About the Library
The Millsaps-Wilson Library is a critical component to student success at Millsaps College, offering more than 35,000 square feet of study space, media rooms and more. It has grown over the years, expanding from its original 1926 space through renovations and additions in 1955 and 1971.
Professional staff are on hand to help you access everything you need and show you how to conduct research beyond a Google search bar. They will help you tap into:
- More than 200,000 volumes on our shelves
- Over 200 print journal subscriptions
- 57,000 electronic journals
- Over 80 databases
- Audiovisual materials, facilities and equipment in our Digital Media Lab
- Computers throughout the building
And there’s more.
The Millsaps-Wilson Library is also home to special collections of rare and important books:
- Eudora Welty Collection
- Lehman Engels Performing Arts Collection
- Archives of The United Methodist Church in Mississippi
- Kellogg Collection of Children’s Literature
- Paul Ramsey Collection in Applied Ethics
- Harmon L. Smith Collection in Biomedical Ethics
- King R. Johnson Collection in Military History
- Millsaps College Archives
- Rare Book Room (including a 1583 edition of the Bible and Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Historie of the World, in Five Books,” published in 1666)
The library maintains agreements with libraries on the local and national level for sharing of resources through Interlibrary Loan. The library is a member of LYRASIS, the OCLC network, the Associated Colleges of the South, Central Mississippi Library Council and other organizations.
Library FAQs
How long may I check out items?
Students
- Loan Period: 30 days plus a 1-week grace period
- 25-book maximum
Faculty
- Loan Period: 90 days
- 50-book maximum
Staff
- Loan Period: 30 days
- 25-book maximum
What are the fines if I turn an item in late?
The library eliminated fines for late items in Fall 2019. When an item is very overdue, a replacement fee is assessed instead of a fine. We encourage library users to return items on time to avoid replacement fees. Returning items on time helps all library users have access to important resources they need.
Notices are sent via email.
Late Interlibrary Loan items are $1.00 per day, per book. It is important to return interlibrary Loan items before the due date because these items belong to other libraries.
How do I renew my items?
Books may be renewed two times unless requested by another user.
Renew your library items by visiting this link:
https://millsaps.on.worldcat.org/myaccount
Interlibrary Loan books may be renewed by emailing [email protected].
Please request ILL renewables before the due date.
Who may use the Millsaps-Wilson Library?
The Millsaps-Wilson Library is maintained by and for constituents of the college. In order to use the library’s resources, you must carry a valid Millsaps I.D. card or a special Library Borrowing Card. Current students, faculty and staff are the library’s primary users. Special provisions are made for alumni, Methodist ministers of the Mississippi Conference and emeritus faculty. Courtesy Cards are available to individuals over 18 years of age for a fee. The library also honors InfoPass referrals from other local libraries, and scholars from distant institutions may use the library for limited periods if they bring a letter of referral from their academic librarian on letterhead stationary.
Users of the Methodist and College Archives should make an appointment to gain access.
The library serves the general public through Interlibrary Lending arrangements with public and academic libraries.
Questions or comments regarding access policy should be addressed to the College Librarian, Wyatt Winnie.
May I use a cellphone in the library?
You may use your cellphone as long as you don’t disturb others.
Please turn cellphone ringers off or set to vibrate as you enter the library.
If you have an emergency, cellphones may be used, with discretion, in the main staircase landing in the east side of the building.
Do not make or take calls in the common study areas.
Do not make or take calls in the computer lab areas.
Library Location
The Millsaps-Wilson Library is located near the Millsaps Bell Tower on the east end of the campus, between the Academic Complex building and the sorority houses.
On the Campus Map, it is building number 23.
Driving Directions
From I-55:
Take Woodrow Wilson Exit #98A to the second light. Turn left on North State Street. Go up the hill and past the first light to the circular drive; turn right to enter campus. Park in the circular driveway. The library is on the left side of the circular driveway when facing the clock tower.
Millsaps-Wilson Library Mission Statement
Adopted November 1980 – Revised May 23, 2000
The Millsaps-Wilson Library is dedicated to the educational program of Millsaps College as described in the Millsaps Purpose. The library is charged with the responsibility of helping to implement the aims of the institution by motivating student and faculty interest in the library for research, information, study and general intellectual development through its resources. To this end, the library must acquire and make available to students and faculty a comprehensive and useful range of core and research resources that are needed for learning in a liberal arts environment that includes limited professional and pre-professional training. This responsibility implies the inherent charge to motivate students to explore independent intellectual pursuits. While emphasis is placed on the library as a learning resources center for the campus, it is open to the local community and other institutions through interlibrary lending and cooperative efforts. The library is administered as an integral part of the academic program, and every effort is made to coordinate its activities with the instructional areas of the college.
Staff
Overall concern for and nourishment of a healthy library is a responsibility shared by the faculty and the other campus constituencies; however, immediate responsibility for the direction of the library and its coordination with other college programs rests with a staff of professional librarians, support personnel and student assistants whose functions range from the managerial and curatorial to the promotional and instructional.
Collections and Resources
The materials collection of the library is a continuing joint responsibility of the library staff and the faculty. The objective of the collection is directly to support specific requirements of the curriculum, to provide suitable interdisciplinary materials in a wide variety of formats and through various print and electronic services for the general informational needs of an enlightened college community, including undergraduate and graduate students and, on a more limited scale, to provide research resources for faculty.
Facilities
It is the aim of the library to provide one centralized facility to serve all the Millsaps community. The goal of the facility is to provide the environment required for effective use of library materials in an arrangement that is as efficient and comfortable as possible. The hours of operation of this facility are intended to approach maximum availability with adequate assistance, given available resources.
Library Instruction
An obligation of the library is instruction in the use of library materials and services on both formal and informal levels. This must be accomplished in everyday contacts and in coordinated efforts with academic departments of the college. The development of a certain independence in the use of library resources is seen as essential to an educated individual, and the library is dedicated to an assertive program of library instruction as an integral element in the curriculum.
Cooperative Arrangements
In view of the necessity and practicality of resource-sharing between libraries of all types, the Millsaps library actively seeks mutually beneficial cooperative arrangements with other libraries. These arrangements should enhance the resources available to Millsaps personnel and provide unique Millsaps holdings for other persons as well. The library acknowledges the responsibility to foster education generally, both to Millsaps students and to persons not affiliated with the college.
Intellectual Freedom
Toward the achievement of the goals outlined in this statement, the library makes a special acknowledgment of its commitment to the ideal of intellectual freedom and free access to information. The Millsaps-Wilson Library should in all respects adhere to the rights of intellectual inquiry and unrestricted access to ideas. Viewed as a forum for ideas, the library should in its materials and services seek balance and objectivity in its handling of controversial subjects. The library will resist any efforts that would abridge the basic freedom to learn.