Beginning January 1, 2014, the journalism library will ask all students wishing to check out media equipment to read and sign a form indicating that they understand their responsibility for returning equipment on time and in good working condition. Forms can be found at the journalism library public services desk or online at: http://library.missouri.edu/journalism/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/01/Journalism-Library-Equipment-Agreement-form-ALL.pdf
Resources and Services
Some new thoughts for the new year
Here are some New Thoughts for your New Year, courtesy of our extensive collections of seventeenth- through nineteenth-century British pamphlets. This one was printed in 1796.
The Cheap Repository Tracts series was created by the British poet, playwright, and philanthropist Hannah More, whose writings often dealt with religious themes. They were printed in large quantities for distribution to the poor. Although there must have been thousands of original copies, they were ephemera – not meant to be preserved. Only six copies of this tract are recorded in libraries around the world.
Many of the tracts deal with people in trades or in domestic service. This one shows "How Mr. Thrifty the great Mercer succeeded in his Trade, by always examining his Books soon after Christmas, and how Mr. Careless, by neglecting this rule, let all his affairs run to ruin before he was aware of it." The pamphlet ends with a hymn for the new year.
Verba Sacra: The Holy Bible from Medieval Manuscript to Modern Print
Currently on display in Ellis Library is the exhibition “Verba Sacra: The Holy Bible from Medieval Manuscript to Modern Print.” Among manuscripts and rare books, the visitor can see some of the rarities that have never being put on display before, such as the Book of Ruth, the Hebrew manuscript on aged parchment presumably written in the 13-14th century, or a very rare Church Slavonic Menaion (a liturgical book used in the Eastern Orthodox Church) for the month of June. There is also a magnificent, exquisitely illustrated edition of the Bible – the Pennyroyal Caxton, and, by way of sharp contrast, a green, pocket size, ubiquitous New Testament distributed by the Gideon's Society.
From the humblest fragment to the sumptuous editions of the Bible commissioned by ancient kings or modern businessmen, they all, although timeless, can tell of their time and age. They reveal or conceal stories of those who crafted them, of those who admired them, of those whose family history is still recorded on their end leaves. As one rediscovers them today, one partakes, in a sense, of these books’ history.
Libraries Partner on Digital Archive to Capture Struggle Against Apartheid
Dec. 06, 2013
Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430
Steven Adams, AdamsST@missouri.edu, (573) 882-5067
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With the passing of Nelson Mandela this week, preserving and documenting the many facets of his life will be crucial as future generations learn about his impact and carry his legacy into the future.
In the spirit of sharing Mandela’s achievements with future generations, the University of Missouri College of Education has signed an agreement with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Capetown and Robben Island Museum, South Africa, to begin a joint project preserving the thousands of historical papers, photos and other items related to the political prisoners who were held at Robben Island.
“This is a rich collection of materials that chronicles the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, the development of the new constitution in 1996, the birth of the new nation, and a country that affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom,” said Thomas Kochtanek, associate professor in the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies.
Robben Island is where many political prisoners, including Mandela, were incarcerated for opposing Apartheid and the regime that held power within South Africa from the 1960s to the early 1990s.
The project is an effort to make the Robben Island resources more widely available to scholars, students and the public around the world. Scholars, archivists and researchers from the MU College of Education’s School of Information Science & Learning Technologies and the University of Missouri Libraries, in conjunction with archivists from the Robben Island Museum, will digitize selected materials and make those available via a dynamic web site dedicated to the project.
“While the loss of Mandela has saddened everyone, Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and forgiveness, towards the vision of the ‘rainbow’ nation, will live on in this way,” said Daniel L. Clay, dean of the MU College of Education. “The University of Missouri is very proud to continue our working relationship with the University of the Western Cape, which began 27 years ago, when the formal agreement was the first ever between a U.S. university and a non-white South African University.”
“The University of Missouri mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela, a man whose sacrifice and dedication to freedom inspired a spirit and strength that should never be forgotten,” Kochtanek said.
Test Post for Archive
The MU Libraries serve a student body of 32,000 plus a faculty of 1,800, and have a collection of 3.1 million print volumes, 53,400 journal titles (in print or online), and over 7.5 million microforms. With an annual budget of $16.8 million, the Libraries support the instruction, research, service, and economic development missions of the University of Missouri. By acquiring scholarly resources, developing innovative services, and applying new information technologies, the MU Libraries fulfill their primary purpose: to serve our users.
Missale Romanum, 1701
We're always making new discoveries in Special Collections, and this is one exciting find. This Roman missal was published by the Plantin-Moretus Press in 1701. It's bound in red velvet with silver clasps and decorations, gilt edges, leather tabs, and red silk bookmarks. The text is printed throughout in red and black, and there are amazing engravings after works by Rubens. Interestingly, the name of a previous owner is engraved on one of the clasps: "HAC Defresne Possessor – 1817."
There are six copies in WorldCat. Three, including ours, are in North America (two in the United States, and one in Canada). The others are in the Netherlands.
Daniel Rackley photography exhibit
Please stop by and view our new art display featuring the photography of Dan Rackley now on display on the 2nd floor west wall of the library.
Daniel Wayne Rackley is a native Missourian, originally from the southern part of the state, now residing in rural Centralia. He is an avid nature photographer, self-taught, who enjoys traveling and hiking the back roads, conservation areas, and gardens around the State. Daniel has recently shown his photographs at Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City and at Powder Valley Conservation Area in Kirkwood, Missouri. He will be returning in 2014 to exhibit “Wildflowers of Missouri.” His favorite nature subjects to photograph are North American birds and Missouri mammals.
Circulation Desk Hours During Finals Week
Friday (12/6) 7:30 am – 2:00 am
Saturday (12/7) 9:00 am – 12:00mid
Sunday (12/8) 9:00 am – 2:00 am
Monday (12/9) 7:00 am – 2:00 am
Tuesday (12/10) 7:00 am – 2:00 am
Wednesday (12/11) 7:00am – 2:00am
Thursday (12/12) 7:00 am – 2:00 am
Friday (12/13) 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday (12/14) 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Sunday (12/15) CLOSED
Unsolved Mystery #6: The Lucubrator by James Noyes
Our final unsolved mystery of the semester is a manuscript donated to the MU Libraries by Mrs. Edwin Ball in 1974. Its title page attributes the work to James Noyes, but we know very little else about it. It consists of a series of essays on a wide variety of topics. Titles include "On Female Education," "On Bad Neighbors," and "On the Utility of Dancing," to name a few. The essays are dated between 1794 and 1797. James Noyes (1778-1799) wrote a mathematics textbook and a couple of almanacks around 1793-1794, but we have not been able to establish whether he and the author of this manuscript are one and the same.
Who was James Noyes? Is this manuscript in his hand? Where was it created? Were the essays ever published?
As always, email us at SpecialCollections@missouri.edu with your thoughts on this unsolved mystery.
Unsolved Mystery #5: Latin Manuscript
This manuscript came to us as a part of a larger acquisition made in 2006. The text is unidentified, although we think it may have something to do with the writings of Thomas Aquinas. The front flyleaves contain a library shelfmark for Dupplin Castle, and the inscription "collat. & perfect. p. J. Wright," dated December 31, 1723. Stephen Ferguson at Rare Book Collections @ Princeton has a very informative blog post about J. Wright and the books he collated as librarian for the Earl of Kinnoull.
Can you identify the text? When was it produced, and by whom?
Email us at SpecialCollections@missouri.edu with any information.