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home Resources and Services Happy 20th Birthday, MERLIN!

Happy 20th Birthday, MERLIN!

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image of a cupcake with text reads "Happy 20th Birthday, MERLIN"

Happy 20th Birthday to our online catalog, MERLIN! Launched on May 28, 1996, the MERLIN Library Catalog is how researchers search for books and other materials that the library owns. Celebrate its birthday this Saturday by searching the catalog!

What does MERLIN search?
MERLIN is the shared library catalog of the four University of Missouri campuses and the State Historical Society of Missouri. The MERLIN catalog searches for books (print AND ebooks), periodicals (scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers), DVDs, CDs, government documents, and other formats of scholarly material that are part of the tangible and online collections at MERLIN member libraries.
MERLIN includes the collections of the following Missouri libraries: University of Missouri (MU), MU Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Who has access to MERLIN?
Anyone in the world can search the catalog to see what items are available, but usually only students, faculty, staff, and others affliated with the MERLIN libraries can access the full-text of these materials. Some materials in the MERLIN catalog are only available at one individual library, for example, electronic books available only to users at one campus, databases accessible to users at UMKC, and books available for on-demand library purchase for MU users.

library card catalog drawers
before MERLIN #thedarkages

Why is it called MERLIN?
MERLIN stands for the Missouri Education and Research Libraries Information Network.
Our MERLIN library group is a part of MOBIUS, which stands for Missouri Bibliographic Information User System. This system is a consortium of libraries in the state of Missouri. The membership includes 62 full members from colleges, universities, the Missouri State Library, and 2 public libraries (cooperating partners). Check out this map of all of the libraries in the MOBIUS system!
Most of the groups within this system have names from the legend of King Arthur, such as the Arthur, Galahad, and Merlin groups. Why? I'm not sure. If you have the answer to that, email atkinsge@missouri.edu and I'll update this post!

Need help searching MERLIN?
Day or night, you can always Ask a Librarian for research assistance! We're experts on how to navigate the MERLIN and MOBIUS catalogs. libraryanswers.missouri.edu

home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits, Resources and Services Therapy Dogs – Spring 2016 Finals

Therapy Dogs – Spring 2016 Finals

By Super Admin   Posted in Ellis Library Events and Exhibits Resources and Services
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Back by popular demand, therapy dogs will be in Ellis Library for finals stress relief!

Finals Week Schedule for Therapy Dogs in Ellis Library*

  •      Sunday, May 8th:  1-5pm AND 7-9pm 
  •      Monday, May 9th: 7-9pm
  •      Tuesday, May 10th: 7-9pm
  •      Wed, May 11th: 7-9pm

*Times are subject to change. (Puppies are unpredictable!) Check our Twitter feed for updates: @MULibraries

A huge thank you to Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet Dog Training &Therapy Service for providing these wonderful animals!

home Resources and Services Hathi Trust Opens Doors to Text-Mining Scholars

Hathi Trust Opens Doors to Text-Mining Scholars

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Big news from Indiana University: "The HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC), a cooperative service of Indiana University, University of Illinois, and HathiTrust, has expanded its services to support computational research on the entire collection of one of the world’s largest digital libraries, held by HathiTrust. HathiTrust’s collections include over 14 million digitized volumes, including more than 7 million books, more than 725,000 US federal government documents, and more than 350,000 serial publications. HathiTrust’s collections are drawn from some of the largest research libraries in North America, including Indiana University and the University of Illinois.

Previously the HathiTrust Research Center supported analysis of only the public domain subset of the HathiTrust collection. HTRC is now the only place where scholars…can perform text mining on the entire HathiTrust collection… Researchers can now explore the entire collection, run algorithms against all 14 million volumes, and make new connections and discoveries in the process."

For more information, see the rest of this article from Indiana University's IT News & Events newsletter: "One of the world's largest digital libraries opens doors to text-mining scholars"

HathiTrusttext and featured graphic courtesy of Indiana University IT News & Events newsletter

home Resources and Services Keynote: Brian Hocker, KXAS-TV, NBCUniversal

Keynote: Brian Hocker, KXAS-TV, NBCUniversal

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Hocker discusses how the NBC 5 / KXAS archives became part of the University of North Texas' Portal to Texas History.

Read more at the Reynolds Journalism Institute blog: Keynote: Brian Hocker, KXAS-TV, NBCUniversal

home Resources and Services Dodging the Memory Hole conference receives funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services

Dodging the Memory Hole conference receives funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services

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Among the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants is funding for the Journalism Digital News Archive’s Dodging the Memory Hole 2016: Saving Online News conference.

Read more at the Reynolds Journalism Institute Blog.

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Staff Spotlight: Timothy Perry

Staff Spotlight: Timothy Perry

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Timothy Perry

Welcome to Staff Spotlight, a new series that features the people of Special Collections and the work we do behind the scenes.  In today's installment, we're talking to Tim Perry, the newest member of our professional staff. 

Describe a typical day working in Special Collections & Rare Books at Ellis Library.

