Grossman Library Fully Booked

For the Staff at Grossman Library Student Queries
Often Extend Beyond the Academic Realm

Librarian Jim Gilligan and his staff: Peter Fraunholtz, Donna Dassoult, and Richard Thompson

Will you hold my baby while I use the photocopy machine?

"We're a full-service library," smiles director Jim Gilligan, explaining how the current Grossman Library, now in its 17th year, accommodates Harvard Extension School students.

The full-service concept characterizes modern business. Grocery stores sell greeting cards and cosmetics; restaurants peddle cookbooks and utensils; gas stations sell doughnuts; banks provide investment services; and supermarkets offer banking opportunities. One thought drives a full-service operation: "What else can I sell this person now that he is in my shop?"

At the Grossman Library, full service originates from the opposite direction. The student asks, "What else can I request of the library, now that I am here?"

I'd like to check on charter flights to Europe. And I want to leave next Tuesday. Can you tell me what's available?

As the only Division of Continuing Education facility routinely open after 5 pm, the library staff is regularly confronted with surprising requests. But these queries do not diminish Gilligan's enthusiasm for Extension students.

I felt sick and missed my class. What should I do about that?

Gilligan's respect for Extension students results from their energetic, cooperative ways. "They are wonderful, hard-working people," he observes. "No vandalism, no graffiti, no antisocial behavior. For instance, the library permits no food or drink, and students duly observe these rules. We have a dedicated population."

Please, I'd like to register for Introduction to Logic.

Before 1983, the Extension School library was less than full service. In a room on the second floor of Lehman Hall, open from 12 noon to 10 pm on weekdays, it included one shelf for reserve books, 30 seats for students, and access to a copy machine--if one ascended a flight of stairs into Dudley House. Moreover, Extension students did not have access to other Harvard libraries because the Extension library could not participate in inter-library loan.

Excuse me, but where are your forms for financial aid?

That original library, much like a small reading room, was transformed through the combined efforts of Dean Michael Shinagel and graduates of the Extension School, notably Edgar Grossman, ABE '66. Grossman and his wife, Shirley, who had supported the original library, named in their honor, also contributed to the funding of the new facility in Harvard Yard on the third floor of Sever Hall, a venerable classroom building and the oldest academic building in the eastern Yard.

I'm ready to take my make-up examination. Where do I go?

The new Grossman Library opened in 1983 with Harvard President Derek Bok speaking at the dedication ceremony. Little did President Bok know that the builders had finished their work less than 24 hours earlier, prompting Gilligan and his staff to arrive at dawn to prepare for the dedication. At the ceremony, visitors admired the library's compelling architectural style, both functional and aesthetic and in keeping with the Romanesque detail of Sever Hall.

This is the Coop bookstore, isn't it?

Gilligan is only the second Extension School librarian. In 1982, he succeeded John Gallen, who began at Harvard at age 17 and observed the construction of Widener Library during his lunch hours.

Gilligan, in his infrequent spare moments, ponders the problems of accommodating a student body of 13,000 to 14,000 people--making more than 35,000 visitations per year--with a staff of only three other people.

Help, help! My girlfriend is having a heart attack.

The three current staff members maintain a noteworthy loyalty to the library. Richard Thompson, Peter Fraunholtz, and Donna Dussault have a combined tenure of 21 years at Grossman Library. Moreover, they and their predecessors, employed during Gilligan's era, have maintained a similar allegiance to their own academic goals, earning 11 academic degrees and certificates, including a PhD.

It's late; it's dark; and I have absolutely no way of getting home. Will you lend me the carfare?

After its inauguration, Grossman Library became a full partner in the Harvard University library system, enabling Extension students to take advantage of the full range of Harvard library resources, including Hollis and inter-library loans. In the near future, the library will have its own website from which students will download materials--an extraordinary benefit for Extension students outside Cambridge, who will be able to complete assignments without coming to campus.

There was no one in the classroom when I went to my course. What's going on? I thought . . . Oh! Oh, so that's it . . . that course was offered last fall!

Facilities at the library include six computer terminals used for word processing and research on the Internet. A photocopy machine remains in perpetual operation; more than 300 instructors place course materials on reserve; and the parade of students into the area is endless.

May I use the library telephone?

"Is this request an emergency?"

Yes.

"Is it okay then if I call the Harvard police?"

Oh, no. Let's not bother. I just wanted to meet a friend for coffee after class.