2.9: The institution, through ownership or formal arrangements or agreements, provides and supports student and faculty access and user privileges to adequate library collections as well as to other learning/information resources consistent with the degrees offered. These collections and resources are sufficient to support all its educational, research and public service programs.  Narrative:  The University of Texas (UT) at Arlington provides adequate library collections and resources to support all educational, research and public service programs. In support of the University’s mission [1] of the advancement of knowledge and the pursuit of excellence, the mission of The UT Arlington Library [2] is to provide user-focused, high-quality services and information to promote learning, foster research and enhance the educational experience of the University community and the public at large.     UT Arlington Library:  As a physical entity the Library is comprised of a Central Library [3], two branch libraries (Architecture and Fine Arts Library [AFA, 4]; Science and Engineering Library [SEL, 5]) and four satellite libraries (Electronic Business Library [EBL, 6]; Social Work Electronic Library [7]; UT Arlington at Riverbend [8] and UT Arlington at Santa Fe Station, which will open in spring 2007). These facilities offer access to a diverse collection of print, microform, media and electronic information resources developed to enhance student learning and support faculty research. The Library’s increasing number of electronic resources enables access to a variety of electronic monographs, full text journals and databases for the University community and is accessible in the Library, University facilities and off campus.     Library holdings 2003 -2005:  Format FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 Books, serials and other paper materials 1,118,702 1,135,943 1,144,133 Microforms 1,472,603 1,477,989 1,474,971 Audiovisual materials 5,564 8,784 9,700 Serial subscriptions (Print) 3,877 4,429 4,039 Serial subscriptions (Electronic) 27,461 32,319 33,398 Serial subscriptions (Document) 12,100 11,624 12,816 The Collections:  The Central Library [3] is the largest library facility, with 201,040 gross square feet (six floors and a basement). The Central Library is centrally located on campus and houses the majority of the Library’s collections, including print information for all academic subject areas except those found in the AFA [4] and SEL [5] and is open 142 hours a week, including 24-hour access, five days a week. During the week, from midnight to 7:00 am, the facility is open to students, faculty and staff. Circulation services and basic information are available all hours the facility is open. Reference service is available on site most days from 8:00 am until 3:00 am the next morning.    Print reference materials are located on the second floor of the Central Library, near the main service desk. These resources include general encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks and directories, as well as specialized reference resources in the allied health sciences, business, liberal arts and social sciences disciplines. Other specialized collections of materials are also located on the second floor and are serviced by the main service desk. The Library selectively acquires and catalogs current publications offered through the Federal Depository Library Program [9] and maintains a collection of older documents to support academic research. Electronic federal information available through the Internet is provided by links in the Library’s online catalog and is also identified on appropriate subject pages on the Library’s website. A collection of legal reference materials relating to the state of Texas, the federal government and some areas of business and administrative law have been shelved together creating a concise law collection. [10] Major federal court reporters, selected books of legal forms, legal dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes and directories are also included. Under an arrangement with the Tarrant County Law Library, current titles of practitioner interest are also housed with this collection. These materials compliment the coverage of federal statutes and regulations in the Federal Depository Document Collection, which is in close proximity. [9] The second floor of the Central Library also houses atlases and folded and sheet maps from the Federal Depository Library Program, [9] as well as commercial publishers.   Topographic, thematic, city, road and state maps are included, as well as world, national, state, political, commercial, linguistic, cultural and historical atlases. [11] The microforms collection is also located on the second floor, with the reading/printing equipment needed for easy access. [12] This extensive collection includes individual catalogued titles, large indexed microform sets, as well as microforms received as a part of the Federal Depository Library Program. The Multicultural Collection contains circulating and reference monographs, periodicals and newspapers relating to the four major ethnic minorities found in the Southwest: African-, Asian-, Hispanic- and Native-Americans. Works in the collection focus on the cultural contributions of the four major ethnic minorities, placing an emphasis on their contemporary issues. The collection geographically concentrates on Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. [13] The Reading Resources Room (RRR) contains three collections supporting the College of Education curriculum. The children’s literature collection is composed of monographs for children and youth in all subject areas and includes Caldecott, Newbery and Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning titles. The textbook collection selectively includes textbooks currently approved for use in Texas schools. Selection is based on those subjects commonly taught throughout the state and those subjects for which the UT Arlington College of Education offers teaching certification. The RRR also contains a selection of supplemental and supporting material representative of curriculum guides used in Texas schools, thereby supporting teacher certification at UT Arlington. [14] The Library also provide a Popular Reading Collection [15], consisting of 1200 recently published popular fiction and non-fiction titles leased through the Brodart McNaughton plan. [16] New titles are added and rotated each month in this leasing plan, providing recreational reading for the campus community. The majority of the Library’s general print collection is located on floors three, four and five of the Central Library. The UT Arlington Library’s Special Collections is located on the sixth floor of the Central Library. The services and resources are available Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm on Mondays. [17] Special Collections contains Mexican War Material, the Jenkins Garrett Library of Texana and the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library. Specializing in historical materials relating to Texas, the Mexican War of 1846-1848, the cartographic history of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico from 1810-1920, Special Collections also includes archives relating to UT Arlington’s history since 1895 and the history of organized labor in Texas and the Southwest. The program area also holds archives and newspapers of Yucatan, colonial archives of Honduras and collections relating to the political history of Texas. As a member of the Texas State Library’s Regional Historical Resource Depository (RHRD), Special Collections holds county records on microfilm for specific Texas counties.  Microform holdings also include city directories for most large Texas cities, historical newspapers and journals and other Texas history resources. Special Collections’ historical photograph and negative collection includes approximately 4 million images of Texas dating from the 19th through most of the 20th century. As of January 2006, Special Collections included 47,742 books and newspapers, 233 videos, 1010 graphics, 439 pieces of sheet music, over 5,000 historical maps and 1,484 manuscript and archival collections, totaling 9,313 linear feet.  Branch libraries provide subject expertise with materials in all formats within the learning environments of the curriculum areas they support. The AFA is located in room 104 of the Architecture Building, near the Fine Arts and Music Buildings, and supports the School of Architecture and the College of Liberal Arts programs of Art and Music by offering resources supporting teaching, learning and research in art, art history, architecture, film/video studies, graphic design, interior design, landscape design, music and photography. The library collections include monographs, periodicals, maps, portfolios, music scores and rare books. Media holdings include motion pictures and programs in VHS and DVD, and compact disc music recordings. The library contains an historical music collection of over 8,000 long-playing vinyl recordings and serves as the archives for The UT Arlington Music Department concerts. The AFA is open 88 hours per week. [4]  The SEL is located in room B03 of Nedderman Hall, a classroom building which is the location of the College of Engineering. In support of the Colleges of Science and Engineering, this branch library provides materials concentrating in math, physics, biology, chemistry, engineering and nanotechnology. The physical materials include monographs with imprint dates beginning with 1991 and bound periodicals issued since 1996. Monographs in computer science with imprint dates beginning with 2000 are also included in this collection. Older materials in these subject areas are housed in either the Central Library or the Library Collections Depository. The SEL is open 96 per week. [5] The satellite electronic libraries were developed to bring library assistance and access to electronic resources directly into classroom buildings for faculty and students. The EBL, located in room 136 of the Business Building, provides online access directly for students in the College of Business Administration. [6] EBL provides access to specialized resources such as Compustat, Datastream and GIS software. Business librarians and staff are available on site Monday through Friday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and by appointment.    The Social Work Electronic Library, located in room 111 of Building A in the School of Social Work Complex, is staffed by a social sciences librarian, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and by appointment. [7] This library facility also provides student access to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).  The electronic library at UT Arlington Riverbend is located in room 302 in the Main Building. A library staff member is available Wednesday and Thursday, 3:00 pm through 7:00 pm and Saturday, 9:00 am through 1:00 pm. Hours of availability are closely aligned with class schedules. [8]  As of spring 2006, the library facility at the newly announced UT Arlington at Santa Fe Station is in development. Staffing and hours of availability are anticipated to be similar to UT Arlington at Riverbend Park.  An on-campus, 15,000 square foot Library Collections Depository (LCD) has been constructed on the University campus to enable improved development of library facility spaces and is expected to house up to 460,000 volumes and over 8,000 archival manuscript boxes. As of March 2006, 89,000 volumes and 2,300 archival boxes are housed in the facility. Materials from the LCD may be retrieved in 24 hours or less, Monday through Friday. The LCD complements the remote storage of 48,000 volumes in the Library Storage Facility on the J. J. Pickle Research Campus at UT at Austin. These titles may be retrieved within 48 hours, as these facilities provide secure housing for infrequently used materials important to the Library’s collections.    Library Instruction: The Library’s instruction efforts include specialized approaches for entering students and lower-level undergraduates, upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and instruction specifically tailored for individual courses. In addition, the Library provides instruction for individual and distance education students.   The Library’s instruction efforts are handled primarily by four areas: (a) Information Literacy (IL), [18] (b) Information Services (IS), [19] (c) Architecture and Fine Arts (AFA) [4] and (d) Science and Engineering (SEL). [5] While IL, IS, AFA, and SEL librarians carry most of the instruction load, Special Collections’ librarians and archivists also conduct sessions focused on historical resources held in the department and their use. Special Collections has a staff of 9.5, with six professional staff members responsible for specialized instruction sessions. [17]       IL. IL has six staff members, four of whom are librarians. The program area is responsible for literacy and instruction sessions aimed at entering first-year students and first-year and sophomore-level classes. [18]  IS. IS has 21 staff members, ten of whom are librarians. Eight IS librarians are subject specialists who have liaison responsibilities with faculty and instruction responsibilities for upper-level undergraduate, master’s and doctoral classes in the disciplines served by the Central Library (all academic subject areas except those services by the AFA Library and the SE Library). [19]   AFA. AFA includes five staff members, two of whom are librarians with subject and instruction responsibilities for art, music, theater, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and public affairs. [4]  SEL. SEL has nine staff members, with three being librarians who provide instruction services for upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes in various sciences and engineering disciplines. [5]  Those students and faculty requiring advanced research assistance and/or instruction are referred to librarians with subject specialties or staff with technical expertise, as appropriate.      Student Orientation:   The Library seeks opportunities to make the University community aware of its services and resources. Initial contact with faculty, staff and students begins with an orientation to the campus community. The Library participates in the Maverick Orientation, Advising and Registration (MOAR) program, which is mandatory for all entering first-year students. During this orientation the students are advised of library services and resources and are provided with library information in their take-home materials. [20]  Student Success Programs: The Library’s IL Coordinator is a member of the College Learning Team, an administrative committee consisting of representatives from UT Arlington student support programs. This membership ensures the Library’s inclusion in student success programs, such as: (a) MavScholars, (b) Gateway Advantage, (c) McNair Scholars and (d) Residential Learning Communities. These programs often include specialized research instruction sessions by subject librarians. The Library is included as a resource on the Student Success Programs website, with a direct link to reference and online assistance at the Library’s website. [21]  Library instruction is integrated into the curriculum for several classes within Student Success programs, such as Education 1302, which is required in the Gateway Advantage Program, and other first-year courses, including English 1301 and 1302. The first lab assignment for Biology 1441 is focused on library resources. This assignment is given after librarians conduct IL sessions on the biology resources available in the Library. Subject librarians [22] also work with the Freshman Interest Groups, focusing on specific topics and disciplines in the University’s residential communities, and with the Honors College to provide specialized research instruction.       The Library are represented at Graduate Preview Days, [23] a forum to answer questions about resources and the availability of services for graduate students, which is open to all potential graduate students. Subject librarians attend Graduate Forums, which are sponsored by the University’s schools and colleges, giving students a chance to meet and talk with the librarian in their discipline. At the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, the Library also hosts Graduate Student Seminars, [24] providing graduate students with a specialized introduction to the services available for them. This is followed by the opportunity to have small group instruction in research and information resources specific to their discipline from their subject librarian.   Computer Access:   Students and faculty rely heavily on library facilities for computer access. The Central Library has 188 desktop computers for library use on all floors. In addition, there are four catalog access computers available on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors, five catalog computers are on the 2nd, and one is near the circulation desk on the 1st floor. These single-purpose computers were added as a direct response to comments received in the 2005 LibQUAL+ Survey concerning the need for catalog searching capabilities when all other computers on the floor were in use. Thirty-eight laptop computers are available for circulation to library customers in the Central Library, with access to the campus network through a wireless network. These laptops are also available for 24-hour checkout. The Library maintains a network, a sub-network of the campus network, and a number of file servers that support public use and allow full operation of the integrated library system that supports the Voyager library catalog and other library operating systems. Microsoft application software is available on all computers and laptops, with the exception of the catalog-only computers. Specialized equipment and software are available in some locations.   Consortial agreements and resource sharing:  The Library participates in TexShare, a multi-type resource sharing consortium composed of public libraries, medical libraries, law libraries and public and private academic libraries in Texas. Participation in TexShare provides students and faculty web access to 28,281 NetLibrary eBook titles and 19,708 full text journals from databases provided by EBSCO, Gale, OCLC/NetLibrary, ProQuest and TDNet. Physical access to TexShare member library collections benefit those faculty and students who register for a free TexShare card. [25]   UT Arlington Library cooperates with other UT System component libraries in the UT System Digital Library, which is managed by UT Austin. [26] The UT System Digital Library licenses and provides citation and full-text resources to participating component units, enabling access to 55 databases for UT Arlington students and faculty. The UT Arlington Library also participates in the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) [27] which is funded by the UT System and managed by UT Austin. Within this program, UT System component libraries suggest and vote on purchases to meet the needs of their own academic programs that also complement the academic programs at UT Austin. Many of these suggested resources become part of the UT System Digital Library.   