By Jeremy Dibbell

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting occasional pieces designed to introduce the various departments responsible for the wide range of activities that go on at 1154 Boylston Street. I thought it only fair to begin with my own department, since we in Reader Services are the folks you’re most likely to see when you come in to use the library. We’re the ones who staff the reception desk, the reading room and the reference desk, and who answer your reference questions by email, phone, or letter (yes, we still get a few). We’re responsible for retrieving and returning the materials our readers ask to see every day, and for enforcing the library’s policies and procedures. Reader Services staff also manage rights and reproduction requests submitted by authors, filmmakers and others who wish to cite material or use an image from our collections; coordinate incoming and outgoing loans; and curate the Society’s public exhibits.

Reader Services staff members include:

Peter Drummey, Stephen T. Riley Librarian
Anne Bentley, Curator of Art
Elaine Grublin, Reference Librarian
Tracy Potter & Jeremy Dibbell, Assistant Reference Librarians
Heather Merrill, Sara Georgini, Caitlin Corless, Anna Cook, & Rakashi Chand, Library Assistants

We also are frequently joined by an intern or two from the archives program at Simmons College. Our most recent, Jocelyn Gould and Daniel Hinchen, have just finished their semester with us.

If you have a general question for our department, or if you need to reach any one of us, you can find our complete contact information here.