Written by: Lexi Tucker

If you spend a regular amount of time in Ellis Library, I think it’s safe to say you have a ‘designated spot’ that seems to get the job done when doubling down on assignments. The space I tend to occupy while studying late at night is the Information Commons on the first floor of Ellis Library.

The James B. Nutter Family Information Commons, formally named to honor Mizzou philanthropists and alum James B. Nutter Sr., was opened in the Fall of 2004. With 22,000 square feet, the Information Commons provides 63 computers (22 Apple iMacs and 41 Dell PCs), 11 Black and white printers, one color printer, and two KIC scanners, all conveniently clumped together and available for student use during regularly scheduled Ellis Library operation hours.

Only a few steps in when you enter Ellis from Lowry Mall, or directly at the top of the stairs when entering from speaker circle, the Information Commons, divided as Information Commons 1 and 2, takes up the majority of the first floor of Ellis Library as indicated on the map. In this section, you will find students collaborating in small groups, lounging between classes at comfortable one-seaters, or tuning out the tour teams to focus on individual assignments.

Some may ask, how is going to arguably the most populated area in the library going to help me focus during crunch time in the semester? For myself and maybe others, it’s sometimes more distracting to be alone in a study room, and I find the keyboard strokes, the paper flipping, and the calculator punching fill the silence perfectly, bringing a sense of peace when I’m otherwise stressed about schoolwork. If your study habits are best suited to particular conditions, the library has a map of locations designed to support sensory needs as well as quiet spaces to foster the best environment for you.

The Information Commons is my go-to space, and as the first area that made me feel comfortable in the library, I soon discovered my other favorite study locations in Ellis. If you have questions or want suggestions on how to utilize the Information Commons and the library in general, please feel free to stop by the Peer Navigators desk, conveniently located between the two sections of the Information Commons.

 

Written by: Sophie Lanzone

If you are looking to find a specific book when you know the title, first go to the bottom of the Mizzou Libraries homepage and the Looking For section.

Under this heading there are specific links to help find a specific database, article, journal, or book.

Click on the link that says A specific book. This will take you to a new page where you will enter the title of the book you’re looking to find. If there are multiple editions, or versions with that title, you’ll be prompted with a link that says Proceed to Discover@MU to see all the options.

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This will take you to a new page with books that have the exact title you entered. Each listing will show all the information about the book such as the title, author, number of pages, location, call number, status, etc. Once you have found the record, look at the location, call number and status. The location will tell you which library it is located at (make sure you’re in the right one!), the call number indicates which floor and shelf this book is located on, and the status indicates whether or not the book is available at the moment.

You can place a request for the book at this point, and have it brought for you to the circulation desk. This takes time though, and sometimes you can find other things you’d like if you go to the stacks yourself.

Since the call number tells you where the book can be found, make sure to save it by writing it down or taking a screen shot. You can always ask for help finding the location at the circulation or peer navigator desks, but you can also find call number locations on the Libraries main website. At the very top of the page, in the yellow bar, there is a drop-down menu that says In the Library. Click on that drop-down menu and then click Call Number. This will take you to a new page with a tab that says How to Find a Book, at the very top in yellow. This tab will bring up a list of call numbers and which floor they are located on.

Look at your call number and then find which floor and location it falls under. In this example, the call number is PS3511, meaning this book is located in 2 East.

After you have figured out which stack it is in, you can ask for directions, or follow the link at the very top of the Libraries website that says Maps and Floorplans.

Choose Ellis Library (Main Library), and you’ll see the option to click on a map of each floor. Since our example is in 2 East, that means it is on the second floor. The map shows where each stack is, and what each stack has. Since the call number for this book is PS3511, it falls under the PQ-QK stack. In this case you would take the elevator or stairs up to the second floor, take a slight right past the bathrooms and then walk down until you have reached the PQ-QK stacks. You’ll look for the P section, then the PS section, then the 3000s, and so on until you’ve run through the entire call number.

If you are wanting to go through the process yourself, those are the steps. If you run into any issues or questions, always feel free to ask the Peer Navigators and the Circulation Desk, or hop on the Libraries chat for more assistance!

By: Margaret Gillam

One of Ellis Library’s many helpful features is the printing system. The building has three printing locations on the first floor, including one colored printer, and one location on the fourth floor. The Ellis 1 printers are located on the east end of the Information Commons towards Hitt Street, and toward the back right corner of the first floor if you’re facing the peer navigator desk. The Ellis 2 bank of printers and the color printer are located on the west end of the Information Commons, and right next to the writing tutors. Finally, the Ellis 3 bank of printers is in Information Commons 2, right next to the IT help desk.  Each printer is easily accessible through the printing stations around each printer, or they can be connected to a student’s personal device. To print from your personal laptop or device, see the steps below:

1. Go to https://doit.missouri.edu
2. Click the yellow “print anywhere” box
3. Proceed to log in with your tiger paw print and password
4. Click the “print anywhere” box in the top left corner of the screen
5. Choose the operating system that is appropriate for your device
6. Under the “category” option, choose “departments”
7. Under the “printer” option, choose the Ellis printer of your choice
8. Once you download the Print Anywhere software, your chosen Ellis printer will appear in your printing bank!

