By Lily Natter and Megan Sherry
The early iterations of the IU libraries were very different from the ones we now know. For many years following the library’s establishment in 1829, it was only open for limited hours on Saturday mornings and provided no areas to sit and read or work. Most students only stayed long enough in the library to return a book and check out a new one. Books were shelved alphabetically, students could not browse the stacks, and there was a fee for checking out items.
Three library fires, three classification systems, and over 150 years later, the IU Library system now boasts seven major libraries—the Herman B Wells Library, Business/School of Public and Environmental Affairs Library, Cook Music Library, Education Library, Lilly Library, Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library, and Sciences Library—along with several other repositories, such as the Archives of Traditional Music, Moving Image Archive, University Archives, and Wylie House Museum. There are also 12 smaller libraries on campus, not including residence hall libraries, which are not under the umbrella of IU Libraries. This includes libraries in the LGBTQ+ Center, La Casa, and the Kinsey Institute.
The libraries we know today offer spaces for reading and studying, reference and research assistance, technological troubleshooting and equipment, thousands of digital resources, and extensive materials beyond the traditional book and print formats. With over 11.5 million cataloged items and access to 1,871 databases, IU Libraries takes up plenty of space, both physically and digitally. Anna Marie Johnson is the Associate Dean for Research and Learning Services, a role in which she oversees how five different libraries function as public service institutions. Her position requires her to constantly evaluate and justify how space is used in libraries, especially with the trend towards digitization. As the amount of material available online increases, the most efficient and effective ways to use physical space are changing.
Leanne Nay, Creative Technologies Librarian, Associate Librarian, and Interim Head of the Scholars’ Commons, is developing one creative use of space: the Wells Library Makerspace. The Makerspace allows students to reserve or check out a variety of technological equipment, such as cameras, 3-D printers, and even a button maker. The popularity of makerspaces has exploded in libraries in the last ten years as a response to patrons’ desire for a more diverse selection of services. This feedback about desired services, Leanne emphasizes, is central to the purpose and function of the Wells Makerspace. Since makerspaces focus on physical needs like materials and tools, as well as being a space to foster creativity and ideas, Leanne has grown the Wells Library Makerspace from a mobile unit that temporarily occupied study rooms to a permanent area within Wells—which will be transitioning to a larger room in the coming year.
Another unique area in Wells is the Moving Image Archive, just downstairs from the Makerspace. With film-viewing stations, preservation and digitization equipment, and a screening room with a variety of machinery, the Archive is a prime example of specialized space in a library. Here, Madeline Webb-Mitchell, Media Archivist, works with visitors to help them find and access filmed material that is outside of the “Hollywood canon.” She is also part of their main ongoing mission to make their unique collections—such as old instructional films from the former Extension Division—accessible online, a process that requires many intense hours of preservation and digitation. Additionally, the Moving Image Archive hosts events like “YOU (probably) HAVEN’T SEEN THIS BEFORE” (YPHSTB), which showcases films from and about historically marginalized voices to challenge the viewers’ idea of “cinema.”
Of course, not all library space is valuable just because it can house special equipment. The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library (NMBCCL) and its sole librarian, DeLoice Holliday (Multicultural Outreach Librarian, Head of NMBCCL and Collection Manager for African American and African Diaspora Studies, Associate Librarian, and Diversity Liaison for ILS Admissions and Alumni Relations) host many programs per semester where people can meet, learn together, and build community. One of their recent events, “Books ‘N Brunch,” invited students for a book club-type gathering to discuss Mother Country by former IU faculty member Jacinda Townsend. Another event, “Black Lit,” is an annual celebration of literature by Black authors, with selections read by students, faculty, staff, and community members. These types of events set the Black Culture Center apart, as other IU libraries are often unable to host programming that invites the greater community to interact with their collections.
Beyond the physical community space it provides, DeLoice notes that the NMBCCL also stands out because not all culture centers have their own library. Its collection of material related to Black culture and its relation and interaction with American culture sets it apart from other university collections and has impacts beyond IU. For example, her position, resources, and experience have enabled DeLoice to contribute to the third edition of Handbook of Black Librarianship, which discusses the history of Black librarians, the prevalent issues Black librarians face, and how technological developments have impacted the field.
Neighboring the NMBCCL, the Lilly Library, IU’s rare books and special collections library, is also known for its impressive collection that extends well beyond books to include Oscars, artwork, and even hair. Erin Chiparo, the Silver-Norman Curator of Dermatology, General Medicine, and Science and Assistant Librarian at the Lilly, works with materials related to dermatology and medicine, which involves many medical logs, publications, and diagrams. She describes her work as “a very human thing.”
