Libraries have been the heart of Saint Louis University since its founding in 1818.  Rapid changes in the world of information and technologies have impacted libraries – their resources, services, the people that work in them, and the individuals that use them – more profoundly over the past two decades than any other previous time in history. The needs and expectations of students, faculty, and researchers compel academic libraries of top research universities to be increasingly adaptable. With more emphasis on interdisciplinary research and teaching, university libraries

• must be welcoming, comfortable, and safe environments conducive for intellectual search and discovery;
• make available the most current information technologies to optimize users’ access to information;
• provide access to scholarship in electronic form 24/7;
• acquire and preserve a university’s intellectual treasures – its rare books, manuscripts, and archives – in the right environment; and
• must be a dynamic learning organization where library faculty and staff continually provide the highest quality service to its users.