home Events and Exhibits, Gateway Carousel Pride Book Displays in Ellis Library

Pride Book Displays in Ellis Library

Join us in celebrating Mizzou Pride in April with two book display exhibits on the main floor of Ellis Library. LBGTQIA+ books in the Wellbeing Book Collection are on display and books from the main library collection can be found in the colonnade area across from the new books display. Everyone is welcome!

home Cycle of Success, Gateway Carousel, Staff news Gwen Gray Receives Business Librarianship Award

Gwen Gray Receives Business Librarianship Award

Gwen Gray, research librarian, business, economics and entrepreneurship is the 2025 winner for the BRASS Excellence in Business Librarianship Award. BRASS is the Business Reference and Services Section of the Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.

Jaya Ghosh, program director of the MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator, stated in her nomination letter, “Through her contributions to MU’s translational research funding, training and mentorship programs and other entrepreneurial offerings such as the regional I-Corps Program (advisor), MU EQ
Student Accelerator (mentor), Mizzou Venture Mentoring Service (mentor) and Entrepreneurship Workshop Series (mentor), Gwen’s work significantly enhances the innovation and entrepreneurship capacity of MU, and by extension of Missouri and the U.S. at large.”

Gwen’s contributions include supporting entrepreneurial initiatives at local and national levels, fostering community partnerships, supporting student success, and providing professional mentorship to LIS students. Gwen has dedicated years of her career to develop and strengthen networks that have created long-lasting impacts on her community and the broader profession.

Gwen stated, “I am humbled to receive the BRASS Excellence in Business Librarianship Award and am deeply grateful to LSEG Data & Analytic and RUSA for this recognition. Many thanks to the committee for selecting me to receive this honor. I’ve had wonderful support throughout my career at the Mizzou Libraries and would like to especially note Rhonda Whithaus and Jeannette Pierce who (unbeknownst to me) spearheaded the nomination effort. They along with so many of my colleagues have been supportive and encouraging, giving me the freedom to explore and go in new directions. I would also like to recognize Doug Moesel, associate professor of management, who started my work in entrepreneurship by inviting me to join a campus committee on the topic in 2004. Greg Bier, executive director of Entrepreneurship Programs, has been a tireless champion of librarians, making sure the entrepreneurship ecosystem knows our value. Thank you to all the faculty, staff, students and community members not named (and there are many) who have made me better than I would be on my own. Thank you again for this honor.”

Congratulations to Gwen!

home Gateway Carousel, Resources and Services 24/7 Rush Service Added for Most Requested Journals

24/7 Rush Service Added for Most Requested Journals

In a recent user survey, one of the top needs identified by library users was access to more online journal content. In response, the Mizzou Libraries are offering streamlined access to articles in the most most requested journals that are requested through Interlibrary Loan.

When you click “FindIt@MU” for an article in one of these journals, you will see this option: “Need it asap? Request rush delivery.” If you choose this option, the article will be delivered to your inbox within 2 hours, sometimes within minutes. This 24-hour service is available to Mizzou faculty, staff and students.

Don’t see that option for a journal you frequently need? Let us know.

home Gateway Carousel, Resources and Services Book a Librarian for Research Help

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.

Calming Crafternoons

Calming Crafternoon: Junk Journaling
Ellis Library Colonnade
Thursday, April 3rd 2pm-5pm

Join us in taking a calming breath and making a craft. We’ll have mini-journals and lots of decorating materials! All supplies provided.

Calming Crafternoon: Make a Card
Ellis Library Colonnade
Tuesday, April 29th 2pm-5pm

Join us in taking a calming breath and making a craft. We’ll have blank cards and decorating materials. All supplies provided.

Everyone is welcome!

TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

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

home Cycle of Success Congratulations to the 2025 Undergraduate Research Contest Award Winners

Congratulations to the 2025 Undergraduate Research Contest Award Winners

The University Libraries Undergraduate Research Contest seeks to recognize and reward outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students at the University of Missouri.

This year the winner of the first place prize of a $500 scholarship is Nina Schmolzi, a senior studying anthropology. Her project was “Tracing Routes Through Roots: Unraveling the Bantu Migration Through Linguistics and Archaeology.”

The second-place winner and recipient of a $250 scholarship is Benjamin Peter, a senior studying electrical engineering. His project was “Robust Defense Against Extreme Grid Events Using Dual-Policy Reinforcement Learning Agents.”

