Texas State Joins Association Of Research Libraries

SAN MARCOS – Texas State University has accepted an invitation for University Libraries to join the prestigious Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

Texas State will join 125 of the top research libraries in the U.S. and Canada with the mission of influencing the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve.

“We are pleased to join this distinguished group and look forward to the partnerships, access, voice, and professional development opportunities this membership will afford our library staff and our university,” said Associate Vice President and University Librarian Joan Heath. “We are confident we will be a productive and value-added member of ARL.”

The achievement, led by Heath and her staff, is an important contribution to Texas State’s effort to become a national research university.

The designation recognizes the dedication of librarians and other library staff in helping faculty and students achieve academic success and create ground-breaking research.

The invitation followed a rigorous ARL review of Texas State libraries over the past year.

“Library administrators, managers and staff exhibit a firm commitment to diversity and inclusion, and an impressive dedication to providing high-quality, user-centered services,” the review committee reported. “These characteristics, coupled with the impressive expansion and renovation of the Alkek Library, enable the library to provide users with outstanding programs, innovative information services, distinctive collections and resources that meet the standards associated with ARL’s membership principles.”

As leading institutions attracting millions of users every year, ARL members are uniquely positioned to champion change by proactively addressing the information challenges and opportunities that are now before the research and learning community.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in the U.S. and Canada.

ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve.

ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations.

ARL is on the web at ARL.org.