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Trained therapy dogs will be in Ellis Library once again during finals week. Visit the dogs on the 1st floor in Ellis Library during the following times:
Sunday, May 7th: 1-5pm AND 7-9pm
Monday, May 8th: 7-9pm
Tuesday, May 9th: 7-9pm
Wednesday, May 10th:7-9pm
Thanks to Ann of Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet for coordinating all the dogs and owners who help us de-stress during finals!
Grace Atkins, User Engagement Librarian, and Kelli Hansen, Print Collections Librarian, Rare Books & Special Collections, gave a presentation on the News Hub at the Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference on April 3rd. Both Grace and Kelli attended the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, where the conference was held.
Immediately following their presentation, Grace presented #TheStruggleIsReal: How to Maintain Positive Social Media Engagement with Your Community Even When They're Saying Things You Don't Want to Hear with Allyssa Guzman, Digital Scholarship Librarian at the University of Texas at Austin. The two discussed using social media as a way to engage with library users, not simply to advertise.
The turn-out for Grace and Kelli's presentation, Library News Hub: Centralizing Marketing for Decentralized Outreach, demonstrated that lots of libraries are struggling with managing marketing and communications. The audience had questions about how to implement similar systems at their libraries.
Grace and Kelli started working on the News Hub in the summer of 2016. They didn't want to simply create another blog but to create a true content management system. With the help of testing conducted by the library's usability committee, they created a centralized system to compile announcements, post to social media, and create engaging emails and newsletters. Now they are focusing on the New Hub's ability to foster better communication with and among library staff. The News Hub's primary function is to be an anchor for distribution of marketing content across all of MU Libraries' digital communication channels.
Looking forward, Grace and Kelli see lots of possibilities for further use of the News Hub. In June, the marketing team will discuss what's working and what needs improvement at their annual retreat. They look forward to providing more personalized training for staff to become comfortable using the News Hub and surveying subscribers to the newsletters.
Grace Atkins, User Engagement Librarian, won an Early-career Librarian Scholarship and Kate Wright, Library Specialist Sr. at the Engineering Library, won a Library Support Staff Scholarship to the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, March 22-25. This was Kate's first national conference and Grace's second time attending ACRL (she previously attended as a student).
Conference Highlights
Winning scholarships presented Grace and Kate with extra networking opportunities. They attended a breakfast for scholarship winners and were able to meet members of the scholarship committee. Business cards were exchanged at each table, with a twist. Each person wrote answers to two questions on the back of the card, allowing everyone a chance to get to know a little more about the others, both professionally and personally. Kate says it was a nice conversation starter.
Dr. Carla Hayden's keynote address was a "huge highlight" for Grace because she "worships her." Because of her scholarship, Grace was also able to attend the preconference workshop Running Effective OER and Open Textbook Initiatives at Your Academic Library. Grace says she tweets during sessions and connects with others who attended the session in person afterward. The conference events felt like "a reunion" to Grace because she was able to connect with librarians she attended graduate school with and meet the professionals they know.
Both Grace and Kate enjoyed ACRL because it is a large national conference–and yet focused at the same time.
Exploring Baltimore
Both Grace and Kate were able to attend a reception sponsored by the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) at the National Aquarium. Grace visited Edgar Allan Poe's grave, and Kate enjoyed exploring the Inner Harbor and the amazing restaurants, including this incredible French Dip.
Tips for Scholarship Success and Attending a National Conference
First, apply for scholarships, always! Grace recommends looking at the theme for the conference and tying that into your application. It needs to be clear that your interests connect with the theme of the conference. Kate recommends "getting over your fear" of showing your application essay to other colleagues. Having several people look over your materials helps you make sure that they are personalized. Sending a generic essay usually isn't successful.
As far as attending a large conference, be sure to download the conference app, if available. When it comes to scheduling your time, Grace recommends having a tentative schedule for each day but being flexible; for example, continuing a conversation with a knowledgeable colleague can be a valuable reason to alter your schedule. When making her schedule, Grace tries to balance sessions related to her current projects with her personal interests. This allows her to gain tools in areas where she is building her expertise while learning more about social justice within the profession. Grace also recommends asking yourself whether you are interested in a practical session about a particular tool or a session about theoretical approaches to a particular problem.
Choosing which sessions to attend can be a learning experience in and of itself. Kate recommends the career-oriented sessions for students on the job market. She attended several sessions relating to her current position, such as designing LibGuides and encouraging faculty to use open resources in the face of rising textbook costs. Kate also learned that it's okay to (politely) skip out early on occasion if you need to get to another session.