Each black and white page costs $0.05 to print, and students can access and add to their printing funds through their Tiger Card Manager. Visitors or those who may not have a pawprint or student account can print and pay in cash at the Checkout & Information desk located on the 1^st floor of Ellis Library.

Written by: Clementine Arneson

Famously (at least to the Tour Team), Ellis Library has over 3.5 million volumes that students can browse through. However, over a million of those books are located just a couple of miles away at the MU Depository. Even as a library employee, I’m always surprised when I learn just how many books and resources are available through MU Libraries alone.

The Depository is essentially overflow storage that allows MU students to have access to a much larger collection. It is designed to store as many books as possible, and to keep these books in archival condition. To achieve this, the books are sorted by size and the shelves are adjustable – this allows the books to be stored at a much higher density than at Ellis Library. The shelves themselves are also simply much larger – the Depository looks like a warehouse and the shelves are around 40 feet tall. The books are also carefully stored so that they last as long as possible without deteriorating. To achieve this, they are kept in acid-free boxes at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, how can you access the books in the Depository? Unfortunately, the site is not open to the public, but at Mizzou we are lucky to be the Missouri campus closest to the Depository. Books located there will show up when searching the library homepage with the location, “MU Library Depository.” Simply place a request for the book you’re interested in, select a location for pick-up, and the book should arrive within a couple of days. The Depository can also scan articles and chapters and send a PDF file directly to your email.

Written by: Lexi Tucker

Have you ever been on campus and had your phone die? Or have you reserved a study room and needed more outlets for your devices? Well, the circulation desk facing Lowry Mall on the first floor of Ellis Library is an awesome resource for finding a solution!

In addition to checking out books, the circulation desk provides many other services, with a popular one being lending equipment. The service caters to a wide range of items from phone chargers to get you through your study session, to laptops if you are in a sudden need of a loaner. Beyond technology, patrons can rent umbrellas on a rainy day to get around campus, and conveniently return them to a closer campus library. Whether you need a camera for class, headphones to listen to music while studying, or office supplies to use in study rooms, the lending feature is a great, FREE resource for all students.

To borrow an item, all you need is your student ID. Show your Mizzou ID to the staff at the circulation desk, and they will let you know the availability of the product and when it should be returned. Pay attention to the due date as items range from hours and days for equipment, and even months for books!

Any questions? Stop by the Ellis Library circulation desk from 7:30 a.m. to Midnight Sunday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Equipment lending is a feature of all the libraries on campus, and unless the item is offered at only a specific location you may return it to the most convenient one. A full list of available equipment and where it can be found is on the library’s website: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/equipment

Written by: Alyssa Westhoff

One great resource Ellis offers that I was unaware of before becoming a Peer Navigator is the opportunity to reserve a study room. Many students, like myself, enter the library and just sit anywhere that seems accommodating enough, and hope we’ll be able to study without any distractions. Sometimes we need to know there will be no interruptions, rather than just hope. Study rooms provide an opportunity for just that! They are perfect for taking online proctored exams, attending zoom meetings, verbally explaining concepts while studying with a friend, or creating audio or visual recordings. 

These rooms are located on every floor of the library to simultaneously accommodate as many patrons as possible. There are single person options as well as group options which can hold up to 20 people at a time. Many study rooms have white boards on the walls. Extra tools such as dry erase markers can be checked out from the circulation desk to use as you study. I’m sure many students are not aware that study rooms even exist, let alone that they can be reserved to guarantee a private space to be productive.

The process of reserving a study room can be completed easily on the library website. Near the bottom of the homepage is a category titled “Quick Links.” Under that, the first subcategory is “Reserve a Study Room Info.” After clicking this link it takes you directly to the Study Room Reservation calendar where each room and time slot is shown. Any empty gray box indicates availability, while colored boxes with words mean the room is reserved. The study rooms labeled with numbers in the 100’s will be located on the first floor, 200’s on the second floor and so on. The occupancy of each room is listed after the room number in parentheses. In order to reserve a room, select the date you want, and click whichever gray box coincides with the time and room you would like to choose. You will be directed to a page that asks for a title which will appear on the calendar to let others know that this room is no longer available at that time. A single booking lasts a maximum of 2 hours. After filling in a title, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save.” After completing these steps the room is all yours!