There’s always something new going on in Special Collections, which is one of the best parts of the job. But some of my regular tasks involve the following:

  • Answering reference questions about our collections. Most days I spend a couple of hours on the reference desk to help patrons who come in to use our collections. And I also answer a lot of reference questions by email. Since I only started at Mizzou in November 2015, this has been a great way to get to know our collection and to find out about all the different ways people are using them.
  • Teaching classes based on our collections. A lot of classes come to visit Special Collections and so I spend quite a bit of my time figuring out what it would be best to show them – we have great collections, so it’s not always easy to choose! – and then running the actual class visits. It’s another great way to get to grips with the diversity of our collections: just this term we are hosting classes on everything from Greek oratory to pirates and from plague and contagion to the Brontë sisters.
  • Meeting with colleagues. This ranges from meetings to discuss the everyday running of the department to meetings about major upcoming events. At the moment, for example, we are putting together an exhibition to accompany a major conference on climate change.

What do you enjoy most about working in special collections?

One of the best things about the job is the variety, so it’s hard to pick just one thing. I love working with the books themselves, and also interacting with students, so I would have to say that leading class visits is one of my favorite parts of the job.

How did you discover your passion for working with special collections and rare books?

My background is in Classics so I have always been interested in the way in which the written word has been passed down in different forms over time – everything from papyrus scrolls and medieval manuscripts to printed books and digital texts. So when I went to graduate school for my professional library training I decided to take a couple of classes on rare books and I was immediately hooked!

What are the most interesting items that you have come across in Special Collections at Ellis Library?

We have wonderfully diverse collections: 4,000-year-old clay tablets from Mesopotamia, 21st-century artists’ books, and everything in between – so again, it’s hard to choose one thing. I have done some letterpress printing in the past, so that, combined with my interest in Classics, means that I particularly love our collection of early editions of ancient authors. They are all beautifully printed, and many of them are beautifully bound as well.

home Resources and Services How to preserve your work before the Internet eats it

How to preserve your work before the Internet eats it

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So what can you do to save your stuff before it falls into the nothing of the Web? McCain has a few suggestions. I’ve organized them into the five Ws and one H to make things a little easier.

Read more at the Reynolds Journalism Institute blog.

home Resources and Services Scan to Email Now Available on ELTC Copier

Scan to Email Now Available on ELTC Copier

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In addition to scanning to USB, you can now scan directly to your email from the copier in the Engineering Library! Both of these functions are free.

As always, you can also make regular copies for 5 cents a page using your student ID, or 10 cents a page using cash.

home Resources and Services Engineering Library Closing Early November 5

Engineering Library Closing Early November 5

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The Engineering Library will close at 6:00 pm on November 5, 2015 due to the evening football game against Mississippi.  See the letter from the Provost below for more information.

 

To Staff and Faculty:

MU Football takes on the Mississippi St. Bulldogs at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in our first weeknight game since 2009.  We are excited about this opportunity to showcase MU and our student athletes on the ESPN network. 

A team of individuals from Athletics, Faculty Council, the Provost’s Office, and Campus Facilities has been working diligently to minimize disruption to our campus, and we want to emphasize that classes will be in session all day. The parking situation will not prevent students from being able to attend classes scheduled for Thursday afternoon; students can move cars to alternative lots before afternoon classes begin.  

All supervisors, deans, and department chairs are encouraged to adjust work schedules or allow employees to use vacation or personal time so that as many employees as possible leave campus by 3 p.m. on November 5. The Columbia Public School System has instituted an in-service day the afternoon of November 5, so children will be let out of school early that day. Please note that no one is required to leave our campus early. 

Because of the major influx of Tiger fans as well as some visiting Mississippi St. fans, the parking lots near Memorial Stadium that accommodate fans must be cleared by 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.  (This is the same process that is used for Saturday games.)  MU staff have been working to identify campus parking accommodations for those students and staff who will have to move their cars; everyone in the specific lots affected will be notified via e-mail regarding parking relocation instructions.

The Tiger Avenue Parking Garage and Parking Structure No. 7 will not be available for football parking for this game. Employees who work evening or night shifts and generally park in a surrounding surface lot are directed to park in Tiger Avenue Garage or Parking Structure No. 7.  All staff and faculty parking in lots 14A, CG1, CG17, RP10, RP2, RP3, RP4, RP5, RP8, SG2, SG4N, SG4, SG5, SG6, SG7, SG7C, SG9, WG1, WG14 will be closed to employee parking beginning at 4 p.m. that day.  See this map to determine whether your parking lot is affected. All employees who regularly park in these lots must move their cars by 4 p.m.  Game day parking will begin in those areas at 4:30 p.m. Those lots will re-open for normal use at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. 

Faculty who teach classes after 3 pm on Nov. 5 will receive a separate email providing detailed instructions regarding parking. 

To alleviate parking and traffic issues for patients, MU Health Care clinics located at University Hospital, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute and the University Physicians Medical Building will close at 1 p.m. Ancillary departments also will operate on a lighter schedule that afternoon. Valet parking will close at 2 p.m. The hospital and emergency room will remain open and continue normal operation throughout the evening.

I hope we will give a warm Mizzou welcome to Mississippi St. fans and wish our Tigers a great victory.  Additional information is available at:  http://mutigers.com/thursday.

Garnett S. Stokes

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Jatha Sadowski

Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources

home Resources and Services Models for preserving news archives that long served the industry leave digital content in peril

Models for preserving news archives that long served the industry leave digital content in peril

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Edward McCain: Today we face a very real memory hole of our own making, especially when it comes to journalism. The move from analog to digital has disrupted the print and broadcast revenue models and seems likely to do so for the foreseeable future.

Read more at the Reynolds Journalism Institute blog: Models for preserving news archives that long served the industry leave digital content in peril