While the size is relative to the individual, work from home is an obstacle for all of us. Away from important scanners and physical materials, the Digital Services Department has kept on its toes with other digitization opportunities. One current project involves processing and uploading title stories from MIZZOU, the magazine of the Alumni Association, enhancing their availability as individual articles in MOspace and enhancing discoverability through tools like Discover@MU or Google Scholar. The magazine, formerly titled Missouri Alumnus, has chronicled University life, challenges, academic pursuits, and athletic accomplishment for over one hundred years. Through this project, Digital Services staff have been rediscovering the legacy of obstacles, successes and highlights, for instance:
- a Summer 1991article about the MSA president pushing a state ballot initiative for more financial support in higher education;
- Jill Raittbeginning the Religious Studies department during a budget crunch, November 1982;
- the removal of ‘temporary’ barracks that covered campus in order to accommodate the incredible enrollment increase following World War II, May 1983;
- the excitements of Ellis Library in “Stacks of Knowledge,” Fall 1992.
The articles – currently numbering 982 — are available in the Mizzou Alumni magazine feature stories collection.