Head shot of Benjamin Peter
Benjamin Peter, 2nd place winner

In addition Jackson Huenefeldt, a senior studying chemical engineering, was given an honorable mention for his project, “Sounds of the Energy Transition.”

home Cycle of Success Cycle of Success: Special Collection Instruction in Middle School Field Trips

Cycle of Success: Special Collection Instruction in Middle School Field Trips

Revision of article written by Clare Starkey, Haley Lykins, and Kelli Hansen

The University of Missouri’s division of Special Collections holds over 100,000 items, dating from the eighth century to the modern era, and focuses on books, periodicals, manuscripts, maps, posters, printed ephemera and artifacts. Though the typical patrons are collegiate researchers, classes for elementary and middle school students are common and are an important part of the University of Missouri’s mission to benefit all Missourians. In the spring of 2024, Special Collections at the University of Missouri hosted a series of field trips for every sixth grader in the Columbia Public School (CPS) district—more than 1,300 students—under the theme of “Ancient Writing Technologies Lab: Cuneiform, Papyrus, Palm Leaves, Oh My!” This workshop gave students a chance to experience ancient writing technologies from across Africa and Asia while interacting with primary sources. Conceived in consultation with the school district’s social studies coordinator, the Special Collections staff provided hands-on activities on the history of the book to complement the school curriculum on ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China.

Public Services Archivist Haley Lykins stated, “It was exciting to see our primary sources utilized by a new age group. The experience taught us to look beyond the walls of our academic institution for opportunities of outreach and instruction.”

The students rotated between three workstations representing the ancient world. Items from the University’s collection were included to provide a real-life example of the focus of each station and included cuneiform tablets, papyrus fragments and a facsimile palm leaf book. The students visited the University of Missouri campus over the course of 14 field trips throughout April and May. In addition to Special Collections, students visited the University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology, Museum of Anthropology, and Francis Quadrangle. Although Special Collections hosted only 10-25 students at a time, around 100 students overall visited each field trip day.

In each 25-minute session, groups of 3-8 students would spend 7 minutes at a station before rotating to the next one. Each station began with a short informational presentation about the collection item before moving onto the activity. The workshops included making replica cuneiform tablets using playdough, drawing hieroglyphics on papyrus using calligraphy markers, and creating replica palm leaf books by writing stories on long strips of paper and tying them together with yarn. The learning objectives for the workshops were to discuss different writing surfaces from different times and different parts of the world, to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different surfaces; and to interpret, analyze and evaluate primary sources.

After the field trips, Joy Bass, the social studies coordinator for CPS, said, “Just wanted to let you all know that teachers AND students have rated your ‘station’ very high in their reflection surveys and SO many have said it’s been their favorite.”

home J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library, Resources and Services Mizzou Libraries and the Research Cycle

Mizzou Libraries and the Research Cycle

From discovering new resources to tracking your impact, Mizzou Libraries is here to support you every step of the way!

We offer a range of services covering all aspects of the Research Lifecycle, such as:

Contact your Subject Librarian for services in your area!

See more posts about Scholarly Communication issues

home Gateway Carousel, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library, Workshops Data Management Workshop Series, Part 2

Data Management Workshop Series, Part 2

Unlock the power of data mapping with our engaging workshop series designed for anyone eager to use data effectively to make informed decisions and drive impact. Join us to learn about tools, techniques, and applications that bring your data to life.

Intro to Social Explorer for Historical Census Data Mapping and More
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Registration for online workshop

Attendees will learn how to log into Social Explorer and work with historical U.S. Census data to create swipe maps or side-by-side maps showing change over time. Depending on time and attendee interest, we may also discuss additional data available in Social Explorer and how to layer Social Explorer’s data with data you import.

Data Visualization with Palladio
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: 213 Ellis Library
Registration

Designed to support historical research, Palladio facilitates the analysis of relationships over time and space through the creation of maps, network visualizations, graphs, lists, and galleries. This workshop will provide an overview and opportunity to practice using the software.

Data Visualization with Gephi
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: 213 Ellis Library
Registration

Gephi is an open-source social network visualization platform that can analyze and visualize big network graphs. This workshop will provide an overview and opportunity to practice with a sample data set.

home Events and Exhibits Spencer T. Banks Black History Exhibit

Spencer T. Banks Black History Exhibit

Dr. Joan Stack from the State Historical Society of Missouri developed the exhibit “A Historic Look at Black Labor in St. Louis Seen through the Eyes of Artist Spencer T. Banks (1912-1983),” which is on display in the Ellis Library exhibit area on first floor.

Black History Month Programs at the State Historical Society of Missouri