Reading Revelry (Fall 2025)

Howdy everyone!

Happy fall! We hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the semester! You can request any of the titles below by clicking on their hyperlinked titles. If you have any issues requesting, or if you have any book recommendations for future Reading Revelries, please contact Amanda May at asmay@missouri.edu

Our picks for the fall: 

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

 

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

 

 

 

 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

In 2024, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.

Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.

 

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

In a Balkan country mending from years of conflict, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives on a mission of mercy at an orphanage by the sea. By the time she and her lifelong friend Zóra begin to inoculate the children there, she feels age-old superstitions and secrets gathering everywhere around her. Secrets her outwardly cheerful hosts have chosen not to tell her. Secrets involving the strange family digging for something in the surrounding vineyards. Secrets hidden in the landscape itself.

But Natalia is also confronting a private, hurtful mystery of her own: the inexplicable circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. After telling her grandmother that he was on his way to meet Natalia, he instead set off for a ramshackle settlement none of their family had ever heard of and died there alone. A famed physician, her grandfather must have known that he was too ill to travel. Why he left home becomes a riddle Natalia is compelled to unravel.

Grief struck and searching for clues to her grandfather’s final state of mind, she turns to the stories he told her when she was a child. On their weekly trips to the zoo he would read to her from a worn copy of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, which he carried with him everywhere; later, he told her stories of his own encounters over many years with “the deathless man,” a vagabond who claimed to be immortal and appeared never to age. But the most extraordinary story of all is the one her grandfather never told her, the one Natalia must discover for herself. One winter during the Second World War, his childhood village was snowbound, cut off even from the encroaching German invaders but haunted by another, fierce presence: a tiger who comes ever closer under cover of darkness. “These stories,” Natalia comes to understand, “run like secret rivers through all the other stories” of her grandfather’s life. And it is ultimately within these rich, luminous narratives that she will find the answer she is looking for.

 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

home Engineering Library, Events and Exhibits, Gateway Carousel ELTC New Exhibit: Oki Data Microline 320 Turbo: Calculated Inheritance

New Exhibit: Oki Data Microline 320 Turbo: Calculated Inheritance

What is impact dot matrix printing? Which technologies converged in the mid-20th century to create such a computing icon?

Located in the Engineering Library and Technology Commons and created by Library Technology Services, the history and anatomy of the Okidata Microline 320 Turbo is explored in this compelling exhibit.

For those interested in learning more about the exhibit, there is an online library guide available at https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/dotmatrix

 

 

 

home Engineering Library, Gateway Carousel ELTC, Resources and Services Welcome Back from the Engineering Library!

Welcome Back from the Engineering Library!

Howdy everyone!

We hope everyone has had a wonderful Summer! Whether you are new or returning to Mizzou, we at the Engineering Library and Technology Commons (ELTC) want to wish you a warm welcome!

This blog post will go over some basics to the Engineering Library- including staff introductions, materials we have available for check out, and different events we try to host throughout the semester!

To visit our main library website, please visit https://library.missouri.edu/engineering/

ELTC Staff Introductions

 

 

 

Noël Kopriva is the Head Librarian of the ELTC. Her hobbies include reading, playing the NYT Daily Games, and baby-talking her two cats (Tibby and Leo).

 

 

 

Michelle Baggett is a Senior Library Information Specialist for the ELTC. She works with course reserves and student assistants. In her free time, she loves reading, listening/watching true crime podcasts/documentaries, scrapbooking, doing diamond dots, and crafting!

 

 

 

 

Amanda May is a Senior Library Information Specialist for outreach and interlibrary loan at the ETLC. She is currently in her last year of the Master’s of Library and Information Science program at Mizzou. In her free time, she loves to crochet, knit, read, and listen to podcasts and heavy metal music. 

 

Materials Available for Check Out 

At the ELTC, we have a plethora of different equipment materials available for check out, as well as reserve items. In order to check out items, you must present a physical photo ID (Mizzou ID card, driver’s license, passport, etc…) to our circulation desk. Students and staff can also use the GET mobile app to use their Mizzou Mobile ID. If you have any issues or questions, please feel free to reach out to us at eltc@missouri.edu. 

Equipment Items:

Items available for a limited check out behind the Engineering Circulation Desk include:

  • Apple phone chargers
  • Android phone chargers
  • Mac laptop chargers
  • Dell laptop chargers
  • Colored pencils and pens
  • Calculators (financial, scientific, and graphing)
  • Whiteboard marker kits (includes 2 dry erase markers and an eraser)

Reserve Materials:

Materials on reserve mean they are specifically chosen by professors for a class. A majority of the physical materials on reserve are textbooks. To see if your professor has something on reserve, please visit the Engineering Circulation Desk to see the list of current reserve items. Electronic reserves (also known as e-reserves), can be accessed by visiting the library’s website. If you have any questions regarding Engineering reserves, please contact Michelle Baggett at baggettm@missouri.edu.

