Associate University Librarian for Technical Services Cortny Bates unveiled the digital display of MSU history on the second floor of Moffett Library on Tuesday Feb. 9. She presented a new touch-screen display to faculty, students and alumni that a spread of finger foods and drinks features the pictures that used to hang on the wall by the special collections office, as well as articles from the Wai-Kun and The Wichitan.

“We went through all of the old Wai-Kuns and Wichitans from the beginning of MSU, and the scanned articles and pictures that jumped out at us,” Bates said at the reception that also provided finger foods and drinks.

Special Collections Assistant Stacy Johnson said celebrating [the display] is hugely important for the spirit of the school. 

“If you understand the history of your school, you get a better sense of place and where you are,” Johnson said. 

There are seven presentations with 50-100 pictures each. Bates and Johnson scanned every piece of history and compiled the presentations on the online presentation tool Prezi. 

“We started it last May and it took us until August or Septmeber to get everything scanned,” Johnson said. “Then it took us a couple months to put the Prezis together, and Cortny did a lot of that work.” 

About 50 people attended the unveiling including University President Suzanne Shipley. She said it is smart to approach library work this way because digitization is the future.

“This preserves the history, organizes it, and makes it accessible,” Shipley said.

Faculty, alumni and about fifteen students, came to check out the display as well. 

“I used the archives a lot last semester as a part of a project I was doing with the museum and I was curious to see changes they made in the last few months,” history senior Alex Van Allen said. 

Thomas Shaw, a music education major attended MSU when the first marching band started in 1946. 

“It’s good that they’re preserving things because things do fade,” Shaw said. 

Bates and Johnson hope people will get to look at the display and experience it even if they don’t want to go through the whole presentation. And people who don’t want to visit the library in person can view the presentations on the Moffett Library website.

“Students don’t even have to come in the library to see it,” Bates said. “But it’s a nice way to come and take a study break and maybe see some funny pictures.” 

Digital Unveil

Peter Fields, english associate professor, tries out the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, during the unveiling of the display, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Peter Fields, english associate professor, tries out the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, during the unveiling of the display, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Peter Fields, english associate professor, tries out the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, during the unveiling of the display, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, and Clara Latham, university librarian, demonstrates to Peter Fields, english associate professor, and Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, how the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, and Clara Latham, university librarian, demonstrates to Peter Fields, english associate professor, and Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, how the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, and Clara Latham, university librarian, demonstrates to Peter Fields, english associate professor, and Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, how the new MSU History Display in the second floor of Moffett Library, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Cortny Bates, special collections librarian/associate university librarian, demonstrates how to use the MSU History Display to the 50 people in attendance for the unveiling of the display held in Moffett Library on the second floor. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Rolanda Ferdinand, general business senior, looks through the old Wai-Kun and Wichitan editions that were scanned onto the MSU HIstory Display, which is on the second floor of the Moffett Library, and was unveiled Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Rolanda Ferdinand, general business senior, looks through the old Wai-Kun and Wichitan editions that were scanned onto the MSU HIstory Display, which is on the second floor of the Moffett Library, and was unveiled Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Rolanda Ferdinand, general business senior, looks through the old Wai-Kun and Wichitan editions that were scanned onto the MSU HIstory Display, which is on the second floor of the Moffett Library, and was unveiled Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Alex Van Allen, history senior, gets some of the food from the MSU HIstory Display unveiling in the Moffett Library on the second floor, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Alex Van Allen, history senior, gets some of the food from the MSU HIstory Display unveiling in the Moffett Library on the second floor, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson

Alex Van Allen, history senior, gets some of the food from the MSU HIstory Display unveiling in the Moffett Library on the second floor, Feb. 9. Photo by Rachel Johnson