Welcome to the new University Libraries website, the entry point to an exceptionally broad and deep set of resources and services.  All of the librarians and staff members have as our central goal supporting student success, the curriculum of each school and program, and the overarching educational mission of the University.  I hope that the redesigned web pages will help us achieve that goal even further.

Cosmic changes have occurred in academic libraries as they evolve from being primarily brokers and gatekeepers of information to engaging students actively in their learning experiences.  Gone (for the most part) is the hushed atmosphere of the gentleman's club; no longer are academic libraries entirely quiet places.  Rather, by providing a variety of spaces for exchange and collaboration, they embrace the concept of the third place: extensions of home, places for social interaction, for discovery, for collaboration, as well as for contemplation.  I am delighted with the amount of peer-to-peer learning I observe in the second-level commons, group study rooms, and informal lounge spaces.  Take a short tour of renovated spaces in the Gottesman Library Building:

A central goal is to align students with the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education—to help students become agile information seekers, discerning information consumers, and thereby lifelong learners and informed citizens.  We take every opportunity to identify teaching moments, whether at a computer terminal, in a librarian's office, at the reference desk, or in the computer laboratory.  We hope you'll allow us to be your partners in learning.   

Paul Glassman, Director of Scholarly and Cultural Resources