Fant Memorial Library Vision

We aim to be the heart of our campus, both anticipating and responding to our community’s needs, where students, staff, and faculty feel welcomed, represented, celebrated, and challenged.

Fant Memorial Library Mission

We are committed to bringing inclusive, targeted resources and services to our campus community to facilitate innovation and excellence in teaching, research, and learning—both online and in-person.  To that end, we provide technologies, materials, spaces, expert support, and compassionate service to further classroom explorations and stimulate intellectual and cultural curiosity.

Fant Memorial Library Strategic Priorities, Goals, and Objectives 2021-2026

For The W’s corresponding strategic plan, please visit: https://www.muw.edu/priorities

Academic Excellence

Academics are at the heart of a W education. Our dedicated faculty, respected in their fields, champion a commitment to teaching shaped by their research, scholarship, and creative expressions. Partnered with an equally committed staff, they foster a learning environment that is both broad and highly personalized. For the W, academic excellence results in graduates who are equipped for the competitive and diverse global economy.

Provide a Comprehensive Academic Experience

• The library will continue to investigate and adopt resources, services, and spaces to create a fertile environment for research, teaching, and learning.
  • We will increase faculty participation in selecting library resources.
  • We will purchase or subscribe to resources to support and encourage creative research, teaching, and learning.
  • We will continue to investigate resources that aid faculty in creating new curricula to meet the changing needs of today’s students.
  • We will continue to enhance and expand interlibrary-loan services.
• The library will continue to offer enriching co-curricular programs that address the needs of a diverse and growing university community.
  • We will expand our offerings in the Fab Lab, including collaborations with departmental partners.
  • We will promote information literacy through course integrated instruction, library research guides, FAQs, and point-of-need instruction.
  • We will work with the Athletics Director to promote resources, programming, and services that create synergies between academic programs and athletics.
• The library will continue to work toward equitable access for library spaces, resources, services, and collections
  • We will provide access to hot spots and laptops for student use on campus and remotely.
  • We will work toward a single sign-on for online resources.
  • We will work to identify and address potential barriers for students to access library spaces, services, and resources.
  • We will continue to maintain and enhance the library’s collections.
  • We will continue to make the special collections and university archives more accessible

Preparing Students to be Lifelong Learners and Contributing Members of Today’s Global Economy

• The library will encourage academic research, general curiosity, and creative expression of the university community and will aid in the dissemination of scholarship and creative products.
  • We will continue to encourage students and faculty to share their research in the institutional repository, Athena Commons.
  • The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) will offer annual opportunities for students to share their research and creative outputs.
  • We will offer internship experiences that enhance an understanding of research and primary source materials.
• The library will continue to promote and provide opportunities for enhancing and understanding information literacies.
  • We will grow and expand the offerings of the Digital Studies Minor.
  • We will enhance the community’s understanding of data literacy.
  • We will enhance the community’s understanding of financial literacy.
  • We will create a Center for Digital Studies.

Provides Resources to Foster Excellence in Teaching

• The library will provide resources to maintain excellence in librarianship.
  • We will stay abreast of current and future trends in library services in order to be nimble and responsible to future campus community needs
• The library will support the development of faculty interested in mentoring undergraduate researchers.
  • We will create a Faculty Mentoring Institute to support faculty interested in mentoring undergraduate researchers
  • We will create a “assignment library” repository in Athena Commons to aid faculty in creating opportunities for students to engage with original research

Recruit and Retain a Diverse Faculty and Staff

• The library will continue to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and staff.
• The library will engage with state, regional, and national library professional communities to continue to attract, recruit, and retain a diverse faculty and staff.

Advancement Excellence

A strength of any institution is the level of engagement with those it serves. At The W, that includes a diversity of constituents: students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, the community, and elected officials. By cultivating these relationships, we build support critical to the future of The W. One important outcome of valued relationships is the continued generosity of our larger W family, providing resources that allow us to improve quality across all aspects of the institution.

Offer More Programs Representative of a Diverse Alumni Base

• The library will continue to offer inclusive in-person and virtual programming to the campus community that represents its diversity.

Continue a Culture of Giving

• The library will partner with the Foundation and Alumni to advance the library initiatives and provide opportunities for growth and development.

Foster Pride in the University and its Programs

• The library will continue to preserve and share the rich history of the university.
• The library will continue to support a center for research into Mississippi women’s history and leadership.
• The library will continue to promote the archival mission to attract donations of papers and other materials from alumni and current students.
• The library will develop a plan for identifying and preserving materials of permanent value to the university.

Enhance Services to Shape Career-Ready Graduates

• The library will continue partnering with the Career Services to prepare students for graduate school.
• The library will continue to provide opportunities for specialized work experience through library internships and student assistant positions.

Community Connections

The W’s unique niche is not confined by geographic boundaries. By serving its communities through programs and partnerships, both locally and globally, the university will continue to communicate its value and explore ways to create significant impact through its areas of strength. It should also identify innovative and diverse approaches that enhance health, quality of life, cultural enrichment, and society’s overall economic potential.

Contribute to the Cultural Enrichment of our Communities

• The library will continue to offer accessible programming that promotes creative, intellectual, and social opportunities, making events available through a combination of delivery methods (e.g., streaming, remote, in-person, hybrid, etc.) for communities who may be unable to attend otherwise.

Degree Completion

The W recognizes that Degree Completion requires recruitment, retention, and support through graduation and into a career. We aim to provide holistic support for all students throughout their time at the university.

 Provide Equal Access to Advising, Mentoring, and Support Services to All Students

• The library will provide equity in resources, services, and support for online and in-person students.
• The library will provide mentoring, professional development, and support for library student assistants for success in the global economy.

Assist Students to Maintain Financial, Physical, and Emotional and Mental Well-Being

• The library will work toward equitable pay for student assistants.
• The library will collaborate with other partners on campus to offer wellness programming for students.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The W is on a mission to create a welcoming, diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus climate for all. As the university strives to reach the highest levels of academic excellence, it is also essential that the university foster an environment where all members of the campus community can flourish. Diversity recognizes the value of varied perspectives, which helps drive innovative solutions to an ever-changing world.

Capture, Promote, and Enhance Overall Curriculum and Programming that Enhances Multicultural Awareness and Understanding

• The library will continue to offer programming through our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee.
  • We will engage the campus with common reading around gender, race, and accessibility through the IDEA Book Club.
• The library will expand the library’s resources and archival collections, representing a broad understanding of IDEA concepts.
• The library will invest in accessible and critical metadata practices to enhance archival collections, Mississippi women’s history, and general library resources.
• The library will audit the library’s circulating collection to surface content needs related to IDEA concepts.

Financial Sustainability

A financial model supports the efforts and goals of academics, student services, and the campus. The W’s mission-driven approach involves clear strategic planning and actions that ensure the ongoing financial health of the University.

Invest in Faculty and Staff Hiring and Development

• The library will continue to create and fund professional development opportunities for library faculty and staff to cultivate curiosity and expand expertise.
• The library will continue to create and fund wellness opportunities for library faculty and staff to foster a compassionate and supportive workplace and elevate employee quality of life.

Develop a Strategic Budget Model

• The library will communicate strategic budget priorities broadly on an annual basis.
• The library will pursue outside funding opportunities, including grants and community development.