home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives Pop-up Exhibit in Ellis Colonnade: Animal Pages from the Past

Pop-up Exhibit in Ellis Colonnade: Animal Pages from the Past

The Pages from the Past Collection is a compilation of various manuscript and rare book leaves that were collected by rare book dealer Alfred W. Stites between 1964 and 1967. This exhibit is made up of materials from the collection that feature prominent engravings or woodcuts of different animals. The items date from the 1500s to the late 1800s and display unique details that span from watercolor-esque art prints to playful imitations of bygone styles. These leaves in particular were chosen for the spectrum of techniques used to create the illustrations.

This pop-up exhibit will be on display in the Ellis Library Colonnade from 2pm-4pm on November 11th. Stop by to have a look!

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 Ellis Library, Gateway Carousel Peer Navigator Corner: A Guide to Ebooks

Peer Navigator Corner: A Guide to Ebooks

Written by: Josiah Abbott

Whether you are a student or a member of the general public, books are what draw most people to a library. However, in an ever-evolving world of technology, ebooks are beginning to surpass traditional paper in terms of academic and personal use. I’m sure almost every student is familiar with both the blessings and curses of electronic course textbooks. Whether through McGraw Hill Connect or MU Online, many classes include textbooks using this more compact method. 

Before covering online textbooks more in-depth, let’s address more casual ebook experiences. If you are looking for an easy way to read (or listen) on the go, personally, I enjoy Hoopla. It has an extremely user-friendly interface and is incredibly easy to sign up for (all you need are a public library card and an email address). Libby is also easy to sign up for (requires a library card and email) and quite easy to use. One other option that isn’t freely available through a library but you may have come across is the Kindle app. It does a great job mimicking the coloring of physical books but has either a subscription fee or requires you to purchase books individually. All of these are great options each with their benefits and drawbacks, and I would encourage you to check them out for yourself to see which one you like best.

For students, however, online books rather than apps are a necessity and a potentially frustrating one at that. First and foremost, McGraw Hill Connect is likely the most used ebook service at Mizzou. Now, for most students, McGraw Hill should link to Canvas automatically through AutoAccess and there should be no issues. However, if you decide not to use AutoAccess, things become trickier. First, you need to go through Canvas to the McGraw Hill Connect page that will prompt you to purchase the ebook. You can go through them, but if you’ve purchased a copy elsewhere, you also can input a code found in the textbook on that page and it should automatically link up. If you have done these steps to link accounts and it still is not working, you may need to contact IT support and your TA or Professor. Often the issues can be fixed with a bit of troubleshooting, but I’ve occasionally experienced the Professor having trouble syncing and the whole class having the same problem. 

On the other hand, many students will be assigned reading assignments for which they can use an ebook through the University Libraries. If the Professor links the book in Canvas usually it is easy to locate, but since access is based on login, sometimes there are issues. If you can’t access through Canvas for any reason, you can use the Discover@MU search bar on the University of Missouri Libraries home page to search for the book you need. Searching for the title in quotes will redirect you to a list of resources, including the book’s details regarding availability and how to access it. It is the same process for both digital and physical resources, so to only retrieve ebooks, there is an option on the left to limit it to “online only”. To access ebooks, there is a blue link on the book’s banner that says “MU online…”, which will take you to the book in your browser. Depending on the publisher, you’ll either be able to read the book straight away, or you may have to create an account with your UMSystem email address. 

Part of the linking message will also state how many copies are available for use. Just like print books, ebooks are sold as individual copies, and the link to access will state how many there are (see image, “one user at a time”). If you are getting an error opening it, it may currently be in use, and if you are the one using it, don’t forget to close the tab when you finish so someone else can.

If you are having trouble with a book you previously could access, try clearing your cache (go to browser history and there should be a button to clear cache somewhere). If problems persist, there are several ways to get help. Online, you can contact Mizzou’s IT division by going to the live chat button at the top of their homepage, or you can start a chat with a librarian by going to the “Ask us!” pop out on the right side of the library’s homepage. If you would like help in person, you can ask one of the peer navigators at their desk on the first floor near the information commons.