A charter member since 1974, the Library is a continuing member of what is now the Amigos Library Services [28], a non-profit membership based library service network.  Membership provides Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) services, opportunities for continuing education and training and discount pricing on electronic resources. [29]     The Library is a member of the Phoenix Group, a group of Texas libraries (Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, Texas Woman’s University, University of North Texas, UT Dallas and UT Arlington) seeking mutual cooperation in collection management. The only agreement currently in place is to archive print titles available in the JSTOR database. [30]  Full interlibrary loan services are available for all students and faculty. Through OCLC, the Interlibrary Loan Management Software (ILLIAD) is used as a web end-user interface. [31] The interlibrary loan staff also refers students to web e-articles and helps them identify alternative sources. The Library participates in an agreement with UT Austin Libraries, open to all UT System components, which designates UT Austin Libraries as the first choice supplier for article delivery. Currently there are agreements with 20 delivery services which are used when requested materials cannot be obtained through OCLC. This list continues to increase as suppliers are identified. The Library is affiliated with several groups for loaning materials, including Amigos, but all of these lending agreements are through OCLC.  Interlibrary Loan Activity FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 Materials provided to other libraries 13,091 8,787 10,160 Materials received from other libraries 17,120 11,493 14,108 Collections and services for off-campus sites and distance learning courses:  Students enrolled in UT Arlington online classes or who attend classes at off-campus locations have full access to online resources, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an activated UT Arlington NetID account. This includes all web-accessible electronic journals and databases that are available to students on the UT Arlington campus.   Students enrolled in any UT System Telecampus class have access to 97 databases through the UT System Digital Library, [26] as well as to all electronic and print resources available to UT Arlington students. Distance learners may take advantage of available electronic reserve and 19 customized course pages with Library resources via the web and they may also have print books and journal articles delivered by mail, with return postage provided by the Library. [32] All UT Arlington students, including distance learners, may consult with a librarian onsite, through email, chat session or the Library’s toll-free number.   The library also has an electronic newsletter, Library News, which advertises programs, events and exhibits. [33]   Collection Development:  Each academic department has a liaison librarian who works directly with faculty and students and is responsible for identifying information resource needs relevant to current and developing curricula. Additionally, the Coordinator for Information Resources is an ex-officio member of both the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and a sub-group of the Graduate Assembly, the Program Policy Committee. The Library also has information content librarians who are responsible for identifying and purchasing specific resources for academic programs and working with the liaison librarians to evaluate the relevance of available resources. The Library provides appropriate information and collection data for University academic program accreditations, which report that the collections and services meet requirements.     The Collection Development Policy [34] is currently being updated and complemented by the development of Information Management and Acquisitions Policies (IMAP) for each academic program within the University. These IMAPs are developed in consultation with the liaison librarians and faculty to describe each program, the required materials for the program and the extent of the current collection in supporting the program. Examples of Biology [35] and Social Work [36] IMAPs are listed in the Supporting Documentation. Using these guidelines, along with collection development policies, the librarians are systematically reviewing the collection on the shelves and online. This review ensures that gaps in the collection are identified and appropriate new materials can be purchased. Additionally, the Electronic Resources/Digital Formats Policy Statement is used to guide decisions regarding the acquisition and management of electronic resources.  [37]  A carefully developed allocation formula is used in determining the subject allocation of the monographs budget. The formula includes four factors: (a) the number of credit hours within the program or discipline, (b) faculty full-time equivalency, (c) the annual Blackwell US Approval Coverage and Cost Study [38] and (d) the most current U.S. Periodical Price Index. [39] The Library participates in monograph approval plans through Blackwell’s Book Service [40] and Majors Library Services. The approval plan profiles are reviewed on an annual basis, incorporating analysis of the collections and knowledge of new academic programs.       Special Collections also has a collection development policy specifying that it collects, as exhaustively as possible within budget limitations, all library and archival materials relating to Texas, the Mexican War, The UT Arlington, and Mexico from 1810-1920. Additionally, the program area collects, as exhaustively as possible, maps, atlases and other printed and manuscript items depicting the cartographic history of Texas, Gulf of Mexico region and Greater Southwest. [41]   Continued development of the library collections is facilitated through collection analysis and increasing allocations in the materials budget, responding to the requests of students and faculty for current monographs and increased electronic materials.         