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home Resources and Services The Mizzou Libraries Are Here For You: Currently Open

The Mizzou Libraries Are Here For You: Currently Open

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Resources and Services
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Whether you want research help in person while social distancing or remotely from the safety and comfort of your home, the Mizzou Libraries will stay connected with you!

The Mizzou Libraries have operated remotely since mid-March due to the COVID-19 emergency. In July we began curbside pickup service for MU faculty and students. This service will continue in a modified version throughout the fall semester.

As the campus welcomed students for the fall semester, the University Libraries began offering limited hours and study spaces in Ellis Library and most of the specialized libraries starting Monday, August 17.

Many library services — including consultations and assistance, library instruction, reserves and events — will continue remotely online through the fall with some in-person options. The emphasis on remote library services will allow faculty and students to continue their work, regardless of location.

“We want Mizzou students and faculty to have a successful fall semester! That begins by doing everything we can to keep people safe,” said Deb Ward, interim vice provost for University Libraries and University Librarian.

Among the changes that library users will find when Ellis Library reopens:

  • Everyone in library buildings will need to wear a face mask and maintain 6 feet of physical distancing.
  • An MU ID will be required to access the building after 5 pm.
  • Ellis Library will have limited hours. The library will close most nights at 10 pm, and the Check Out and Information desk will close at 8 pm. Visit library.missouri.edu/hours for the latest information on all campus library hours.
  • The Check-Out & Information Desk on the north side of the first floor will serve as a single service desk for assistance in the library. Visit Ask the Librarians! for online help or to schedule a consultation.
  • Furniture and computer workstations will be spread out in order to ensure physical distancing.The library’s Safety Team will monitor the building to make sure all library users are being safe.
  • The ground floor and 1st floors of Ellis Library have been designated as “quiet conversation allowed” for library users, including students who need to attend their online classes in the library. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors are designated as quiet study space.
  • Only the west entrance of Ellis Library (near Speaker’s Circle) will be open throughout the fall semester. The North entrance and the two reading rooms on the 2nd floor will be closed due to renovations of their windows.
  • The west stacks will be closed. To request books or other items, please place an online request and the library will retrieve them for you.
  • Circulation of books will resume, but receiving materials from other libraries may take longer. All materials will be quarantined when they are returned, and the items may stay on your library account during that time. No fines will be assessed for items that are in quarantine.
  • Bookmark Cafe will be open but with a limited menu and seating. Food will only be allowed on the ground floor of the library. Beverages in closed containers are allowed in Ellis Library.
  • DigiPrint services have moved out of Ellis Library and will be located in MU Student Center Room 1212A

Library personnel will carefully assess how the new service models are working and will determine whether services can be gradually scaled up or, conversely, whether conditions will require a return to delivering more services remotely. For the latest information on library services and hours, visit library.missouri.edu. You may also subscribe to one of our weekly email newsletters to stay up to date.

Additional Information Regarding Specialized Libraries
Zalk Veterinary Medical Library

J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library

Engineering Library and Technology Commons

Journalism Library

 

 

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Staff Spotlight: Timothy Perry

Staff Spotlight: Timothy Perry

By Super Admin   Posted in Cycle of Success Special Collections and Archives
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Timothy Perry

Welcome to Staff Spotlight, a new series that features the people of Special Collections and the work we do behind the scenes.  In today's installment, we're talking to Tim Perry, the newest member of our professional staff. 

Describe a typical day working in Special Collections & Rare Books at Ellis Library.

There’s always something new going on in Special Collections, which is one of the best parts of the job. But some of my regular tasks involve the following:

  • Answering reference questions about our collections. Most days I spend a couple of hours on the reference desk to help patrons who come in to use our collections. And I also answer a lot of reference questions by email. Since I only started at Mizzou in November 2015, this has been a great way to get to know our collection and to find out about all the different ways people are using them.
  • Teaching classes based on our collections. A lot of classes come to visit Special Collections and so I spend quite a bit of my time figuring out what it would be best to show them – we have great collections, so it’s not always easy to choose! – and then running the actual class visits. It’s another great way to get to grips with the diversity of our collections: just this term we are hosting classes on everything from Greek oratory to pirates and from plague and contagion to the Brontë sisters.
  • Meeting with colleagues. This ranges from meetings to discuss the everyday running of the department to meetings about major upcoming events. At the moment, for example, we are putting together an exhibition to accompany a major conference on climate change.

What do you enjoy most about working in special collections?

One of the best things about the job is the variety, so it’s hard to pick just one thing. I love working with the books themselves, and also interacting with students, so I would have to say that leading class visits is one of my favorite parts of the job.

How did you discover your passion for working with special collections and rare books?

My background is in Classics so I have always been interested in the way in which the written word has been passed down in different forms over time – everything from papyrus scrolls and medieval manuscripts to printed books and digital texts. So when I went to graduate school for my professional library training I decided to take a couple of classes on rare books and I was immediately hooked!

What are the most interesting items that you have come across in Special Collections at Ellis Library?

We have wonderfully diverse collections: 4,000-year-old clay tablets from Mesopotamia, 21st-century artists’ books, and everything in between – so again, it’s hard to choose one thing. I have done some letterpress printing in the past, so that, combined with my interest in Classics, means that I particularly love our collection of early editions of ancient authors. They are all beautifully printed, and many of them are beautifully bound as well.