On July 14, David Richards assumed the role of Missouri State University Libraries dean. It’s a homecoming for Richards, who first came to Missouri State in 1997. He served as head of Meyer Library’s Special Collections and Archives until 2016, when he joined the Criss Library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as dean of library services.

We recently sat down with Richards to talk about his history at Missouri State, how it feels to be back and what he envisions for the Libraries’ future.

Q&A

Academic Expressions: Let’s start with a very important question. Should we call you “David” or “Dave”?
Dave Richards: I’m “Dave.”

AE: How is it to be back on campus?
DR: It’s surreal. To have worked here for almost 20 years, to leave and go to Nebraska for nine years. And then to come back and see so many people who are still here — people who love working here and love what they do. These folks have stayed in higher ed, at Missouri State. That means something.

AE: It sounds like you have a deep connection to this place.
DR: I do! In 1997, I came here from the University of Southern Mississippi to establish [Meyer Library’s] Special Collections and Archives. It was a dream job. My career thrived here. I’m so thankful to the people that helped me succeed then. Now, I want to give back to this team. I want them to thrive. I want to advocate for them so they have what they need to take off, and I can’t wait to brag about them.

“Now, I want to give back to this team. I want them to thrive… and I can’t wait to brag about them.”

—Dave Richards

Top Priorities

AE: We’re just days into your time as dean, but I’m wondering if you’ve identified some priorities.
DR: I want to make sure our team is matching up with the concerns of campus. We want to make sure we’re supporting strong student retention and student success. We want to make sure college is as affordable as possible. These are all things that a library can help with.

AE: Are there specific ways you envision the library supporting these goals?
DR: For example, if we can really uplift OER (Open Educational Resources), we can reduce the cost of textbooks, which reduces students’ overall cost. We know that other institutions have found this improves student retention.

AE: So more to come on OER.
DR: Absolutely. And if faculty are interested in talking about or collaborating on this effort, I’d love for them to reach out to me.

Preserving History, Engaging the Community

AE: Tell us about the “Rare Wine, Rare Books” event.
DR: When we established Special Collections and Archives, we found that we had some incredible rare books. We had documents related to the Ozarks, along with rare books that had been brought here from Europe. We’d say, “Here’s a Nuremberg Chronicle from the 15th century. There are great stories associated with this.” And we knew there were people in our community who’d like to learn about these hidden gems. Neosha Mackey [emeritus faculty] and Karen Horny [emeritus faculty/past Libraries dean] wanted to have a program that showcased these things, and they wanted it to be a party. That’s how “Rare Wine, Rare Books” came about.

AE: And it really took off.
DR: Everything at the event is a star. The wine is great, the food is great and the books are great. And we have the capability to program themes. So we might have French literature with French wine and French cuisine. The chefs get to riff off the wine and literature, and everyone has a wonderful time. It’s a friend-building event as well as a fundraising event.

AE: Do you think that’s why it’s become a Springfield tradition?
DR: In the past few decades, as we moved to digital formats, academic libraries have started to become similar in terms of their holdings. So the special collections and archives give an institution its unique identity. And yes, it’s a privilege to celebrate that with members of our community.

Finding the Balance

AE: This touches on a hot topic — the benefits of digital formats weighed against the benefits of print or analog formats. What’s your take on that?
DR: This is something academic libraries are wrestling with. It’s a wicked problem because we want to find the right balance between print/analog and digital formats. My perspective is that there are disciplines where the media format is extremely important. Ideally, we can identify certain disciplines where a strong print collection is relevant. For example, something like spiral-bound computer software manuals — do we need to keep those in perpetuity? Some library should. But should Meyer Library have every software manual? Maybe digital versions are good, and we’ll save our print-collection space for the disciplines that are most relevant for our programs, students and community. We’re going to rely on excellent communication between our faculty experts and our librarians.

Around Campus…

Recently, Dr. David Meinert, dean of the College of Business, shared a nighttime view of the renovated Kemper Hall.

“This project not only creates much-needed space for the College of Business’s growing construction management program but adds a distinctive look after dark, when color-adjustable LED lights highlight the program’s new high-bay space,” Meinert wrote. “The new and renovated spaces will be open for the fall semester.”

Rewind

Back in 2022, Missouri State submitted a successful request for funding to the MoExcels Workforce Initiative, part of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. MoExcels awarded $2 million toward the construction of an education and training hub within Kemper Hall. Private gifts and contributions from Missouri State’s office of the president, office of the provost and College of Business covered the remainder of the project’s cost.

Last fall, Dr. Richard Gebken, director of the School of Construction, Design and Project Management, shared: “[This space] will allow us to have industry come in and conduct some trainings. Our students can attend and get some extra credentials on their way to graduation.”