 

home Ellis Library, Resources and Services Peer Navigator Corner: Live Chat Assistance

Peer Navigator Corner: Live Chat Assistance

Written By: Lexi Tucker

Do you need fast answers from a librarian without stepping foot in the library? The live chat feature on the University Libraries website has you covered! Throughout your academic journey, there will be times when you need to research a topic, and this process can be daunting. Some students may even feel they don’t know where to start. The live chat function can get you in contact with a librarian (not a chatbot!) who can guide you to databases and other resources that can help you jumpstart this process.

The first thing to know is WHERE the live chat function is. From your device, visit the University Libraries homepage at library.missouri.edu. You should see an Ask Us! tab on the right-hand side, and when you click it, an additional pop-up labeled Ellis Reference will ask you if you need help. Click Chat Now to begin the process. It will ask you for your name and contact information, which is optional, and Your Question* which is the only mandatory field.

Once you ask your initial question, the live chat will partner you with an available librarian. During regularly scheduled hours, the librarians on chat are Mizzou staff rotated throughout the day and week to help you. Live chat assistance is a 24/7 feature, and during late hours for Mizzou staff, the chat is operated by a third-party vendor. The chat is NEVER artificial intelligence, so for questions that the third-party vendor cannot answer, they typically will turn your chat into an email for the librarians to assist you and email you back as soon as possible. For a specific question, let’s say something about Psychology, the staff member may help you connect with the subject librarian.

Another way to use the chat is while you’re sitting in Ellis Library and wanting hands-on assistance. When you ask your question, you can let the librarian know you’re on campus and they may step out of their office or send a colleague to help you in person. So, when in doubt, don’t panic! Utilize all your resources, especially the amazing faculty at the various libraries on campus. They’re just a click away.

home Ellis Library, Resources and Services Peer Navigator Corner: Who are the Peer Navigators?

Peer Navigator Corner: Who are the Peer Navigators?

Written by: Sophie Lanzone

At Ellis Library, there is a group of Mizzou students who are available to help with navigating the building itself, or any other technological or reference question you may have. The peer navigator system is designed so that students have an accessible environment to ask questions, and feel comfortable asking another student. We can be found at the reference desk on the first floor, near the stairs to the café.

To go into more detail on what the program offers, your peer navigators strive to have open communication with everyone as well as a friendly, welcoming attitude. Our prime responsibilities for services are to provide excellent customer service to any users of the library, to do as much as we can to help assist with your questions, to be sensitive to each user’s knowledge and skill level, and to direct you to the resources and library staff that will be most beneficial. We can help with a variety of different types of questions ranging from how to print and get set up with each printer, how to reserve a study room and where to find that study room, how to look up books and articles information on the digital media lab and writing tutors, where you can rent chargers, markers cameras, etc., where bathrooms are throughout the library, where different quiet spaces or classrooms are and more! We have weekly training courses that keep us up to date with new information and refresh the ways we can help answer your questions. We can also connect you with the best person or resource to answer your question. For example, we can tell you all about Special Collections with their collection of rare materials, the University Archives with private papers and manuscripts related to the history of the University, subject specific librarians to help with your research, and even the public library with great resources like free tutoring, audiobooks, and resume or interview help.

If you have any questions at all, don’t be afraid to come ask a peer navigator. You can find us in Ellis Library Sunday-Thursday starting at 10:00 am through 10:00 pm. There are no right or wrong questions, so please feel comfortable enough to come talk to us. Our goal is to get everyone more familiar with what the Libraries have to offer and how to utilize them throughout your time here at Mizzou!

home Ellis Library Peer Navigator Corner: What’s Going on with the West Stacks?

Peer Navigator Corner: What’s Going on with the West Stacks?