The content of these collections is compelling; some of the patient portraits may be the only images of them that exist. Humanistic connections, such as portraiture, are how Erin’s love of storytelling is integrated into her role as a librarian and curator. From exhibitions and special collections to book recommendations and patron interactions, stories and narratives are being shared everywhere, every day.
Just down the road from the Lilly, the Cook Music Library relates these narratives in several different formats. While the scores, recordings, and music education materials are excellent resources for the students and faculty at the Jacobs School of Music, the library also supports students with a music librarianship specialization. Very few MLS programs in the country have this specialization, as it requires a very specific skill set. Most music librarians have advanced degrees in both library science and something music-related, such as musicology, music history, or music composition. To help students and faculty find repertoire in multiple languages, under varying names, and in different manifestations, familiarity with the material is of the utmost importance. The music librarians at IU take the mentorship of music librarianship students very seriously; the library provides part-time job experience, internships, and opportunities to lead teaching and outreach sessions.
Though the music library offered students a basic library instruction program before 2016, the program has expanded and grown robust under Misti Shaw, the Associate Director of Access and Learning at the Cook Music Library. When she came to IU, Misti recognized a need for more consistent and in-depth outreach sessions to teach music students how to use the library to access their music and other resources. “Every librarian is here to support student learning,” she says. “Student learning is at the heart of what we do.” Like many other librarians, face-to-face interaction with people is Misti’s favorite part of the job, so much so that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she began to question whether she could continue being a librarian in an atmosphere of limited personal interaction with students and faculty. The love of working with people, especially students, is a sentiment echoed by all the librarians interviewed across campus, regardless of job title. Even Anna Marie, who has a variety of duties as an Associate Dean, ensures that she is scheduled at the reference desk for at least one hour per week because she is unwilling to give up that time with students.
Madeline Webb-Mitchell, Media Archivist, credits her interactions with specialized librarians during her time as an MLS student at IU with shaping her current career. When a class exposed her to IU’s film archives, she became fascinated by the history that had been recorded and immediately got involved with the Moving Image Archive. Largely because of her own positive experience, Madeline mourns the loss of student workers in the MIA and the rare experiences that would be available to them. With staff and budget cuts, it has been impossible for the MIA to support students interested in media archives in the same way that they could when she was a student. Still, Madeline seizes every opportunity she can to introduce others to the specialty through classes and guest lectures. In fact, it’s one of her favorite parts of her flipped role from student to mentor: “I took over the part that lit the spark in me. I was that student.”
Of course, not all interactions change the course of someone’s career and their path through life. Most of the time, they’re answering questions or having a conversation. Leanne emphasizes that these exchanges are not only often the most enjoyable part of the job, but also the most necessary. “When we’re doing our best work,” she explains, “we’re listening to what our patrons want and what our students want.” Patrons shape the direction, ambitions, and collections of their library; it belongs to them. Whatever new information resources are surfacing, the library is always a place where they can be implemented and taught to be used effectively. Technological advancements, open access, and different types of AI resources don’t negate the need for libraries and their different spaces. Instead, they’re a part of how libraries will evolve to serve their community. Anna Marie, Associate Dean, emphasizes that this constant progress is essential and exciting: “What I love the most is having a vision for what libraries could be and then working towards establishing that vision.”
It can be hard to predict how libraries will look in the future. Limited access to a single room of books in 1829 is a far cry from the multitude of buildings, millions of resources, and abundance of technology at our fingertips in 2025. Changes are inevitable, but the library will always be necessary to provide access to knowledge and assistance with understanding it. “I can’t envision a world without libraries,” says DeLoice, Head of the NMBCCL. “They may evolve, but we will always need them.”
Which Library Resource Do You Wish More People Knew About?
You can access news services like the New York Times with your IU login.
Leanne Nay
Come get advice or help with preserving personal media or home videos.
Madeline Webb-Mitchell
Check out the HistoryMakers Digital Archive, the largest African American video oral history collection.
DeLoice Holliday
IU provides access to online media collections that you usually need a subscription for; the MET Opera is a popular one!
Misiti Shaw
The Education Library has embraced the idea of “library as lab” and created a mock classroom where students can practice teaching and leading activities.
Anna Marie Johnson
The Lilly holds many smaller, personal collections, such as diaries or logbooks, that haven’t been extensively researched.
Erin Chiparo