#mulibraries100

[muspeccoll]

“Expanding one’s knowledge is an important goal for most students. The University provides voluminous works to ponder, as well as a few quiet studying spots wedged between the book stacks.” We hope that you have enjoyed our year of #ellis100 #tbt posts, and have taken the time to explore these stacks yourself.

This is it for our centennial #tbt series, but stick with us -- we’ve got a ton more material (and a lot of terrible jokes) -- still to come. Good luck with the end of your semesters, and may you have lovely sunlit memories of your time in Ellis.

[muspeccoll]

#tbt: We still love letting you borrow our books! We just also insist that you bring them back to us.

... Also, no matter how lost you get in Ellis, I promise we don’t have a dungeon. For real. Definitely.

[muspeccoll]

While we might be done with snow for the season, this can feel like the doldrums -- or the roaring forties -- of a semester. If you feel like your schoolwork is foundering, why not try looking through one of our many library guides for direction?

[muspeccoll]

Once you stop admiring the dog (dogs are so good), admire those fancy glass doors on the library in our #tbt to 1978! I could say something about the inspired juxtaposition of traditional and modern architecture, but honestly I prefer the doors we have today. What about you?

[muspeccoll]

Ellis was pretty busy back in 1977; how does that compare to nearly 40 years later?

For 2014-15 we had a total gate count of 1,665,015, which averages out to about 32,000 people per week. That’s not even 10,000 more visits, but enrollment has spiked immensely -- are people just not using the library any more?

Trick question, you, the savvy reader, cry! Yes indeed: we also had 4,505,541 database searches and 3,534,902 online journal views, which would be another 70-80,000 “visits” per week. The big shift since the 1970s is the advent of online journals. It might not feel like you’re visiting Ellis as you browse JStor from your dorm room, but online we’re open 24/7/365, and you can get here from anywhere with an internet connection.

[muspeccoll]

If you’ve ever wondered what you can find other than books in Ellis, take a cue from Johnalita -- we have scores of scores, theatrical and otherwise.

[muspeccoll]

This #tbt, we’d like to wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day, whether you’re celebrating with yourself or with someone else.

(Pro-tip: studying together in the library is a classic [and useful!] date.)

[muspeccoll]

Today’s #tbt post comes from 1961: “With the completion of the new east wing addition to the library, now Missouri has the tenth largest library building among all universities and colleges in the country and ranks in the top twenty-four for size of book collection. A book budget which is tenth in the country has raised the collection from 30,000 volumes in 1900 to 900,000 volumes in 1960.”

Ah, those were the days.