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Mission, Values & Vision

evviva

With seven libraries across three campuses and thousands of UB students, faculty, and other researchers visiting each day, the University at Buffalo Libraries strives to be a welcoming and inclusive place to share ideas, collaborate with peers, and explore new opportunities for innovative research and lifelong learning.

UB Libraries feature extensive physical collections and a wealth of electronic resources all connected by the expertise of our dedicated staff who are committed to serving the teaching, learning, and research needs of the entire university community. In our ongoing efforts to enhance and curate these collections, we are intent on improving how we collect, describe, preserve, and share knowledge. We are dedicated to ensuring our collections are accessible to not just our UB community for now, but for all researchers through time.

We actively encourage participation in a culture that embraces and values diversity in all its dimensions, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and feel a sense of belonging. The foundation of our collective efforts is rooted in the mission, values, and vision of the University at Buffalo Libraries.

Evviva Weinraub Lajoie
Vice Provost for University Libraries

Mission

Leveraging the expertise of library faculty and staff, the University at Buffalo Libraries:

  • Provide curated access to scholarly resources and unique collections that underpin the research, teaching, learning, and creative activities at the University at Buffalo.
  • Promote the ethical and responsible use of information and information tools.
  • Champion diverse opinions and voices and provide safe and welcoming spaces for everyone.
  • Deliver user-focused services, responding to the needs of the university and the diverse local, national and global communities we serve.
  • Empower users to make and disseminate new knowledge, foster personal and professional growth, and enhance the reputation of the university.

Values

Inquiry

  • We support and participate in the pursuit, creation and dissemination of knowledge for users at every level through research, teaching, and the free exchange of ideas across disciplines.

Access

  • We equip our users with resources to meet their academic needs through diverse collections, inclusive spaces and responsive practices.

Service

  • We provide our users with exemplary assistance that is accessible and inclusive from approachable Libraries faculty and staff while ensuring those services are responsive to user needs as they evolve.

Collaboration

  • We develop sustained and intentional relationships with faculty, staff, students and community partners within and beyond the university, which are strengthened by mutual trust, respect and compassion.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

  • We believe embracing and exhibiting the highest level of quality in research, teaching and service can be achieved only when diverse perspectives are engaged. We strive to remove barriers to access and scholarship that are based on individual backgrounds and identities.

Vision

As the regional premier academic research library, the University Libraries aspire to be the Heart of the Campus, a hub for collaboration that inspires innovation and discovery, and an exemplar to our library peers.