and Engagement Librarian. Clare joined Special Collections as a student employee to help process the Husni Collection before being promoted to Library Information Specialist. Over the last semester, Clare has supervised research appointments, processed collections, and provided both instruction and reference support. She will be greatly missed.
Workshop Showcase: Piecing Together Provenance
Ellis Library Colonnade
From December 2024
A showcase from the new “Piecing Together Provenance” exhibit is now on display with research and creative works completed by students enrolled in the cross-listed Fall 2024 ARH_VS course, “Museum Studies: Theory and Practice.” Taught by art historian Dr. James van Dyke with contributions by archivist Dr. Sarah Buchanan, the course examines contemporary issues in museum and curatorial studies through project-based, object-based learning – the two crucial issues this semester are provenance and restitution. Provenance research in theory comprised the first third of course content with discussions about museum definitions, collecting, and object dispositions. Then students looked at existing provenance narrative structures and resources for researching provenance data; finally they team-workshopped their insights to create visually engaging panels that show their processes taken and tried – emphasizing both information found and gaps remaining.
Provenance stories enhance the visitor experience not only in art museums, but also in collections like the Enns Entomology Museum, which students visited as it marks its 150th anniversary year. Hearing directly from museum curators Kristin Simpson, Mackenzie Mallon, Candace Sall, Rima Girnius, and Benton Kidd about their everyday efforts to bring together provenance facts led students to develop the theme of clues gathered, pinned, and strung to corkboard for their exhibit. Do visit their fully detailed exhibit in the Bingham Art Gallery, where “Mind the Gap: Piecing Together Provenance” is on display through April.
Here in Ellis Library is provided a selection from the six artwork panels illustrated there with student research findings about the artistic legacies of 15th and 18th century Italian artists di Matteo and Joli, 17th century artists van Goyen (Dutch) and Neeffs (Flemish), a Roman-era Egyptian textile, and the early 20th century American artist Hirst. For their additional contributions to the success of the course we gratefully thank: Megan Ballengee, Daniel Eck, Amanda Harrison, Madeleine LeMieux, and Kristin Schwain. Solve the mysteries of history with provenance!
Marketing Highlight
Check out Mizzou’s Instagram post featuring the Grand Reading Room: