The mission of Webster University Library is to empower our diverse, global community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to fulfill their research, learning, and information needs, now and in the future.

Students

We value students by acquiring and providing access to high-quality materials and services that support the curriculum and by offering personalized research support. We partner with faculty and staff to provide exceptional service to students throughout their Webster career and beyond.

Learning

We value learning by fostering inquiry and curiosity in collaborative spaces, both online and physical, to promote a lifelong desire to learn. We promote information literacy through a robust instruction program that develops the critical thinking and evaluation skills necessary for work and life in the 21st century.

Diversity and Inclusion

We value diversity and inclusion by developing online and physical collections that represent multiple points of views to promote understanding of one’s own and others’ values. We strive to provide online services and physical spaces that offer equitable access to all users in our worldwide network.

Global Citizenship

We value global citizenship by developing services that promote global understanding and mobility. We provide a broad array of resources that help educate global citizens to strengthen the communities they serve.

Direction 1: Promote information literacy, library usage, and lifelong learning by collaborating with faculty and academic partners.

1. Expand and develop relationships with faculty and academic partners to integrate library resources and services into the curriculum.
2. Provide library instruction and support to meet the needs of our students and faculty all over the world to encourage information literacy and lifelong learning.
3. Collaborate with students and faculty to support research activities.
4. Promote library resources and services through effective marketing, outreach, and communication.
5. Promote the ethical use of information resources.
6. Protect privacy and intellectual freedom.

Direction 2: Provide equitable access to high-quality library materials and services.

1. Ensure that users have access to the library materials they need by providing a globally diverse collection and leveraging resource-sharing partnerships.
2. Obtain, develop, and continuously improve library tools to support discovery and the convenience of users.
3. Collaborate with other units on campus and use data-driven decision making to ensure that our services and collections meet the needs of our diverse populations.
4. Support open access initiatives to benefit our users and the scholarly community at large.
5. Provide a robust environment for sharing and preserving student and faculty research, knowledge creation, and unique collections.
6. Preserve and make accessible the historical record of the University.
7. Maximize the resources available to our users through excellent financial stewardship.

Direction 3: Provide a world-class library experience by valuing and empowering library staff.

1. Encourage and support training and professional development to support lifelong learning, community engagement, and continual quality improvement.
2. Communicate effectively to promote staff morale, innovation, and continual quality improvement.
3. Recruit, hire, and support a diverse staff.
4. Engage with and lead local, state, national, and international library groups.
5. Create meaningful experiences for our staff and student workers to develop critical skills and build their sense of belonging and empowerment.

Direction 4: Offer an online presence and physical spaces that support learning and foster collaboration for users worldwide.

1. Ensure that the library’s online presence serves users’ needs.
2. Provide library spaces that are well-maintained and meet users’ evolving needs.
3. Enhance library technology to keep pace with changing user needs.

Adopted Fall 2022