Spring 2025 Message from the Dean
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 Libraries