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Do you fondly remember the floppy disk? Are you not sure what a floppy disk looks like? Either way come by the Engineering Library & Technology Commons to see our new exhibit: A History of Removable Media! We partnered with Library Technology Services to bring you some cool examples of old tech.
By Adetokunbo Awosanmi
I had the privilege of working with staff in special collections and a Visual Studies professor to create an exhibit showcasing children’s literature. Most of the books were written or illustrated by African American women. Stories were published within a few decades after the Harlem Renaissance ended. The twenty-one books in the exhibit represent how invaluable the Harlem Renaissance was for African American children’s literature. Finding books, writing labels, and setting up the exhibit were the main goals for this project. I also used Via Libri to find and recommend rare books by Ellen Tarry, Jane Dabney Shackleford, and Ann Petry.
World Cat and MERLIN were pivotal in locating most books. Other books were found through bibliographies and other relevant articles. The New Negro, albeit important for the Harlem Renaissance, focused on intellectual movements rather than children’s literature. Although The Brownies’ Book is not in Ellis Library, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has uploaded issues of the magazine online. After examining the magazine, it is easy to see the positive impact it had not only for African American children, but for children from different ethnic backgrounds. Stories, poems, and illustrations challenged the stereotypical and racist portrayals of African Americans in earlier texts.
Through research, I learned that poetry was a popular medium during the Harlem Renaissance, and it is seen in contemporary African American literature. Poetry and children’s literature complimented each other; as many authors wrote poetry. Some authors wrote multiple books; a few of Arna Bontemps’ books are in the juvenile stacks. A prolific poet and librarian, Bontemps wrote books for young adults and children. Golden Slippers and The fast sooner hound are for younger audiences, while We have tomorrow and Sad-faced boy are for slightly older individuals. Like Golden Slippers, Gladiola garden and The picture-poetry book are collections of poetry. With poetry, aspects of African American life were relayed to a younger, wider audience.
Writing captions was one of the more difficult parts of the project; I needed to balance my interpretations of the text itself and the creators’ motives for their works. While analyzing the text, I examined illustrations and photographs. Some images, albeit harrowing, are displayed in the exhibit. To reflect on the past, a past where racism was not as frowned upon as it is today, acknowledgement is imperative.
I cannot recall reading a lot of African American children’s literature as a child. Most of the books I remember reading throughout grade school had white main characters. Granted, these books were not as problematic as books written in the early 1900s and before. I found it hard to stay invested, as I could not relate to the main character. Humiliation and discouragement are the last things children should feel when reading books about themselves. Unfortunately, with few realistic portrayals of African Americans, negative feelings surface. However, as more children’s literature is written for minorities, more children will learn to love themselves and their skin.
The exhibit will be on display in the Ellis Library colonnade through mid-September.
Leave realism behind when you view abstract acrylic paintings created by artist Phil Williams. His colorful canvases were painted using a splash technique. The examples shown here reading from left to right, then down, are called Mood, Unnecessarily Deliberate and Distorted Transmissions. Do you find a correlation between the paintings and their titles? What do you see when you look at them? What do you think the artist was feeling when he painted them?
If modern art is your thing and even if it isn’t, come by to experience the impact of textures and patterns created by the artist. Wouldn’t you just love to let go of your emotions by dripping paint on canvas, too? Inspired – check! This display will remain at the Health Sciences Library throughout the summer.
Did you know that the Health Sciences Library has a rare book room? The Donald Silver Rare Book Room was donated to the library by the Department of Surgery in honor of Dr. Donald Silver, an emeritus professor. lt is located on the third floor of the Health Sciences Library, directly adjacent to the elevator. Viewing hours of rare books in the collection or of the room itself are available by appointment. Items can be used for research purposes and under limited conditions borrowed or scanned for use with the permission of the Rare Book Librarian or the Director of the Library, Deb Ward.
A “rare” book is considered rare because of the scarcity of item, not because of its dollar value, although at times that can be considerable. Rarity is based on a few factors: that there are few exemplars in existence, that they are primary source materials, that the intellectual content of the materials is significant, or they are old and fragile. Any one or more of those factors establishes that an item is “rare.”
The items in the Rare Book Room at HSL are placed there if they are printed before 1900 or are selected by the Director or HSL Librarians. Criteria for selection can also include considerations such as special examples of binding, fine paper, printing, or because they contain significant illustrations. Some titles are fascimilies, expertly reproduced copies, of important manuscripts and early printed books.
An item is given rare book status and retained in our library if the item affords a needed perspective on contemporary studies, or provides the opportunity to learn about early developments in the field of medicine. Other criteria include providing a historical focus on the patient, the medical environment, or medical institutions. Items, which identify a historical person or trends in medicine, or have a historical background to technological breakthroughs, are also given rare book status. We are particularly interested in collecting items relating to early medicine in Missouri.
Many of the books in our collection were donated by Clarence Martin Jackson, a former graduate of the University of Missouri. He received a B.S. in 1898, an M.S. in 1899, and an MD in 1900, all from Mizzou. He became dean of the Medical school from 1909 to 1913, and spent the rest of his career at the University of Minnesota. Jackson left over 12,000 items from his personal collection to the University of Missouri Libraries, including many of the volumes in the HSL Rare Book Room. Other books in the collection have been donated by many generous supporters over the years, or were originally purchased for the use of students and faculty in the medical and nursing programs.
This exhibit highlights some of the important works from our collection.
The works on exhibit are:
Yes, it’s that time of the semester again. You’re studying, you’re researching, you’re writing, you’re living on coffee and no sleep…but look, a fluffy puff of pure love and joy! These calm, cheerful, trained therapy dogs are here to give you a break and put a smile on your face ?
Come to Ellis Library on the main floor by the North Doors / checkout desk. Tentative schedule:
There will also be therapy dogs in the Engineering Library on Monday and Tuesday from 1-4pm.
Thanks to Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet for coordinating all the dogs and owners who help us de-stress during finals!
Congratulations to Riley Short, Chase Scanlan, Lara Bakula, Benjamin Smith, Molly Sandbothe and Alyson Jones of the MU Engineering Student Council (MESC) for winning the 2019 Outstanding Library Advocacy Award from the University Libraries Student Advisory Council for their support of the Engineering Library and the students it serves on their path to engineering success. They were presented their award at the Library Society Reception on April 25, 2019.
Finals can be a stressful time. Come by the Engineering Library during the following hours to experience the calming effect of trained therapy dogs. Take a break and let these furry friends put a smile on your face!
Monday, May 13th from 1-4pm
Tuesday, May 14th from 1-4pm
The MU Libraries Staff Association is hosting a board game night in Ellis Library from 6:30-10:00 PM on Thursday, May 16.
Board games and a few non-messy snacks will be provided. Participants are also welcome to bring their own board games and non-messy snacks.
A few of the games that will be available:
All are welcome. We look forward to gaming with you!
Event organized by MU Libraries Staff Association leaders Eric Cusick and Rachel Brekhus
Registration is now open for the 2019 Cyberinfrastructure Council’s CI Day at MU’s Memorial Union, Stotler Lounge. This year’s theme is Collaboration Through Shared Infrastructure. CI Day fosters collaboration, networking, and collective problem solving. Attendees will learn more about advanced computing technologies across a wide range of disciplines. Click here for conference details and registration. Also check out our Pre-CI Day hands-on workshops on May 6, 2019 in Stotler Lounge.
How many of these faces do you know?
To celebrate Mizzou’s Pride Month, and staying up until National Pride Month in June, we are highlighting notable Missouri LGBTQ figures.
Test your knowledge with our LGBTQ Guess Who display, now at Ellis Library.