home Cycle of Success, Engineering Library Taking Advantage of Resources

Taking Advantage of Resources

By Noel Kopriva Posted in Cycle of Success Engineering Library

Posted on January 11, 2018January 26, 2018

Civil Engineering student Elgin Burton decided to attend Mizzou after meeting with recruiters at his high school in East St. Louis, Illinois, deciding to visit, and “falling in love with the campus.” Once he arrived, Burton got involved in a number of organizations. He is currently the president of the national award-winning Timber Bridge Team. He is also T.O.R.C.H (Technical Outreach Community Help) chair for Mizzou’s chapter the National Society of Black Engineers. Once he graduates in May 2018, Burton plans on a career in transportation engineering.

Burton says, “The Engineering Library is a huge resource to me in more ways than one. The obvious one is that there are books here that I can use for all of my classes. The one I just turned in today, I used for my class all semester.”

Burton also likes that that the Engineering Library is a gathering place for his classmates. “This is a place where I do a lot of my studying, so I meet a lot of people here who are also studying the same things. A lot of collaboration happens here. Whenever I am working on a project, we usually meet in the Engineering Library. If I am struggling with a problem, I can usually find people who can help me solve it here. Or I’ll see somebody in my class, introduce myself, and ask how they are solving the problem. I meet many people in different ways at the Engineering Library. There is not another space in the building like that. ”

One of Burton’s favorite Mizzou memories is getting to know the libraries. “it was almost an oddly intimate relationship I had with Ellis and other libraries like the Math Library and [the Engineering Library], because I was completely new to the experience—I was new to Columbia, Missouri, I was new to college, I was new to a research library of that size—and over the course of my college career, Ellis Library especially became my home away from my apartment, where I feel most comfortable on campus.”

If there was one piece of advice that Burton could give to future students, Burton says, it would be to use your resources. He acknowledges that “it can be difficult to tell new students to take advantage of your resources because they might not know about them, but the best thing to do is just to open up to opportunities and be willing to try new things. Getting involved in organizations relevant to your degree gives you contextual information and it gives you a sense of purpose. ‘I am here doing this. I am here making this change.’”

“You leave a lasting impact on the university. It also leaves a lasting impact on you.”

home Cycle of Success, Ellis Library Cycle of Success: Daniel B. Domingues da Silva Wins Center for Research Libraries’ 2017 Award for Teaching

Cycle of Success: Daniel B. Domingues da Silva Wins Center for Research Libraries’ 2017 Award for Teaching

By Super Admin Posted in Cycle of Success Ellis Library

Posted on January 10, 2018May 8, 2018

Daniel B. Domingues da Silva, former Assistant Professor of History at Mizzou, won the Center for Research Libraries‘ 2017 Award for Teaching, part of their annual Primary Source Awards. Rachel Brekhus, Humanities Librarian, nominated him for his creative use of primary sources in his Writing Intensive course Fighting the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Now an assistant professor of African history at Rice University, Daniel held the same position at Mizzou from 2012 to 2017, teaching courses on the history of early and modern Africa. His research focuses on the African slave trade, especially from West Central Africa, and he has participated in several digital humanities projects such as Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database and Visualizing Abolition: A Digital History of the Suppression of the African Slave Trade. Visualizing Abolition was developed here at Mizzou.

Daniel credits Rachel and other Mizzou librarians with playing key roles in his research and teaching. “They not only helped me secure important primary and secondary sources for my research,” he says, “but they also created study guides for my students, workshops on how to conduct research, and trained students in operating related equipment and computer softwares. They also reviewed applications and nominated students and myself to internal and external research and teaching awards.”

Humanities librarian Anne Barker provided students with valuable insights into copyright issues and the use of images. Digital services librarian Felicity Dykas trained students on scanning techniques and image specifications. In the spring of 2017, Ellis Library hosted an exhibit about the making of the Visualizing Abolition project, providing students an opportunity to showcase their work.