It's that time in the semester again: FINALS.
Never fear! From research help to stress relieving activities, Mizzou Libraries have your back! Check out our Finals Survival Guide with details on all the end of semester resources that we have to offer.
And remember, when in doubt, Ask a Librarian!
Gwen Gray, Business, Economics & Public Poloicy Librarian, spearheads the libraries’ involvement with a variety of programs. Through her work with Entrepreneurship Alliance students, Gwen promotes the libraries as an integral resource for teaching and research. Greg Bier, Director of the Entrepreneurship Alliance, indicates her positive impact. “I just wanted to thank you for working with my Entrepreneurship Alliance students Tuesday,” Bier said. “I think it is very important that they understand the tools right at their fingertips on campus. Unfortunately, not many of them think of Ellis as one of them. I also think you change their opinions. Thanks for being a great help!”
Gwen strives to integrate library resources and services into MU’s entrepreneurship programs. One such program is the Biodesign & Innovation Program. Through her work, Gwen assists Biodesign Fellows as they seek out information and research. The Fellows she works with speak highly of the assistance she provides. “Our Biodesign Filtering presentation tonight was a great success,” one Fellow said.
Kate Anderson is the head of the Zalk Vetinary Medical Library and works with Gwen on a number of projects, including that Biodesign Program and the Coulter Translational Partnership. In Coulter boot camps, teams of physicans and engineeers build their case for funding from the Coulter Foundation. The goal of the Coulter Foundation is to accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into products the improve patient care.
Because entrepreneurs need expertise and resources from multiple disciplines, Gwen and Kate collaborate extensively. The biodesign fellows and the boot camp participants often acknowledge Gwen’s and Kate’s teamwork.
This active collaboration enables the Libraries to have a positive impact on the biotech entrepreneurial climate not only on campus but in the greater mid-Missouri region as well.
If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.
The plotter printer in Ellis Library is broken and will be fixed tomorrow, Thursday 4/20. It should be running fine on or before Friday 4/21.
The Ellis Library plotter printer is the only plotter on campus that is accessible to all students. If you're in a rush, the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, on 6th Street, (formerly Kinkos) has a plotter printer (though it is considerably more expensive than the Library plotter printer, which prints at cost for students.)
Our apologies, we'll have it fixed asap!
Head over to the Reference Desk at Ellis Library for a weekly display of reference or other non-circulating materials.
This week, we have dictionaries on display. Sure, dictionaries are great for finding the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of words, but stop by to look up colloquialisms, words that originate from names, collective nouns, cliches, and more. These specialized dictionaries will give you new insight into the words we use every day.
To find out more about dictionary resources, go to this guide.
Federico Martinez-Garcia, Head of Access Services, co-presented a roundtable discussion (with Tarida Anantachai of Syracuse University) at the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, on March 23rd. Both are members of the ACRL Diversity Committee, which is in the process of revising the ACRL Diversity Standards.
Resteering the Standards: Revisiting the ACRL Diversity Standards & Cultural Competencies offered attendees insight into a 2015 survey, which highlighted issues missing from the current standards. Questions the roundtable considered included possible implications of revisions as well as the need for new concepts and terminology. Participants also discussed personal experiences regarding institutional commitment to and changing campus climates regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Noel Kopriva, Agriculture Librarian, presented a poster at the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in Baltimore, MD, on March 23rd. Bringing a Piece of 4-H History into the Twenty-First Century: Creating a 4-H Circulars Digital Collection at a Land-Grant Library was a collaboration between Noel and Felicity Dykas, Head of Digital Services. The poster introduced attendees to scope of the collection as well as the work done to make these items accessible to the public. Noel manages the project, and Felicity and her team digitized and cataloged the circulars.
In 1922, the Missouri Extension Service published its first circular aimed directly at children, the Boys’ and Girls’ 4-H Club Circular. Published into the 1960s, the circulars cover a wide variety of topics, including food and nutrition, music appreciation, livestock, gardening, sewing, posture, and more. The 4-H Circulars collection includes all the issues in the MU Libraries’ collection (almost 200, housed in Special Collections and Rare Books) and is freely available in MOspace.
Stop by Ellis Library to take a look at books by authors visiting Columbia for the Unbound Book Festival on April 22nd. MU is the presenting sponsor of this free local literary festival that features authors of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's books. The display is near the Reference Desk, and all books on display are available for check out. Try a mystery by Sara Paretsky, essays by Lisa Knopp, poems by Meg Kearney, or a picture book illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.