Written by: Clementine Arneson

If you’ve been into Ellis’ West Stacks any time in the past six months, you may have noticed they held fewer and fewer books. The goal of this blog post is to give a brief history of the west stacks, update you on future plans for the space, and tell you how to access the books that used to be there. 

The west stacks were an addition onto the original Ellis building, and prioritized book storage rather than study space. This explains the “scary” atmosphere – librarians used to be the only ones who went into the stacks, and it was never meant to be seen by anyone else. Eventually the space opened up for public use, and grad students rented desks in the west stacks to use as private research space. This tradition was discontinued a couple years ago, and now, the space is being cleared of books so that it can be transitioned into storage space for Special Collections and Archives. As of now, the materials under the Special Collections purview are scattered around campus. Moving them to the west stacks will make them more accessible and centralized. Since the west stacks are temperature controlled, the environment will also maintain the wellbeing of these materials.

The books that used to reside in the west stacks are still accessible to you. Some of the books have been integrated into other areas of the library, in which case you can browse the shelves to find them yourself or place a request. (It’s important to note that the call number location guide on Ellis’s website has not yet been updated to reflect these changes. However, if you are looking for a book in the west stacks and can’t find it, there should be signs taped to some of the shelves which disclose the current location of these books.) Because Ellis doesn’t have unlimited space, other books that were once in the west stacks have been moved offsite, to the MU Depository. The Depository doesn’t allow visitors, but you can check these books out by placing a request and picking them up at any MU library location. To learn more about the Depository, check out this page: https://library.missouri.edu/news/ellis-library/peer-navigator-corner-the-depository.

I’ve always liked looking for books in the West Stacks, and will miss looking around. If you want to check out the west stacks (and old study cages), feel free to seize the opportunity before they’re closed off.

home Ellis Library, Resources and Services Morbidly Curious Books

Morbidly Curious Books

Welcome, curious friends….

We have a new guide full of book recommendations for those who prefer the darker side of non-fiction.

Our resident goth librarian, Mara, has curated a delightfully spooky list of books to satisfy your spooky book cravings.

Below are just a few of the books Mara has found, so be sure to check out the whole guide for more.

 

 

 

Stiff by Mary Roach

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom

On bookshelves around the world, surrounded by ordinary books bound in paper and leather, rest other volumes of a distinctly strange and grisly sort: those bound in human skin. Would you know one if you held it in your hand?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Hello by Adam Berry

From paranormal investigator and host of Kindred Spirits Adam Berry comes Goodbye Hello, which blends supernatural and psychological research to explore the paranormal and afterlife to try and help answer big questions about the end.

 

 

 

 

 

Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell

This fun, engrossing book takes a look at the surprising influence that gardens and gardening have had on mystery novels and their authors. With their deadly plants, razor-sharp shears, shady corners, and ready-made burial sites, gardens make an ideal scene for the perfect murder.

 

 

TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

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

Peer Navigator Corner: Exhibits

Written by: Mekenzie Moffet

Over the summer, Ellis Library opened a new opportunity to get to know art and appreciate the work of those around you with the Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of Art & Archaeology. Those of you who are consistent in visiting the library may have passed another location a hundred times and passed by the changes that go on with exhibit cases and displays.  Recently, Megan Ballengee, our amazing Community Engagement Coordinator shared her knowledge with me so that I could pass along what goes on behind the display cases.  

The pictured exhibit case doesn’t have an official name, but if you ever want to check it out, it’s right across from the peer navigator desk on the first floor. This exhibit is run by various committees and displays a huge variety of different materials: projects from various classes or individual students, student organizations, heritage celebrations, artwork, and of course books. Just last month, up for display was artwork created by your librarians and faculty members. The exhibits are changed anywhere from one month to once a semester. On the second floor, there is also a long-standing exhibit curated by the State Historical Society, choosing new themes every year celebrating Black History that stays up for a whole semester.  

