• Spring 2025 Message from the Dean school Dean's Communication

  February 25, 2025

  Welcome! I hope the beginning of the 2025 spring semester was inspiring and enjoyable for all. As we look ahead to spring break, I wanted to take a moment to share some important updates.Spring semester hours. Regular hours following spring break resume Monday, March 10. The MSU Libraries is typically open 24 hours per day on Monday through Thursday, with later opening and earlier closing times on the weekends. Regular hours will shift beginning the final day of exams for the spring semester on Friday, May 2, as we head into our shortened summer hours. Please note that for safety and security purposes, all students, staff and faculty are required to scan their MSU ID to access the MSU Main Library building between 10:00 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday – Thursday. A complete schedule for the Main Library hours is available on our website.MSU Libraries Associate Dean appointment. In December, Dr. Melanie McGurr was appointed Associate Dean of Collections and Technical Services at MSU Libraries. McGurr comes to MSU from University of Akron University Libraries, where she was directly responsible for collections, including selecting, negotiating and licensing content. Prior to Akron, McGurr held librarian roles at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio State University and Urbana University. She received an MLIS and her doctorate in English literature from Kent State University, as well as a master’s in English Literature from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. As Associate Dean of Collections and Technical Services at MSU Libraries, McGurr oversees collections strategies and infrastructure, including access and discovery of the Libraries’ collections.Reopening of Murray & Hong Special Collections. In Nov. 2024, MSU Libraries completed a $13.8 million renovation project to relocate the Special Collections from the basement of the Main Library to the third floor of the building’s East Wing. Project renovations totaled 26,000 sq. feet, including more than 12,000 linear feet of storage space for the Libraries’ most valuable collections. Further improvements include an increase in the size of the Libraries’ existing rare materials vault by about 50 percent from just under 1,000 sq. feet to 1,500 sq. feet; two large processing rooms; glass-walled offices on the north wall facing Beaumont Tower, replacing the cinderblock formerly along the faculty carrels; and additional conference rooms and informal touchdown office spaces. To view MSU Libraries newly renovated Special Collections space, or to view materials within the collections, please make an appointment with our Special Collections staff.We are looking forward to supporting your learning and research needs as we approach the end of the spring semester (and beyond!). As a reminder, if you are unable to find an answer on our website or would like to speak to someone in person, we are available at our information desks as well as by phone at (517) 353-8700.With warm wishes for a productive semester,Neil Romanosky, Ph.D. Dean of LibrariesView All News Articles

  
• MSU Libraries appoints new associate deans for Teaching & Learning and Collections & Technical Services divisions

  July 09, 2025

  Elise Jajuga

  EAST LANSING, Mich., July 2025 – The Michigan State University Libraries has recently appointed two new associate deans within the Collections & Technical Services and Teaching & Learning divisions. Both appointments resulted from national searches for the roles.Melanie McGurr, Associate Dean for Collections & Technical ServicesIn December 2024, Melanie McGurr was appointed Associate Dean of Collections & Technical Services at MSU Libraries. This division is new within the MSU Libraries’ internal organization, and, as head of the division, McGurr oversees collections strategies and infrastructure, including access and discovery of the Libraries’ collections. McGurr previously served as Associate Dean for Technical Services at University of Akron University Libraries, where she was also a Professor of Bibliography and served on the libraries’ leadership team. Prior to Akron, McGurr held librarian roles at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio State University and Urbana University. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science and a doctoral degree in English Literature from Kent State University, as well as a master’s in English Literature from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She also served on the OhioLINKTraining and Documentation Committee, helping to oversee the migration of the statewide library consortium to a new integrated library management system.​​McGurr shared enthusiasm about acclimating to her new role at MSU Libraries and priorities moving forward. “I am happy to be settling in, getting to know the amazing people in the division and the Libraries, and acting on the plans we have been making for the future,” she said. “It is a top priority for me to really understand the people, the workflows and the pressure points in Collections & Technical Services so that we can move together as a division to solve problems and tackle issues. I have been so impressed with the people in the division and the work that they do. I’m especially impressed that so many people are willing to problem-solve together and try out new workflows to move Collections & Technical Services forward.” Rachel Minkin was appointed to the role of Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning, effective July 1. As head of this division, Minkin has oversight of MSU Libraries’ Reference and Discovery Services, Open Educational Resources, Information Literacy and subject liaison librarians. In addition to serving two years as Interim Associate Dean of the Libraries’ Teaching & Learning division, Minkin has been a member of the Libraries’ faculty since 2011, including roles as Information Literacy Librarian, Head of Reference Services and Assistant Dean for Faculty Engagement. Minkin was a founding member, co-chair and first elected president of the Michigan Academic Library Association and has held several key appointments within the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), including her current service as a member of the ACRL Board. Minkin’s previous library experiences include positions at Lansing Community College and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Macalester College.Rachel Minkin, Associate Dean for Teaching & LearningMinkin noted she is excited to build on her experience from her time as interim associate dean and to help demonstrate MSU Libraries’ community impact. “I learned so much as Interim Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning — about the work done across the University in support of student success, research and outreach to the wider community,” she said. “Now I look forward to being a bigger part of those conversations, forging new and re-invigorating established Libraries/campus relationships and demonstrating our impact on those very things! MSU Libraries’ faculty and staff have such a range of expertise related to student success, research and outreach, which are hallmarks of library professionals in the Teaching & Learning division, and in this role, I hope to get us systematically involved in those wider University discussions. Many on campus know us and our work already, so I will be building on an already-firm foundation. I’m excited to get started!”MSU Dean of Libraries Neil Romanosky shared his enthusiasm about welcoming McGurr and Minkin to their roles. “I am thrilled with the additions of Melanie McGurr and Rachel Minkin to the MSU Libraries’ leadership team,” he said. “Both bring impressive knowledge and skills from their experiences at academic research libraries and engagement in the broader profession, and I look forward to collaborating with both of them as we work to advance the mission of the MSU Libraries.”The MSU Libraries, ranked among the top research libraries in North America, is at the center of academic life at Michigan State University, providing expertise, collections and infrastructure for discovery and creation. The MSU Libraries facilitates connections that support research, teaching, and learning in MSU’s local and global communities.View All News Articles

  
• Spring 2025 Insight: Michigan State University Libraries magazine now available

  July 02, 2025

  Elise Jajuga

  The MSU Libraries’ Spring 2025 issue of Insight is now available! This edition provides a look at the new Stephen O. Murray & Keelung Hong Special Collections space, MSU Libraries’ priorities within the  University’s Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign, the dedicated work of retired therapy dog Sally Cookie, the Libraries’ future Strategic Plan, and more!View All News Articles

  

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