Prior to the CRL Award for Teaching, Daniel had won teaching awards within the University of Missouri campus community and considers those awards “an important way of rewarding faculty for their teaching achievements” and letting faculty know they are on the right track. However, he says “the CRL award was something different. As a global consortium of research libraries, it meant that I was not only a good teacher among my peers at Mizzou, but that my teaching skills were also appreciated among a much larger community of scholars.”

Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Cycle of Success: Grant Elementary School

Cycle of Success: Grant Elementary School

By Taira Meadowcroft Posted in Cycle of Success Special Collections and Archives

Posted on December 13, 2017December 27, 2017

Although the Cycle of Success typically focuses on the relationships among the Libraries, faculty, and students, the Libraries also contribute to the success of all the communities Mizzou serves. The Libraries are an integral part of Mizzou’s mission “to provide all Missourians the benefits of a world-class research university, no matter their age. The fifth graders from Grant Elementary School recently visited the Special Collections Department to get an in-depth look what the department has to offer.

Matt Kuensting and John Nies, fifth grade teachers at Grant Elementary, recognize the importance of community connections, and five years ago, revised their practice to focus on community connections. Since their revision, they have taken their students into the community to observe and cultivate their interests, and one of those stops is to Special Collections. Kelli Hansen, Tim Perry and the Special Collections staff, took the students through three stations based in the evolution of technology, map making, and historical botany books.

“Ellis Library is one of our first places we visit, and many kids favorite place. These experiences are very impactful for us because our students are currently studying observing organisms like plants, they are making maps of their own imaginative worlds, and technology is one of the biggest integrations in our community project.”

We asked John Nies what advice he would give for those interested in using the library: “[The] advice I would give to those interested in using the library is… GO! Spend some time walking around the displays in the main hall, visit the Special Collections, and wander a bit. The staff has always been helpful. The building itself is fascinating and it holds an eternity of interesting materials.”

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.

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home Events and Exhibits We’re Looking for the Best Undergraduate Research

We’re Looking for the Best Undergraduate Research

By Shannon Cary Posted in Events and Exhibits

Posted on December 8, 2017January 31, 2018

The University Libraries Undergraduate Research Contest recognizes and rewards outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students at the University of Missouri. Undergraduates in any discipline are invited to enter the contest, which will be judged by a cross-disciplinary panel of librarians.

One $500 scholarship, and one $250 scholarship will be awarded to an individual or group project. The winners will have their projects archived in MOspace, MU’s digital repository.

The research project can be a traditional research paper, a musical composition, a work of art, a video, a web page, or other creative work. It has to have been researched using the resources of the MU Libraries. The project will be judged primarily on sophistication of the research process and the materials used (as documented in the Research Process Statement).

Examples of projects:

A set design for theater where the student researched period-appropriate furniture, lighting, and architecture to create the perfect backdrop
A documentary film for class that researches the history of race relations at MU using library and archive materials
Composition of a piece of music created in the style of a famous composer informed by research into their style, skills, etc. through library materials
A business plan for a new company or product showing market need, demographics of customers, patents, design, etc. informed by research using library materials
A political science paper comparing the rise of fascism today with that in the early 20th century
A parody of a famous piece of literature or any original piece of fiction for which the author did library research for their setting, criticisms, etc.

The deadline for submission of all materials is January 31, 2018.

Questions? Contact Sandy Schiefer at schiefers@missouri.edu

home Cycle of Success, Staff news Jeannette Pierce Selected as Association of Research Libraries Fellow

Jeannette Pierce Selected as Association of Research Libraries Fellow

By Shannon Cary Posted in Cycle of Success Staff news

Posted on December 4, 2017December 8, 2017

Jeannette Pierce, associate university librarian for research, access, and instructional services, has been named a 2018-2019 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Leadership Fellow. The ARL Leadership Fellows program facilitates the development of future senior-level leaders in large research libraries and archives. The Association has selected 30 individuals to participate in the 2018–2019 cohort of this executive leadership program.

