Bailea Elam | Staff Reporter

At the beginning of this semester, students began to take notice of the decrease in staff within the James G. Gee Library with loud comments made in the Bistro section about the unusual lack of authoritative presence in the building. A search of current and previous library staff directories showed nearly a decrease by half in names.

“During the Spring 2018 semester, four librarians retired and one librarian resigned to relocate to another area,” Lanée Dunlap, director of libraries for the A&M-Commerce campus, said when asked about the sudden change.

According to Dunlap, two of these staff members had spent decades as librarians, reportedly 27 and 40 years of service, while another staff member decided at the the end of the semester term to resign and relocate to another part of the US.

“While it has been a challenge, the change was also an opportunity to reorganize the department,” Dunlap said. “I applaud the entire library team for accepting additional responsibilities during this temporary transition.”

The librarian staff have certainly been faced with an adjustment, but each person has stepped up and provided service and time wherever needed. Departments that did not necessarily need certain positions have combined certain jobs in one staff member.

The library does have plans plans to refill those positions currently vacant within time. There will be notice for the positions posted within the coming week. In the meantime, the James G. Gee Library and its services will continue to be open to students.