By Sophie Lange, Managing Editor
Over the summer, the Musselman Library made several changes. This included merging departments, combining the Checkout and Research Help Desks, relocating the Writing Center, and creating a study space that students can reserve.
Due to staffing changes and a desire to unite employees who provided related services, the library staff decided last spring to combine the two public services departments, Research & Instruction Services and User Services. Now, a single department, Research & Access Services, encompasses the responsibilities of both. Along with this change came the decision to combine the two existing service desks in the library, providing a single location for all student services in Research & Access.
“Now, students don’t have to try to figure out where they should go to ask their questions. ‘Do you have my textbook in the course materials collection?’ or ‘Can I check out an umbrella (or power bank or charger or calculator)?’ or ‘I need to find peer-reviewed articles on my fun, but obscure topic and I’m not sure where to get started…’—all of these, and more, can be asked at the combined service desk on the main level of the library,” Assistant Director of Research & Access Services Meggan Smith ’04 explained.
At this desk, the Circulation Student Assistants will work alongside the Peer Research Mentors. However, research assistance offered by the librarians is still available Sunday through Thursday from 6 to 9 PM or during the week, starting at 9 AM. Students also have access to resources such as the librarian’s email (ask@gettysburg.edu), phone number (717-473-4532), and research appointments.
According to Smith, the impacts of these changes have been largely positive from the perspective of the library staff: “It is a more seamless experience for students, and we have a great team of student and staff colleagues who are eager to assist. As with all changes, there is a learning curve, so we appreciate your patience if the person helping you takes a little longer or verifies processes while assisting you. But overall, we are super happy with the changes and hope the campus community is pleased as well!”
Some of the staff in the former User Services Department joined the Collections & Technical Services Department, which assists with course reserves and the interlibrary loan system, and Scholarly Communications Librarian Mary Elmquist joined the Research & Access Services Department, which allowed her to move to the RASD Office Suite from her former office in Room 015.
The Writing Center is now located in Room 015. Its former location in Room 006 was converted into a reservable study room, a resource which students have requested in the past. The space may be reserved by students for up to two hours at a time, and reservations can be made online. Because the room is a shared space, it can only be reserved up to two weeks in advance and cannot accept recurring reservations.
“The room has seen a lot of usage even in these first few weeks of classes!” Smith said.
Finally, the library installed new quotes over the library doors facing Penn Hall and Stine Lake.
Above the door facing Penn Hall is a quote by 1993-1995 United States Poet Laureate Rita Dove: “The library is an arena of possibility, opening both a window into the soul and a door onto the world.”
The other door has a quote by Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano: “A liberal arts education opens the world to us one idea at a time.”
Additionally, the library plans to complete the ongoing renovation of the fourth floor later this year. This will fully enclose Special Collections and Archives, providing a quieter study area outside the reading room in Special Collections.
This article originally appeared on page 10 of the October 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