Pierce stated, “I am honored to be selected as a 2018-2019 ARL Leadership Fellow. This is an outstanding opportunity to join a cohort of peers who are passionate about developing the knowledge and leadership skills needed to ensure that research libraries continue to be vital to the success of our students, faculty, and institutions now and in the future. Many thanks to Vice Provost & University Librarian Ann Campion Riley and my colleagues at the University of Missouri Libraries for supporting my participation in the program.”

In response to a continued need to develop future leaders of ARL member institutions, the ARL Leadership Fellows program is designed to build on self-assessment and reflection and to explore a personal/professional area of interest in the context of a group setting. During the course of the program, each fellow will construct a learning plan; engage in a customized, immersive experience to shadow a library director; participate in three weeklong institutes hosted by sponsoring ARL institutions; participate in online synchronous sessions; and attend semiannual Association Meetings.

Ann Riley, vice provost and university librarian, said, “All of us at the Libraries are delighted to hear of Jeannette’s selection for this honor. She’s very deserving and reflective of the excellence of our librarians.”

The 2018–2019 Leadership Fellows applicant pool was highly competitive. The new fellows represent a broad array of backgrounds, experiences, and institutions.

home Cycle of Success, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library Cycle of Success: Nursing Student Obtains Invaluable Assistance with Literature Review

Cycle of Success: Nursing Student Obtains Invaluable Assistance with Literature Review

By Taira Meadowcroft Posted in Cycle of Success J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library

Posted on November 29, 2017December 13, 2017

My name is Erin, and I am a second year distance student in the BSN-to-PhD program at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. My interest in researching type 1 diabetes (T1D) began three years ago, when my son (who was 9 years old at the time) was diagnosed with T1D. I have particular interests in data science and precision medicine, and my long-term goals involve the identification of pathophysiologic subtypes (i.e., phenotypes) of type 1 diabetes.

I am currently participating in a research practicum with Dr. Sonal Patil (MU Department of Family and Community Medicine) and as a part of this practicum, I am completing a systematic search of the literature pertaining to diabetes caregivers. Setting up and executing systematic searches can seem like such a daunting task (especially the first time around!) and Dr. Patil and my PhD advisor, Dr. Bonnie Wakefield, suggested that I talk with the health sciences librarians to ask for their assistance with developing appropriate search strategies. So I took their advice and went to the Health Sciences Library when I was on campus in early October.

When health sciences librarian Rebecca Graves heard that I was at the library and that I had questions about how to begin my search, she stopped the work that she was doing that afternoon so that she could attend to my questions. Although I didn’t ask her to do that, my needs were important to her and she made time to give me the assistance I needed. She proceeded to work with me for quite some time, advising me on how to carry out a literature search, and walking me through a search in one database so that I could begin the process myself when I got back home.

During the last couple of weeks, I have had many additional questions about how to set up searches in other databases and Diane Johnson is the health sciences librarian who has helped me craft these other search strategies. Individuals who know me well know that I ask a lot of questions and Diane has been incredibly patient in answering my questions and concerns. For example, when I was having trouble acquiring search results in one database, Diane recognized that the issue was caused by a problem with the search syntax in that database (rather than by something I was doing wrong). She contacted the support specialists for that database,explained the issue, and she went on to craft a workaround for me that I could use to complete my search in the meantime! Her advice about fashioning appropriate searches in each database has been invaluable. She has even met with me online on two separate occasions so that I could share my computer screen with her, show her my search strategies, and request her assistance.

Effectively using research databases is challenging because the search syntax is different in each database. We are fortunate here at MU to have access to truly exceptional health sciences librarians who bring with them many years of experience and who possess the expertise that students need to be successful. Before you begin your research, do yourself a favor: reach out to the librarians and consult with them about your research needs. I’d also like to encourage graduate students to access the many additional resources available at the library including online and on campus classes and workshops , the after-hours “Ask the Librarians!” chat feature, and library email updates. Distance students can use MU Connect to schedule a time to consult with a librarian. These resources exist to help students be successful — so be sure to take advantage of them!

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.

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