MHS News

Changes in Store for Library Reader Services

Visitors to our reading room, and especially those who depend on our Library Reader Services (LRS) staff, will notice some significant changes at the beginning of 2011, when the department will be restructured in order to create better access to the collections, improve services for our researchers, and increase the visibility of our exhibitions and other public outreach efforts. The new LRS arrangement will allow MHS Curator of Art Anne E. Bentley and Stephen T. Riley Librarian Peter Drummey to shift their energies-and seasoned talents-from frontline reader services to exhibition and public outreach as part of the Society's strategic effort to attract a wider audience. One of our colleagues in LRS, Assistant Reference Librarian Jeremy Dibbell, has chosen the new year as his opportunity to further his career with a new position at LibraryThing, a cataloging and social networking site for book enthusiasts. As part of the new configuration, MHS Reference Librarian Elaine Grublin will become Head of Reader Services, a newly minted position. In this role, she will take over the day-to-day supervision of the department, and she will continue to be the first point of contact for researchers planning to visit the Society as well as for those who query the library by telephone and e-mail.