UTSA Libraries

Strategic Plan & Vision

The UTSA Libraries' Strategic Plan supports and reflects the initiatives outlined in UTSA 2016: A Shared Vision.

A Focus on Access

As the intellectual heart of campus, UTSA’s Libraries play a pivotal role in the institution’s ascent to national research university status. State legislation specifies membership in the prestigious Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is among the criteria for Tier One research status. In 2006 ARL adopted a new method for assessing its membership that accentuates services, campus integration, institutional support and access to resources over collection size. Taking advantage of this evolving landscape, UTSA Libraries take an activist approach to emphasizing access over collections, and to building an advanced discovery environment that teaches students how to access, organize, evaluate and incorporate information into independent intellectual thought. Recognizing that many students rely heavily on the Internet as the starting point for their research, the libraries’ digital and physical collections are cohesively presented online, creating a virtual environment that is user-centered and intuitive.

Advancing the Quality of Education and Scholarship

An advanced library with a comprehensive program of services is essential to UTSA’s continued growth and success. The UTSA Libraries enthusiastically advocate for the development of students’ information literacy skills, partnering with faculty to ensure they receive instruction in library research methods, whether online or in-person. Collaborative relationships with the Writing Center and tutoring and supplemental instruction units of the Tomás Rivera Center for Student Success effectively create a one-stop shop for student learning engagement, supporting the university’s retention plan. The inclusion of the Teaching and Learning Center within the library’s organizational structure further enhances the ability of librarians to partner with faculty.

Strategically Developed Research-Oriented Collections

UTSA’s Libraries serve the greater scholarly community by developing distinctive collections of national interest. These signature collections draw from the academic and research needs of the university, supporting the university’s predicted areas of growth. The collections intentionally avoid overlap with those held by other area institutions, thus making unique contributions to the aggregation of research resources available in North America. Areas of specialization build on existing collections on Women and Gender, HemisFair ’68, and the Mexican American Archives project. UTSA’s academic areas with the greatest potential for special collection development and support include architecture, engineering, public policy, business and environment/sustainability.

Physical Spaces that Foster Learning

Key to fulfilling our role as the intellectual heart of campus is the careful stewardship of our spaces to ensure they meet the needs of a contemporary academic community. Due to the increased availability of electronic information, spaces within the library that once served as a storehouse for books now provide state-of-the-art services to support faculty and students. Physical collections are weeded to eliminate underutilized and redundant materials, thereby expanding space for student and faculty engagement. New library spaces are created to fulfill point-of-need study areas and targeted information services. Library spaces are flexible, functional and support the growing emphasis on collaborative learning experiences and interdisciplinary scholarship.

UTSA Libraries' Strategic Plan