Megan decides what to showcase by receiving requests, or just reaching out seeing if anyone would like to show off their talent. When I asked what was special about these exhibits? She answered that, “The exhibit area is a great opportunity for people to be able to share their work and for the library to make connections with the campus community. Exhibits provide learning opportunities for people viewing the exhibit and a much-needed break from studying!”  

The current exhibit is in celebration of Homecoming (which is coming up on October 19). Special Collections and Archives shared some copies of the Savitar (the Mizzou yearbook) to display, and there is a lot of Mizzou spirit to come view! I know we’re all excited for Homecoming Week to come, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show off our tiger pride in the meantime.  

home Ellis Library, Resources and Services Peer Navigator Corner: Libraries Infographic

Peer Navigator Corner: Libraries Infographic

Written by: Alyssa Westhoff

 

The University of Missouri is a large campus with an overwhelming number of resources for students, but in my opinion a few of the most essential are the Libraries. In addition to Ellis, a couple examples include the Health Sciences Library, the Journalism Library, and the Engineering Library. Last semester, myself and two other Peer Navigators created an Infographic and video guide for incoming freshmen who may not realize that these buildings even exist, and to show more of what the Libraries have to offer!

The fourteen-minute video has different sections you can jump to explaining where each library is located on campus, Ellis specific information, how to use the libraries website, how to borrow equipment like phone chargers, and highlighting other services. It also answers the most common questions we receive as Peer Navigators such as “How do I print?” The infographic gives a quick summary of all of these different topics with video timestamps so you can easily access the certain topic you need without having to watch the entire guide.

An important update occurred over the summer that I wanted to clarify relating to printing software. One of the most common questions new students tend to ask is how to go about printing in the library. Ellis offers a “Quick Print Station” where students can log into a computer and print directly from there. The “Quick Print Station” is located on the first floor, right next to the left of the staircase leading down to the cafe and the west entrance. Another printing option that’s often more popular is to download the Print Anywhere software onto your personal laptop. In our video guide, we provide a step by step explanation of how to download this software. Over the summer, a change was made and now the website students need to search is “printsmart.missouri.edu” instead of “doit.missouri.edu,” which we reference in the video. Once you get to the Print Smart page all of the following steps remain the same as before.

Here is the link to our video guide for anyone who hasn’t had the chance to view it. Physical copies of our infographic can be found on the Peer Navigator desk, please feel free to stop by and grab one for yourself or to share, and ask us any other questions you may have in person!

 

home Ellis Library, Events and Exhibits, Resources and Services Check Us Out! Wednesdays at Ellis Library

Check Us Out! Wednesdays at Ellis Library

Participants can enter for a chance to win a guaranteed study space during Finals Week and other prizes! Learn more a the Check Us Out Information Page.

Wednesdays at the Library with Special Collections and Archives
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! See pieces from our Special Collections and Archives and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Connect the Library to Your Google Scholar
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about Google Scholar and enter for a chance to win.

Wednesdays at the Library: Banned Books and Intellectual Freedom
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about Intellectual Freedom and Banned Books and enter for a chance to win a guaranteed study space during Finals Week and other prizes!

Wednesdays at the Library: Discover@MU
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Compete with a librarian to find a resource in Discover@MU for a chance to win a guaranteed study space during Finals Week and other prizes! Beat the librarian to find the resources, and get an extra entry into the drawing!

Wednesdays at the Library: Specialized Libraries
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about the specialized libraries for a chance to win a guaranteed study space during Finals Week and other prizes!

Wednesdays at the Library: Museum of Anthropology
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about the Museum of Anthropology and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Museum of Art and Archeology
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about the Museum of Art and Archeology and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Find Your Fortune!
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Find your AI fortune and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Digital Media and Innovation Lab!
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn how you can use Ellis Library’s Digital Media and Innovation Lab and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Museum of Art and Archeology and JSTOR!
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn more about the Museum of Art and Archeology and learn how to use JSTOR to find Open Access Images and enter for a chance to win!

