News

Congratulations UTSA 2023-24 Adopt-a-Free-Textbook faculty grant winners
(JANUARY 17, 2024) — UTSA Libraries announces that seven Adopt-a-Free-Textbook grants have been awarded to 11 faculty members for the 2023-24 academic year for their commitment to adopting or creating free or Open Educational Resource (OER) textbooks as the primary instructional materials in their courses. These grants will result in substantial student savings, totaling $552,686 over the course of the grant period.

Apply for faculty grants that improve teaching and bolster student success
(DECEMBER 19, 2023) — UTSA Libraries is pleased to announce it will again offer faculty two grants, Faculty Teaching in the Archives (FTIA) and Adopt-a-Free Textbook, designed to enhance teaching and directly support the success of UTSA students. The application period is now open for UTSA faculty members interested in applying for one or both grants. The deadline for submitting applications for either grant is March 18.

Two Texas Universities Partner with Chef Adán Medrano for New Book Series on Texas Borderlands Cooking
Two prestigious universities in Texas, Texas Tech University and The University of Texas at San Antonio, are in final discussions with food author Adán Medrano to collaborate on a new book series on Texas Borderlands cooking. The series, with a planned announcement date of 2024, will be published by Texas Tech University Press and feature contributions from The University of Texas at San Antonio Library Special Collections.
UTSA Libraries opens 12 new study spaces at JPL
(NOVEMBER 27, 2023)
Just in time for finals, UTSA Libraries opened 12 new study rooms on the 4th floor of the John Peace Library. The study rooms each come equipped with a 50” monitor and whiteboards to assist with group study. A limited supply of HDMI cables to allow students to connect their laptops to the monitors can be checked out at the library’s 2nd-floor front desk.

Indigenous wisdom on the menu: UTSA lecturer explores the three sisters of Indigenous cuisine
(OCTOBER 5, 2023)
UTSA Libraries will host an informative lecture exploring the significance of milpa food in preserving indigenous culinary traditions. Featured speaker Lilliana Saldana, associate professor of UTSA’s Mexican American Studies program, will delve into the world of “Milpa Cuisine: The Vital Role of the Three Sisters – beans, corn and squash,” on Wednesday, October 25, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Assembly Center (4.04.22) of the John Peace Library.

Subject specialist librarians support faculty and student success
(SEPTEMBER 25, 2023)
With the beginning of a new semester, librarians are busy connecting with students and faculty to help with classwork and research. UTSA Libraries has 16 librarians who serve as subject specialists to over 60 academic departments and programs, including Academic Inquiry and Scholarship (AIS), the UTSA Writing Program, Entrepreneurship, and Data Science.

Female cooks and chefs lauded in UTSA Libraries’ 2023 Ven a Comer lineup
(September 7, 2023)
UTSA Libraries announces a newly expanded Ven a Comer celebration with the theme, “Mujeres.” This year’s celebration will commemorate and recognize the contributions of women throughout history who have sustained Mexican cooking traditions and inspired future generations of chefs. Ven a Comer 2023 will include several events to support UTSA’s Mexican Cookbook Collection.

New Restaurant Mixtli menu draws inspiration from UTSA Mexican Cookbook Collection
UTSA Libraries has teamed up with Restaurant Mixtli to showcase recipes from the UTSA Mexican Cookbook Collection, the nation’s most prominent and extensive collection of Mexican cookbooks.
Adán Medrano donates his archives to UTSA Special Collections
(July 31, 2023)
The UTSA Libraries Special Collections has received a donation of archival papers from San Antonio native and award-winning Mexican cookbook author and filmmaker Adán Medrano. He is known in the culinary world for coining the term "Texas Mexican," which he explains is the style of food he grew up eating. He says it’s “very strong in the grassroots community but totally lost in the status quo."

After nearly 50 years JPL still essential to student success
Today officially marks the 47th anniversary of the John Peace Library’s (JPL) opening to UTSA students and faculty. This milestone was recently highlighted by students from the College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) Digital Marketing Internship program, who chose to focus on the JPL and its impact on the university community for their 2023 Spring semester class project.
UTSA Libraries shares user satisfaction survey results
The UTSA Libraries recently administered LibQUAL+, a user satisfaction survey from the Association of Research Libraries to solicit, track, understand and act upon users' opinions on library facilities, collections and services. Through a four-week period from mid-March to mid-April, UTSA Libraries received 2,435 survey responses from the UTSA community. Overall, user satisfaction with the Libraries increased from 7.68 in 2019 to 7.73 in 2023.
