Spring 2026 Message from the Dean
Welcome! I hope the beginning of the 2026 spring semester has found folks feeling refreshed, even amid the wintry mix of weather. As we approach spring break, I wanted to take a moment to share some important updates.
Spring semester hours. The MSU Main Library will be closing at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 27, and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 2, with modified hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the week of spring break. Regular hours will resume Monday, March 9. The Libraries will also be extending operational hours ahead of finals week. Beginning Monday, April 6, all floors of the Libraries will be open, including the upper floors that are generally closed 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. All floors will remain open through the end of the semester. The Main Library building will be open 24/7 from Sunday, April 19, at 10 a.m. through Friday, May 1, at 5 p.m., after which the Libraries will begin shortened summer hours. The MSU Libraries is typically open 24 hours per day on Monday through Thursday, with later opening and earlier closing times on the weekends. 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.
Michigan Notable Book Awards. In 2025, the MSU Press collected four Michigan Notable Book Awards, an annual program out of the Library of Michigan that recognizes outstanding works by authors hailing from or writing on our Great Lakes State. Award-winning titles included “Forever in the Path: The Black Experience at Michigan State University” by University Distinguished Professor of History Pero G. Dagbovie; “Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf–Moose Project” by MSU alum Jeffrey M. Holden; “This Magnetic North: Candid Conversations on a Changing Northern Michigan” by Tim Mulherin; and “Roy Reuther and the UAW: Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights” by Alan Reuther. We continue to be proud of MSU Press and its commitment to highlighting Michigan voices.
Exploring artificial intelligence (AI). This semester is seeing the MSU Libraries expand on some of the AI exploration that has been building on campus and, of course, in the larger digital landscape. A small Libraries task force led by Head of Gast Business Library Laura Walesby and Organizational Development Coordinator Jill Morningstar interviewed units across the MSU Libraries about their experience with AI in the workplace. This February, the Libraries welcomed Natalie Meyers, a research specialist at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence/Data Visitation Working Group of the Research Data Alliance, to speak to staff about the role of AI in libraries. This informative session was followed several weeks later with a panel moderated by Kay Firth-Butterfield, CEO of Good Tech Advisory and former Head of AI at the World Economic Forum, providing an engaging discussion about the impact of AI on library systems. We look forward to continuing conversations about AI and its impacts as the technology evolves.
We are looking forward to supporting your learning and research needs throughout 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