On Friday, June 16, 2017, over 70 library supporters gathered for an event sponsored by the Friends of the University of Missouri Libraries. The event included drinks, hors d’doeuvres, a library scavenger hunt, and a silent auction.
The program included a talk from local authors Jill Orr and Alex George. Jill, an MU alum, writes humor essays about parenting on her blog, An Exercise in Narcissism, and published her first novel, The Gold Byline, in April. Alex is the author of the national and international bestseller, A Good American. He is also the founder and director of the Unbound Books Festival, and is a member of the Friends of the University Libraries Council. Attendees also heard remarks, from Ann Riley, vice provost for libraries and university librarian, and Kelli Hansen, special collections librarian.
The event raised around $9,000, which will be used to support the digitization of unique materials from Special Collections & Rare Books. Materials chosen for digitization will be uploaded to the HathiTrust Digital Library–a partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure the cultural record is preserved and accessible.
Thank you to everyone who attended the event or gave a donation! Friends of the Libraries events are a lot of fun and a great way to support our libraries. We hope you’ll join us for our next event.