THE MICHAEL ALEX MOSSEY LIBRARY supports the learning, teaching, and research activities of Hillsdale College students, faculty, and staff with collections, services, and study space. The main section of the 43,000-square-foot building opened in 1971, and the Leighton/Taylor Wing was added in 1994. An addition on the north quad is expected to open in 2027.
Collections include over 300,000 items in open stacks, most of which are available for circulation, and numerous special collections, including the College’s archives. The library’s Richardson Heritage Room, with volumes of importance to Western heritage and displays from collections such as the Carus Coin Collection, is available for regular use by students for quiet study. Computers, wi-fi, printing, and group and individual study spaces for approximately 400 students are currently available. The library provides access to an extensive collection of electronic books, journals, musical scores, and recordings, and maintains subscriptions to essential scholarly research databases. Information about all of the library’s electronic and circulating collections, and processed special collections, is available in the library’s online catalog.
Access to collections at other libraries is provided to all faculty, staff, and students via interlibrary loan, and the College is an active participant in the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat) statewide resource-sharing program. Hillsdale College faculty, staff, and students have remote access to all of the library’s electronic holdings via the OpenAthens authentication system. Assistance in using the collections and services is readily available from six professional librarians, seven library technicians, and more than 50 student assistants, all dedicated to helping students, faculty, staff, and other library users access the information they need in their work of fulfilling the College’s mission.