Director of Library Services Becca Pac and Reference & Instruction Librarian Gretta Cox-Gorton are the talented team behind Anna Maria College’s Mondor-Eagen Library.
Together their goal is to connect students with the resources and research they need to complete their schoolwork all while making the library an inviting place that overturns the notion of a quiet and strict library.
Every student, faculty, and staff member associated with Anna Maria College is eligible for a library card which gives them access to the 55,000 items in the library along with access to databases and interlibrary loan services which give users access to books in libraries throughout the country. Besides books and online resources, students can even borrow laptops for a week and ask the librarian for research assistance and help writing citations.
Becca’s goal is to make the library a one-stop shop where students can access all the learning tools they need in a comfortable and supportive atmosphere.
Becca has always had a passion for books, but her career started as a library assistant at Bryant University before joining Anna Maria College in 2018. She began as a reference librarian before being promoted to her current position as Director.
“We want to talk to talk to students and we want to help. It’s not just our job to like to be here, it makes our days a lot more interesting, and it is what we love to do,” Becca said about assisting patrons with their projects, “Being a librarian comprises a lot of different skills and one of those things is customer service and interacting with people.”
Gretta is the most recent addition to the library team after only starting a few months ago. A history graduate from Clark University, Gretta is a self-described book centric individual who previously worked at the Worcester Public Library and the American Antiquarian Society.
Becca and Gretta want the library to be respectful to those who study but encourage students to feel comfortable in the study space and not hesitate to ask for help.
“Library anxiety is real, especially in academia,” Gretta explained, “In academic libraries sometimes students think they need to be very serious or uptight. That’s a general misconception that is not totally true.”
Becca and Gretta are making the library more engaging through fun projects like creating stickers for students’ water bottles, showing up in classrooms to give research tutorials with themed gift bags, and even showcasing published works by faculty and students.
Together these energetic, book loving professionals are finding new and fun ways to make Mondor-Eagen Library accessible to all.
