BiblioBios: New Anschutz Operations Manager Morgan Smith enjoying the variety of opportunities

Each day is different at Anschutz Library and new Operations Manager, Morgan Smith, is ready to explore whatever the next moment brings.  

Smith, who began the new role in late April, manages circulation services and oversees access services staff and student employees at Anschutz. She also coordinates facilities projects to keep the library running smoothly, collaborating with a team of faculty, staff, and student employees.  

“I don't think any of my days are the same,” Smith said. “I like being able to come to work and not really knowing what's going to happen because then every day is a new adventure.”

Originally from Oak Ridge, Missouri, Smith attended Southeast Missouri State University, studying history and historic preservation following her “love of old buildings,” and discovering along the way that she enjoyed working in museums. She spent most of the past seven years working with various historical preservation and education organizations, mostly in collections departments.  

Smith moved to Lawrence five years ago when she came to KU as a graduate student in Museum Studies and worked at the Dole Institute of Politics as a student collections assistant. She finished the last semester of her master’s program remotely in the spring of 2020 after the pandemic began. Amidst the uncertainty and stresses of that time, Smith remembers being stuck in her small apartment and the joy of getting takeout breakfast for a picnic by Potter Lake when there were very limited options for activities and interactions with others.

After receiving her master’s degree, Smith worked at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City for two and a half years before coming back to KU to become Anschutz’s Operations Manager this spring. The position allows her to use traits and skills she acquired over the years working in museums, but with increased collaboration with a wide variety of people.

“There are a lot of similarities between libraries and museums because, at their core, they're about creating spaces for community and sharing knowledge,” Smith said. “Part of what I missed in my museums positions that I really value at KU Libraries is the opportunity to interact with so many different people who are just incredibly knowledgeable about a wide variety of things.”

One of Smith’s favorite parts of her job is the great conversations she has with KU faculty, staff, and students.  

“We have a really, really great team of student employees here and I think that is part of what makes the libraries a very fun place to work,” Smith said.

When she’s not working, Smith enjoys gardening, antiquing, and heritage arts such as hand embroidery, knitting, and crocheting. Downtown Lawrence has become a favorite spot, incorporating many of Smith’s interests.

“Give me a bookstore, an antique store, and a ball of yarn and I'm happy,” Smith said.  

Smith didn’t anticipate staying in Lawrence after her KU degree was complete but “fell in love” with the town and hasn’t looked back. 

“I love going to local bookstores, or stores that have a shop cat, and there are a lot of them,” said Smith, indicating several of her favorite felines associated with Lawrence businesses by name.

Smith added a furry friend of her own recently with a trip to Lawrence Humane Society. She adopted Valentine, a young tomcat with tuxedo markings, who also enjoys Smith’s hobbies involving thread and yarn, although not always in a way that is helpful to the project.

Smith isn’t perturbed when things get a little tangled -- another example of her appreciation for the twists and turns of every day that she brings to her new role at Anschutz.

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