Invitation to Participate: Service Point Staffing in Arts Libraries

November 24, 2025

Hello,

Service Point Staffing in Arts Libraries is a research study on current staffing models of service points in arts libraries in the United States and Canada, including branch characteristics, staffing levels, and services provided, for which we are gathering data. Our purpose is to examine the prevalence of arts-specific service points in libraries and their commonalities and differences in organizational practices, features, and services. Please note that while this data is anonymous, the data will be shared or published at the Music Library Association meeting in February 2026 and possibly in additional future publications or conference presentations.

You will be asked to answer questions regarding these practices at your institution. Your participation is voluntary and your responses are anonymous. The survey consists of up to 22 questions and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete depending on your responses.

Survey link: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FFCJalCmSSvr3U

The survey will be open through December 22, 2025.

If you have any questions please contact Laura Thompson at thom2552@msu.edu.

Please feel free to forward this to others who may be able to provide additional responses.

Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey!

Sincerely,

Research and Access Services Subcommittee Members, Music Library Association

Principal investigator:

Laura Thompson
Music Librarian, Michigan State University
thom2552@msu.edu

Co-researchers:

Lisa Read
Music Librarian, Princeton University
lisaread@princeton.edu

Bonnie Finn
Arts, Humanities, and Digital Humanities Librarian, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
bfinn001@csbsju.edu

David Haskins
Music Librarian, University of British Columbia
david.haskins@ubc.ca