Events and Activities

Throughout the semester, the ELTC hosts a variety of events and activities throughout the semester for when you need a break from studying! We have a puzzle table and a whiteboard with fun monthly prompts (located near the printers).

At the beginning of the semester, we have a Duck Hunt– where tiny ducks are hidden throughout the library. When found, bring the tiny duck(s) to the circulation desk for a prize! 

During Finals Week, we put on different events throughout the week. Arguably, the most beloved is Kitten Cuddle Puddle! Previous Finals Week events we’ve put on include: Snack/Trail mix bar, holiday card making, and book bedazzling among other events! If you have any ideas or proposals for Finals Week events you would like to see, please reach out to Amanda May at asmay@missouri.edu

Reading Revelry

Reading Revelry is a monthly outreach program put on by the staff at MU’s Engineering Library and Technology Commons. Each month, we select books to recommend to our patrons as a way to curl up and unwind from their studies with a good book or two. We hope you will enjoy browsing our selections! 

Do you have a book recommendation for future Reading Revelries? Contact Amanda May at asmay@umsystem.edu

Monthly Media Picks

Each month, Engineering Library Staff personally recommend a piece of media (ie. TV show, book, podcast, YouTube video, movie, etc…). We post our monthly staff picks (and Reading Revelry) on our digital monitors in the library. 

 

home Engineering Library, Gateway Carousel ELTC Peer Navigator Corner: The Engineering Library

Peer Navigator Corner: The Engineering Library

Written by: Brock Schofield

Did you know about Mizzou’s Engineering Library?
When you think of libraries at the University of Missouri, Ellis Library might be the first one that comes to mind. But did you know that Mizzou has six other branches that cater to specific academic needs? Other Peer Navigators have written about the Journalism and Health Science Libraries, but another one of these hidden gems is the Engineering Library, located in Lafferre Hall.

If you’re not an Engineering major, you might not know this library exists, it has been a cornerstone of the College of Engineering’s research since 1905. The Engineering Library is more than just a quiet place to study—it’s a treasure trove of specialized resources.

In addition to an extensive Ebook collection, over 600 full-text International Atomic Energy Agency reports on nuclear engineering, and the Knovel Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Collection with 185 titles. It also houses historical documents, including uncatalogued reports from the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Society of Automotive Engineers Technical Papers on microfiche through 1989, making it a valuable resource for
research projects.

Even if you’re not an engineering student, the Engineering Library in Lafferre Hall can still be a great spot for quiet study. It’s a lesser-known space on campus, meaning it often has fewer distractions, making it perfect for focusing on your work in a calm, quiet environment. Whether you need a change of scenery or just a peaceful place to get things done, this library is worth checking out.

When Can You Visit?
The Engineering Library’s hours are designed to accommodate your busy schedule. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Just keep in mind that it’s closed on Saturdays, so plan accordingly if you’re gearing up for a weekend study session.

Whether you’re deep into your engineering studies or just curious about what this library has to offer, the Engineering Library is a resource you shouldn’t overlook. Next time you’re in Lafferre Hall, take a moment to explore the space and discover how it can support your academic journey.

How to Find Ebooks at Mizzou Libraries

Mizzou Libraries has access to many ebooks and we have an easy way for you to search for them.

Go to library.missouri.edu and type out your topic or the name of the book (put the title in quotation marks for best results) you are looking for in the search box. Click the search button (see the image below for an example).

For books in health sciences, take a look at the Health Sciences Library ebook page.

For books in veterinary medicine, take a look at the Zalk Library ebook page.

For books in journalism and communication, take a look at the Journalism Library ebook page.

If you get stuck or have a question, our 24/6 chat is on the right hand side of the screen. We are here for you.

Scroll down through the search results until you see Filter by Format on the left hand side. Choose Ebook. If Ebook doesn’t show up as an option, choose Show More, then click Ebook. 

TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

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

Book A Librarian For Research Help

Whether you are starting your first research project or have written a dozen articles, you can benefit from a consultation with a librarian. It’s free and you can book online in advance according to your schedule.

Librarians can meet with you virtually or in-person.

MU Students can use Canvas to schedule an appointment via MU Connect* and meet with the librarian assigned to your class. Students, if you book a research consultation with a librarian, you can earn a point towards your S.T.A.R. recognition.

MU Faculty and Staff can fill out the form to schedule an appointment.

*What is MU Connect, and how do you use it? Watch this short video to find out and make an appointment today.

TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

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

Chat With the Librarians Wherever You Are

Need research help? Working on a paper or project? You can ask a librarian for help using our chat service– almost 24 hours a day.

During the day you can chat with Mizzou librarians and library staff. At night, we offer access to a chat reference service called ChatStaff. They will be able to answer most research questions, except for some that are Mizzou-specific.

To access the chat service and see what hours chat reference is available, visit libraryanswers.missouri.edu.

Taira Meadowcroft

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