Vision for the Future of the Amherst College Library
The Amherst College Library will support Amherst College's commitment to distinguished teaching and scholarship. The Library will strengthen its integral role in undergraduate education and basic faculty research. This role is ensured by the Library's dual emphasis on ready access and excellent service. The Library will guide students, faculty, administrators, and staff through the maze of increasingly complex structures of information. Librarians, archivists, and curators will provide leadership in instructing them to identify, analyze and responsibly use all media.
The Library will collect, organize, and provide the best possible access to recorded knowledge in all appropriate formats. In an environment of rapidly changing information technology, the Library will maintain an appreciation of both new and traditional materials. It will add to and preserve its traditional collection. At the same time, it will acquire materials in new formats and establish links to networked resources beyond the Amherst College campus. The Library's services will keep pace with changing technology without sacrificing personal attention to individual students, faculty, and staff. Services and access to resources will be offered in a welcoming, well-maintained facility.
Competent, well-supported library staff will enhance the knowledge and skills required for contemporary information management. Library staff will find creative solutions to economic and technical challenges created by rapid change. The Library will establish and maintain profitable collaborative relationships with other Amherst College departments, local and remote libraries, and outside agencies to maximize its resources and services.
September 27, 1999