Wednesdays at the Library: Identifying Misinformation!
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 11a -1p in Ellis Library Colonnade
Get to know the MU Libraries by learning about the resources, services, and events that take place in the libraries! Learn how to identify misinformation and enter for a chance to win!

Find out how you can get additional entries into the drawing by visiting the Check Us Out Information Page.

Books to Celebrate Disability Culture Month at Mizzou

Mizzou began a tradition of celebrating Disability Culture Month, formerly Celebrate Ability Week, every September! Learn about Mizzou events happening the month of September to celebrate Disability Culture Month.

Below are a few we have available for check out. You can view the whole list of recommendations here.

Have a purchase recommendation? Use our book recommendation form

 

Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann’s lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society. Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy’s struggle for equality began early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a “fire hazard” to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her paralysis, Judy’s actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people.

 

 

 

 

Blackness and disability : critical examinations and cultural interventions by Christopher Bell

“Disability Studies diverge from the medical model of disability (which argues that disabled subjects can and should be “fixed”) to view disability as socially constructed, much in the same way other identities are. The work of reading black and disabled bodies is not only recovery work, but work that requires a willingness to deconstruct the systems that would keep those bodies in separate spheres. This pivotal volume uncovers the misrepresentations of black disabled bodies and demonstrates how those bodies transform systems and culture. Drawing on key themes in Disability Studies and African American Studies, these collected essays complement one another in interesting and dynamic ways, to forge connections across genres and chronotopes, an invitation to keep blackness and disability in conversation.

 

Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

In this collection of essays, Lambda Literary Award–winning writer and longtime activist and performance artist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha explores the politics and realities of disability justice, a movement that centers the lives and leadership of sick and disabled queer, trans, Black, and brown people, with knowledge and gifts for all. Care Work is a mapping of access as radical love, a celebration of the work that sick and disabled queer/people of color are doing to find each other and to build power and community, and a tool kit for everyone who wants to build radically resilient, sustainable communities of liberation where no one is left behind. Powerful and passionate, Care Work is a crucial and necessary call to arms.

 

Defying Disability : The Lives and Legacies of Nine Disabled Leaders by Mary Wilkinson

This book tells the stories of nine disabled leaders who, by force of personality and concrete achievement, have made us think differently about disability. Whatever direction they have come from, they share a common will to change society so that disabled people get a fair deal.

 

 

 

 

 

Demystifying Disability : What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Landau

People with disabilities are the world’s largest minority, an estimated 15 percent of the global population. But many of us—disabled and nondisabled alike—don’t know how to act, what to say, or how to be an ally to the disability community. Demystifying Disability is a friendly handbook on the important disability issues you need to know about

 

 

 

 

Disfigured : on fairy tales, disability, and making space by Amanda Leduc

Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? If every disabled character is mocked and mistreated, how does the Beast ever imagine a happily-ever-after? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.

 

 

 

 

Disability aesthetics by Tobin Siebers

Disability Aesthetics is the first attempt to theorize the representation of disability in modern art and visual culture. It claims that the modern in art is perceived as disability, and that disability is evolving into an aesthetic value in itself. It argues that the essential arguments at the heart of the American culture wars in the late twentieth century involved the rejection of disability both by targeting certain artworks as “sick” and by characterizing these artworks as representative of a sick culture

 

 

 

 

Women, Disability, and Culture by Anna Siri

Women and girls with disabilities find themselves constantly having to deal with multiple, intersectional discrimination due to both their gender and their disability, as well as social conditioning. Indeed, the intersection made up of factors such as race, ethnic origin, social background, cultural substrate, age, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, gender, disability, status as refugee or migrant and others besides, has a multiplying effect that increases discrimination yet further. The book seeks to pay the right attention to the condition of women with disabilities, offering points for reflection, also on the different, often invisible, cultural and social undertones that continue today to feed into prejudicial stereotypes.

TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.