The State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri State University are partners in making SHSMO manuscript, book, and microfilm collections available for use in Springfield.
The Springfield Center collections focus on the history of southern Missouri and the Ozarks. A growing number of resources document the area's unique heritage through family papers, photographs, postcards, and organizational records such as the Southwest Missouri Resource Conservation and Development Council Papers (SP009).
The musical history of the area is preserved in the Songs from an Ozarks Childhood music manuscript collection (SP003), which ensures the lyrics of Ozarks folk songs as well as the melodies are handed down to future generations. The collection includes a recording of Sybil Irene Jobe performing many of the songs.
Noteworthy resources cover topics including:
- The Ozarks
- Missourians in the American Civil War
- Route 66