Library makes major changes to some departments and collections
As if adding a fourth floor wasn’t enough, Mitchell Memorial Library at Mississippi State is announcing several reorganized operations.
Recent major changes at the university’s primary academic repository include:
-- A new Educational Resources Center.
-- Relocation and renaming of the Instructional Media Center, now the Digital Media Center.
-- Collection sections relocation, including government documents, microforms, and newspapers and current journals, among others.
Frances Coleman, dean of libraries, said the changes have been designed to “benefit students in every area of study and improve the overall library program.”
Stephen Cunetto, associate dean, said developing a multi-media collaborative space equipped with technology helps to greatly advance the library’s teaching, learning, exploration and research missions. “With this move we have tripled the space of our previous IMC,” he said.
The new Digital Media Center is located in the area that formerly housed government documents and current journals. “This large, more accessible space will allow us to continue to grow and improve the services we offer to students, including more computers, flexible study spaces, a makerspace, an area where students can charge their laptops and more,” Cunetto said.
On the second floor behind Einstein’s Deli is the new Educational Resources Center that replaces the IMC. Here, patrons now find the collections of state-adopted textbooks, juvenile and young adult selections, microforms and educational kits, as well as additional study areas.
Changes to the research services department actually began several years ago when administrators combined the former departments of reference/instruction/government documents and current journals, said Gail Peyton, associate dean for public services. Creation of the new department, as well as its most recent enhancements, were all undertaken with the goal of providing better engagements with the campus and area communities, she said.
The new Undergraduate Research Center provides a more user-friendly space and an improved Writing Center now enables easier simultaneous access to both writing and research assistance. Sharing space are the newspapers and current journals, along with a large portion of government documents.
Cunetto said the changes should improve student's overall experiences. Careful attention was paid to student spaces and, while some study tables have been shifted to other areas, the amount of open study areas “was not compromised,” he stressed.
As always at Mitchell Memorial Library, he said students will continue to have available both larger and smaller cafe-style tables, along with whiteboards, couches, chairs and related amenities for group and individual study.
For more on the changes -- and details on planned library growth phases -- visit www.lib.msstate.edu/news/2016/imc-govdocs-move.php.
Complete details on the extensive MSU library system are found at www.library.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
Brad Moreland | MSU Libraries
