Library Update

Message from President Meservey

October 31, 2007

Dear Salem State College Student, Parent or Guardian,

No doubt you have heard recently---either from your son, daughter, family member, or through the news media---that Salem State has had to temporarily close its library. I am writing you today to explain the reasons behind my decision, to apprise you of steps the College has taken to meet students' needs in the interim, and to let you know what the future holds.

On October 15th, the state's Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) informed me of structural safety concerns in our 38-year-old building raised by an engineering consultant. Although the issues identified do not appear to pose any imminent risk, the College's top priority is the safety of our students and staff, as well as visitors to our campus. With that in mind, I made the decision to close the library until a fuller assessment could be made. We are now conducting a comprehensive assessment of the building and will receive final results in December of this year. At that time, a decision will be made about our ability to bring the building back into service. We are optimistic that we will be able to use the building following limited repairs.

In the interim, we are making every effort to accommodate student, staff and faculty needs without significant disruption. The campus community has come together in a remarkable demonstration of student-centered strategic thinking, evident in the many ways we are working together to provide library services while the building is closed.

Within days of this decision, all 59 classes scheduled in the library were relocated to alternate sites, a reference desk was set up and staffed in the Ellison Campus Center, interlibrary loan and circulation/reserves were operational and all planned library instruction sessions were held. In addition, the Learning Center staff was relocated to the Underground of the Campus Center where basic support services are available.

One area of particular concern to students has been the availability of computers for research. Computer lab hours have increased, and the computer science lab is now open to all students. Students are also being instructed how to access periodicals and journals online, and how to order necessary books online from other Massachusetts state colleges, universities, and academic libraries, and have them delivered to Salem State.

There is much work ahead of us as we assess the situation in the coming weeks, and at this point there remain unanswered questions. One area of immediate concern is the availability of adequate study space. We are opening Veteran's Memorial Hall in the Ellison Building as a designated quiet study space. This large room will be equipped with computer stations, tables for group/individual study and soft seating for reading and relaxing.

Updates on the library's status---and what we are doing to ameliorate the situation---are posted regularly on our website. Please bookmark the following, and check in on a regular basis to learn of our progress: http://www.salemstate.edu/libraryupdate/news/.

Please be confident that Salem State is continuing to provide your student all the resources he or she needs in the pursuit of his/her education. I thank you for both your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Patricia Maguire Meservey
President