Resources Budget 2003-2007:  Resources FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 Projected FY2006 Projected FY2007 Monographs and one-time purchases   862,928 976,308   1,031,000 1,141,650   1,194,250 Serials   2,289,986   2,655,625   2,934,465 3,359,452 3,580,814 Total 3,152,914 3,631,933   3,965,465 4,501,102 4,775,064   Qualified Professional Staff: The UT Arlington Library currently has 44 FTE librarians (as of 4/14/06, not including open positions) and other professionals holding either master’s degrees in library and information sciences or appropriate degrees in other fields. This number includes three archivists who occupy professional positions in the Library. Each archivist holds a master’s in library science, history or a related field, with archival certification by either a college/university graduate archival program or by the Academy of Certified Archivists. [42] As evidence of this, the University has compiled a roster of these staff, listing the relevant elements of their credentials and experience. [43]  Library Management Strategic Planning:  UT Arlington determines the appropriateness of its facilities, services and resources with the help of faculty, staff and student feedback. Library staff includes 47 librarians and archivists, 78 other staff and 28 FTE student assistants. Library policy and management decisions are developed by the Library Management Team (LMT) comprised of the library dean, the associate library director, eight program area coordinators, two branch managers, two assistants to the dean, the facilities manager and the chair of the Professional Forum. The activities of the Library are divided into eight program areas, each with specialized functions and a specific focus. The program areas include: (a) Access Services (circulation, interlibrary loan, reserves and stacks maintenance); (b) Information Services (reference, faculty liaison and instruction); (c) Information Resources (collection development); (d) Information Organization and Preparation (cataloging, access to electronic resources and binding); (e) Digital Library Services (maintaining and enhancing the website and managing the multimedia user lab); (f) Library Systems (information technology infrastructure including the integrated library management system); (g) Information Literacy (literacy program for undergraduates, online tutorials and GIS services) and (h) Special Collections. [44]  Each program area has a coordinator (essentially a department head) responsible for coordinating activities within the program area and with the other program areas and the branch managers of the Architecture and Fine Arts (AFA) Library and the Science and Engineering Library (SEL). The facilities manager and the two assistants to the dean work with all coordinators and branch managers with regard to the facilities, external marketing, and planning and assessment. Professional Forum membership includes all exempt library professionals in the UT Arlington Library and meetings provide the opportunity to address professional issues and concerns.     Input for library services is welcomed and solicited regularly from the University community in a variety of ways. Email addresses and phone numbers are provided on the library web page for each staff member, program area and library administration. [45] Answers to written comments collected in suggestion boxes are posted near the Central Library circulation desk. Faculty are encouraged to give written feedback on the effectiveness of library instruction sessions.   Other more formal assessment activities provide data for planning and continuous improvement. Since 1998 the Library has submitted to the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness two-year assessment plans as part of the Unit Effectiveness Process, [46] concentrating on improvement in specific identified services and procedures. [47] A formal student survey was administered in 2000, [48] and the findings of it were included in facilities and services planning for the next few years. Faculty surveys [49] [50] conducted in spring 2003 provided detailed information from academic school and departments regarding faculty perception of library needs and effectiveness. The Library participated in the Survey of Organizational Excellence, developed by the Organizational Excellence Group at UT Austin and administered in 1999 and 2003. [51] This survey helps the LMT evaluate the effectiveness of the organization from the staff perspective. These assessment activities prepared the Library for the variety of assessment activities undertaken for the development of the FY 2006-FY2008 Library’s Strategic Plan. [52]   The most recent strategic plan for the library was developed in 2005 for implementation beginning fiscal year 2006. In 2004, internal discussion sessions, open to all library staff, focused initially on the Library’s mission and values. Student input into the planning process was obtained by several methods. Observational data of facility and computer use by day and time was received during fiscal year 2004. [53] Student use surveys were also conducted as comparison data. [54] A focus group was conducted with members of the Student Congress and a facilitated discussion was held during a meeting of the Graduate Student Senate.   Student and faculty input for the strategic plan was also facilitated by the Library’s participation in the spring 2005 LibQUAL+. [55] The results of this survey were analyzed and included in the decision-making process. Free text comments were provided by 40% of the survey respondents. These comments were also analyzed and matched with issues and concerns identified by library staff. The University Library Committee, composed of representatives from all University colleges and schools, also served as a focus group. A customized discipline notebook was received in spring 2006, providing results by discipline rather than by academic rank. This information is currently being integrated into the planning process.   These planning and assessment activities informed the development of the current strategic plan, which was developed to be an organic document that would respond to new data on an annual basis. Subcommittees of the LMT made recommendations for the timelines and suggested activities for each strategy. Planning and implementation teams for each strategy were formed and include 60% of the staff. Each planning team outlined a process to achieve the strategy output, including identifying possible assessment criteria. Progress reports are now made monthly by team leaders to LMT.