Dean of Libraries Search | About the Libraries
The mission of the Appalachian State University Library is to assist those who pursue knowledge. The main library facility, the Belk Library and Information Commons, is a beautifully designed and heavily used library with over 1 million visits per year. It shares a catalog and some services with UNC-Asheville and Western Carolina University as part of the Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN). The Library is a dynamic partner in the campus and distance learning communities, dedicated to the provision of full and equal access to information and the preservation of our intellectual and cultural heritage. Our collections, portals to information and text, services, and instruction contribute to the campus missions of learning, scholarship, engagement, and effectiveness. Our vision is to broaden the learning experience, to encourage creativity and scholarship at all levels, to deepen the campus engagement with the community and world, and to develop an effective organization that can meet current and future information needs.
Some of the distinctive features of the library include:
- The W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, a world-known repository for texts related to the Southern uplands, with strengths in the history, culture, folklore, music, religion, and fiction of Appalachia.
- Distinctive Special Collections including the Stock Car Racing Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts Collections, University Archives and Records, a large Instructional Materials Center, and the Erneston Music Library.
- A strong instructional program delivered and assessed by library faculty, with a focus on information literacy sessions within the curriculum (over 800 taught last year) and one-on-one consultations with students and faculty.
- A robust electronic collection of e-journals, databases, and e-books, combined with unique resources such as digitized special collections materials and an institutional repository.
- An emphasis on technology, with a robust website, state-of-the-art Digital Media Studio, hundreds of desktop and laptop computers for campus use, equipment lending, and multiple e-learning projects and initiatives.
- An excellent support network which includes Friends of the Library, the Library Services Committee, Library Advisory Board, Student Advisory Group, and other groups and donors who appreciate and support the mission of the Library.
- A faculty model for librarians and archivists which promotes wide participation in shared governance and University service, as well as research and professional service and development. Library faculty have built strong collaborations with faculty across campus, working on collection management, information literacy, and technology fluency.
- A strong and dedicated professional staff across library teams who have been recipients of service awards for campus.
